Crazy Bank Holiday Weekend

On the weekend I did 2 surveys with Mark, one of the highlights was getting Ring Ouzel on the flat with no warbler neck or playing now I see you now I don't. At the end of the survey it really warmed up and not just the weather. We had the Ouzel for easily 10 minutes, it called every now and than when it was feeding and at the same time we were being serenaded by a Grasshopper Warbler. We watched for a bit but it did not show itself. We also had a pair of cuckoos fly right by, and earlier we had a Tree Pipit which was another first for the year.

After all the excitement I planned to do one of my Willow Tit surveys, all I needed was some AA Batteries for my Ipod speaker but little did I know all the shops were closed and that was the end of that. After I recharged my batteries I went up on the mountain behind Penywaun and it was like Gropper Central. I got three in an hour and I saw two of them, I also found a family party of Stonechats and a Emperor Moth flew past me but it did not stop arrrrr.

On the Monday me and my daughter  Kathryn went to Sker, we left just before 7 and the road was quiet so we got there pretty quick. Has I knew the high tide was just after 8 we headed straight to Sker Point and along the Golf Course there were Whitethroats everywhere. Half way along we could hear a Gropper calling from the dunes and near Sker House there was a Wheatear feeding with Linnets in a field. Also towards Sker I could see a flock of waders flying towards Porthcawl and I thought maybe Whimbrel but they were just too far to tell what they were and more to the point why did they took off. On getting to the point the sea was right in, some people are just so stupid, a woman was walking the tideline with her dog and I guess thats why there were no waders on the beach. We set ourselves up and had a brew and I checked the rocks on the point and found 8 Purple Sandpipers and a hand full of Turnstones with one of them in full breeding plumage and what a cracker it was. Has time went on Neil Donaghy turned up and he told me the mystery waders were Bar Tailed Godwits and 17 in total. Some were brick red and they flew around a couple of times before they left and going by what I saw from Sker House earlier I was not going to count them. Neil  also told me he had Whimbrel on the other point and when he left I thought I better go and check the other point but sadly no sign of them. Has I scanned the rocks a group of waders were flying up the channel really close and if by magic it was 5 Barwits, two in full summer plumage. I swear I almost burnt a hole in the knees of my trousers walking back to Sker. In the distant an even bigger flock of waders were flying high towards me and I thought the Goldies have gone but on looking closer they were Bar Tailed Godwits. I took a quick photo to count later and there were 51 and 40 were brick red. I heard later there had been even bigger numbers over the channel in England with over two hundred seen. Next up was to go back to Sker to look for my daughter and dog. I found them fairly quickly sitting by a rock pool and just over the top from them was a small group of waders sleeping. On getting closer I could see they were Purple Sandpipers and Turnstone and they did not seem worried by my daughter so I took a couple photos before we walked back.

Neil also told me to check the dune slacks as he had had a drake Garganey the day before but all I found was a moron with a camera trying to take photos of two pairs of Lapwing and you could see they must have chicks or eggs. Some people should leave the countryside to people who care. Kathryn said dad that man looks like he has got no clothes on and when  I looked he was naked alright and his wife walked behind him carrying his clothes like it was all the normal pmsl.

When we got back near the centre we saw a different man with a camera and on getting closer we could see a male Emperor Moth flying around him. It would not settle and flew of out sight and just behind him I saw a Weasel run across the path. Also calling was a Lesser Whitethroat and it took me minutes to find it and for a change it showed really well. Straight after I could hear a Sedge Warbler calling from the next bush over but that took a bit of time before it showed.

It was time to head back home and what a great weekend it was. Once home I had coffee and nipped back down to Tir Founder fields. As I walked down the causeway I could see a couple and a young boy feeding the ducks and swans but little did they know there was a Greylag Goose behind them  and I wished I could have videoed it.  They jumped a mile and ran off and left the big bag of bread on the path, I was weak and tried to keep a straight face and called to them to ask if the wanted their bread back and they said no. The little boy said will I feed them for him and he thanked me and they walked away .Well after that the male swan jumped out of the water and chased the the goose and ducks down the path and has this happened a couple teenages walked past and did not want to pass him. Back to the birds and the swan is still sitting tight on her nest and a pair of Grey Herons have built a nest in the middle of the pond and on the east back I picked up a Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler and spring seems to be flying along.