Raven Count

This is a copy and paste from my post on Facebook, but not everyone is on there, so I thought I would put it here too, if you don't mind, Phil.

Another Raven (or should that now be Corvid) count. It was a real treat to be out there at 05:15, this morning: mild, a gentle breeze and peaceful. It was overcast, but unlike yesterday morning, it was about 1000 metres above the hill tops, not down on it, so the visibility was great.

My only worry was those pesky Carrion Crows. I knew the Ravens would start flying out as soon as twilight came, but would the Carrion Crows join them? To my relief, the first few groups, numbering over 100 in total, were purely of Ravens and I thought (hoped) that the Carrion Crows had gone back to their original roost site. Those hopes were dashed at 06:10, when the sky was suddenly filled with groups of silent corvids, which were obviously not Ravens, though there were a small number of those too.

A busy couple of minutes, as I clicked the Ravens and manually counted the crows, but just as I was thinking how easy it was turning out to be, I realised that there were Jackdaws amongst them... Aargh!!!

Jackdaw is a species I have never previously seen or heard while counting the Ravens, but now there they were; several dozens of them mixed in with the 100+ Carrion Crows. This was getting ridiculous; particulaly, as once they began calling, I am sure I heard Rook amongst the calls. At this point, a pair of Chough wouldn't have surprised me, but at least I was relieved that the Ravens tended to keep their distance from the rabble and in the main, flew below them, making them fairly easy to pick out.

As the last of that mob had passed over, I saw a Peregrine fly over me and unsuccessfully attach a straggling Carrion Crow. It made three attacks, then lost heart and flew off. It was interesting to watch the crow's reaction to the peregrine's stoop. Each time, it saw the stoop begin, it also went into a dive, thereby greatly lessening the difference in velocity between them and allowing the crow more chance to jink out of the way.

The final total of Ravens was 266, which was one of the higher counts for September.

Remarkably, amongst the other species heard while counting the Ravens, were three Wrens. They are the first Wrens I have heard or seen up there, since the severe cold, in early March. It took until July for the first Robins to appear there again.

Llwyn-onn site tick

At last yellow wagtail, at least 2 [1ad + 1juv] at northeast Llwyn-onn [Merthyr side]. I've called in a couple of times since last weeks GBC trip casually announced that they had noted them on a site visit but dipped on each occasion. TG however found a couple this a.m. again foraging with pied wagtail and they were still present when I called in this p.m. Site tick for the chief ranger also and he's worked on the site c40 years. Bridge is flooded you'll need wellies to cross at the mo.

Just when you think there gone

Tir Founder fields tonight 3 common Swifts and a couple of sand martins and 1 common swift later over the ynys playing fields in a big flock of house martin and swallows and  just over Hundred gulls on the playing fields and mostly Lesser Black Backed Gulls and 64 and 37 herring Gulls and very low numbers of  juv and it makes you think maybe hot was bad for inland gulls.

Rhaslas

First juvenile dunlin this a.m. plus 2 ringed plover with the usual juv wheatear and pied wagtail, not much else; especially people, shooters, fishermen, bikers, quadists and dog emptiers, hmm lovely.

Return to normal-ish

At Rhaslas; ringed plover present several times during the week with 3 mixed age on the 23rd, a single juv little ringed plover occasionally noted, common sand present most days, a single sanderling on the 20th. TC had a ruff and a flyover yellow wagtail on the 24th. Teal present most days with 4 noted on the 23rd with 5 common snipe feeding along west point [didn't even flush].

Tuesday night moth trap revealed a garden and personal first; a waved umber [unless I'm having a funny tern], usual flight season mid April - June but "very occasionally a partial 2nd generation in July and August in particularly hot summers".

Mike's Gull

Thanks to the never ending hard work of young Mr Hogan, the rest of the crew managed to get a Glamorgan tick back on me, with his finding of the superb 2cy Sabine's Gull. I took a wander up this evening - a few toggers around, but the gull was nicely settled, allowing prolonged views as it fed on flies, etc at the waters edge. It did get up a couple of times to give some great flight views.

Nice find Mike.

Rhaslas

Arrived at the pool c10:00 hours this morning with what I thought was the usual gull flock and some canada geese, oh hum I thought, I'm here, I've got a hang over so just do it. Oh bugger its started to rain, no coat, no hat, I've got to go shopping soaking wet, its got to be Lidl's. A sanderling appeared from the west did a few laps getting higher each time and disappeared to the east, oh hum. A knot of white feathers appeared in among the gull flock, I dismissed it as moult, the rain was filling my spectacles, I was only half way around, oh hum. The knot of white feathers moved, its a bit small for black headed gull I thought, perhaps its been ill, oh jesus, I took 3 long distant shots and it was gone, swallowed by the mixed age lesser black-backed and herring gull flock, oh bugger bugger hum. Now where is my shopping list.

I knew TC would visit lunch time, I sent him a text stating; "strange small gull glimpsed through rain splashed specs" he's recently changed from apple and he can no longer receive my texts, oh hum. I finished my chores and for the first time in months I did not have a bottle with my lunch, my mother asked was I ill, I said no I had to see a man about a bird. I pulled up at Rhaslas, TC was parked in my space, he's lucky I hadn't been drinking. I spot him just off west point, I thread my way through the rush along a path known only to me and a sheep called eric. The phone rings, "I've got a Sab". I told him things would get better towards the end of the month, now where's my bottle opener.