Back In Pembrokeshire

I got back home on the 12th, so the next day I had to go to Camrose to see the MASKED WAGTAIL. Unfortunately the weather wasn't great but as soon as I got there the stunning bird was walking and feeding along the road. It walked straight towards me at one point and got with in two metres. The bird was a little soggy due to the wet weather but that big bib and mask was very distinct. I had a bit of time afterwards so went down to Newgale to have a look around. Lots of pipits and gathered on the flooded campsite, and most of them were Water Pipits! I counted 7 in total the most I've ever seen and a new bird for me in Pembrokeshire.

MASKED WAGTAIL

Water Pipit

I spent the next few weeks birding on patch at Amroth and Wiseman's Bridge. Gulls were the main target with a large gull flocks on both the beaches. The highlights were 2 1st winter Yellow-legged Gulls (one last week and one the week before) and 3 Med Gulls (2 adults and 1 1st winter). The sea really delivered over the last few weeks starting with a Velvet Scoter flying west off Wiseman's Bridge on the 15th. The next day at Amroth a *Black-throated Diver* was offshore. A rare bird in Carmarthen Bay and great surprise. The usual Red-throated Divers, Great Crested Grebes and Red-breasted Mergansers were always present and it seems a very good year for scoters easily 4,000 in total with a reasonable number within scoping distance. When checking the gulls at Amroth on the 22nd it was great to see a *Long-tailed Duck* flying east through the bay. I eventually saw it close in off Wiseman's Bridge and aged it as a 1st winter drake. I saw it again on the 23rd, 24th and 25th from both Coppet Hall and Wiseman's Bridge. A *Slavonian Grebe* was also off Coppet Hall on the 24th a very good bird to see down here but unfortunately just off patch! At Ginst Point on the 26th loads of ducks including my highest count of Pintail, 70 in total from the river and east marsh and 2 Tufted Ducks, my 141 species on patch this year.

Long-tailed Duck