Hourtin Plage Holiday 10th-24th August

We spent two weeks at Hourtin Plage again this year. This time I managed a holiday list of 104 species beating last years list by 23. New birds this year included White Storks, Cattle Egrets, Ospreys, Nightjars, Serin, Tawny Pipits and a Crested Lark.
Seawatching off the beach was rewarding with Balearic Shearwaters moving through the bay most mornings, 14 Black Terns on the 19th, a Sooty Shearwater on the 20th, 2 Arctic Skuas on the 21st.
Hoopoes were more elusive this year with only one seen in Hourtin Plage village on the last day.
Wader numbers were higher than last year with good passage off the beach each morning and 2 juvenile Little Stints and 3 Green Sandpipers on the salt pans at Le Verdon-sur-Mer.

Yellow-legged Gull

Crested Tit

Kentish Plover

Short-toed Eagle

Osprey

Tawny Pipit

Little Stints

SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER

On Tuesday 9th, I visited the Gann hoping to see the adult Semipalmated Sandpiper that had been in the area for the last few days. I had already went to see it on the 6th, but mist and rain made photography almost impossible. On Tuesday however, the weather was clear and sunny. the bird was still present and showed very well. At first it was roosting on the beach but as the tide dropped it became active feeding with a flock of Dunlin and Ringed Plover. I managed some much better photos this time...

with a Dunlin

palmations just visible

Semipalmated Sandpipier

Tacumshin Lakes 3rd-6th August

A couple of weeks ago I spent a few days birding at Tacumshin Lakes in Co. Wexford. Overall a quite few days but its a truly magical place. The highlight of the trip were the long staying Cattle Egret, which showed well but proved very hard to photograph, I only managed a very poor record shot! other good birds included several *Roseate Terns* with lots of Common and Arctic, c5 Ruff, 2 Marsh Harriers and a smart Ringtail Hen Harrier.

Awful Cattle Egret photo

juvenile Roseate Tern

Knot

Arctic Tern

Ruff

Ringed Plover

Spoonbill on patch!

Birding on patch has settled down quite considerably over this last month. Apart from a few Med Gulls at Amroth there has been very little of note. It was only last week when I had a new bird, a juvenile Whinchat in a rush field of East Marsh. Back down there 3 days later 2 Whinchats were present and a Grasshopper Warbler was reeling from the rush nearby.

A visit to Ginst Point this evening was well worth it. A large flock of gulls gathered on the sand spit just north east of Ginst Point. 15 Cormorants were also roosting on the sand spit, one of which had a colour ring on its leg. I moved closer to try and read the ring and whilst scanning to find the bird I couldn't believe it when I clasped my eyes on an adult *Spoonbill*! It was roosting with then gulls and occasionally revealed its fantastic bill when it was preening. A fantastic bird and a new patch tick!

Patch highlights

My exams finished last week so I had sometime to get onto patch for a catch up. The highlights of Friday's visit were Yellowhammer, Tree Pipit, 2 Spotted Flycatchers and Lesser Redpoll on Marros Mountain and 3 Garden Warbler at Colby. On Saturday a walk around Telpyn, not intentionally birding was rewarded with a Cuckoo, and brief but good views of a juvenile *Dartford Warbler* in the gorse scrub.
I went back down to Telpyn yesterday attempting to get some better views of the Dartfords. It wasn't long before I caught up with a few juveniles but views were still brief. A while later I found the adult male. He showed much better and allow me to get close enough for some photos...what stunning birds!

Dartford Warbler

Hooded Crow, Oriole and Garganey

A Fantastic spring started morning at Marloes Mere. At first things were slow with a Spotted Flycatcher by the car park being the only bird of note. Further along towards the youth hostel large numbers of corvids were feeding a recently ploughed field. A *Hooded Crow* amongst them was a pleasant surprise and the start of things to come. Sedge Warblers were singing in any available scrub and another Spot fly was by the Britton Hide. Out at the west of the mere I couldn't believe my eyes when a bright green bird flew over my head and into the hedge...a cracking Golden Oriole!! Dave Astins had one briefly yesterday afternoon but I wasn't expecting to re-find it. It showed well but distantly for about 15 minutes before I lost it in cover back towards the mere. No sign of the Dotterel from yesterday but there were 3 Ringed Plover and 2 White Wagtails in the field. Back at the mere plenty of hirundines around, mostly Swallows and a few Sand Martins and House Martins, a few more Spot flys and the smart pair of Garganey close by the barbed wire gate. Driving back, 3 Swifts flew over Marloes Village. St Ann's Head was a bit blown out, with the only bird of note here being a Wheatear. St Bride's was more sheltered but quite with only a Spot fly in trees by the church.

Hooded Crow

Golden Oriole

Female

Garganey

Curlew Sandpiper

Early yesterday afternoon I headed down to the Gann for a couple hours birding and a chance to see the Curlew Sandpiper, which has been around for about a week. At first there was no sign of any small waders, just several Whimbrel and Oystercatchers. However, it was only a short walk before a group of small waders was visible, roosting on shingle at the mouth of the river. A quick scan through them revealed the smart *Curlew Sandpiper*. It's still largely in winter plumage with a few flecks of summer plumage appearing on the back and breast.

Curlew Sandpiper