Thursday 30 March 2017

The squalid weather continued today, with very little seen at all! By far and away the highlights were excellent counts of 78 Turnstone and 27 Purple Sandpiper, quite likely indicative of birds migrating north despite the difficult conditions. There were a few other good counts, such as 156 Oystercatcher and 584 Herring Gull, these including one "Scandinavian Herring Gull" Larus argentatus argentatus; which passed the North End in a modest Gull movement mid-morning.

Otherwise there was very little to be seen. Two Black-headed Gulls in Solfach were the first seen in over a week, three Manx Shearwaters passed the West Coast in the afternoon, and the long-staying Merlin and Buzzard were also seen. Passerine numbers were very low, 33 Meadow Pipits, eight Starlings, five Wheatears, seven Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler and eight Goldcrests the sum of migrants, and given the poor conditions overnight it seems likely they were lingerers from the last big arrival. The Jackdaw remained around Nant, and the one bird that definitely was on the move was a Carrion Crow that came in off the sea at the North End, one of 15 logged, with the others presumed to be resident birds.

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