Llanelli Naturalists Newsletter - Winter 1994/1995 - No 58
Rob Hunt & WWT Staff

One of the first signs of the oncoming autumn season is the return passage of waders which occurs as early as the midsummer period. The early July Wood Sandpiper at Dinefwr Ponds (also known as the Dinefwr Oxbows, and part of the Dyfed Wildlife trust Reserve), would fall in this category. The wood Sandpiper is a considerably scarcer bird than the closely-related Green Sandpaper. It occurs only on passage whereas the Green Sandpiper also regularly overwinters; both are white-romped. One was also hoted at WwT Penclacwydd in mad-July. Again during the late June/early July period, two adult Mediterranean Gulls were observed at the North Jock, Llanelli where a couple of Yellow-legged Herring Gulls were also to be seen. A Quail was heard calling an cereal fields at Pendine during this period and family parties of Stonechats were seen at Ragwen Point and on the gritstone ridge S. of Garn-big, Carmel. A recent article in BTO News (145: 10-11, reports a fairly successful year for the welsh Red Nice population, with 106 pairs rearing 96 young birds, but tots was eclipsed by the early success of the reintroduced populatiohs in England and Scotland, where 15 pairs reared no less than 50 young - almost double toe success rate of the Welsh birds. Clearly this species finds the drier climate of England ahd Scotland more congenial than that of wet Wales.

The Great Crested Grebes at the Upper Lliedi Reservoir had a good breeding season, with two pairs jointly raising seven young between them. Grebes were successful at LLyn Pencarreg pairs with S young), at Machynys Pond (at least one pair with, young) and also the new extensive Penrhyngwyn Pond" hear the tip of the Machynys Peninsula. Gadwall and Pochard have ;caned the ?reeding wildfowl assemblage at Machynys Pond, both rearing young. Two pairs of Tufted duck at Machynys Pond and one pair on Penrhyngwyn Pond were also Successful. the breeding of wild Gadwall at Machynys Pond constitutes a new breeding record for toe county. Another interesting late summer wildfowl record was an Egyptian Goose seen on Cefn Sidan on 22nd July, and just over a week earlier, Sandwich Terns being harried by an Arctic Skua provided interesting birdwatching. Gannets were visible offshore from Gilman Point during August to early September, an Osprey put in an appearance on the Tywi Estuary and Little Egrets peaked at 11 birds at Penclacwydd on 23rd August (two down on Last year's maximum), whilst one was also seen at Llansteffan at the end of August. A summer-plumaged Red-throated Diver was noted off Cefn Sidan on 17th August and a Slack Tern frequented the Penclacwydd-Penrhyngwyn area early in the next month. Also at Penclacwydd was a Little Stint and a total of ho less than 72 :herons in late August.

The end of September saw an autumn-passage Dotterel on the Tair Carn ridge at the westernmost end of Mynydd Du, only the second autumn record far this montane wader. Quail were flushed from a field adjacent cc Pembrey Forest earlier in the month. Coastal birds too were interesting, 'with two Velvet Scoter amongst several thousand Common Scoter off Morfa Bychan, Pendine and two adult (winter-plumaged) Mediterranean Gulls at Sandy Water Park, Llanelli (several dates). A Slack Redstart was also there on 14th October. Penclacwydd performed well during this period with ho less than 54 Greenshanks and 28 Spotted Redshanks in early October; up to 4 Curlew Sandpipers ahd 9 Little Slants were also present. A full summer-plumaged Great Northern Diver was watched _flying over the estuary (on 23rd September), whilst of the several species of raptor noted at Penclacwydd, a Hobby on 11th October was toe most interesting. The previous day, a lucky observer glanced out of his window ih Pwll (which overlooks the estuary} and saw an Osprey fly past: The first Redwings of one winter arrived on 10th October (at Penclacwydd,; about a week later they were quite widespread throughout the county. The earliest arrival date far Fieldfares so far reported was a party of 15 an upland sheep pasture near Llyn, y Fan Fach on 25th October. Goldcrests were noticeably more abundant an non-optimum habitats in mad-October, indicating a passage of these tiny birds.

Bramblings, though they very occasionally breed in northern Britain, are essentially winter visitors and are of rather sporadic occurrence in carmarthenshire, though a few are seen most years, usually in association with Chaffinch flocks on stubble fields or exploiting beech mast. The sole record so far reported was one in a field near Pant Hywel farm, cwmbach on 25th October. A much rarer winter visitor is the predatory Great Grey Shrike, one of which was spotted on hawthorns below Dryslwyn Castle in early November and another which Performed well for several observers )alas, not the compiler of these notes!) just before Christmas near Ffairfach, Llandeilo. It spent a few lays in an area of willow carr and scrub alongside the Tywi.. As well as being (late) autumn passage birds, Black Redstarts also overwinter. One was located in the Sandy Water Park/Llanelli Beach area and up to 4 birds were present at MOD Pendine in November. Wintering Blackcaps were also seen at Sandy Water ?ark and around the Upper Trebeddrod Reservoir ("Furnace Pond"). To end November on a negative note, a Grey Lag Goose was shot on Cydweli Marsh in the middle of that month.

An obviously safer venue far wildfowl is WWT Penclacwydd and the specially-built scrapes continue to attract splendid numbers - such as 615 Wigeon, 168 Teal, 148 Shoveler and 28 Gadwall in November. 53 Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Spotted Redshanks and 5 Greenshanks were also present. Little Egrets began to reappear early in November with up to 5 birds present and one was found roosting on the tree-clad island at Machynys Pond on 19th December.

Sea watching from the cliffs of western Carmarthenshire - between Pendine and Amroth - was spectacular for various observers just before Christmas, with up to 13,200 Common Scoter, both Velvet and Surf Scoter and also a Long-tailed Duck. Further east, a male Hen Harrier put in an appearance over pasture near Penybedd Wood, Pembrey on 18th December, whilst another hunted over low-lying fields near Tir-Morfa, Llwynhendy, flushing many Snipe and a few Curlew on 24th December.

Please inform the County Bird Recorder, Rob Hunt, 9 Waun Road, Llanelli, SA15 3RS of any interesting records.

STOP PRESS! The latest record of note is a Water Pipit on a flooded field next Ffrwd Fen NR, Pembrey on 1st January 1995.