Llanelli Naturalists Newsletter - November 2000 - No 66
Ian Morgan

The following notes are based on records supplied by Dave Powell, Julian Friese, Tony Forster, Richard Pryce and Ian Morgan, with WWT Penclacwydd records from Nigel Williams. This is not meant to be a comprehensive summary - all records of interest will eventually appear in 'Carmarthenshire Birds' for 2000.

Northern equivalents of the familiar Chaffinch, Bramblings were much in evidence along a beech avenue at Hafod Neddyn near Broad Oak, through January & February, where they were feeding on the abundant beech mast. A pleasing sighting in early February was a Goshawk, perched high in a poplar within Stradey Woods. This larger version of the Sparrowhawk is now thoroughly established in the larger (often coniferous) woodlands in the county, though clarification is required as to its status in SE Carms.

On 7 January, a Merlin was observed chasing a Snipe at the Ashburnham Golf Course, Pembrey, whilst early in the following month another was at Salem. Crossbills were regularly seen in Pembrey Forest with, for example, 7 there on 9 March. Regular sea watching off Burry Port (Cefn Padrig etc) brought dividends for Dave Powell - a Great Northern Diver (9/1); 18 Red-breasted Mergansers, 12 Great Crested Grebes and 8 Scaup (15/2).

Similarly, regular inspection of the Dinefwr Ponds (the river oxbows below Dinefwr Castle Woods, Llandeilo) yielded plenty of good records for Tony Forster:

• Feb 23 18 Gadwall, 7 Shoveller
• Mar 18 4 Pintail, 14 Canada Geese, 6 Whooper Swans, 4 Greylag Geese
• Mar 31 1 dark-bellied Brent Goose, 7 Canada Geese, 1 Green Sandpiper
• Apr 1 1 Little Ringed Plover
• Apr 9 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Osprey
• Apr 16 1 blue-phase Snow Goose
• May 12 28 Mute Swans, 19 Goosanders etc

Back in January (25th), DMP's walk to Pembrey Saltings produced 3 Little Egrets, a Hen Harrier, 2 Water Rails and c50 Teal. Later, the first migrant (11/3) was a Wheatear on the man-made beaches at Machynys, whilst by 15/3 there had obviously been an influx of Chiffchaffs, with birds singing at several sites, including the Ashpits Pond, Burry Port, where a Cetti's Warbler was also in song.

As usual, the WWT Penclacwydd Centre and its environs continued to yield almost a glut of good records, with January seeing 2 Shore Larks (25th), a Bittern (from 20 January to 21 February) and 2 Great Northern Divers offshore. 2075 Pintails, 14 Water Rails and 53 Gadwall were record counts for the Centre. February saw a Black-necked Grebe and a Hen Harrier, whilst a Blue-winged Teal and a Red Kite were records of note in March.

DMP has monitored the breeding waterfowl at the Ashpits Pond. Pride of place goes to a (new) pair of Great Crested Grebes which hatched 3 young. This handsome species otherwise only breeds in Carmarthenshire at the Witchett Pool and the Upper Lliedi Reservoir. Three or four pairs of Little Grebes bred at Ashpits Pond (they also bred this year at the 'Conservation Pond' at Pembrey Country Park, as well as other Llanelli sites). A survey by John Lloyd and JF around the Witchett Pool on 4/5 included the following species:

• Great Crested Grebe minimum of 1 breeding pair, 1 other bird present
• Little Grebe 2+ pairs
• Canada Goose and Greylag Goose both x 1 pair
• Cetti's Warbler 4 heard singing
• Reed Warbler* 20 heard singing
• Sedge Warbler* 11 heard singing

* only approximately 50% of reedbeds surveyed

Neil Matthew had the lucky sightings of a Marsh Harrier and a Honey Buzzard on Laugharne Burrows on the same date.

Machynys Pond, had breeding Greylag Geese (6-7 young hatched) as well as the now usual nesting Tufted Ducks, Pochard and Gadwall. The new pond complex on the golf course to the east (strategically located between Machynys and WWT Penclacwydd) is already attracting birds. On 6/5, the 'main western golf course pond' had a pair of Mallard and 6 young, 1 pair Gadwall, 3 pairs of Tufted Duck, 1 pair of Pochard, 2 Common Sandpipers and a Greylag Goose. The water of the main lake (linked to the other main pond and the sea by the Dafen Pill) is markedly saline - I actually stepped on a flat fish on one occasion! DMP noted a pair of Ringed Plovers with young here later in the season.

As well as the arrival of summer migrants a Garganey and 2 Little Gulls were noteworthy April records at Penclacwydd, with a Cetti's Warbler and a Hobby turning up in May. June brought some 'star birds' to this wetland reserve - a Great White Egret (7th - 10th and 12th); 2 Spoonbills (17th); a Curlew Sandpiper (18th); Mediterranean Gulls - 2 adults and one 2nd-summer bird; a Hobby (27th) and a Garganey The importance of WWT Penclacwydd for breeding birds is confirmed by the following:

• 15 pairs Black-headed Gulls
• 1 pair Shoveller
• 28 pairs Lapwings
• 7 pairs Gadwall
• 11 pairs Redshank
• 12 pairs Tufted Duck
• 4 pairs Shelduck
• 40 pairs Mallard
• 5 pairs Greylag Goose
• 1 pair Mute Swan
• 11 pairs Pochard
• 1 pair Common Sandpiper
• 1 pair Barn Owl
• 1 pair Kestrel

JF reports a pair of Little Ringed Plovers nesting on disturbed rubble at the Carmarthen by-pass site and Richard Pryce reported another pair nesting on bare shale at a former open cast site at Capel Hendre together with two pairs of Lapwing. Julian, in conjunction with Jamie Bevan and others, has been actively promoting Tree Sparrow conservation, principally in the Tywi Valley. It was pleasing therefore, to hear of the nesting of 10 pairs in nestboxes, rearing some 30 young. Their research has shown the critical importance of the insect/seed resource of the adjacent River Tywi shingle banks as well as nearby ditches etc. Other interesting Tywi records include Hobby sightings at Rhosmaen and Dryslwyn (actually in July and outside the period under review in this report).

A Partridge (now extremely rare in Carmarthenshire) near Llansawel in late May; a springtime Hoopoe at the Garnffrwd fish pond, Drefach and a low-flying Red Kite being mobbed by local Jackdaws over the Berwick Roundabout, near Bynea, on 29/5 (also seen at WWT) were miscellaneous records of note. More recently, during September, two Hobbies were seen by DMP over the Ashpits Pond, Pwll, a Gargany at Penrhyngwyn Pond, Machynys (Paul Aston) and a young Marsh Harrier was at the WWT Centre at Penclacwydd.