There were only seven participants- perhaps some were put off by the poor weather forecast. We had prepared a contingency plan of dashing to Penclacwydd WWT in the event of heavy rain. We needn’t have worried however as the weather was glorious. We met in the car park at Pembrey Old Harbour and ambled up to the old dock wall. The tide was on the turn, so we hoping that the terns present would be pushed up towards us. As it happens the tide was fairly low, meaning telescopes were the order of the day.
Scanning the tide line we saw hundreds of Sandwich Terns fishing off-shore. Amongst them were several smaller terns. After a bit of searching we picked out Little, Common and Arctic Terns amongst them. A quick shout got us all on to a juv Black Tern that had landed in the tern flock. It was surprising how much smaller it was than the other terns. There was a smart Bar-tailed Godwit, loafing amongst the Oystercatchers. Other waders there included Ringed Plover, Sanderling and Dunlin. (A Curlew Sandpiper was reported after we had moved on to Kidwelly). Several Mediterranean Gulls and a couple of Gannets were also seen.
On the mud by the railway bridge at Kidwelly Quay we saw several Greenshank, Redshank, Dunlin plus a couple of Common Sandpipers. Also present were two Whimbrel, fifteen Curlew, a Kingfisher and a very fleeting Wood Sandpiper. Elsewhere we saw several Little Egrets, a Red Kite, two Buzzards, Swallows, Stonechats and good numbers of gulls. A very sharp shower brought a close to a very successful trip.