Whinchat on the hill this morning.  In the broken scrub on the Bracelet Bay side of the mast.  Redstart spp (assumedly common) in scrub above the Big Apple, but only saw its tail as it flew into scrub.  Lots of chiffchaff, 1-2 willow warbler, several blackcaps and a whitethroat.  More meadow pipit passage than in previous mornings, but no tree pipits heard.  Crests starting to form flocks.

At Oxwich this evening, a greenshank was heard calling.  75 swallows and 3 sand martins were captured going in to roost.  More here: http://gowerbirdringinggroup.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/oxwich-marsh-9-10-september-2014.html

At Oxwich yesterday, 3 tree pipit (1 captured), 11 blackcap, 4 reed warbler, 1 sedge warbler.

 

Highlight this morning was a goshawk that briefly pursued a wood pigeon over the reed bed before returning towards the woodland on the Penrice Estate.

In the reed bed and surrounds: 4 reed warbler, 2 garden warbler, 22 blackcap, 8 chiffchaff, 6 willow warbler, 7 robin. There has been an influx of the latter three species over the past few days. 

No sedge warblers this morning, and no overhead passage of pipits noted for the first time in a while, but a few grey wagtail over again.  

More information here: http://gowerbirdringinggroup.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/oxwich-marsh-6-september-2014.html

2 spotted flycatcher in Ram Grove.  Lots of robins along the coast.  Willow warbler and chiffchaff in Mewslade Valley and 3 wheatear noted, but very few other migrants about.  Chough present as usual.  Big adder at Butterslade.

Clouded yellow on Thurba Head and above Red Chamber.  The moth yellow belle is abundant at the moment along the steep coastal slope.

 

On the marsh yesterday: grasshopper warbler, tree pipit 4+ (3 captured), 22 blackcaps and a garden warbler. 

Small-scale movements of grey wagtail have been noted throughout the week.  Chiffchaff numbers low and willow warbler have cleared out.  Reed and sedge warbler numbers also very low. 

A large roost of swallows is in the marsh – in excess of 300 birds present.  More details on ringing results yesterday at: http://gowerbirdringinggroup.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/oxwich-marsh-4-sept-2014-2000-new-birds.html

 

4+ tree pipit (3 captured), garden warbler, grasshopper warbler and 14 reed warbler processed at Oxwich this morning.  More, including running totals, here: http://gowerbirdringinggroup.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/oxwich-marsh-2-september-2014.html

 

Spotted flycatcher at Ram Grove and a clouded yellow at Longhole

Very few migrants in the valleys.  Blackcaps and whitethroats the most obvious.

2 tree pipit (1 captured), 27 blackcap, 1 garden warbler, 9 chiffchaff, 11 sedge warbler, 10 reed warbler were among the birds captured at Oxwich this morning.  For more see: http://gowerbirdringinggroup.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/oxwich-marsh-31-august-2014-boom-in.html

Mixed gull roost at HW Overton Cliff: 260 herring gull, 4 GBB, 3 Med gull.

Juvenile Dartford warbler just east of Longhole in gorse.  Garden warbler with numerous blackcaps in Overton valley.

There are a lot of uncultivated fields full of weeds along the top path to Longhole Cliff this year.  The only species of any note in them this afternoon was (2) red-legged partridge, which seem pretty scarce in Gower.

 

On the marsh a juvenile female kingfisher, a juvenile male sparrowhawk, 4 Cetti’s warblers, a grasshopper warbler, 4 garden warbler, 13 blackcap, 16 willow warbler, a marsh tit, 5 tree pipit (many more overhead), 12 reed warbler and 3 sedge warbler were among the birds captured for ringing this morning.  A goshawk was sighted by Neil Edwards over the Penrice Estate, and provided good views through the telescope initially floating over the woodland, then soaring.

There is a substantial starling roost on the marsh (c. 200-300 birds), and a yellow wagtail also seemed to have roosted there last night, as it flew low over the marsh as the starling flock left.

More here: http://gowerbirdringinggroup.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/oxwich-marsh-23-august-2014.html

 

4 Garden warbler, 17 blackcap, 16 willow warbler (14 ringed) caught at the marsh this morning.
A bit of a clear out of Acros, and very few sedge warbler present.
Ringed plover calling from Nicholaston Pill first thing.
Sparrowhawk hunting the marsh as usual.
More info here: http://gowerbirdringinggroup.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/oxwich-marsh-16-august-2014-willow.html

31 Med gulls and 28 black-headed at Bracelet this morning.

Wheatear and good numbers of willow warbler on the hill.

Three kingfishers ringed this morning (adult female, adult male and juvenile [probable male]).
Also 2 garden warblers.
Clear out of Acros since Thursday, when there were large numbers of sedge warbler in particular in the marsh.
More here: http://gowerbirdringinggroup.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/oxwich-marsh-9-august-2014-tale-of.html

Ringing session this morning resulted in 41 sedge warblers, 13 willow warblers, 22 reed warblers, 7 whitethroats, a lesser whitethrroat and 5 garden warblers among a catch of 140.  Three foreign controls.

Two kingfishers were chasing around the marsh early am.

Details here: http://ow.ly/A4GVt

Grasshopper warbler, garden warbler, lesser whitethroat and obvious passage of sedge warbler, willow warbler and whitethroat noted this morning.

Short seawatch. Single common sandpiper and dunlin over the sea. 15 common scoter west. 40 Med gulls on the upper shore at Bracelet.

A relatively interesting seawatch for the time of year and given the settled weather.
The highlight was three Arctic skuas (1dk and 2 pale morph) all persuing the same herring gull at 06:10. The gull dropped some food, which was picked up by one of the skuas, which then disappeared further offshore almost immediately.
Common scoter movements were quite notable for the Tutt: 39 over the watch (27 west, 12 east). Including a flock of 19 (looked all / pred female).
Otherwise 6-8 gannet constantly present, with 20+ seen over the hour (no reliable count).
2 guillemot
1-2 porpoise seen regularly foraging.
Manxie passage mainly very distant (beyond effective viewing range) – only 110 (90% east) in 1 hour.
There were 39 Med gulls on the lower shore at Bracelet earlier in the week, but numbers seem to have dropped back to the 8-14 birds that have been typical of the past 2 weeks.
The scarlet tigers were still flying on Rams Tor at the weekend, and there are 2 grey seals regularly off Limeslade.

1257 Manx shearwater almost exclusively up/channel (east)
7 Gannet
1 Med gull
2 black-headed gull

Not a lot of birds around, but a lot of scarlet tiger moths between approximately 100m and 300m west of Limeslade along the coast path.

Wheatear fledglings just east of Butterslade and at Red Chamber today.
Lesser whitethroat at Oxwich Point – in scrub by WW2 buildings.
First fledged whitethroat of the year for me in the same area.
Marsh tit fledglings in Ilston Valley yesterday am.
Harbour porpoise off Thurba.

Had a look off Thurba and nearby headlands this evening – in the hope that the earlier Risso’s dolphins might come by. Lots of porpoise activity off Thurba (as there had been off Tutt Head early afternoon) – with at least 4 animals present – but no Risso’s.
Otherwise, whimbrel, shag, and a family party of stonechats at Red Chamber, and the bird highlight, a lesser whitethroat in Ram Grove – full of testosterone and making aerial song flights and singing from an exposed perch more like a common whitethroat.