Sunday 15 October 2017

Yesterday's field trip

On Saturday 14th October 9 blog birdwatchers gathered at Llanerchaeron before travelling down to Aberaeron in order to birdwatch our way back. It was very quiet there and we saw only a group of carrion crows pursuing two red kites and a lone pied wagtail as we left.
It was busier at the harbour and we saw rock pipit, meadow pipit, cormorant, jackdaws, a distant gannet, grey wagtail, pied wagtail, mallard, feral pigeons, rooks. On the northern side there were numbers of 5 gull species: herring, lesser black-backed, great black-backed, black-headed and Mediterranean. Also oystercatchers.
 No one could be bothered to count them but the Meds showed so well that those of the group who had not come across them before were able to familiarise themselves with the distinguishing features. Further up river we encountered dippers, house sparrows, magpie, more grey wagtail, wren, robin, blue tit, goldfinch, great tit, long tail tit, blackbird and chaffinch.
We started to walk back along the cycle track. It was a very pleasant walk but unusually short of birdlife. We had expected to come across more of the thrushes but saw only more robins grey wagtail, mallard, crows wren, long-tailed tit with the only two new species being jay and coal tit. Thanks to Andrew James for leading us
. Photos from Laurie Wright
Dipper

Grey Wagtail

Mediterranean Gulls
Moira Convery