For the past week or so, I have been travelling and ended up on the west coast of Wales. A bit of seawatching at Strumble Head over several days including during stormy weather over the past weekend and some calm weather yesterday brought the following sightings.
I noted on several days unseasonal Manx Shearwaters and on one day about a week ago a pair of very late Arctic Skua having a beano in a large flock of feeding Kittiwakes. On the 10th, 8 Red-throated Divers passed through along with 11 Common Scoter, 2 Eider (a pair) which was a nice sighting. 2 seperate Velvet Scoters also came my way and a juvenile white winged gull that I could not seen well enough to identify for certain. 2 Light-bellied Brent Geese went west (2 had been seen in Fishguard harbour by other people earlier in the day). Finally, a red headed Goosander was in the latter area later in the day.
On the calmer day of yesterday, even more movement with 27 divers passing of which 18 were Red-throated and the others were not conclusively identified. 60 Common Scoter passed which is quite a high number for this time of year. 2 Wigeon were on the sea in front of the observatory and a Black Redstart was on the grass nearby and doing some fly catching. Finally an Iceland gull adult flew west just after lunch after which I left to return to the Forest of Dean.
I noted on several days unseasonal Manx Shearwaters and on one day about a week ago a pair of very late Arctic Skua having a beano in a large flock of feeding Kittiwakes. On the 10th, 8 Red-throated Divers passed through along with 11 Common Scoter, 2 Eider (a pair) which was a nice sighting. 2 seperate Velvet Scoters also came my way and a juvenile white winged gull that I could not seen well enough to identify for certain. 2 Light-bellied Brent Geese went west (2 had been seen in Fishguard harbour by other people earlier in the day). Finally, a red headed Goosander was in the latter area later in the day.
On the calmer day of yesterday, even more movement with 27 divers passing of which 18 were Red-throated and the others were not conclusively identified. 60 Common Scoter passed which is quite a high number for this time of year. 2 Wigeon were on the sea in front of the observatory and a Black Redstart was on the grass nearby and doing some fly catching. Finally an Iceland gull adult flew west just after lunch after which I left to return to the Forest of Dean.
