Saturday 28 February 2015

Castlemartin Corse

Water levels down again, outflow flowing merrily. There were still 200-odd teal, plus smaller nos. of wigeon and mallard, a few shoveler and at least 3 pintail (2m 1f) on the remaining pools. Parties of snipe were flying about over the reedbed plus small numbers of lapwing and a solitary redshank. Around 500 golden plover on Kilpaison Burrows, mostly standing in a newly-ploughed dune field. They (and the lapwing) were regularly disturbed by the regular female marsh harrier, who was hunting up and down the northern edge of the reedbed. Brief view of a sparrowhawk on the N side - and I met Shaun from Cardiff, who had seen a (probably the regular) merlin. Also 2 heron and a little egret.