Recent Sightings (30th Dec-2nd Jan)
British Steel Hide
Wader counts from the British Steel Hide have included c.500 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 9 Greenshank, 6 Redshank, 33 Dunlin, 3 Knot, 332 Lapwing and 5 Curlew. Wildfowl have included 2 Goldeneye (estuary), 130 Brent Geese (estuary), 140+ Shoveler (estuary), 174 Wigeon, 47 Tufted Ducks, 12 Gadwall, 7 Teal, 14 Mallard and 2 Pochard. Other species have included a Merlin, a Red Kite, a Peregrine, 3 Buzzards, Meadow Pipits, a Skylark, a Spoonbill, 2 Little Egrets and a Grey Heron. Good numbers of large gulls have been coming into roost on the saline lagoons with up to 800 birds made up of mostly Herring Gulls being noted from the hide. There have been a few interesting birds including one 'argentatus' type Herring Gull, a 1st winter Yellow-legged Gull, a Common Gull and a Lesser Black-backed Gull showing signs of being of the subspecies 'intermedius'.
Millennium Wetlands
Wildfowl counts from the wetlands include 78 Teal, 53 Gadwall, 8 Coot, 4 Shelduck, 4 Pochard, 2 Little Grebes, 9 Mute Swans, 15+ Tufted Ducks and the female Ring-necked Duck (until the 1st). A Water Pipit was seen from the Peter Scott hide on the 1st and a ringtail Hen Harrier was reported on the 2nd. Waders have included 20 Lapwing, 4 Snipe, a Black-tailed Godwit and 2 Redshank. Other species have included 2 Tawny Owls, a Kestrel, a Sparrowhawk, a Green Woodpecker, 4 Siskins, a Lesser Redpoll, a Red Kite and a House Sparrow. A Hawfinch still feeds on Field Maples around the grounds.
Tick and Twitch
January 1st kicked off another year of birding and it started off very successfully at Penclacwydd with 81 bird species seen on the site during the day. Well done to Colin Wilkie who won our competition with 61 species seen on the day. Highlights included an Otter sighting from the Peter Scott Hide and a Hawfinch which showed well from the Field Maples around the Crane enclosure for over 40 minutes!
