Teifi Birding and Wildlife

With rains and wind battering west Wales... Some birds are loving the mud, up to 40 Teal , and Gulls including Mediterranean feeding in the "Priory Bridge" Egret field opposite Parc Teifi. Cattle Egret - Dyfed James One of the two regular Cattle Egrets with up to 5 Little Egrets .  Muddy horse field on the north bank of the Teifi These birds are mobile and may have been around the Teifi since the 9th Dec when two were reported with sheep behind houses in Gwbert Road. Two days ago they were also seen from the reserve on the opposite river bank. Cattle Egrets - Diane Williams In fields along the River Teifi from Cardigan to the sawmills at Abercych, a count of 32  Little Egrets by Josh   Brown is the maximum so far.... Up to  3 Great White Egrets  have been reported here over the past few weeks. Horse field near Abercych Another view of the river flood plain.. Two Greylag Geese  here with 220 Canada Geese , we recognise this flock as regular feeders opposite St Dogmael's

Record of the week for the West Wales Biodiversity Information Centre in the middle of December came from Cardigan, a new Fungi  for Wales. Found by Yusef Samari who organises weekly nature walks around Cardigan and identified by County Recorder, Steve Chambers. They were out surveying a small woodland and found it on a fallen branch with a large leafy lichen ( Ramalina fraxinea ), which was covered in an orange/pink lichenicolous fungus. Lichenicolous fungi are a group of fungi that live exclusively on lichens.  This one turned out to be Tremella ramalinae , the first record of this species in Wales. WWBIC on Twitter WWBIC on Facebook Some birds recorded this December were species not regularly seen.  On the 12th, the previously reported  Red-throated Diver , Great Crested Grebe and female Red-breasted Merganser  were all present around the inner estuary and seen intermittently since.  On the 11th, two Firecrests  were near the river view point on the reserve - one we ringed in Febr

Great to be able to produce an update of sightings from the Teifi whilst we have been away. On the 10th Nov, Tommy Evans saw this splendid male Hen Harrier over the Marshes. Surprisingly, maybe only the 2nd or 3rd record for our Teifi area. A single Whooper Swan   flew over the Teifi Marshes on the 21st seen by Jon Green, becoming a scarce species this far west.  Dec 2nd...and the 1st Purple Sandpiper of the year, also 1 Turnstone, 30 Golden Plover and 15 Lapwing beyond the Cliff Hotel towards Cardigan Island. We have no idea on the movements of our Barnacle Geese . We have looked at colour- ringing them with Kane Brides (Waterbird Colour-marking Group). Interesting to see 61 resting opposite St Dogmael's Quay on Dec 2nd and on the 7th Dec. 47+ Barnacle Geese were feeding with 660 Canada Geese in fields above the Cliff Hotel. This Red-throated Diver was another surprise , not the species- 4 were present off Cemaes Head with a Great Northern Diver on the 4th, but on the 6th this