Teifi Birding and Wildlife

Has the Osprey gone? No reports on Sunday or today the 31st from its usual feeding and perching spots around the Teifi on a day of torrential rain and rainbows. During the few weeks that the Osprey has been around, its fishing skills have increased. There are a lot of Mullet in the estuary at the moment and it has been seen with these as well as Sewin (Sea Trout) and flat fish. Osprey - Sid Simmons Osprey - Sid Simmons Two  Ospreys were seen on the 23rd and 24th. The 2nd one was distinctive with a much whiter breast The 2nd Osprey - Karen Leah Other raptors have been seen by photographers while watching the Osprey including a Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine and Merlin  A young Peregrine - Tommy Evans A Great Egret was seen on the 10th, and of interest was the 6 Great Egrets which flew along the north Pembs coast, seen near Moylegrove and the presumed same 6 birds seen on the Dyfi estuary on the 20th. This morning - the 31st nice to pick up a female Red-breasted Merganser ...

October started with the Osprey still at St Dogmaels and improving its fishing. It was seen again on Sunday 9th fishing over Patch then in a tree eating a fish opposite The Moorings. Assuming it is the same Osprey , it will have been around the Teifi for 4 weeks.  Small waders and Oystercatchers are easy to see at high tide on Pen yr Ergyd at Patch.  The Wetland Bird survey count was on the 9th. Starting on Patch at high tide, a  Grey Plover and a Curlew Sandpiper were with 76  Dunlin, 24 Ringed Plover and 67 Oystercatchers. Grey Plover Later in the morning, Jon Green found 2 Pintail with the Wigeon and Canada Geese. Wigeon numbers are increasing, now 60. The Coot and the lone Black-tailed Godwit are still on Mallard pond. Black-tailed Godwit - Karen Leah A drake Mandarin first seen at Netpool, St Dogmaels on the 1st has now moved upriver to the Teifi Marshes, it was seen from the river viewpoint on the 9th. Mandarin - Tommy Evans On the 2nd October, a  ...

Local postings on social media are still full of superb photos of the Osprey from lots of different people. It's good to see so many non birders as well as photographers enjoying this long staying bird.  The most recent Osprey picture taken by Tommy Evans today, the 24th September Osprey - Tommy Evans and one fishing taken by Stuart Hall Osprey - Stuart Hall It is now two weeks since it was first seen and continues to be spotted regularly anywhere from the Teifi Estuary, upstream past St Dogmaels, over the Teifi Marshes as far up as Cilgerran Gorge. The riverside path that runs from the back of the village carpark downstream past the Teifi Netpool Inn and comes out on the main road to Poppit just up from the pottery is a good place to see the trees on the opposite bank that it favours. Ceredigion side of The Teifi  near The Ferry Inn Meanwhile, down at the estuary, the high tide roosts on Pen yr Ergyd continue to have over 200 small waders. At least two Curlew Sandpipers h...

Once a month, all of the water birds in the estuary and up through the Teifi Marshes are counted for the BTO Wetland Bird Survey "WeBS" A good number and variety of waders for the count this weekend. With news of an Osprey seen on the evening of the 10th from The Ferry Inn, St Dogmaels, the count was interrupted by looking for the Osprey again and putting the news out. Tommy and Jen soon arrived and took some excellent photos.  Osprey at St Dogmaels - Tommy Evans Several locals were thrilled to have the chance to view it through the scope. It is an unringed juvenile. Thanks to Carly Holmes and Howard James for the initial sighting. With a very high tide the waders only have a small area of the spit at Patch to roost on. Highlights included 17 Knot  which is a very good count for the Teifi. Looking back at WeBS data it is the highest ever, the second highest being 13 in 1996. An adult Knot in fading breeding plumage with some of the 119  Dunlin Juvenile Knot and Bar-tai...

On the 1st of September the sightings of passage birds and sea wildlife picked up... Looking for waders at dusk, 1st September Before Sept, two early  Lapwings over Cemaes Head on the 26th Aug were a surprise, but not as surprising as another  Thresher Shark off Cemaes Head on the 29th Aug seen by Len Walters. Moving to September and on the 1st off Poppit Benj Bond found an adult Black Tern feeding above Bottlenose Dolphins and a few 100ms further out Leo Barber found and caught on video this Ocean Sunfish . Ocean Sunfish Also on the 1st a Great Egret was seen by Paul Taylor on the Reserve, the Egret now mobile around the estuary - still present on the 2nd. The first juvenile Curlew Sandpiper  of the season was picked up by Howard Thomas on the 1st with a variety of other more common waders, passage south now in full flow.. A Grass Snake was seen on the evening of the 29th August swimming in front of Kingfisher Hide, Teifi Marshes  and Peter Dyer managed to tak...

In preparing for recording Swallow roosts on the evening of the 2nd, an adult Rosy Starling dropped into the reeds at the back of Mallard Pond. All previous sightings of Rosy Starlings have been with the regular  Eurasian Starlings present throughout the year at Gwbert. Mallard Pond - Teifi Marshes We put in a considerable effort in the reedbeds of the reserve in August, mainly our ringing projects, but we are now entering our peak for finding Spotted Crake. Waders on the reserve are increasing. Greenshank and a Green Sandpiper are regularly heard but a count of 5 Greenshank from Creek Hide by Tommy Evans was the highest recorded this month. Greenshank from Creek Hide - Tommy Evans See Teifi Ringing Group blog " Stormies, Terns and Totals " for more details of migration monitoring including some Sandwich Tern and Storm Petrel movements.  About 150 Common Dolphins were between Cardigan Island and Mwnt on the 9th August. Thanks to Aaron Walters, Cardigan Bay Fish, for ...

Sandwich Terns including several colour ringed birds are starting to appear as they fly south. Stopping off to feed and roost on the Teifi, a particular favourite spot is the sand at the Webley saltmarsh. A  mix of small gulls and terns, Sandwich and Common Terns , Black-headed and Mediterranean Gulls this week. Yellow KFS.was a bird photographed on the 25th by Hannah Cook. This adult Sandwich Tern was ringed as as a chick in 2017 on Lady's Island, Wexford , Eire and was last seen in Shearwater Bay,  Namibia last October. (2021) The Tern's route almost certainly went around the coast. Sandwich Tern from Namibia to the Teifi At least 3 other colour ringed Sandwich Terns seen over the last few days are juveniles from Cemlyn, Anglesey.   Colour ringed Mediterranean Gulls are now passing through, an adult ringed in Poland and a juvenile ringed in France/Belgium this morning. Other notable avian records include.. A Great Crested Grebe on 22nd July on the river from ...