After the winds...

What a blowy week!  Most of the local birders stood on headlands during the week and watched hundreds of leach's petrels, and a smattering of Sabine's gulls and long-tailed skuas zip along the coast.  None headed into the estuary (that we've heard about), so it's been left to the hardy few to get onto the reserve and search for birds...

Scarcest bird of the week was a first-winter yellow-legged gull on Monday (13th), but it hasn't been seen since.  Our bearded tits have been seen several times during the week, including three at the back of the bridge pond on Monday.

There are still a few waders around: this morning's high tide roost included a couple of curlew sandpipers, greenshank, 10 bar-tailed godwits (there were 16 earlier in the week), 15 dunlins and 3 ringed plovers, while a golden plover flew over the estuary.  A water rail was squealing from the lagoons this morning, and a grey wagtail was on the Afon Ganol.

Our long-staying wood sandpiper hasn't been reported to us since Tuesday (14th), when the curlew sandpiper count reached 9.  Other highlights from earlier in the week include 2 whimbrels on Monday, a sandwich tern and knot on Sunday (12th) and a little stint on Saturday (11th).

Summer migrants are getting harder to see, but house martins and chiffchaffs are still around, a common sandpiper, blackcap and wheatear were seen yesterday (17th).