It's been quiet on the bird front these past few days with migrants thin on the ground. It was a bit of a surprise this morning to see 3 swallows feeding over the vegetation clad slopes of Aber Myharan, hoovering up the few insects still on the wing, grabbing every last morsel of energy before crossing to France, Spain and eventually sub-Saharan Africa. A willow warbler in the ivy at Ogof Capel was also on the late side. At the other end of the spectrum, winter migrants are still arriving with redwing and fieldfare a regular feature.
The grey seal pupping season is all but done, a few new borns are still popping out but the beaches are thinning out and adult seals are gathering in small haul outs before they commence their winter moult. Final scores aren't in yet but it's been a good year with reasonably settled weather (by autumn standards!) and we will have had around 700-730 born by the end of the season. Don't forget to tune into Autumnwatch next week to see how the grey seals on the Isle of May are getting on with their season just getting started.
Autumn always throws up some of the most interesting weather out here and the most scenic. Today was no exception with towering cumulus clouds producing fierce downpours (one battering the farmhouse windows as I type) only for brilliant sunshine to engulf us moments later. This went on all day and produced some stunning scenes