Golden Oriole

There were few migrants on the morning of the eighth of May at St Davids Hd, apart from a trickle of Hirundines, a Swift and  Redpoll (sp) over. Then it all turned around when I flushed a large yellow bird from a gorse bank. Golden Oriole and Green Woodpecker went through my mind almost simultaneously (both equally rare in Pembs). The bird remained in sight as it flew about 50 metres and landed on top of, then dropped into, another gorse and bramble patch. As it perched up I could see a large hairy caterpillar hanging from its bill.

It was clearly a female or 1^st Summer male Golden Oriole.

I hung around for an hour and a half or so till someone else arrived, seeing it briefly once more back at the original site. This time it flew into a spindly bush before dropping down into gorse and blackthorn. Again, it was carrying what appeared to be a large caterpillar. I thought I had it well pinned down in a reasonably small area but when people arrived it soon became clear that it had moved on. How it had managed to sneak away I don't know but apparently it isn't unusual for them to be elusive even in limited cover As I walked through the area I noticed a number of large, hairy caterpillars underfoot, it wasn't going to be hungry.

The first flight views were dominated by the lower back and rump which were a very bright lemon yellow.

The flight itself was smooth and swift, quite unlike a woodpecker’s. The overall impression of shape was sleek and aerodynamic, it's something I've noted before. The Mercedes of the bird world.

The overall impression was bright yellow and green. The wings and tail pattern lacking strong dark tones and adding to the sleek and bright appearance.

The wings and upper back mantle were, therefore, contrastingly darker. I could see the head was pale yellowish with a dark angular eyestripe, broad at the eye. The bill shape was obvious, long and strong with an obviously curved culmen adding to a pointed effect. Very striking.

This sighting was part of an influx nationally, there were two other records in Pembs during may. Perhaps the best season ever.

Golden Orioles in Pembs since 2000

Ramsey 13th&16th May 2000  (RH)
Marloes Mere  18th May 2000  (SJS)
Skomer  13th&26th May 2001  (JGB et al)
Skomer  3 from 14th-20th May 2006  (JGB)
Skomer 22nd-25th May 2006  (JGB)
Skomer 24th-26th May 2008  (DB)
Skomer 14th-15th May 2009  (DB)
Bosherston  25th May 2010  (BH)
St Davids Hd  8th May 2012 (MYP)

Martins Haven  11th May 2012  (MJ)
Trefeiddan 26th May 2012 (J&MB)

Little Bittern

This male Little Bittern was found at the Teifi Marshes (and was later on the Pembrokeshire side) on 19th April 2012 by Sarah Bebb. It can be seen to be a first-summer because wings are still largely juvenile, contrasting with a single newly acquired tertial and adult type head, neck and body plumage.

All records are assessed by the BBRC

Little Bitterns in Pembrokeshire


Merlin's Bridge  date unknown  (Matthews 1894)
'Pembrokeshire coast' October 1899  (Lockley et al 1949)
Shot near Fishguard in about 1916  (Lockley et al 1949)
'taken' near Solva' many years ago'  (Lockley et al 1949)
Broad Haven  found dead 26th April 1964  (KJSD)
Sandy Haven  18th April 1970  (JL et al)
Dowrog  3rd May 1983  (CL, KJSD, GHR)
Whitesands  found dead 12th April 1993  (RH)
Castle Martin  a wing found 2nd April 1995  (GHR et al)
Cilgerran Gorge  6th May 1995  (PED)
Teifi Marshes  19th-20th April 2012   (SBe)

The quality of some of the earlier records suggests a review may be in order.

Purple Heron

27th March 2012. I set out  from checking Penberi Pool to St Davids Hd. With bright sunlight and light easterlies it was looking promising. As I was driving along I saw a bird from the car as it flew towards me to the west of the minor road near Ivor's Pond (Daffodil Lane). It was clearly a heron but looked a bit dark and Bittern like to the naked eye

I stopped and it was immediately clear it was a Purple Heron and what's more an adult in full summer plumage; it was now quite close and the purple colour on the neck was distinctive as was the chestnut on the thighs and especially the purple on the underwing coverts. Because it was so close, the structural differences were diminished, and it didn’t look especially ‘spidery’ or angular. 

It dropped into cover, nearby, beyond a willow clump. It was damp bramble and grass/sedge – typical of much of Pembs. After half an hour it reappeared and flew to a nearby bank enclosing a pond where it stayed in full view, close to the road, for a couple of minutes. I was able to enjoy the full glory of the colour and snaky, erect neck before it lifted off to Treleddyd Fawr Farm and Holiday Cottages about a qurter of a mile away. Then the more spidery feel compared to Grey heron wa apparent.

Interestingly, it avoided nearby open water each time it landed and appeared to drop down in an area of gardens when last seen. Purple Herons can be secretive birds and I have never had better views here or abroad. There was too much to take in for a precise description but on the ground the long yellow bill and even brighter yellow legs stood out as did the purple and black along the neck, the purple underwing coverts in flight and chestnut on the thighs and at the bend in the wing when standing. A superb bird in full breeding condition.

Purple Herons in Pembs since 2000

Skomer 22nd March 2001  (JGB)
Martletwy  12th April-12th May 2006  (MS)
Orielton  24th-26th April 2006  (CH)
Bosherston  29th April  2006  (DE&EE)
nr Narberth  22nd-27th March 2010  (A Hart)
St Davids 27/3/2012  (MYP)

Glossy Ibises in 2012

Glossy Ibises are rare birds in Pembs or were until there was an amazing and unprecedented invasion of Glossy Ibises into Pembrokeshire in January 2012, perhaps as a result of drought and resulting poor feeding and breeding conditions in southern Spain.The influx started with two birds together over Neyland Marina on 7th January. Then two flew over Whitesands St Davids on the 13th and there was one at Sageston on 14th. Three were then found at Marloes on 15th , unlike the shy St Davids birds these were very confiding and photogenic. There was apparently some movement between this site and Tacumshin, Ireland but one is still present at Marloes at time of writing (November). The St Davids birds were relocated on 22nd and remained until 1st February. These records were all eclipsed somewhat by an amazing 23 which were in the Carew area from approximately 29th before dropping in number to 14 on 6th February and reducing to four which were last seen on 14th February.  This was, apparently, the second largest flock ever seen in Britain; only eclipsed by a flock of 25 in Carmarthenshire in 2009. There was, apparently, also a single bird in the Walwyns Castle area on 31st January.

The unphotogenic St Davids birds - photo Byron Davies

The showy Marloes birds

Again

And again

Some of the Carew flock - photos Richard Crossen

Again

And again

Glossy Ibises have been considered by BBRC until 2012 but is likely to become a WRP candidate.

Glossy Ibis in Pembrokeshire

Slebech autumn 1834 per Matthews 1894
Tenby 23rd October 1917 (Lockley et al 1949)
The Gann 20th August 1876 (RW)
The Gann & Marloes Mere 15th-16th June 1996 (MC DPD KJSD)  [also Skokholm 19th (GT)]
Neyland Marina 2 on 7th January (AJH)
St Davids 2 from 13th January - 31st January (MYP et al)
Sageston 14th January (unknown)
Marloes Mere 15th January one remaining to November (MH et al)
Carew from approx 29th January to  (RE et al)
Walwyns Castle 31st January (unknown)