Superb day at Strumble Head & also the Farm.

Monday 12th September 2022.

Strumble Head Lighthouse. My first time I have ever been here and a superb time I had too. 

I never put the moth box on overnight due to the inclement weather last night and although the rain had cleared by the morning, I can confirm there must of been a fall of migrant passerines around the farm we are staying at, as the area was literally alive with Chiffchaffs and other notable birds. I was still up around 7am anyway and checking outside, it was a lot brighter than yesterday. What had today in store for us?

Above, the Lighthouse sits high up overlooking the Irish Sea. The sea was calm today, but I bet it is exciting when the wind blows here. Below, there were good numbers of Gannets flying over the sea. 

However, I was determined to go to Strumble Head Lighthouse today and I was very glad I did. I notched up three very good ‘year-ticks’ to my bird year list and a very good supporting cast of birds and wildlife too. The journey there only took around an hour to do the 24 miles and it was very scenic too, taking in the villages of Newport, Fishguard and Goodwick and then the single- lane windy road to the Lighthouse car parks. On the way out of the track from the farm to the main road, a couple of Wheatears popped up on the track and then perched on the hedge adjacent to the car park. There was also a female Reed Bunting among them, proving that there must have been a significant fall of birds here last night.

I had noticed a lot of Gannets sitting on the sea, which had me concerned. Bird Flu has hit Gannets really hard this year and to see them just sat on the sea begs the question if they were dying birds? Below, this adult Kittiwake flew close enough to grab some nice photos of the passing bird.

On reaching the car park overlooking the Lighthouse and the Irish Sea, we stretched Scruff's legs while I then walked down to the superb Sea-watching building below. This nicely built concrete building was erected during World War 2 to keep an eye out for enemy ships going through the Irish Sea and now gratefully used by the local ‘sea-watchers’ here and is fully protected by the weather, though the inside was a bit damp! The sea was very calm and it was mostly Gulls and Gannets passing over the sea, though I did spot a few Guillemots sitting on the water.

Above, quite a few Grey Seals were seen close in on the sea. Below, at least two Wheatears were seen near the car park, including this close juvenile bird.

I was really lucky to spot a Bonxie, my first of the year, flying south low over the sea, but I was now annoyed with not bringing my scope with me. There was a lot of interesting stuff flying low over the sea, but simply too distant for binoculars, despite my best efforts. An adult Kittiwake flew close in though, heading quite close southbound and several others were noted a little later. 

Above, a large flock of Linnets were patrolling the top of the cliffs here. Below, a male Stonechat perched on the wires in front of the Lighthouse. There were at least two pairs seen here this morning. 

My main quest here were the Choughs and while Becky was reading her book and Scruff slept in the back seat of the car, I headed off down to the smaller car park to check if any were there. Despite checking the grassy areas in the distance, all I could notch up were a good number of Meadow Pipits, Rock Pipits and at least two more Wheatears. A flock of Linnets settled briefly on the heather until flying off overhead as did a flock of Goldfinch and while I was checking out some Grey Seals down in the sea near the rocks, I then heard the distinctive call of the Choughs. A pair of birds flew up briefly and then disappeared again on an island just behind the Lighthouse. However, I did not have to wait long for them to show up again.

My first Chough's for many a year were eventually first heard then seen and eventually landed in a field behind the main car park. They have such a distinctive call and I was surprised on how large they actually were. Gorgeous birds. 

The two birds were then, thankfully, flying towards me and literally flew right over my head and landed in the field behind the car park. I managed to grab a bit of video footage of the birds and several reasonable photos, but they did keep their distance. Soon, a Rook came in and flushed them off, but around twenty minutes later, they returned again. During that 20 minutes, I continued to check out the sea and I noticed large rafts of seabirds sitting on the sea. Obviously, there was a school of fish just below the water and this attracted large numbers of Gulls (Great Black-backed, Herring, Black-headed and a few Kittiwakes among them too) and Gannets and even several Dolphins that surfaced among them. It wasn't till I blew  up my photos on my laptop of the seabird flock, that I noticed good numbers of Auks among them and this included both Guillemots and Razorbills. Better still, my first Black Guillemots of the year were also noted, though these were most definitely in winter plumage. That was totally unexpected. There were also a few unidentified seabirds among them, but it was too difficult to tell what they were. But they looked interesting though!

I blew these two photos up on the laptop and came across good numbers of Auks among the throng of seabirds present which also included some winter-plumage Black Guillemots! There were also some interesting birds I could not identify. What do you think?

Other birds noted over the sea included a drake Common Scoter flying low heading south and more Kittiwakes going through. Again, if only I had brought my scope along. The Chough's returned again and showed very well feeding on the soft turf, until heading off again in the direction of the Lighthouse. These were my first Chough's for many years; I think that last ones I saw were at The Lizard in Cornwall, though I read that 3 birds had taken up residence at East Prawle last week! A lot of Swallows were seen over the cliffs and fields and I even spotted a late Swift high over the sea heading south. 

Above, a male Stonechat perched in the heather and below, one of its cousins, a juvenile Wheatear with a Meadow Pipit for a companion in the field behind the car park.

So, after a superb couple of hours here, we made our way back into Fishguard for something to eat and then back home after finding a Petrol Station with the cheapest unleaded fuel by some distance: £1.56! As we drove down the track to the Farm, I caught sight of a Wheatear flying ahead of me, with its white rump flashing until it settled on the hedgerow. Better still, were two Whinchats close by on the opposite hedge and also the female Reed Bunting was present. It was very warm when we got back to the Cottage and I noticed a lot of birds flitting about by the Pond and so told Becky, I was going to spend a little while checking this lot out.

Above, and its good bye from the Chough's. Below, the Sea-watching Hide at Strumble Head. I think the Selsey Bill Birders would love something like this?

Giving the Pond area a thorough search, I counted at least 20+ Chiffchaff, of which one individual I am convinced was a juvenile Wood Warbler. I did think that the white underparts, yellowish throat and lime green back could be a bit more of a vagrant leaf Warbler, but studying the one decent photo I managed to grab of the bird (for it never called), I am in no doubt it was a Wood Warbler. I got a lot of views of the bird, but getting a photo was so difficult as it would not keep still. 

Above, the putative Wood Warbler. This was the best photo I could get of this flighty bird. Below, one of 20+ Chiffchaffs around the small pond vegetation. 

The farm owners have recently topped up all their bird feeders by the pond and this in turn attracted a lot of birds including a healthy number of House Sparrows, a Nuthatch, several Coal, Blue & Great Tits and the occasional Goldcrest dropped in too. However, it was the multitude of Chiffchaffs that kept me busy as I went in search of that Wood Warbler that occasionally popped out to tease me.

Top photo: a pair of Spotted Flycatchers were in the trees at the back field behind the Cottage. Middle photo, a female Sparrowhawk circled above me, much to the dislike of the local Swallows. Bottom photo: the recently topped up bird feeders attracted this Nuthatch.

After a while, and getting away from one of the kittens here that kept climbing up my leg, I decided to check the field behind our Cottage. From here, there were at least two Spotted Flycatchers perched high in the leafless branches in the nearby trees. Overhead, both a female Sparrowhawk and a Common Buzzard were seen soaring above me. Way in the distance, over the hills, I could see two Red Kites circling over the countryside, but they always remained distant. Checking the hedgerows by the Horse Field, another Spotted Flycatcher was seen along with more Chiffchaffs. A lone Linnet flew high overhead heading west.

Top photo: a Common Buzzard soared high over the Farm. Middle photo: Common Darter dragonflies were abundant. Bottom photo: this showy Wren burst into song nearby where I stood overlooking the scrubby field.

A few insects were on the wing including Small White, Speckled Wood and Red Admiral butterflies and I noted a lot of Common Darter dragonflies on the wing too. I took a stroll around the back of the Farm and came across a Great Spotted Woodpecker perched up on a small tree behind the farm, but not too much else of note apart from the local Farmyard Goose here! I could not believe how warm it was and I could have stayed out a little longer, but then there was a rain shower and so I decided to go inside to update my blog. I took an awful lot of photos, so bare with me on this! The moth box should be back on tonight, which I am really looking forward to. 

Above: The local Farmyard Goose! Below, the Great Spotted Woodpecker behind the Farm.

On a sad note, I have learnt of the sad passing of a lovely guy who used to run the Portsmouth Cemeteries, Gerry. I did not know his surname, for we always were on a first name basis when I met him. He was a lovely Irish guy who always had time for a chat and made you feel welcome while carrying out your duties. He literally only retired recently and my condolences go out to all his family.  

Video footage of the superb Chough's at Strumble Head this morning.