Wales: Shorebirds

We’d hoped for lots of migrant waders in Pembrokeshire, but found only Fishguard and Newport–the mouths of the Gwain and the Nevern, respectively–anything like productive.

All told, we saw more individual European Oystercatchers than all the other species combined. At Fishguard Harbor, Alison found a few dozen roosting on the rocks; they came down to feed as the tide withdrew, mixing with smaller numbers of Ruddy Turnstone, Common Redshank, and Eurasian Curlew.

Newport was better, in spite of the sailing race being held the morning we were there.

The mouth of the Nevern attracted yet more oystercatchers, plus small numbers of Common Ringed Plover, Common Redshank, Dunlin, Ruddy Turnstone, and a few delicately scalloped Red Knot juveniles.

The prize here, though, was a lone Bar-tailed Godwit, feeding close to shore among the European Herring and Black-headed Gulls.

From the Arctic to the coast of Wales–a traveler farther-flung even than we were!