Birds To See Near Fresh Water In West Wales
Shelduck
These are large and goose-shaped with very striking dark green head and red bill with a knob at the base. White neck, chestnut band at front of body then dark upper wings and white underparts. In flight it shows white bands at front of wings with dark band behind.
Shoveler
Heavy and inelegant. Dark green head and rear wing patches when in flight. Speckled, rusty body. Strange bill very flat and shovelish at front. Stubby rear. Females a bit like Mallards so look at beak.
Snipe
Small bird. Bill very long, straight. Often flaps up noisily just in front of you on marshland or mud. Catch sight of its very stripey, mottled feathers as it flies away. Wings: dark; pale line along the rear edge. Tail stumpy. Wings often look ‘crooked’ at the wrist. Breeds on Dyfi.
Teal
Likes the edges of lakes. Has large head with band of golden orange from base of bill leading over top of head down to base of neck. Face divided into green and wine red. Chest smart grey with thin black lines like Pintail. In flight: green rear wing, white mid wing stripe.
Tufted Duck
Common on lakes but not upland. Rounded head, golden eye and male has unique tuft which droops down back of head. Male black with white side panels on wings. Summer male is dull like female dark chocolatey brown.
Whooper Swan
Only a winter visitor, it is larger than the Bewick, its bill is yellow with a black tip, the yellow showing all around the base (unlike Bewick where the black extends all the way up at front). It’s white all over with black legs. Feeds in fields, on estuaries and lakes. Also on fringes of hills. Bewicks like lowlands.
Wigeon
Medium sized with sharp tail. Often in large flocks on floods and marshes. High pitched whistling call. Male: chestnut head, yellow forehead; black and white at end of tail. Bill: small grey with black tip. Grey on back and has big white patch on centre wing when in flight. Female brown rust or grey brown.