Birds To See Near Sea Water In West Wales
Eider Duck
Male strikingly black and white with wedge-shaped head and green patch on back of neck. Appears to be wearing latest streamlined black cycle helmet. Neck and rump white. Female is dull speckled brownish like many female birds.
Fulmar
Pelagic. Skomer and Ramsey. Looks like gull but petrel family. Has tube nostrils. Flies with stiff, rectangular wings. Often groups to feed; breeds in colonies on cliffs. Regurgitates on intruder if alarmed. Blue grey on top and white under. Dark smudge around eye. Often lingers around breeding grounds all year.
Gannet
Pelagic. Huge colony breed on most remote Pembrokeshire island, Grassholm . Unmistakeable, it has long, narrow wings with black tips. Rest of upper body is white with yellowish head and neck. Very large grey bill and blue eye. It can be seen flying close to headlands all year.
Golden Plover
Size of pigeon. Likes fields. Round head with big, dark eye, short, straight, dark bill, yellowish chest and bright white belly. It stands still, often tilting head before walking or running a few steps, tipping forward to pick at a worm. In Flight: underside of pointy wing flashes white.
Goldeneye
Sitting on the water it is stocky with a big head and rounded, thick bill. Male has white spot on dark green head; dark upper wing and white underparts. Female has brown head and otherwise greyish. Looks dark on water. Both show white inner wing in flight.
Goosander
Often largest bird in mixed flocks of water fowl. Male: dull greenish black head, pinkish white breast. In flight wings are half white, half black with white innermost. Bill: dark red, thinning to tip with large hook. Female has dark reddish brown head and white chin and blue-grey with white inner wing and belly.
Great Crested Grebe
Very elegant with long neck, which is hunched when swimming. Same size as mallard. Bill is like a dagger and pale pink. In flight shows large stripes of white at front and back of wings. Legs trail.
Great Northern Diver
Coastal sea. A large, chunky bird, it has a big, dark dagger-like bill. In flight: neck outstretched with legs trailing. Winter: loses its 2 rows of fine white stripes from neck and checked pattern on back is less vivid. Appears dark on top with whitish underparts including throat and front of neck.
Greater Black-backed Gull
It is largest gull; very dark on back and upper wings. Bill very large and chunky and adult legs pink. Broad white trailing edge on wing plus white patch at tip of wing. Bill yellow with orange spot. Winter can be seen inland but not in W Wales. Nesting pairs are solitary.
Greenshank
It is delicate and elegant (Redshank dumpier). Very quick – dashes along, splashing. Green legs can look dull grey. Head: pale, grey (whitish in winter). Bill: grey base and upcurved. In Flight: Legs stick out behind and it shows breast pale grey with white belly; white V shape up its back; very dark wings.
Grey Plover
Pigeon-size like Golden Plover and has same big eye in round head. Pale, mottled brownish grey. Feeds alone or as couple but flocks to roost. Bill: short and heavy, dark colour. In flight: pale underside but striking black ‘armpits’; patch on rump and stripe along wing both white. Loud whistling call travels far.
Guillemot
Pelagic. Most on Skomer; also on Ramsey Few on Skokholm as ledges not good. Chocolate brown with white belly. Birds favour long, narrow ledges on sheer cliffs and cram themselves in. Lots between Angle and Stackpole on South Pembs coast and on Needle Rock close to Dinas Head.