Birds To See Near Sea 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.
Skylark
Streaky brown with curved crest on head. Hover high, high in the sky and sing constant trilling song. Always out in the open, you’ll often see them land on short grassland – clifftops or meadows. Sometimes perch on fences. Often undulating flight. Walks or runs.
Snow Bunting
Often feed on lines of seaweed on beaches in winter. They are only black and white in summer; in winter they show rust ‘stains’ on pale head with streaky rust/black/buff on back. Edge of wing is white as are underparts. Never in trees. Runs along; doesn’t hop.
Stonechat
Loves coastal gorse and thorn bushes. Sits atop a bush and says ‘Chat’ very loudly. Hops on ground. Very like Whinchat but no white eyestripe. Dark head and back, white splash on side of neck. Rosy breast, fading to buff. In flight: blunt tail is dark – no white side stripes like Whinchat.
Storm Petrel
Pelagic. Skokholm mainly . Smallest seabird in British waters – a bit bigger than a sparrow! Dark plumage, white rump, showing as V shape in flight (like House Martin). It flutters near sea with feet dangling. Very square tail; white bar on underwing. Migrants pass close to headlands Sept/Oct – especially in stormy weather.
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.
Turnstone
Sometimes resident. Likes rocks, shells and seaweed. Noisy groups. It is the ONLY bird of this size with such a black breast and white below. Dark stripe round neck and very mottled brownish wings. In flight: white patches on wings and back.
Wheatear
Early summer visitor. Appears March. Favours open grassland on cliffs. Back pale greyish brown and yellowish breast; black eyestripe edged white above; in flight: dark wings, bright white rump and black T-shape at tip. It runs along the ground rather than hopping around.
Whimbrel
Likes rocky shores. Much smaller than curlew and darker with pale stripe edged by dark stripe each side on crown of head. Bill: downcurved with bend. Dumpier than curlew in flight and faster. Call is rapid rippling titter.
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.