Birds To See In Summer In West Wales
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.
Whinchat
Rough grassland or coast with gorse, bracken and heather. Perches on bushes or hops on ground. Spring male: speckled crown, dark cheeks edged with white stripes. Breast is pale orange fading to buff. In flight: tail dark tip; white patch each side. Song like robin but has some harsh sounds thrown in.
Whitethroat
Sylvia genus same as Blackcap. Likes rough habitat: heaths, hedges or wood-edges. Won’t come to manicured parks and gardens. Very slim bird with narrow longish tail. Male: brown with grey head, white throat and pale underside with tinge of pink. Legs are pinkish. Voice is low chatter; not warble.
Willow Warbler
Arrive April. Brighter and more yellowish than chiff chaff. Legs pale pinky. Longer primary feathers so longer wings. Long distance migrants. Trilly warble with descending tone at end.
Wood Warbler
Very similar to Chiffchaff but with warbling song. Rather yellow in tone with long wingtips. Likes high trees with spaces between: beech and oak. Hard to see when trees in leaf. Never seen around coasts or gardens.