Birds To See In Winter In West Wales
Lapwing
Numbers declining. Distinctive long head crest and loud ‘peewit’ call. Flocks swoop and wheel as if blown by wind. Distinctive broad wings with blunt end in flight. Dark greenish with purple of blue wings, white throat and belly plus inner part of underwing. Shows white band above black tail when in flight.
Merlin
Farmland and coast. Flies low. Male: small – size of dove; grey/blue above; black tail tip; buff with orangey tinge underneath. Very speckled. Female much bigger; dark brown upper with cream underparts streaked brown. Wings sharply tapered. Tail blunt or spread in broad fan.
Pintail
Very thin tail as name implies. Smart bird with thin neck and long, slender body. Male: dark brown head with white of neck ‘leaking’ into it in a stripe. Grey wing feathers finely lined like a posh suit. Female dull brown or grey with light breast. Bill and legs grey.
Pochard
Easy to spot. Wide, typical round head and flat bill. Head chestnut, chest and tail black with pale grey elsewhere. Female duller with russet chest; same divisions of colour bands as male. Night feeder so drifts around sleepily by day.
Red-throated Diver
Shallow coastal sea. Elegant, swims low; head held up. Long, sharp bill. In flight: neck stretched and legs trail. Winter: Loses smooth blue-grey on head and red throat. Grey on top with small white spots. White underparts and sides of neck. Fine black/white stripes on back of neck and side neck base.
Sanderling
Small. Paler plumage than similar waders. Dark rim along bottom of wing and tail. Bill: longish, straight, dark. Runs fast on thin legs. Forms small groups. Often roosts with dunlins at high tide. In flight: sharp wings, dark stripe down centre of rump and tail with white sides. Very white under and pearly above.
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.
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.
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.