Birds To See In Winter In West Wales
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.
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.