Based on a hunch, late this afternoon we had a look at some fields
between Carew Newton and St Florence and managed to track down where the flock
of greylags are currently feeding.
We noted c.150 feeding in a cereal stubble field. Several minutes earlier we had seen a smaller flock of 20 or so in flight over the Carew/Sageston area. These might have dropped
in to feed somewhere else nearby. There are several fields that look quite promising
for geese.
Earlier in the year we had seen several greylags in this area plus a
Greenland white-fronted Goose. The geese today were a bit too far away to determine
if there were other species in the flock but, based on size, all were probably
greylags.
Late this afternoon, good numbers of herring gull were regularly flying over in a south-easterly direction from various inland fields. They were almost certainly heading to Caldey Island where there is a large herring gull roost.
We went over to Landshipping again, hoping
to see the geese flying in somewhere at dusk, but we might have been a bit too late.
We could hear occasional greylag calls but
saw only one flying upriver towards the Eastern Cleddau.
lapwings, 30+ redshanks, 6 greenshanks and a few dunlin coming in to roost. Hundreds
of black-headed gulls were again preparing to roost off Sprinkle Pill. A kingfisher
was also present at Landshipping.