It was nice to see and to hear three wood warblers back in Minwear Wood, along the BBS transect route this morning. There were good numbers of singing blackcaps and several chiffchaffs in song too but only one singing willow warbler. A single garden warbler was singing in a usual scrub patch. We heard probably our first ones this year near Pwllygranant last Saturday (22nd).

Every spring, it is always nice to know that wood warblers have returned to Minwear again!

Later, at Landshipping it was fascinating to watch two great crested grebes (presumed to be the pair seen displaying here on 8th April) still present and displaying. One was actually resting on a small floating island of seaweed (bladderwrack), behaving as if it was actually on a nest! The other grebe swam up to it with a small offering of seaweed. They touched bills, displayed a bit, then the resting bird left its seaweed perch and both birds then swam off to feed in the bay. 

Given the local gull activity, plus the tidal component, it seems a highly unlikely place (and very unwise) for grebes to try and breed, but perhaps they think differently and are having a go? We’ll see what happens!