Rare pipit is first for Wales

Crowds flock to see rare bird

An unexpected visitor has been causing a flurry of activity at a Wildlife Trust nature reserve in Pembrokeshire.

Staff and volunteers of the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales have been having a busy time dealing with hundreds birdwatchers flocking to its normally peaceful Goodwick Moor nature reserve near Fishguard.

The reason for the commotion was a Pechora pipit, which had never before been recorded in Wales. The bird breeds in the tundra of the far north of Asia from Russia eastwards. It migrates over large distances, normally moving in winter to countries in south east Asia such as Indonesia and Malaysia, but occasionally seen in parts of western Europe in September and October.

Normally the best place in western Europe to see the Pechora pipit is Fair Isle, just south of the Shetland Islands.

Around 300 avid birdwatchers from across the UK are thought to have been lucky enough to see the bird, including experienced wildlife photographer Melvin Grey, who took this picture.

Nathan Walton, the Wildlife Trust officer for Pembrokeshire, said the bird was mainly seen flitting through the willow and alder carr and hiding in long grasses.

"This is a fantastic little bird, and to have such a rarity appear for the first time in Wales on a Wildlife Trust reserve is even more special," he said.

"The Pechora pipit certainly gave people something to talk about and was not put off by all the cameras and binoculars pointing at it. Sometimes it was happy to perch within a couple of meters of the patient crowd!"

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For more information, please contact Nathan Walton on 07971114301 or email n.walton@welshwildlife.org

Photograph supplied: Melvin Grey must be credited if the supplied picture is used.

Background about the reserve

Goodwick Moor nature reserved is managed by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales. The trust is one of 47 Wildlife Trusts across the UK, with reserves stretching from Cardiff and the South Wales valleys in the east to Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire in the west. It also owns Skokholm Island and manages Skomer.

This wetland reserve consists of reed bed, flood plain mire, carr, scrub, and a complex network of ditches.

The reserve lies between two streams, which combine at its north east corner. The extensive reedbed covers much of the reserve, with sea rush and sea aster well represented at the seaward side. Species of interest on the flood plain mire include common cotton sedge and royal fern. In the drier area, willow and alder carr woodland is prominent, with bog myrtle occurring where willow has been cut back. The ditches include glaucous bullrush, bogbean, branched burr reed, water mint, and bog pondweed.

The reed bed and fringe support sedge and reed warblers, whilst the low scrub and carr wood support stonechats and willow warblers. Swallows roost and snipe and siskins overwinter here. Buzzard, kestrel and sparrowhawk are also present. Cetti’s warbler and bittern have also been recorded as winter visitors.

Invertebrates including moths, dragonflies, damselflies and butteflies are fairly well represented and include comma, painted lady and ringlet. Otters and water vole are among the mammals present.