John,
Thanks for your kind comments. Those 5 years I spent in South Wales were, despite deprivation, illnesses, etc.,comparatively happy ones and I look back on them with great affection for the Welsh people and Wales itself. I spent a year at Llanelly Boys Grammar School (before returning to London) being bussed in from Pembrey and I often think back to those days.
Having both Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire connections, perhaps you may be interested in two further extracts (on successive days) from my 1946 Diary, when I was 13 years old; one records a visit to Manorbier near Tenby (Pembrokeshire), which you will know as a great birding area - and where my wife and I and our two young children spent a great week's holiday in the 80s; - and the other records a 'ramble' around Kidwelly Flats near Pembrey (Carmarthenshire), an area which your father will know well.
17 05 46 - Manorbier near Tenby.
" A Jackdaw's nest was discovered under a stone half-way down a seacliff. From the plainly audible squeaks which proceeded from the hole, I concluded that the nest contained several young. Many Jackdaws were also to be seen on the surrounding cliffs and several were seen entering holes in the cliff-face.
Half-way down an easily accessible cliff I discovered a Herring Gull's nest containing two large eggs. They were of a greenish-blue colour with black blotches on them. I actually saw the Herring Gull leave, and it is an easily recognisable species on account of its flesh coloured legs. The nest was practically non-existant (sic), the eggs laying (sic) at the back of a large flat rock up against the cliff. On surrounding cliffs many gulls were nesting - I only saw Herring Gulls - and there were also nests on rocks jutting out of the sea - well out of reach of the highest tide."
(Note : I have used the typographer's term 'sic' where there is a spelling mistake....fussy me
).
18 05 46 - Kidwelly Flats near Pembrey.
" On this afternoon I had rather a successful time finding five nests.
(1). A Bullfinch's nest in a hawthorn bush. The nest was a very slight structure and contained six greenish blue eggs, spotted with red and mauve.
(2). A Bullfinch's nest containing five young. The nest was again in a hawthorn bush and also slightly built.
(3). A Linnet's nest containing six eggs- light blue with red spots. The nest was a much more stronger (sic) structure; that which I found was constructed of twigs and grass, lined with some hair and feathers.
(4). A Chaffinch's nest, situated in a small hawthorn bush, contained young. It was constructed of moss and lichens and looked a compact and warm structure. The female Chaffinch called anxiously in the bushes close by, during my short stay at the nest.
(5). Further down this hedge I discovered a Blackbird's nest containing five eggs. Although many hawthorn bushes were in the near vicinity and few brambles, the Blackbird chose the latter for its nest. I have noticed this partiality for brambles before, whereas Thrushes seem to prefer hawthorns."
The second extract above certainly bears out the continuing 1946 saga of the frequency of nest finding of the commoner species.
After the Great White Egret caper at Rippingale Fen (yours was the only photo on the web, I believe), I enjoyed meeting up with you again at Kirkby GPs recently to enjoy the Red-necked Grebe, Temminck's Stint and Garganey .....all appearing for you on your local patch.
Regards,
Freddy
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the calls were driving me up the wall