Wally the Walrus at Tenby

On Monday 17th May, after lunch, disappointed that I had missed the Walrus the previous day, after lunch I checked Bird Guides and it said the Walrus was back at Pembrokeshire, so guessing it was back at Tenby, I leapt in the car and drove back to Tenby parking again at the multi- storey car park again putting 4 hours in on the ticket machine. Wally the Walrus has become a bit of a media celebrity since he took up almost permanent residence at Tenby. First seen off County Kerry, Ireland in early March, he had continued his journey south ending up at Tenby, Pembrokeshore in South Wales on 19th March. He made his way south, being naturally curious, either to find food or mate (wrong direction, obviously for that!) There had even been a theory that he had drifted south on an iceberg! Probably immature wanderings as vagrancy in birds often have young birds wandering way of the normal range, this was the Wally the Walrus equivalent! Wally is often seen sleeping or basking on the RNLI slipway which had become a bit of a headache for the lifecrew who had to resort to spraying him with water and using klaxons to flush him off the slipway so they could launch the lifeboat! I hobbled back to the cliff top walk, as I walked down an encouraging crowd of around 50 people could be seen on the railings and raising my bins in the brilliant sunshine, a pale buff large lump at thge end of the RNLI slipway proved to be the absolutely fantastic immature male Walrus! About the size of a large cow, he had 3 inch tusks indicating his immaturity. He was slumped down asleep on the seaward end of the slipway near the water the head down on the slipway fast asleep. A few Black- headed Gulls were around and woke him up, he raised his head and showed the 9 inch or so tusks. He had a fat blubbery body reddish brown in colouration with and facially he had small eyes, a whiskery 'moustachle' white tusks about 9 inches long and substantital front flippers and slightly smaller back flippers. A fine creature! Several times he would ocasionally grin showing his gum line! He has been feeding on Razor Clams and Shellfish in the bay which were formerly plentiful but it is though that on Sunday he wasn't prsent because he was feeding further out to sea. I took over a thousand pics!!! He rose up and eased himself with his flippers before lying down again. He rolled on his back with his flippers in the air, he was actually sunbathing, enjoying the sun! He occasionally "stood up" then slumped again on his back again sunbathing. Occasionally he would put his flipper over his eyes/ head. Finally, an RNLI man came down and started spraying him with a hose of water that arked up and fell on the body of the sunbathing 'Wally' who got up again on his haunches but he wasn't moving. After about 20 minutes of his impromtu shower, the RNLI man swapped the hose for a metal post and started tapping it on the slipway, again no movement until he walked down to the Walrus and the finally Wally turned around and flopped into the water. Swimming gracefully away to the right, like a long misshapen log swimming in the water, he disappeared then raised his head twice showing his tasks before a turn a lst flip of the flipper and he was gone! Minutes later the Lifeboat emerged abruptly on the slipway and whooshed down the slip in a split second was in the sea and off away on their rescue! It was thrilling to witness all of this and an unprecedented observation of an Arctic mamal so far south, he should normally be in Svaalbad/ Greenland in Arctic waters and not in South Wales! Undoubtedly my most memorable wildlife sighting of the year, so far! Incidently the Beatles song "I am the Walrus" was inspired by a poem by Lewis Carroll from the famous book "Through the Looking Glass" and John Lennon was quite rightly concerned that the Walrus character was portrayed as the villain of the piece! Surely not! Wally (& other walruses too) was/ are very lovely and very gentle, too. He's made indelible impression on me, a new Walrus-phile!! Also seen were 3 Gannets fishing in the bay, aclose Fulmar that flew on stiff- wings north and an Oystercatcher also northbound. POSTSCRIPT: I was extremely lucky to see Wally, because after my visit (the last day (Monday 17th May) he was seen at Tenby, he had swum across the Bristol Channel and had been recently sighted on Wednesday 19th May off Padstow, in Padstow Bay, Cornwall!

Cymisfael stream

On Monday 17th May, Cymisfael stream revealed a fine singing Willow Warbler appropriately byt he Willows by the fertilizer heap just past the second bridge. Very nice to see my first male Orange Tip butterfly of the spring and back at the stream, a Dipper by the 2nd bridge and 2 Dipper were fishing much further along bythe white striped post (only 1/4 of the way along from LLandarrog end).

Where's Wally?

On Sunday 16th May, at about 4pm I arrived at Tenby, parked up in the multi-storey car park and with 4 hours of parking paid for hobbled off to the town centre and a kind soul took pity on a hopelessly lost English visitor and kindly pointed me in the direction of the Harbour. The southern end rose up to a fortified area and I walked up the hill past the bound stand lookout and took the anti- clockwise path cliff top walk overlooking the beach and the RNLI Lifeboat station. I saw the famous ramp and despite 3 hours of looking no sign of Wally the Walrus, bitterly disappointing but in between the rain showers I did spot, 2 Grey Seals on lying on its back gfeeding another with a great white flounder also feeding. Plus lone Gannets up to 3 seen fishing in the bay. But best of all 4 distant Manx Shearwaters flew together low over the sea late on going south, plus a Puffin flew north too. A Fulmar flew south too.

Garden goodies (heard only)

During the early evening of 12 May, a Cuckoo was heard calling briefly (heard 3X) from the south end of Parkhill Hotel grounds. A close Whimbrel flew north past our garden at 7.28pm calling 7 X 7 times (a 7X 7 note whitterer!) but I didn't see it, despite hobbling fast out to our front garden, because of all the building nearby (including 5 just beyond the back gardenb totally obscuring my view south.

Back to Peto's

During the evening of Tuesday 11 May, I hobbled down to Peto's Marsh, soon joined by Rob H, just before the old scrape we saw 2 Cuckoos fly over to the wooded area of Whitecast Marsh, whilst on Peto's itself a fine summer plumaged Grey Plover seen, where we were joined by Paul and Sara and we all saw at the north end of Peto's Marsh a fine adult Kittiwake rested until it flew off a little later. A few 5 Swift, 3 House Martin and 15 Sand Martins flew over too. Another Cuckoo seen rounding off a fine evening.

5 Swift over the garden

On Monday 10th May, out in the garden early evening, I heard some distant Swift calls, I looked up and saw 5 fairly high up Swifts milling around in thr sky above, unusual to see here in the sunshine, but very welcome nonetheless (first Swifts from the garden this year).

A 3X look around Ness Point , North Beach & North Denes today

This Sunday 9 May morning I looked around Ness Point no sign of the Whinchat but a calling Yellow Wagtail flew low over due south, no sign of any Wheatears at the Netposts, and again no sign of any Purple Sands at either Ness Point or along the North Beach. From the seawall I could seea birding copule scoping something in the SW corner of the Denes but I couldn't hobble over quickly to ask them what it was. I looked couldn't see anything (I only had my bins & a tweet at 11.45am probably proved it was a Whinchat which I didn't see) around 9 Whitethroats seen around the Denes and c30 Swallows flying south as did 2 House Martin flying south over the disputed fenced off area opposite the wreck of the Oval. I went back early afternoon and failed to relocate the Whinchat. Around 2pm in the garden, I spotted the larvae of a Brown- tail Moth on the supporting post for the Apple tree. However after a tweet from James W, I saw the fine 2 summer plumaged Purple Sandpipers with Turnstones mainly out of sight on the shelf immediately below the current sea wall but the 8 Turnstones (1 in fine summer pliumage) ventured onto the rocks and were briefly joined by the 2 fine summer plumaged Purple Sandpipers. One walked along the top of a rock towards me before flying further out where it ruffled its feathers and then joined Turnstone to fly south to Ness Point and beyond but not relocated there.