Welsh Journals

NATURE IN WALES VOL. 3, No. 2. SUMMER 1957 THE BREEDING BIRDS OF A NORTH PEMBROKESHIRE FARM. A. K. KENT This article is intended as a summary of observations made from 1950-1956, on the birds of a small North Pembrokeshire farm. The majority of the time spent in observation has been during University vacations, but the farm was visited in every month of the year at some time during the period. The farm, Trewilym-isaf, lies in the parish of Eglwyswrw, about three miles from the coast, and two miles from the foothills of the Prescelly Mountains. It extends to some 117 acres and is fairly typical of the farms of the region. The farm economy is based on the dairy herd, and about a third of the total acreage is under the plough to provide home-grown concentrates for the herd. Of the remainder some 50 acres is moderate pasture land and the rest marsh or bracken scrub, with small coppices dotted about particularly in the damper, more sheltered parts. The land slopes roughly from the east to the west, the lower, western, boundary being a small, rapidly flowing stream, which has never in living memory been dry. The fields are separated by the typical Pem- brokeshire walls with fairly thick shrub growth on their tops, and with a fair number of larger trees, especially sycamore and ash, growing in them. Eighty-one species have been recorded on the farm twelve of these could be considered vagrants and have been recorded less than five times in the 7 years. Of the remaining sixty-nine species, thirty-five breed on the farm possibly one or two more also breed, but they have not been included as their nests have not been located. Most of the thirty-four species left to be accounted for are passage migrants or winter visitors a few are resident in the surrounding country but have not been recorded breeding on the farm. The dominant species is undoubtedly the chaffinch which breeds in large numbers and forms the greater part of the winter finch flocks as well. In 1954 sixteen nests were located, and pro- bably at least three other pairs were breeding. The species nests most commonly in the thick hawthorn scrub on the wall tops in an ideal stretch of hedge there may be as many as five nests in a hundred yards. None of the other finches are common, .though