Return
to . . .
Emsworth
Wildlife - Homepage
POPPIT
SANDS WILDLIFE
July-Aug
2011
. . .
BIRDS
This was our fourth year
visiting Poppit Sands for our family holiday - near
Cardigan in West Wales. We stayed in a self-catering flat
attached to the Webley Hotel overlooking the Teifi
Estuary.
View
of the estuary from our flat window with the regular
gathering of Canada Geese

Dunlin
and Ringed Plover were rare visitors to the shore in
front of the Webley

Here is a
full list of birds recorded from our flat overlooking the
estuary in the four years
|
2011
|
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
TEIFI ESTUARY - Max
counts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cormorant
|
1
|
|
1
|
2
|
Grey
Heron
|
1
|
|
1
|
1
|
Mute
Swan
|
2
|
|
11
|
60
|
Canada Goose
|
156
|
|
208
|
16
|
Barnacle Goose
|
1
|
|
|
1
|
Greylag Goose
|
1
|
|
|
|
Shelduck
|
|
|
9
|
|
Mallard
|
16
|
|
4
|
16
|
Black-headed
Gull
|
50
|
|
4
|
100
|
Herring
Gull
|
7
|
|
25
|
50
|
Lesser Black-backed
Gull
|
4
|
|
50
|
40
|
Great Black-backed Gull
|
2
|
|
2
|
4
|
Sandwich Tern
|
|
|
|
4
|
Common
Tern
|
2
|
|
|
|
Oystercatcher
|
52
|
|
40
|
60
|
Curlew
|
1
|
|
12
|
60
|
Ringed
Plover
|
1
|
|
|
|
Dunlin
|
1
|
|
|
|
Buzzard -
soaring
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BUTTERFLIES
|
|
|
|
|
Gatekeeper
|
2
|
|
|
|
Small
Copper
|
4
|
|
|
|
Painted
Lady
|
1
|
|
|
|
Speckled
Wood
|
4
|
|
|
|
Red Admiral
|
1
|
|
|
|
Common Blue
|
2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GRASSES
I think I got most of the
grasses, but one was a puzzle - what looked like a
Bent-grass (Agrostis) growing on the beach alongside
Marram and Lyme with red inflorescences and creeping
stolons. My guess was Velvet Bent-grass though it could
equally have been Creeping Bent-grass.
I consulted Martin Rand
who commented on some photos (below) as follows: "I think
it's probably a Bent-grass - Agrostis. But
Agrostis canina (Velvet Bent-grass) seems very
unlikely in that situation. A. stolonifera
(Creeping Bent-grass) would be a better bet although it's
not characteristic habitat for that, either, and the
plants are on the large side. I did also toy with Wood
Small-reed Calamagrostis epigejos, which will grow
in such places, but the panicle looks a bit open. But
then, it does tend to open up at flowering
time."
I think Wood Small-reed -
Calamagrostis epigejos is unlikely as the plants
definitely had stolons and not rhizomes and did not seem
big enough. So, I inclined to stay with Agrostis, with
Creeping Bent-grass (A. stolonifera) as the most
likely. Cope and Gray stress that it may be encountered
in an exceptionally wide range of habitats and they do
mention dune slacks and shingle (p.338). I will have
another look next year!
A
panicle of Creeping Bent-grass (?) growing on the
beach

This creeping
grass is fairly common on the beach south of the
chalets

Grass with
creeping runners (stolons) and growing with Lyme and
Marram

Marram
Grass is the main binding plant on the dunes

WILD
FLOWERS
Here are a few photos
from this year only
The
pretty yellow flowers of Toadflax were very common on the
roadsides and on the dunes

Green
seedheads of Alexanders later turning black - on the
dunes

Burnet
Rose was very common on the dunes

This
was the only patch of Common Valerian I found on the
dunes south of the chalets

The
black fruits of Jointed Rush showed up well on the
beach

My
only Painted Lady of the year feding on the luxuriant
Lucerne by the lifeboat station

Prickly
Sandwort grows on the beach to the south of the
chalets

Clumps
of Sea (Scentless) Mayweed were common on the
beach

We found
this lovely Sea Anenome in a rock pool

Sea Rocket was
widespread on the beach

Sea Spurge was
fairly common both on the beach and in the
dunes

WEST
WALES PLANT LIST
Here is my complete list
of plants recorded over four yearly holidays. Most were
seen at Poppit Sands, with a few at other places visited.
Agrimony - occasional on
roadside
Annual Meadow-grass -
general
Alder - Roadside
Alexanders - with black seeds
heads
Apple - Few trees on
dunes
Annual Seablite - on saltmarshes
Barren Brome -
General
Babbington's Orache - Low
growing on sandy shore
Beech
Bee Orchid a few on
dunes.
Betony - Gwbert
cliffs
Bird's-foot Trefoil
Mainly on the dunes.
Biting Stonecrop Fairly
common on walls around the area.
Bittersweet dunes and
roadside
Black Knapweed - frequent on
dunes
Black Medick
General.
Blackthorn
Abundant
Bracken Abundant on
hillside
Bramble
General.
Bristly Ox-tongue - scarce on
dunes
Broad-leaved Dock
Common
Broad-leaved Willowherb - On
nature reserve
Bulbous Buttercup - Cliffs at
Mwnt
Bulrushes - Teifi Marshes Nature
Reserve
Burnet Rose Abundant on
the dunes. Large hips. New growth.
Butterfly Bush -
Roadside
Cleavers - Occasional on
dunes
Clustered Dock - mainly on
dunes
Cocksfoot
General
Coltsfoot - scarce on dunes
south
Cat's-ear - General -
frequent
Common Centaury Frequent
on the dunes and elsewhere.
Common Chickweed -
General
Common Cord-grass - on
saltmarshes by Webley Hotel
Common Figwort - Teifi Marshes
Nature Reserve
Common Fleabane - scarce on
dunes - south
Common Fumitory A few
plants found in dunes.
Common Gorse Abundant on
the dunes
Common Mallow -
occasional
Common Milkwort
Infrequent on the dunes.
Common Mouse-ear
common
Common Nettle
Common Orache - on saltmarshes
in front of Webley Hotel
Common Polypody - Teifi Marshes
Nature Reserve
Common Ragwort -
abundant
Common Reed On
saltmarshes
Common Saltmarsh
Grass
Common Sorrel - rare on
roadside
Common Stork's-bill
Common Toadflax - Poppit dunes
and Teifi Marsh reserve.
Common Valerian 2011 On
dunes to north of chalet - mainly
seedheads
Common Vetch
General.
Compact Rush - scarce on dunes
and beach
Corky-fruited Water-dropwort -
Rare on dunes
Cow Parsley A few plants
still in flower.
Crack Willow -
roadside
Creeping Bent-grass - general -
also on the sandy beach with stolons
Creeping Buttercup
General
Creeping Cinquefoil -
roadside
Creeping Thistle - general on
dunes
Crested Dogstail On
nature reserve
Crow Garlic - On nature reserve
and roadside
Curled Dock Occasional in
dunes.
Cut-leaved
Crane's-bill
Daisy - General
Dandelion
General
Danish Scurvygrass - Newquay
cliffs
Glasswort - on saltmarshes by
Webley Hotel
Great Mullein - Occasionally on
dunes
Dog Rose -
Occasional
Dove's-foot Cranesbill -
Occasional
Elder - Occasional on
roadside
Enchanter's Nightshade -
Occasional on roadside
English Scurvygrass
Common the saltmarshes
Eyebright - Occasional on
dunes
False Brome -
roadside
False Oat-grass
Occasional
Fennel - Newquay
cliffs
Festulolium Hybrids - Scarce on
Teifi Marshes Nature Reserve
Field Forget-me-not - On nature
reserve
Field Horsetail
roadside
Field Scabious Road to
cliffs at Poppit ,,, scarce on dunes
Foxgloves Occasional on
roadside
Germander Speedwell - Frequent
on dunes
Giant Fescue - On nature
reserve
Giant Horsetail On edge
of saltmarshes by Webley Hotel
Glasswort sp On edge of
saltmarshes by Webley Hotel
Goatsbeard rare on
dunes
Golden Saxifrage Abundant
on Pam and Geoff's estate July 15 2009
Greater Plantain -
general
Greater Sea-spurrey - Newquay
quay
Grass Vetchling - On nature
reserve
Great Willowherb - on dunes and
roadside
Ground Ivy -
general
Hare's-foot Clover
frequent on the dunes
Hart's-tongue Fern -
rare
Hawthorn -
Abundant
Heather -
occasional
Hedge Bedstraw - Teifi Marshes
Nature Reserve
Hedge Bindweed -
occasional
Hedge Mustard -
General
Hedge Woundwort
Hemlock Water-dropwort
Some large plants on dunes and elsewhere.
Hemp Agrimony - On Poppit
Roadside. On nature reserve
Herb-Robert
General.
Himalayan Balsam - on road to
Poppit Sands
Hoary Ragwort Teifi Marshes
Nature Reserve
Hogweed - General
Honeysuckle - Plenty along the
road to Poppit Sands
Hop Trefoil Here and
there on the dunes.
Italian Ryegrass
Japanese Knotweed Only a
few seen
Jointed Rush - Two patches past
the chalets with black seeds
Knotgrass - common on beach -
south
Ladies Bedstraw Frequent
on dunes
Large Bindweed
General
Large-flowered Evening Primrose
- common on dunes
Lesser Hawkbit - Occasional on
dunes
Lesser Sea Spurrey Fairly
common on saltmarshes
Lesser Stitchwort
Occasional on roadside and in dunes
Long-bracted Sedge Just
one plant on sea wall in front of Webley
Long-stalked Cranesbill - Main
track of Teifi Marshes 21 July
Lords and Ladies
Lucerne - Abundant south of the
lifeboat station. Different colours.
Lyme-grass A few
distinctive tufts on the edge of the dunes
Male Fern - rare
Marram Grass Abundant.
The main binding grass on the dunes.
Marsh Woundwort - occasional on
dunes
Meadow Buttercup
General
Meadow Vetchling - Occasional on
dunes
Meadowsweet - Plenty on dunes
along roadside
Montbretia On seawall in
front of hotel. Newquay cliffs
Musk Mallow - Rare on
dunes
Navelwort ** - On roadside up
the hill from Poppit.
Nipplewort
Occasional
Orpine - Single plant on the
main track on Teifi Marshes NR
Oxeye Daisy Common on
roadside
Pale Toadflax - Teifi Marshes
Nature Reserve
Perennial Ryegrass -
General
Perennial Sow-thistle
frequent on the dunes
Prickly Saltwort - common on
sandy beach
Pineappleweed roadside
Purple Loosestrife - Teifi
Marshes Nature Reserve
Prickly Sow-thistle -
Occasional
Pyramidal Orchid Just a
few flowering on the dunes.
Red Bartsia Frequent on
dunes
Red Clover
Frequent
Red Fescue Mainly on
saltmarshes
Red Campion
Abundant
Red Valerian Everywhere
along road sides.
Restharrow fairly
frequent on dunes.
Remote Sedge - on path the river
from Netpool
Ribwort Plantain
General
Rock Sea-spurrey - Gwbert
cliffs
Rosebay Willowherb
Flowering on nature reserve
Rough Chervil - Rare on
roadside
Rough Hawkbit - Occasional on
dunes
Rough Meadowgrass -
General
Sand Sedge The only sedge
everywhere on the dunes
Scarlet Pimpernel - Newquay
cliffs
Sycamore -
Occasional
Sea Arrowgrass Abundant
on the saltmarshes in front of hotel
Sea Aster on
saltmarshes
Sea Beet - scarce on
dunes
Sea Bindweed Occasional
on the dunes.
Sea Club-rush General on
the saltmarshes.
Sea Couch Common on
saltmarshes and dunes
Sea Mayweed - common on
beach
Sea Milkwort Fairly
abundant on shore in front of hotel. 1st for me!
Sea Plantain Common on
saltmarshes.
Sea Purslane - Frequent on
saltmarshes
Sea Rocket Abundant on
sandy shore
Sea Rush Lots of old and
new plants on saltmarshes.
Sea Spurge Frequenton the
sand dunes.
Sheep's Sorrel Occasional
on dunes
Shepherds Purse Fairly
common
Silver Ragwort One or two
bushes near the dunes.
Silverweed Fairly
common.
Slender Hares-ear ** - On
nature reserve
Smooth Brome
General
Smooth Hawk's-beard
Frequent on dunes
Soft Brome -
Occasional
Soft Rush - Teifi Marshes Nature
Reserve
Southern Marsh Orchid 100
dunes north of the lifeboat station.
Spear-leaved Orache
Abundant on saltmarshes.
Spear Thistle - Occasional on
dunes
Sweet Vernal Grass
saltmarshes
Tall Fescue - On nature
reserve
Thrift Common on edge of
estuary.
Tufted Hair-grass - Teifi
Marshes Nature Reserve
Tufted Vetch Abundant
everywhere
Upright Hedge-parsley - Teifi
Marshes Nature Reserve
Viper's Bugloss Common
mainly in dunes
Wall Barley - Occasional on
roads
Water Figwort - Teifi Marshes
Nature Reserve
Watercress A few plants
near a small stream.
Weld - occasional
White Clover
Common
White Stonecrop - On nature
reserve
Wild Angelica - just a few
plants on dunes
Wild Carrot Frequent on
the dunes
Wild Parsnip - common on
roadside
Wild Thyme - Cliffs at
Mwnt
Wood Avens - On nature
reserve
Wood Sage Surprised to
find this one on the dunes.
Yarrow - General
Yellow Oatgrass
Yellow Rattle - occasional on
dunes
Yorkshire Fog