August has felt like another April to date. Very changeable weather, including cold, wet spells and variable winds that have swung around between south-west and due north. The Met Office has clearly struggled to know how quickly some fronts will … Read More
Light to moderate south-westerly winds and sunny intervals at Oxwich this morning, following a period of heavy overnight rain and moderate to strong south-westerlies during the preceding week. We put nets through the reed bed, fen and, later in the … Read More
A mixed morning. Light winds with occasional, sometimes heavy, showers and bright intervals. We set nets in the open reed bed, through rushy ground with scattered scrub, and around the feeders. The latter were only opened once captures from the … Read More
We are now in a position that we can take on new trainee ringers. We are active at a range of sites in Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Carmarthenshire, including: Cwm Clydach RSPB Reserve where we have a long running … Read More
Saturday June 17 proved ideal for ringing, with very little wind across the marsh and fairly overcast skies. We had anticipated a big catch, and were not disappointed with a tally of 185 birds of 22 species. The breakdown was … Read More
A calm, relatively windless start to the day, with the breeze picking up from the south-west by mid-morning. We set net lines (total 760 feet) through the reed bed, woodland / scrub and in an area of rushy ground with … Read More
The morning of 28 May was ideal for ringing; warm and virtually windless with overcast skies. We set a total of 720 feet of net in a mixture of reed bed and fringing scrub. The day total was 65 birds. … Read More
Perfect conditions for the first few hours today, with a very light north-westerly wind that gradually strengthened and veered to the south. Net rounds returned a steady flow of birds. The catch was as follows: Species Ringed Recaptured Total Great … Read More
A typically quiet early to mid-April period. Settled weather, with light to moderate predominantly north-westerly winds (the worst direction for the marsh as there is little opportunity to set nets in sheltered locations) typified the period. April and May are … Read More
A still, bright morning first thing, with a north-westerly breeze gradually picking up as time went on. We put nets on the edge of the South Pond, in some damp scrub on the edge of the marsh, and by the … Read More
Weather in mid to late March has remained unsettled. The conditions yesterday were fairly good, however, with a light northerly wind and open skies. We have managed two short additional sessions since our last Oxwich blog post, and the consolidated … Read More
A pleasant morning; a light to moderate south-easterly wind and overcast. We tried targeting snipe in two areas, put a net by the feeder, and a line through the reed bed. The catch was as follows: Species New Recaptured Total … Read More
It has been a quiet February. The weather has been predominantly mild and fairly damp, and there have been no significant storms or cold spells since the turn of the year. The low productivity in blue tits in 2016 certainly … Read More
A break in the weather allowed us to get a session in. This morning was cold on the marsh, with ice forming just before dawn and coating the stiles (making them treacherous), the gate lock and even the scales we … Read More
The weather in January has been hit and miss, and the forecast has often been inaccurate and subject to short-term change. Frustrating, but it becomes expected on a coastal site in the south-west of the UK. We have only got … Read More
2016 was the fourth year of Gower Ringing Group activity at Oxwich Marsh. It proved to be another good one: group members put in a lot of effort, and were rewarded with some excellent results. A summary follows, and a … Read More
A quiet session in a low to moderate south-westerly breeze. The visibility was good on the marsh, but there was thick fog on the higher ground for the first few hours. The modest catch of 23 birds was as follows: … Read More
It has been a frustrating first half of the month. Forecasts have proven inaccurate, resulting in several last minute call-offs, and wind and rain has hampered opportunities at other times. It was therefore good to be able to get a … Read More