It was one of those occasional days when the weather turns out better than the marginal forecast. The predicted light to moderate north-westerly wind took a long while to get going, early rain disappeared, and mid-morning showers failed to materialise. … Read More
Limited expectations were the order of the day due to the forecast of a moderate north-westerly wind, a bad direction for the marsh. In reality, however, it was still at dawn and the wind only picked up from 09:00. We … Read More
In early September we were paid a visit by Renaud Flamant, the European colour-ringing co-ordinator for Mediterranean gull. Renaud’s itinerary included a couple of days in Gower, a brief stop in Carmarthenshire and a visit to Ceredigion. His plan was … Read More
A couple of weekends of average to poor weather, with wind speed limiting the catch. On 12 September we split our effort, with Jo Conway assisting Wayne Morris with his Retrapping Adults for Survival project on dipper in the Valleys, … Read More
Sunday was again the better day of the weekend wind-wise. There was a light west north-westerly breeze that gradually strengthened over the morning, short-lived very light early showers and a rather pleasant sunrise. The marsh was quiet in terms of … Read More
A weekend of light to moderate northerly winds and open skies. Northerly weather in autumn is typically associated with low numbers of migrants in the marsh, and the weekend seemed to bear this out. The working theory as to why … Read More
A frustrating couple of weeks of consistent unsettled (and often very windy / rainy) weather, some of which has been courtesy of Storm Ellen. Just what you don’t need after an unplanned break of four months, and in one of … Read More
Although the Group had managed to complete a few Constant Effort Site sessions since Welsh Covid restrictions were eased, we had not restarted ringing at Oxwich. Over four months without a visit had seen reed, bracken and bramble start to … Read More
Following over four weeks of terrible weather (apparently the wettest February on record), it was good to at last get a ringing session in. The conditions were not ideal, so we went to our most sheltered site, near Pwll Du … Read More
A blog post by Amy Schwartz. Looking to gain additional ringing experience as I work towards a C permit, I got in contact with experienced Wiltshire-based ringer Matt Prior at the suggestion of my trainer, Owain Gabb, and we arranged … Read More
2019 was our first year of ringing at Pwll Du, on the south coast of Gower. The site is located on the leeward side of a coastal headland, and is sheltered from the prevailing south-westerly wind. This makes it a … Read More
2019 was the seventh year of Gower Ringing Group activity at Oxwich Marsh. The site also hosted the Welsh Ringing Course (in September) for the fifth consecutive year. Species Totals In 2019 2,825 birds of 47 species were ringed at … Read More
It has been an excellent year for permits. We have gained a new Trainer in Wayne Morris, Stephen Edwards (now based in East Anglia) achieved his A Permit, and Martin Thomas (previously restricted to a C for traps), Colin Baker, … Read More
The clocks went back this week, allowing us an extra hour of wind and rain in the morning – or at least this is how it has felt of late. When ringers in the flat areas east of the Severn … Read More
2019 has seen Gower RG trainees travel far and wide in order to achieve more experience to ready themselves for permit applications. These travels have taken them to Germany, a lengthy stay at a bird observatory in Denmark, to storm-petrel … Read More
Dippers are fascinating birds, unique amongst passerines in their habit of swimming underwater to find their invertebrate prey. They are currently amber listed in the UK and are a priority species for study under both the British Trust for Ornithology’s Retrapping … Read More
The 2019 Welsh Ringing Course was held on the Gower Peninsula, South Wales, between Friday 6 and Monday 9 September 2019. The course was led by Kelvin Jones, the Welsh Development Officer for the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) … Read More
The forecast was for a moderate to strong north-westerly wind to rapidly pick up over the morning. Due to a run of poor weather over the previous weeks, we decided to give it a go – a good idea as … Read More