A spell of settled weather allowed us to get a number of sessions in. Winds veered around, but were predominantly light, particularly over the bank holiday weekend. We captured 527 birds of 28 species.
The combined total broke down as follows:
|
Species
|
New
|
Recapture
|
Total
|
|
Great Spotted Woodpecker
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
|
Sand Martin
|
4
|
0
|
4
|
|
Swallow
|
107
|
3
|
110
|
|
House Martin
|
104
|
0
|
104
|
|
Tree Pipit
|
10
|
0
|
10
|
|
Wren
|
4
|
4
|
8
|
|
Dunnock
|
9
|
11
|
20
|
|
Robin
|
3
|
3
|
6
|
|
Stonechat
|
3
|
0
|
3
|
|
Blackbird
|
5
|
0
|
5
|
|
Cetti’s Warbler
|
4
|
3
|
7
|
|
Grasshopper Warbler
|
5
|
1
|
6
|
|
Sedge Warbler
|
14
|
1
|
15
|
|
Reed Warbler
|
35
|
7
|
43
|
|
Whitethroat
|
5
|
0
|
5
|
|
Garden Warbler
|
3
|
0
|
3
|
|
Blackcap
|
27
|
1
|
28
|
|
Chiffchaff
|
18
|
2
|
20
|
|
Willow Warbler
|
8
|
0
|
8
|
|
Goldcrest
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
|
Long-tailed Tit
|
4
|
1
|
5
|
|
Blue Tit
|
18
|
7
|
25
|
|
Great Tit
|
7
|
12
|
19
|
|
Chaffinch
|
5
|
0
|
5
|
|
Greenfinch
|
30
|
1
|
31
|
|
Goldfinch
|
12
|
4
|
16
|
|
Siskin
|
4
|
12
|
16
|
|
Reed Bunting
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
|
Total:
|
453
|
73
|
527
|
The highlights were:
- Two new great spotted woodpeckers. We have now captured 29 at the feeders during 2017.
- Good numbers of hirundines. A modest catch of 105 swallows and 2 sand martins during an evening roost session, supplemented by a couple more of each along with a daytime catch of 104 house martins on the morning of 27 August. As expected the house martins were almost exclusively juveniles, with only one adult captured.
- A few tree pipits during each session, resulting in 10 overall, and taking us to 13 for the year. In 2016 we captured an exceptional (for us) 37 birds. The 2016 total will be lower, as we would only expect to catch them for around another week.
- Our first stonechats for a little while. All juveniles.
- A steady flow of young Cetti’s warblers. There are indications that it has been a more successful breeding season for the species locally than in 2016.
- Five grasshopper warblers and three garden warblers. Both juvenile and adult birds were captured in both species. The latter is a relatively scarce migrant in Gower.
- Good numbers of reed warblers. Predominantly juvenile birds.
We have not had an August session coincide with a substantial influx of young willow warblers, whitethroats or sedge warblers, and are currently significantly behind the numbers of these species that had been trapped at this stage in 2016.
Thanks to all of those who made it out to one or more sessions: Heather Coats, Keith Vaughton, Cedwyn Davies, Wayne Morris, Val Wilson, Paul Aubrey, Natasha Dodds, Kirsty Franklin, Stephen Vickers, Jo Conway, Bethan Dalton and Katie Dix.
Photos are below
Owain Gabb
27 August 2017
 |
| Swallow (left), house martin adult (centre) and sand martin (right) |
 |
| Garden warbler |
 |
| Grasshopper warbler |
 |
| Grasshopper warbler |
 |
| Stonechat |
 |
| Partially leucistic great tit |
 |
| Fox moth caterpillar |
 |
| House martin |
