Detailed records of nationally or locally rare species (guidance on these is
here) should be sent to the County Recorder Rob Taylor (
gowerbirdrecorder@gmail.com) as soon as possible after the sighting. An appropriate description should be provided of the species, your previous experience of it (and similar species), the circumstances and weather conditions in which the sighting occurred and any other pertinent information (such as photos). He will then circulate to the local or national records committee as relevant.
Day to day observations, including of nest sites, flocks of birds and species of local interest, should be collated in the Annual Record Form and sent to Rob as an email attachment following each calendar year. Receiving these by the end of January is ideal as an early start can then be made on compiling the annual report.
Dear All
As we are now in the breeding season, please could we ask that detailed locational information that may lead to the disturbance of the nest sites of species listed under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act (1981) is omitted from any posts. This may otherwise lead to an offence being committed.
Schedule 1 species that regularly breed in the recording area are Dartford warbler, chough, honey buzzard, crossbill, goshawk, kingfisher, hobby, red kite, barn owl, peregrine, little ringed plover and Cetti’s warbler.
Thank you for your assistance in this.
GOS Committee
Cuckoo calling last night in Clyne Valley at around 11 p.m.
Oxwich Marsh: grasshopper warbler reeling, 41 siskins. 6 greylags over marsh
Cwm Clydach(13.05.2021).Quick walk from RSPB car park up to Glyn Coch Farm(left side of river) Spotted Flycatcher(7),Grey Wagtail(5)Dipper(1 darting up and down the river) Robin and Wren everywhere !.Nuthatch at nesting site at two locations.Plenty of Blackcap including family parties of several fledglings.
Rhyslyn Afan valley cuckoo seen and heard,buzzards, usual warblers and songbirds
Last Friday halfway down a cliff I saw five or six warblers (probably chiffchaff, but some with pale legs, and one ringed bird) eating gorse flowers — picking them off, rolling them in the bill, and dropping them. Is that common behaviour?
I saw this with another chiffchaff yesterday (Wed). I think they are eating the gorse elaiosomes.
Clyne Gardens: tawny owl young earlier this month. Photo by Christianne Bonham
Fenrod lake
26 mute swans, 15 Canada geese, tufteds,mallards,pochard,a great crested grebe moorhen with young ,coots,lots of Marin’s and swallows, not a swift in sight.
Nearby small fishermans lake (heol fenrod ) mute swan on nest coot on nest ,cormorant, moorhen, blackcap chiff chaff ,robin, dunnock,song thrush,blackbird,chaffinch.
Tir John pond port tenant,young little grebe sedge warbler,2 pair of tufteds, coots moorhen,blue great and coal tits, a pair of Canada geese on the playing field.
Plenty of Swift at the Garth Clydach Terry.
Thanks Richard my local breeders in Briton ferry are not back yet hope for a better breeding season than last year .
A cuckoo on the edge of Cefn Bryn Common at Cillibion. A couple of extra stock dove territories around the edges of the woodland at Parc le Breos (following a few last week). Lots of fledged song thrushes and blackbirds
Cwm Clydach 10th May 7 pied and 2 spotted flycatchers, blackcap, chiffchaff, siskin, heron, dipper, buzzard, marsh tit.
Great record of Marsh Tit Paul.How far up the Cwm did you go ?
Wow what a fantastic day you had. Well done.
Early morning walk around part of Clydach located 11 Starling breeding/nesting sites( evidence of noise from chicks and/or adult birds carrying food) All nests were located in wall crevices or gaps into roofing areas on houses.Also around 40 House Martin,10 Swallow and 5 Swift hawking insects above the Tawe up river from Forge Fach.