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Guidelines for Reporting Rarities and Submission of Annual Records
Detailed records of nationally or locally rare species (guidance on these is
here) should be sent to the County Recorder Eddie Hunter (
goweros23@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 Eddie 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.
PLEASE NOTE
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.
A great afternoon at Llarhidian Marsh today; 32 members joined us to look for raptors and while the owls did not oblige this time, others certainly did: four harriers in the scope at once was remarkable. The list runs to: Hen Harrier Pallid Harrier Marsh Harrier Merlin Kestrel Buzzard Peregrine Falcon Great Egret Little Egret Grey Heron Green Sandpiper Greenshank Redshank Golden Plover Lapwing Snipe Carrion Crow Jackdaw Raven BH Gull Shellduck Cormorant Linnet Starling Grey Wagtail Stonechat L T Tit Blackbird.
Thanks as ever to Ed Hunter for taking the lead.
2 Lapland bunting were a lovely sight this morning feeding alongside the causeway at Weobley . 6 Rock pipit were around plus 16 Redshank . 2 Peregrine doing the rounds kept a lot of species away .
Oxwich Marsh: 12 different Cetti’s warblers captured this morning by the ringing team. Also 6 chiffchaff, blackcap, 2 goldcrest, stonechat.
At least 1, possibly 2 Firecrests on the southern side of Kilvey Hill this morning. Also 4-5 Crossbills in the conifer woods
300+ jackdaws near Llansamlet Tesco at 4’15
Southward Lane, Langland. Female firecrest this PM (ringed). Probably a different bird this morning (seen and not captured at that time).
Male Marsh Harrier being harassed by a Raven over Llanrhidian marsh
Red Kite over Caswell Bay yesterday afternoon.
a very late Wryneck put in a very welcome appearance in the scrubby area by the pylon south of Loughor bridge . small numbers of Reed Bunting , Chaffinch , Linnet , Goldfinch also .
Around Loughor foreshore , 52 Skylark , 18 Greenfinch , 6 Reed bunting , 65 Linnet , 6 Chaffinch .
A reminder that our latest online talk is tonight. Keith Offord will talk to us about merlin, a species he has studied for many years. Joining instructions here: https://www.gowerbirds.org.uk/event/magical-merlins/
Brief visit to fenrod. lake this afternoon counts are estimated as birds constantly on the move,lots of people feeding them 35 mute swan 30 Canada geese,90 black headed gulls,15 coots,15 moorhen, 20 herring gull,15 lesser b b gull,2 common gulls,a few tufteds,pochard,and mallards.chaffinch dunnock robin and blackbird.
2 Short Eared Owls circling over Llanrhidian marsh
a picture of the 5 Tundra Bean geese from Castell Ddu Friday 6th
Neath salt marsh this afternoon from milland rd side
1 great white egret, 1 little egret, 60 + starlings,1 common sandpiper,2 redshank, 12 long tailed tits,2 blue tits,2 ravens,sparrow hawk ,herring lesser black backed nd black
Headed gulls in small numbers,no geese today.
Oxwich Marsh: firecrest, jack snipe, 19 chiffchaff (including 1 tristis), 10 goldcrest, mistle thrush, song thrush, treecreeper, stonechat, 10 long-tailed tit, 79 blue tit captured and ringed this morning.
2 red kite over. 20+ meadow pipit in hay field