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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.
Report (via Ed Hunter) of a buff-bellied pipit and a Lapland bunting at the end of Weobley track earlier today. Approx OS grid reference: SS 4732 9460
Ringing at Oxwich this morning. We were instructed by Owain. This may have been the all-time record turnout for a GOS field meeting, at nearly 30. Conditions were good; and we were shown goldfinch, blue tit, GSW, Cetti, marsh tit and more. Thank you Owain.
The Wryneck was still in Mewslade this morning. It was elusive but occasionally showed well in trees or on the wall between moving feeding areas – attached a map of where it showed when the path was quiet. A red colour ringed Herring gull A+J was in the pony field at the Vile. There seemed to be a lot of Sparrowhawks about today too Other birds in the Mewslade / Middleton and Vile area 6 Goldcrest, 8 Blackcap, 10 Chiff, 1 Whitethroat. 6 chough, Green Woodpecker, 21 Collard Doves. The only birds moving was about 30 Skyarks heading east Wernffrwd… Read more »
Seen during a watch at Rhossili followed by a visit to the Mewslade Valley by Ed O’Connor between 08:45 and 14:45.
Vis mig: 2581 swallows (mainly east), 186 skylark, 91 chaffinch. 344 meadow pipit, 61 pied / white wagtails, 20 siskin, 3 greenfinch, 4 bullfinch, 11 reed bunting, 7 jay, 13 song thrush, 3 sand martin, 1 house martin, 15 golden plover, 2 snipe, 1 woodlark, 3 great spotted woodpecker, 44 dunnock, 3 sparrowhawk, 2 buzzard, 16 stonechat.
Mewslade Valley: wryneck , lesser whitethroat, 11 blackcap, chiffchaff, 6 goldcrest
Port Talbot
Tidal bit of the River Afan below McDonald’s
Surprisingly 1 little grebe fishing in the river
1 grey wagtail .
Assortment of gulls
4 common dolphins moving west close inshore between Limeslade and Rotherslade this morning. A calf with three adults. Regularly breaching. Followed by large gulls and a couple of gannets. 4 common scoter west.
Otherwise a big day of movement for meadow pipit and (presumed) white wagtails, with some indications of finch movement (particularly linnets).
At Limeslade this morning large numbers of gulls fishing during the storm, with lots of Gannets with several immature birds, six Cormorants drying off on the Lighthouse rocks, two Choughs over the Tutt, a pair of Green Woodpeckers and a Sparrowhawk. Close in the bay at Limeslade a big male seal seemed to be sheltering.
Broad Pool this afternoon, two Little Grebes in the water and a Red Kite flying over. Llanrhidian to Crofty, 100+ Swallows fuelling up for their long flight south. Similar number of Greylag Geese.
Yesterday (3rd October) afternoon at Blackpill at high tide there were 3 Brent Geese amongst a mix flock of gulls (Herring, Black-headed, Lesser Black-backed and Mediterranean) and Oystercatchers. There were a few other waders which I think were Bar-tailed Godwits.
Yesterday AM: Tutt Head (Bracelet) 1 pale phase Arctic skua west into the wind at 07:50. Common scoter. Numerous gannets and pulses of small gull activity (kittiwake, black-headed gull and Med gull), with all birds generally moving west.
Swansea Bay: distant large diver, presumably GND, but seen as a squall came in and couldn’t find it afterwards to confirm.
PM: Sandwich tern (w/pl adult) in inshore waters of Oxwich Bay.
This afternoon at Rhossili bay – there were 9 Choughs flying down from Rhossili Down to take shelter on the cliffs also a adult Med Gull in the bay. On the beach 2 GBB gulls were feeding on a Seal pup carcase. Mewslade and Middleton – in the sheltered corners there were 3 Chiffchaff, 3 goldcrest, Treecreeper, green Woodpecker and a Sparrowhawk cruised through. Also 20 swallow and 1 House Martin were flying east Weobley track: 170 Golden plover , 7 Dunlin with the plovers including one with a huge bill more like a Curlew sandpiper – must be as… Read more »
Langland golf course this morning six Choughs above Whiteshell Point, 20 plus Swallows seemingly flying the wrong way on their migration, good numbers of Linnets and a male Sparrow Hawk flying along a hedgerow hunting.
Dear All We are now in the breeding season. For Schedule 1 species at risk of disturbance at the nest, we need to ensure that any sightings do not provide information that may lead to their disturbance. This includes cliff-nesting species such as Dartford warbler and chough which have been targeted by photographers (some of whom have used tape lures) in recent years, and species expanding their range / becoming locally commoner in some parts of the recording area such as red kite and goshawk. Please be aware of this in your posting. A list of Schedule 1 species that… Read more »