To add a sighting, simply leave a reply below. Enter the details of your sighting and upload an image or video clip if possible. You will need to be registered and logged-in to post updates or leave replies.
NB: Maximum size for video clips is 30Mb…
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.
Castell Du this morning on a falling tide
Dunlin 68, Ringed Plover 1, Mute Swan 2, Lapwing 37, Redshank 9, Shelduck 24, Kingfisher 1, Greenshank 3, Common Sandpiper 1, Green Sandpiper 1, Teal 39, Wigeon 136.
This afternoon.
River Lliw at Island Bridge Loughor
Dipper 1
Loughor Foreshore car park
Grey Plover 11, Dunlin 13, Lapwing 18, Redshank 12, Wigeon 46, Ringed Plover 2.
Oystermouth Cemetry Sunday afternoon 14th Jan
Blackcap 1, Blue tit 1, Chaffinch 1, Goldfinch 1, Great tit 1, Blackbird 2, Collared Dove 2, House sparrow 6, Robin 4, as well as usual covids, pigeons and gulls. A red fox foraging in the hedgerows.
Llanrhidian Marsh this afternoon from a high vantage point above the marsh
Teal 48, Shoveler 2, GW Egret 4, Hen Harrier 1 grey male, 2 ringtails, quartering together at one point, Pallid Harrier 1, present throughout but spent a great deal of time on the ground, Lapwing c300.
Castell Du this morning on a falling tide
Mallard 66 (one showing a similar plumage pattern to a Brewer’s duck), Dunlin 47, Wigeon 143, Teal 62, Redshank 9, Shelduck 21, Lapwing 139, Golden Plover 1 (the first I’ve seen here), Kingfisher 1, Little Grebe 6, Gadwall 9, Greenshank 1.
320 scoter, 11 great crested grebe Oxwich Bay this afternoon.
Two Shelduck off Oystermouth this morning, 9.30.
Lougher Estuary today Marsh Harrier Hunting along Dafen Pil.. west of the deep water lake WWT 2.15pm Today..a Merlin close by at 2.30pm …Also Two Spoonbill feeding in the estuary near to Gateway 1.30pm… 3 pair of Bullfinches enjoying the sunshine in the Hawthorn shrub close by
25 ringed plover, 6 bar-tailed godwit, 4 sanderling, 2 curlew, 200 oystercatcher as well as the usual herring and black- headed gulls at Blackpill 4.00pm yesterday 11th Jan.
My phone app tells me this is a Marsh Harrier. Happy to be corrected if this is wrong. One of two raptors that passed over Salthouse Point, Crofty together at 14.00 this afternoon heading in the direction of Llanrhidian.
It is a marsh harrier Derek. Not that unusual on the Burry Inlet in autumn and winter now.
Thanks for the confirmation Owain.
Spoonbill off Dalton’s Point, Penclawdd this morning:
A great turn out for the LLanrhidian Field trip on Saturday, the Pallid Harrier showed around 2:15 at one point in dispute with a Peregrine. A second Ringtail Harrier came in to roost later but dropped quickly.Several Red Kites and kestrels were over the marsh. Around 5 Great white Egrets were in the area with additional birds at Wernffrwd and Berthllywd. Around 500 Golden Plover and 400 Lapwing were giving us lots of swirling flight displays when spooked by the raptors.A group of 5 Snipe drooped in together. 2 Rock/Water Pipits flew from the flooded field behind the marsh road… Read more »
Sedger’s Bank 7th January 2024 63 Brent geese all dark bellied, 48+ ringed plover, 2 curlew, and 4 turnstone.
1 light bellied Brent goose splishing around oystermouth foreshore
Ffendrod Lake, Muscovy Duck. Grey Wagtail on Beaufort Weir. Red Kite over recycling plant.
Not a great photo but what appears to be a Dartford Warbler in Mumbles earlier today
One seen on East Cliff Pennard on Sunday. Difficult to get a photo because they are so restless. One from Boxing Day on West Cliff,
At Sedgers Bank today, 1 Light-bellied & 31 Dark-bellied Brents plus 4 Purple Sandpipers
Tawe Riverbank and Ffendrod. Apart from the usuals, best were a flock of siskins feeding on riverside alder, several flocks of Long Tail tits, Goosander pair on river and at least 3m 1f Pochard on lake
Someone has put feeders by wooden bridge attracting lots of small birds
46 curlew and 40 Oystercatcher on Ashleigh Road playing fields this morning. Also another 370 Oystercatcher at Blackpill despite lots of New Year’s Day dogwalkers. A Mistle Thrush was singing sporadically from the scrub on the Footgolf Course and there was a female Blackcap on the feeders in the back garden.
Spotted Redshank and Whimbrel in Penclawdd Pill today.
Recent reports (30/31 December) include views of the pallid harrier at Llanrhidian Marsh, Crofty and around WWT Llanelli, plus up to 4 red-necked grebes (a very scarce species in the recording area), 2 scaup and great northern diver at Whiteford.
Also a dead common dolphin in Rotherslade Bay today.
A Slavonian Grebe was in the main pill at Wernffrwd this morning.
Any sign of the Pallid Harrier, Barry? I did a scan of the marsh from Llanrhidian end on Friday morning but no joy. Only a couple of kites, raptor-wise.
Apologies Jamie, only now seen this. I didn’t see it fyi, nor did I see it today
Thanks Barry, and I’ve seen Owain’s post above. I’ll try again next time there’s some decent weather.
On a short visit to the Neath estuary at Baglan this morning there were 12 Curlew, 1 Shelduck, Mallard, Black headed and Herring gulls. As I arrived home in Crynant 3 Ravens flew over the house calling. A Grey wagtail paid a short visit to the garden.
At Crofty today, there was still a couple of Pale-bellied Brent in the flock of 521 Dark-bellied Brent. Also, there was a hybrid PB x DB adult (see video) with a couple of juveniles, which I suspect are the result of a DB x the Hybrid pairing.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/9aWBgfiF9wLVVter5
A Spotted Redshank was with 4 Greenshank at Penclawdd, otherwise similar stuff as reported by Lukas
There was also a colour-ringed Brent, which I’ve submitted details of…
That should read ‘possible’ hybrid. I find variation and hybrids both interesting and very confusing!
Pallid Harrier showing well at Llanrhidian this morning at 10:00am. Later seen in Carmarthenshire from the Steel Hide. Seems to do a daily circuit from Crofty/Llanrhidian to WWT Llanelli.
Also 2 Red Kite, 1 Buzzard, 2 Ringtail Hen Harrier, 1 Kestrel and 1 Merlin hunting over the marsh. Closer to crofty c60 Greylag Goose, c30 Shelduck, c120 Brant feeding on the marsh.