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.
Hoopoe still outside Secret cafe this morning at 8:15 until we left at 9
It was slightly further west this afternoon (16.15), opposite the end of Brynmill Lane on the grass between the cycle path and the coastal footpath. Flew up and down into trees locally, but most of the time was feeding on the ground.
It was feeding on the edge of the beach until we left at about 7pm. Poor photo on a phone…
Continuous passage of Swallows this morning 07:15 – 08:30 over Penllergaer in a SS Easterly direction. Yesterday evening similar passage but in a more South Easterly direction. Probably slight change in wind direction/force causing change in passage direction.
Early afternoon at Limeslade over fifty Swallows flew towards Mumbles Head. All on their way south.
The Hoopoe was showing all afternoon near the Cenotaph.
Very excited to spot a Hoopoe on the grass not far from the cenotaph on the prom down Swansea Bay today at around 1pm (1st Oct 2024). It was feeding briefly on the ground but then got chased off by a crow.
The bird remains in the area this afternoon
The Kestrel previously reported this morning in Bracelet seems to have flown round to Mumbles Pier where I saw it for the second time this week…
Yellow-Browed Warbler caught and ringed amongst the continuing flood of Chiffchaffs this morning on West Cliff, Southgate.
Oxwich Marsh: firecrest, whinchat (ODG et al)
West Cliff, Southgate: yellow-browed warbler (R Dann)
Yesterday morning on Mumbles Head a bit more hoo-eet-ing (and a little song) from more Chiffchaffs than the day before, a couple of Blackcaps and the only definite migrant, a male Pied Flycatcher in winter plumage (by the blackness of the primaries, hopefully correct).
Knot numbers at Blackpill reached double figures on Monday (10!), together with 4 Bar-tailed Godwit and no Curlew or Redshank surprisingly. One lone dark-bellied Brent Goose has been hanging about there for a few days. Not much turnover, at least on morning visits.
Ian,
I’m not a ringer but I seem to remember that a ringer friend of mine told me once that it’s very difficult to sex Pied Flys in autumn, the tertial pattern tells you that this is an adult though.
Paul
Thanks Paul, no longer have a copy of Svensson if that’s still the ringers bible and most books packed to move. Good to have photos as I can use them and post for id comments.
Have you seen this Ian? I’d suggest 1cy male using these guidelines https://ringersdigiguide.ottenby.se/species/ficedula-hypoleuca/sexing-autumn/
Apologies for that got the tertial pattern the wrong way round- senility creeping up on me….
At least 5 firecrests in Langland today, with three of these caught and ringed.
At Weobley track, 56 Brent Goose (Dark-bellied ) ,2 Cetti’s Warbler, 2 Common/Arctic Tern 46 Cormorant included the birds on the Whitford point roost,167 Curlew, 1 Dunlin ,6 Gadwall,4 Gannet ,18 Great Black-backed Gull ,5 Great White Egret,4 Green Sandpiper , Greenshank ,2 Greylag Goose ,140 Herring Gull ,6 Lapwing 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull (intermedius) (Larus fuscus intermedius) 2 Adults /3 CY with 5 Graellsii LBB and GBB gUlls for comparison. 50 Linnet, ,44 Little Egret,1 Marsh Harrier – juv bird,20 Meadow Pipit, ,1 Mediterranean Gull,1 Peregrine,220 Pintail, 10 Redshank , 1 Sandwich Tern 98 Shelduck, 4 Snipe,1 Sparrowhawk 140 Swallow flew east, 1 Water Rail heard calling,2 Wheatear,2 Whimbrel ,178 Wigeon, 1 Yellow Wagtail,1 Yellow-legged Gull Off Port Eynon 5 Arctic Skua watched following a feeding gannet flock on a shoal for over an hour flying between Oxwich point and Port Eynon point. 5 individuals present in that hour chasing the seabirds distantly… Read more »
Llanrhidian Marsh late afternoon.
A small, lightweight, ringtail harrier being mobbed by Crows then spending a deal of time on the deck. Although rather distant and often against the light, the long, thin tail, uniform dark upper parts, dark under secondaries, wing tip showing four primary feathers and weak head pattern all suggest an adult female Pallid Harrier. Also present a female type Marsh Harrier, quite pristine so probably a juvenile, 9 G W Egrets and two Whinchat.
A great walk to day at Rhossili round to Mewslade. Twenty of us lead by Ed Hunter and Rob Taylor to whom our thanks. 41 species found:
Chough Carrion Crow Jackdaw Jay Magpie Raven Rook Gannet Cormorant Shag Gannet Black Headed Gull Mediterranean Gull Lesser Black Backed Gull Greater Black Backed Gull Herring Gull Common Tern Blackbird Chaffinch Chiffchaff Gold Crest Spotted Flycatcher Goldfinch Kestrel Linnet House Martin Barn Swallow Pheasant Wood Pigeon Feral Pigeon Rock Pipit Meadow Pipit Robin House Sparrow Stonechat Mistle Thrush Blue Tit Great Tit Long Tailed Tit Pied Wagtail Wheatear Wren
Broughton Bay this afternoon.
Sandwich Tern 15, Oystercatcher 80, Eider 14, 8 adult drakes.
Llanrhidian Marsh late afternoon
Snipe 1, Green Sandpiper 1, Hen Harrier a ringtail that eventually thermalled up and over Weobley heading south, Teal 25.
Wood sandpiper at Castell Du y’day evening and this morning first thing .
Apologies Paul Larkin ,, i could see you on the way back from the farm pond , but i was cutting it fine to get to work on time so had to shoot off!
Chris,
It’s not a problem. There were no waders present when I arrived but I did return from the farm pond just in time to see the wader flock rounding the corner as they headed off down river. By the way I’ve never thanked you for getting Black winged Stilt on my Gower list so thanks for that.
paul
Oxwich Marsh: a hobby dispersed the gathering swallow flock and prevented a large roost developing in the reedbed last night.
No pied / white wag movement noted and no roost in the marsh, which seems a consistent theme this autumn.
Sunday HT 6pm blakpill nice group waders dunlin sanderling oycs curlew sheltering in poor weather. Noticeable that next day same time good weather lots of people and so no birds at all.
Monday evening c. 30 house martins feeding high over morfa copper quarter. Local birds present all summer
that now seem to have migrated.
Today chiffchaff calling brightly in sunshine at DVLA
Steady stream of 100s of Swallows migrating Southeast from Mumbles Head at lunchtime today. 1000+ in the hour or so that I was there. Some Sand Martins too.
Same passage noted at Mewslade at 1200hrs, plus approx 450 herring gulls loitering in a field just east of Thurba Head.
Must have been a huge movement as saw several 1000s moving through Carms today over the same period 11- 2pm
Pwlldu bay 15th Sept. 13 Brent geese feeding on floating scraps of seaweed very close to the rocks in the eastern corner of the bay. Very small wader poking around in the sand, middle of bay near high water mark, very tame and reluctant to fly. I would have liked this to be my first little stint but I think a juvenile sanderling is more likely. Advice welcome!
Juv and spring adult Little Stint/Sanderling can be a problem especially when distant and with no size comparison nearby and in atypical habitat. With experience the plumage is very different (lack of braces etc in Sanderling) between the two but, and this you can see in one of your photographs, Sanderling does not have an hind toe, LS does. Sanderling more pot bellied with proportionally longer bill but plumage is the key but the lack of hind toe can be surprisingly useful.
Thanks very much Paul. Collins refers to “spangled plumage” which this shows nicely, but I was not aware of the lack of a hind toe, although it is marked in the illustration in the guide book now that you have brought it to my attention. That is very helpful.
Cefn Bryn 2 Chough today on the top ridge – was a very interesting observation please post any sightings of Chough feeding/ or in flight at this location or towards Frog Moor/ above area would be much appreciated for feeding data. Mewsalde clearly clear-out of birds.Just 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Kes, 2 Grey wagtail, 15 House Martin Had news of a Wryneck at Faull bay – 3 days ago (Brilliant pics attached and with many thanks to Neil Fermandel ( for sending the pics and the record) There was a report on the 30th Aug from the same location (not confirmed yet)… Read more »
14th September. Porteynon: 1 whinchat, 1 white wagtail, 8 turnstone, 12 ringed plover, 5 sandwich terns. Overton Mere: 1 common sandpiper.
:
11th September: wheatear Langland, Snaple Point.
12th September: Pennard Cliffs East and Hunt’s Bay 1800: pair of sparrowhawks hunting close together,1 kestrel, 1 buzzard, 1 kestrel, 1 green woodpecker, 1 raven, 2 chough.
correction, 1 kestrel, 1 peregrine.
Port Talbot Dock: osprey this morning (per James Garside)
A summary of this year’s Welsh Ringing Course, held on Gower, is here: https://www.gowerbirds.org.uk/the-welsh-ringing-course-2024/