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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.
Harding’s Down, Llangennith. Single singing male yellowhammer on the east side of the down above Druid’s Moor, with a second bird near Upper Hardingsdown Farm. The Down has had a lot of gorse burning and cutting, and some parts are heavily grazed, which are all likely to limit bird numbers. However good numbers of linnet, 2 willow warbler singing, at least 3 pairs of stonechat plus small numbers of skylark and meadow pipit.
Main Gnoll pond 14 tufteds,22 mallards, coots moorhens, and pied wagtail.
Fairwood Common 04.20 today – Cuckoo calling at length in pitch dark.
Clyne Common, 22/04/2025:
3pairs of stonechat (one female with nesting material)
2 raven (flying east)
My first swallow of the year, near Clyne Farm this afternoon.
This evening, a short walk along the canal past Pant yr Sais – cuckoo, willow warbler, buzzard, GS woodpecker, goldfinch, blue, great and long tailed tits, song thrush, plus the usuals.
Pant y Sais. 1 cuckoo calling from woods above village then flew over fen towards Towers hotel
Southgate, 20th April 2025:
3 yellow ringed jackdaws
1 singing blackcap
4 displaying male whitethroat; 2 females in proximity of males
1 pair stinechat
2 shelduck
Several small flocks of Whimbrel at Salthouse Point, Crofty this afternoon. I counted 54 in one of them.
Clyne Common (west), 21st April 2025:
9 singing willow warbler
3 singing chiffchaff
1 singing blackcap
2 singing skylark
7 Meadow pipit (5 displaying)
1 reed bunting (female)
2 pair stonechat
1 cuckoo (male calling)
1 raven (flying east)
1 red kite
2 common snipe
Male Cuckoos calling from three distinct areas of Fairwood Common this morning plus this Grasshopper Warbler reeling away on the road northwards from Ilston.
Shortly after 1300 at Devil’s Elbow at the east end of the aerodrome: male cuckoo calling.
Two grasshopper warblers reeling at Pant y Sais fen this morning, also reed warbler singing. Unfortunately no cuckoos while I was there.
Cuckoos are back at Pant Y Sais fen.. very easy to spot from your car with a bit of patience..
16th April Oxwich marsh, overflown by buzzard clutching live wriggling snake while being mobbed by hungry carrion crow – not sure who to feel sorry for.
A seawatch from Overton Cliff today between 13:40 to 18:10
There was a decent passage of terns but the highlight was a Bonxie which flew passed heading west at 17:40. Also recorded 1 Common Scoter, 1 Whimbrel, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Arctic Tern, 13 Common Tern, 47 Sandwich Tern, 22 kittiwake, 12 Common Gull, 2 Razorbill, 27 Guillemot, 14 Auk sp, 2 Red-throated Diver, 18 Fulmar, 27 Gannet.
Also 1 Grey Seal, 1 Harbour Porpoise and 6+ Common Dolphin
1 Black Tern with a group of 5 Common Tern during a brief seawatch at Mumbles Head this afternoon. Also 2 Sandwich Tern, 2 Guillemot and 2 Kittiwake.
Osprey over the garden at 17:05 this evening. Powering through north.
Also male and female blackcap.
just to update : there weee 3 Cattle Egret at Castell Du this morning . 2 flew to the other side of the river and the 3rd skulking bird was still present later . Upto 7 LRPs , 2 Commonn sandpiper and 52 Black headed gull also this morning on the high tide
I had look this evening: No Cattle Egrets, but 10 LRPs & ca.70 Sand Marins.
This morning at Margam Moors – 2 Grasshopper Warbler, 8 Sedge Warbler, 3 Reed Warbler, 7 Whitethroat and 1 Lesser Whitethroat. Also a Cuckoo singing.
Yesterday afternoon (12/4) at Rhossilli, the Red-necked Grebe found the day prior was still present in the bay along with 2 Manx Shearwater, 1 Red-throated Diver, 6 Razorbill, 10 Guillemot, and 1 Fulmar. There was also a very pale Stonechat near the Coastguard Station and a Tree Pipit flew in off calling.
An early start for a walk around Whiteford over high tide. 50+ distant Manx Shearwater feeding in Carmarthen Bay and generally flying east. An adult Razorbill was close in near the Lighthouse. A minimum of six Great Northern Divers between Whiteford Beach and Berges Island hide was impressive. All birds in non-breeding plumage so I’m guessing 1st summer birds? Two Dark-bellied Brents and 40+ Eider were the only wildfowl of note. Six Whimbrels, 8 Ringed Plover, c60 Dunlin and c800 Oystercatchers.A light passage of Sand Martins and Swallows heading west. A reeling Grasshopper Warbler was at Whiteford Burrows and also… Read more »
At Rhossili head today lots of action out to sea with feeding flocks of Manx Shearwaters – 550-some close inshore in the Bay, some off the head and others off Tears point. Also 25 Gannet, 150 Kittiwake, 2 Sandwich Tern, 10 pairs of Fulmar. A rather pale male Stonechat was near the coastguard lookout – Hibernans/Rubicola based on the slight marks to some upper tail coverts. A lovely striking bird which I did not see yesterday at the location. Looks to be a good year for linnets with plenty of birds in all decent habitat. Also 2 Whitethroat were in… Read more »
12 April. Oxwich Point late afternoon: 2 guillemots, 3 razorbills, 1 shag, 1 cormorant and 2 distant divers which appeared to have the upturned bills of red throated, one appears to be in summer plumage(photos). 2 swallows over Penmaen.
Today I spent an enjoyable day out birding with Dan Black and Rob Jones. A quick check of Eglwys Nunydd Reservoir found a drake Scaup with 30+ Tufted Ducks while a single White Wagtail was feeding at the water’s edge. Then on to Margam Moors and Kenfig River marsh which is one of the best locations in the recording area to pick up early migrants. Last weekend Dan and Rob had a very early Reed Warbler. Today, a Lesser Whitethoat singing near Morfa Pines was notably early, but it didn’t stick around. The supporting cast comprised 1 Cuckoo, 3 Sedge… Read more »
The Red Necked Grebe was still present today mid afternoon 300m offshore in Rhossili bay viewed from clifftop 1/3 way to the coastguards