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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.
My First swift of the year seen over Pennard Valley this morning.. also several wheatear still passing through
Along the Tawe- mid afternoon stroll showed that breeding season is in swing. Along a five mile stretch one brood of Mallard,juvenile Dipper,two pairs of Common Sandpiper a single Kingfisher darting.Seven Goosander.Surrounding woodland alive with song-including Whitethroat,Blackcap,Chiffchaff,Willow Warbler,Song Thrush,Blackbird and Great Tit.
Crymlyn Bog early this morning: Reed, Cetti’s and lots of Sedge Warblers. One singing Grasshopper Warbler too. Cuckoo heard on the east side of Kilvey Hill calling frequently.
Rotherslade to Limeslade: lesser whitethroat singing approximately 300 m west of Limeslade; whimbrel on the rocks at Limeslade. Influx of whitethroat apparent, with 10+ singing males along the stretch
Thirteen(not nine as previously thought) well grown ducklings-the offspring of the hybrid drake.After defending and protecting them so well he appears to have deserted his post today. No doubt the chicks appear to be big enough to handle themselves now. It’s a long time since I’ve seen a brood survive so well and retain their number.
Widegate, down to Bishopston stream, turn right and follow stream to next junction of paths: Grey Wagtail pair this afternoon.
Cuckoo heard at Fairwood Common 05.20 this morning.
Also Greenfinch male on Nyjer feeder in garden today – very unusual nowadays. And a Magpie caught a juv Starling in a tree & killed, plucked & beheaded it while its frantic family tried unsuccessfully to save it.
Seen Saturday (April 30th) – Red Kite above Oxwich, being mobbed. https://flic.kr/p/2nhwtSH
Caswell to Langland: wheatear (f), 3 whitethroat (singing), fledged stonechats and another pair strongly alarming (3 territories noted in total), grey seal
Mute swan clutch on the Neath Canal near Melin has now hatched! Seven cygnets seen swimming this morning.
May 1st Oxwich 4pm, 22 sanderling going into summer plumage, near exit of river.
This hybrid drake that has been spotted on Fendrod Lake and the river Tawe has mated with a Mallard. There are nine ducklings but he is very aggressive in protecting them and they and mother scuttled into thick vegetation before I could take a photo. It will be interesting to see what the offspring look like if they survive to adulthood