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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.
The ringing year to date. An update: https://www.gowerbirds.org.uk/2025-the-year-to-date-and-gower-society-grant-funding/
With Rob Taylor, at Castell-du this evening, 17 Common Sandpiper, 3 Little Ringed Plover, 4 Greenshank, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Teal and 104 Canada Geese were the pick of the bunch. Earlier on the intertidal flats SW of Loughor Bridge were 2 Bar-tailed and 110 Black-tailed Godwits including a colour-marked bird, ringed at Bangor Harbour in Jan-2024, subsequently resighted in Cheshire, Llanfairfechan and Spinnies
Oxwich: lesser whitethroat, grasshopper warbler. Good numbers of reed warbler. Sedge warbler starting to move, with some carrying significant fat.
Yesterday evening(July17) there was a slow drifting flock of 60+ Common Swift and 30+ House Martin above Clydach.Possibly a migrating group moving in an easterly direction.For a while they were joined by a Peregrine that flew up from the well known local landmark.
At Bracelet a change of weather results in the sea being rougher and many hundreds of Manx Shearwater flying down channel.
Make that thousands…..
10 + swifts over giants grave this morning 4 over Briton ferry cricket club this evening plus 50 + assorted gull on the pitch mostly herrings with juvs also a few lesser b b gulls with juvs all local breeders I suspect
Castell Ddu on the rising tide this morning : Osprey perched on the sandbank was a nice treat . 4 Lapwing , 3 Greenshank , 13 Common Sand , 3 LR plover . 1 Cattle egret and 18 Little egret feeding in the shrinking marsh pools .
Oxwich Marsh: a garden warbler was about 2 weeks earlier than we normally see them. Maybe a locally fledged youngster. Most are recorded on passage.
Also lots of young reed warbler, a few more sedge warbler coming through, and good numbers of young Cetti’s. Clearly a better tit breeding season than the last two, with lots of youngsters around. Also good numbers of young siskin.
Langland: hummingbird hawk-moth in the garden on Southward Lane
07.50 at Bracelet a Gannet diving close to two dolphins.
Thirty plus Swallows hawking over Broad Pool at 06.00 and one Swift dipping down to drink.plus one Gray Heron.
Approx 7 or 8 swifts flying above Caereithin area at 14:30 today for around 10 mins, could be heard screaming. I have also seen individuals/smaller groups of swifts fairly regularly over the past few days in this area
Around 25 Swifts low over Manselton right now. Largest group I’ve seen.
I wonder if it’s the same lot seen over other parts of the City?
I’ve heard quite a few all morning.
Two flocks of Common Swift around Pontardawe this morning one of 7 birds,the other 12 birds. Only 2 birds seen at Trebannws.
A black guillemot was recorded off The Worm between 12:30 and 16:30 yesterday by the Gower Coast Adventures team (photo credit Anthony). This is a very rare bird in our recording area. Please do keep an eye out for it, and post any sightings on the GOS website
I remember seeing one many years ago just off the boathouse at Rhossili. Is this the first acceptable record since?
I think there was a record of one in poor condition at Port Eynon within the past 10 years. It was killed and eaten by a great black-backed gull I think. No records in the last five versions of Gower Birds.
Yes the Black Guillemot you’re referring to was seen and photographed on 29th December 2013. The following May another report, that in my opinion was extremely curious, of a Black Guillemot from Port Eynon via the Birdguides service on 17th. The bird was reported at 16:56 as ‘one drifting east today’. I remember calling Barry who rushed to twitch it but couldn’t relocate. It later transpired that observer who’d reported it failed to mention the bird was seen the day before and that it was in winter plumage. I can’t remember whether a description of the sighting was ever submitted,… Read more »
27 Common Swift above Clydach-this evening-constantly splitting up to screaming parties of 5/6 birds before re-grouping.
Langland last evening 9th July: five swifts flying west seemingly very purposefully and close-knit.
Flock of 20+ mistle thrush just over the house in West Cross
Small movement of crossbills west over Oxwich this morning.
This afternoon 23 swifts lingering high over Langland,
6 swifts over Mumbles ,Newton Rd, 7.30 last night
Big flock of swifts over Tycoch this evening. I would estimate about 30 birds together. Probably the largest number I’ve seen here.
Mediterranean gull numbers have been building this week at Bracelet. Now 76. A gannet over Limeslade. Yesterday two dolphin and two porpoise.
Please note that the Events page has been updated again. We have 19 events between now and April 2026. See: https://www.gowerbirds.org.uk/events/list/
On Rheola pond: 1 female Tufted with 2 juv , 6 Cormorants, A little grebe was sat on a big lily leaf. Also Coots with juvs.
At Tonna – 8 swifts low above the usual breeding dual carriageway bridge
At another location a Goshawk making kill and carrying food toward a site not found earlier this year.. A good time to be looking for Goshawk breeding evidence …I have had lots of views in the last 2 weeks of birds with food in transit. please send any birds in direct rather than post public websites
Another of Thursday’s Nightjars