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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.
Bit surprised to hear a chiffchaff still singing in Tycoch today.
I caught a second ever Cetti’s Warbler for the garden here on Pennard Cliffs this morning, the first one having been caught in late October 2024. This individual was in amongst a group of Chiffchaffs moving eastward along the cliffs after dawn.
These adventitious birds are really interesting.
We catch Cetti’s warblers with fat in October every year at Oxwich (which is less than 3 miles west of Pennard Cliffs). This is the only time of year you see them with fat, and suggests a proportion (probably youngsters) feed up ahead of making a late autumn dispersal. It seems likely that the odd one takes a bit of time to find a suitable reed bed
At Port Eynon– 15 Common Dolphins were feeding just off the point, also 44 Med Gull, 5 Sandwich Tern, 33 Common Scoter flew west, 10 Turnstone, 2 Gannet, 7 GBB Gull and 400 Swallow flew east At Rhossili Head : likely the same pod of 15 Common Dolphin later here and I also a Tuna.… seen jumping twice near the Dolphins- a first for me here very impressive. 7 Chough, 1 Manx Shearwater ,15 Common Scoter, 5 Gannet, 29 Cormorant inc flock of 18 which circled up above car park very high and flew east, 2 Shag, 9 Wheatear –… Read more »
Non birding visit to aberavon late afternoon,with wife,still seen 30+ sanderlings and 4 whimbrel on the shore line.
Oxwich Marsh: cream crown marsh harrier, 2 sedge warbler, 2 reed warbler, 18 chiffchaff
There were 2 Grey Phalaropes at Wernffrwd this evening
Predictably today’s walk was less than a complete success! Eleven of us started out but soon admitted defeat in the face of drenching rain. Yes, we saw two Choughs and Ed saw a big flock of Swallows at Pitton Green voting with their wings intent on leaving the country on their migration, but not much else. Better luck next time.
Loughor Bridge late afternoon on the run up.
Bar t Godwit 15, Curlew 16, GC Grebe 2, Little Egret 13, Grey Phalarope 3.
The phalaropes were feeding on flotsam and being pushed under the bridge by the tidal flow but seemed reluctant as they kept flying down stream as soon as they entered the bridge shadow. This was continually repeated until I left.
G W Egret on the saltmarsh from the foreshore car park.
Sightings off Jackstones Pier, Aberavon – today included the 6 Sabines Gulls, 3 Grey Phal, 1 Black Tern, 1 Little Tern and a Osprey fly through – an amazing time to go and see Sabines Gulls very close – if you can.
Other birds locally was 4 Grey Phalarope at the mouth of the Neath Estuary (DB) with another Grey Phal at Lougher Bridge (FRy).
And yesterday the 3 Sabines off the Tutt Head could potentially be still present as no news from here with the Pier birds showing so well, how many was here today?
Three Grey Phalarope still at Jackstone pier this evening at sunset.
At least two of the Sabine’s gulls als seen before disappearing around sunset to roost.
Oxwich Marsh: grasshopper warbler and a relatively late sedge warbler
At Jackstone Pier, Aberavon this morning 6 of the 7 Sabine Gull were still present flying past very close. Also 2 Grey Phalarope close to the pier and also a Black Tern. Really worth a look if you can get to see them.
On of the Sabs
The other Grey Phal
Thursday: stream of Swallows over Langland golf course all heading west. Is that the right direction for migrants?
Four Great Crested Grebes off Knab Rock this morning; perhaps back from breeding areas for the winter.
Neath saltmarsh from the roundabout 80+Canada geese.
Oystermouth high tide: 75 oystercatcher, 18 curlew, 4 redshank, 4 little egret, 74 herring gull, 1 gbb gull, 1 lbb gull, 28 bh gull
Southward Lane, Langland: 2 firecrest, 5 chiffchaff, willow warbler.
Castell Ddu late morning saw 2 Glossy Ibis feeding on the immediate saltmarsh . large numbers nationally at present , so no doubt , more to follow from our area ?
Another species in large numbers at present is Curlew Sandpiper . There were 20 plus 2 Little stint present . Also 12 Dunlin , 8 Ringed plover , 8 Common Sandpiper , 2 Green Sandpiper. 13 Greenshank and 8 Lapwing y’day .
Good evening Chris.
Good sightings at Castell Ddu.
Being from the Neath area I am unsure how to get to the bird sightings location at Castell Ddu.
Do I come off the M4 at the Llanelli turn off then do a left at Llangenech ?
Hello Roy ,
yes , you can either turn off the M4 at Penllegaer and head through Pontlliw then at Pontardulais head toward Gorseinon and as you get to Waungron , there is a turning for Castell Du . Also , turn off the M4 for Llanelli , head toward Gorseinon and Pontardulais , then toward Gorseinon and turn off at Waungron . hope this helps
Thankyou very much Chris for the directions 👍
I shall look forward to a visit soon.
Llanrhidian marsh this afternoon two Marsh Harrier interacting with each other. Four Buzzard over Cilifor and among the Swallows, a small number of Sand Martin. A skein of some 200 geese, mixed Canadas and Greylags was put up by a single gunshot.
At Wernffrwd at high tide- Initially 3 Grey Phalaropes were together on the sea busy feeding then headed close in the emergent grasses as the tide quickly recding revealing a 4th Grey Phalarope. All followed the tide toward Llanrhidian individually. At Weobley track an incredible c50 Curlew sandpipers were feeding together with several Dunlin and a handful of ringed Plovers well after the tide had dropped on the saltmarsh turf west of the track after the tump. Earlier I had seen 25 in mobile vocal calling groups. around the freashwater stream. Small groups joined the 38 on the dry turf… Read more »
part of the Curlew Sandpiper group
A Grey Phal
2 Grey Phals together
if you click on the Curlew sand pic they become clear as it conpressed
Distant osprey on post at Llanrhidian Marsh this morning.
At Wernffrwd at high tide- a Grey Phalarope was on the sea edge opposite the church, then later seen much further out before flying down to land on the sea off LLanridian when the tide was rapidly receding. Also 2 Ruff, a flock of 9 Curlew sandpipers were with no other wader species, 9 Greenshank. A Peregrine and a male Goshawk flew through over the marsh , 2 Osprey were sat eating fish on posts off Llanrhidian. 5 Great White Egret were scattered over the marsh.
The Grey Phal at Wernffrwd
An hours visit to Port Eynon today with 24 Sandwich Tern, 27 Ringed Plover, 5 Dunlin, one Sanderling, 2 Oystercatcher and 4 Med Gulls.
Southward Lane, Langland: 2 male blackcaps and a firecrest in the garden this morning