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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.
A very enjoyable few hours covering the morning tide on the marsh between Crofty and Llanrhidian today, on what was a gorgeous sunny day. Counts included 79 Brent Geese, 83 Shelduck, 4 Shoveler, 1 Gadwall, 24 Wigeon, 74 Teal, 6 Red-breasted Merganser, 752 Golden Plover, 39 Curlew, 61 Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 3 Slavonian Grebe (2 in summer plumage) and the Pallid Harrier.
Chiffchaffs calling on Langland golf course on Thursday. Also green woodpecker. And probably the same buzzard reported below by Peter.
Dartford Warbler (m) extremely vocal. 19th Feb 5:30pm. Not sure how much information can be given on location so will just say South Gower coastal path.
Apologies. March 19th
St Andrew’s churchyard Penrice between 11:00 and midday: raven, green woodpecker, chiffchaff, great spotted woodpecker. Brynfield Road 16:30, a buzzard flying east and being mobbed.
Cetti’s warbler very vocal at Crymlyn Bog this morning along with GS woodpecker; green woodpecker; 1 x red kite, 6 x buzzards, 6 x long tail tits; chiffchaff. Brimstone butterflies everywhere plus a speckled wood.
12:30 today – a blackcap singing in Brynfield Road, south-east of my garden.
This morning the first Kittiwakes of the season have arrived; three seen on the old Mumbles Lifeboat house nesting shelves and a raft of twenty or so on the water near by.
Two adult goldcrests seen in bushes on the bridle path that runs through Clyne woods, very close to the tip.
a bit of a changing of the seasons at Castell Du . first 2 Lr plovers back plus 14 Gadwall was a. welcome increase . Wigeon down to 82 plus no sign of the Baikal teal , so it may have departed . Teal still with 28
Oxwich Marsh this morning, female Marsh Harrier, 2 Red Kite and Chough overhead.
Amongst birds ringed were the first Siskin of the year to be showing a brood patch and a recapture of a male Sparrowhawk that was first ringed almost exactly 2 years ago on the site.
16 of us made the trip to Kenfig and Sker in glorious sunshine this morning! Makes a lovely change from the recent weather. We saw a total of 50 species, with some highlights being a male Wheater at Sker farm, a pair of Chough, a very obliging male Kestrel hovering not far from the group, and 4 Barnacle Geese by Kenfig Pool. Full list: Goldfinch, Chiffchaff, Magpie, Great Tit, Wren, Carrion Crow, Blackbird, Jackdaw, Dunnock, Stonechat, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Cetti’s Warbler, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Goldeneye, Gadwall, Wigeon, Mallard, Shoveler, Coot, Great Crested Grebe, Grey Heron, Woodpigeon, Long-tailed Tit, Cormorant, Canada Goose,… Read more »
10th March Clyne Valley Woods. Singing Blackcap, Green Woodpecker, 2 Buzzard, 2 Red Kite overhead.
11th March Rhossili. 4 Common Scoter. Singing Skylarks on the Vile.
GOS member John Pile reported eleven Little Egrets in the field at Espalone Farm, Murton today.
Gelli Hir Woods, 9th March. A close encounter with two marsh tits. Also common chiffchaff spotted, two goldcrests, two bullfinches and a GSW.
Earlier this afternoon there was a kingfisher flying across the fishing lake in the Lower Clyne Valley. Also a pair of marsh tits slightly further down the cycle track.
12:50 today, Espalone Farm, Murton Lane: three Little Egrets.
6th March, chiffchaff singing in Gelli Hir Woods.
8th March yellow ringed Jackdaw AX5 (or AXS?) eyeing up bird table at Oldway, Bishopston. Is this project still live ?
This project is on going with Richard Dann colour ringing Jackdaws, and he would be grateful to receive this information. You can report it below on the Colour-marked Bird Reporter.
Hi Paul,
That’s one of my Jackdaws ringed and marked in my garden on Pennard Cliffs for a long term project studying the survival rates and breeding of the local Jackdaw population. If you would be kind enough to log the sighting on the link below please I would be most grateful. It’s very quick and easy to use.
Many thanks!
https://gower-ringing-group.shinyapps.io/sightings/
…I should have added, the colour ring code is actually AXS
Saw the 1st Sand Martins of the year today at WWT Llanelli – small group of about 6 flying over.
Chiffchaffs singing at Crymlyn Bog today.
Grateful if somebody could ID this bird I saw at Crofty dungheap today. I thought it was a Sparrowhawk but now I’m wondering, given the rounded tail whether it might be a Goshawk?
Sparrowhawk, this one, Derek. Very thin legs, slight build. Possibly a young bird with the pale feather tips…
Great, thanks Frank.
Inadvertently flushed a Jack Snipe whilst walking in the “wild” area of the National Botanic Gardens today. Nice to see one here.
11.15 today first Brimstone butterflies of the year this sunny morning and a bat flying in the woods at Penllergare.
A damp Blackpill this afternoon on a rising tide
Brent Goose 2 pale bellied, Oystercatcher 198, Dunlin 323, Sanderling 40, Curlew 6, Little Egret 5 feeding in the pill, GC Grebe 1, Knot 4, Grey Plover 1, Ringed Plover 2, only 2 Med Gulls, adult and 2nd winter.
Two Brent geese, 4 little egret and c80 oystercatcher 2 hours before high tide at Blackpill earlier this afternoon. Then a flock of at least 15 greenfinch in the dune scrub adjacent to the Footgolf course.