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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.
Possible breeding of mandarin duck at Gnoll park with a pair on the Guinea pond in May
Almost trod on a Quail on S side of Middle Head Mumbles Head this morning in the grassland. Flew off sharpish towards the Inner Head. Also Hummingbird Hawk there and 1 pair of 6 Belted Clearwing on Tutt Head parting from mating.
Ace… just like being in Spain. Certainly a good Quail influx now. Send your sightings of singing birds by email to me rather than on his website. Some non publicized are likely breeding now and this shows they are still arriving….
this
A very successful nightjar walk last night. See Ed’s report. One bird posed for a photo and Anna got a good short video.
Ah sorry to miss this last night. Can I ask did you see any of that nightjar behaviour where they hunker down on a path or track then flutter up to take low flying insects?
not this trip the previous 2 was quite like this you describe, this behavior was like we were a herd of cows or so I think wading up the track. Once it had known we stopped it landed close and churred ,then it went to normal behavior (and that was just 5 of us). was very interesting …Think moth thing this year …3 weeks ago on surveys they just churred few mins then left to feed due to lack of moths/food ( lots of sites).
Nightar Field Trip – A great trip with exceptional views at times of flying birds and a feisty Male which fluttered so close lots of times then perched up and started churring …showing his anger was in the invasion not intrusion …not being near the nest. He soon then lost interest to us going back to the earlier perch,s. and churring against the surrounding males. Members wise we had around 15- 19 at a guess, Jeremy dealt with this he could say I am sure. In all think we had 3 pairs and 2 additional males in area and walk… Read more »
Lliw Valley this morning.
Wheatear at Upper Reservoir.
Three Buzzards flying in a probable family group.
Grasshopper Warbler heard reeling in scrub on the left hand on the way back (but not seen).
No Spotted Flycatchers in Quarry area this year, but there was a singing Redstart there.
Has anyone ever seen anything interesting up the Gnoll? Most I’ve seen is a kingfisher, wigeon and little grebe
Tree pipits, blackcaps, willow warblers, buzzards, stonechats and meadow pipits in good numbers at Brynau farm by Gnoll
Had an @GowerBirds Instagram message regarding a recent sighting of the Bishopston Hooded Crow. Do we think it’s a permanent resident now?
one of my favourite times of year : Swifts feeding on flying ants , 68 over the house, plenty of screeching , plus 14 House Martin and various gulls y’day evening
9 swift at vicarage road/clase
Six Swift around Trebannws and at least fourteen Swift around Clydach this morning.
Spotted Flycathcher, Garden Warbler and Male and Female Blackcap all active in garden this afternoon.
Barn owl showing well on the Brynau farm site in Neath Saturday evening and again yesterday evening.
Where by? I’ve tried looking out for them with no luck
Sorry late reply Owain. In front of the owl sculpture any time after sundown should do it.
Is 5-6 too early?
Report from 12 April on behalf of friend- red legged partridge in gardens wandering around west cross area
Group of 12 swift over oystermouth this afternoon
Another 3 juvenile Bearded Tits were captured and ringed at Oxwich Marsh this morning by the Gower Ringing Group. These new birds now bring the tally to 5 juvenile birds captured on the site of which 4 were male and one a female. More Bearded Tits were heard calling in the vicinity of todays netted birds so hopefully more will follow in the coming weeks.
Great to know Bearded Tits doing well in Oxwich!
Tufted Duck female with several newly-fledged young on Singleton Park boating lake today. Also, Mute Swan pair with just one cygnet.
Reply to Jamie Bevan myself and my old birding mate Steve dark seen a pair at crumlyn bog in the late seventies or early eighties,I n the area that is now the recycling yard behind Ashland/tir jon pond we put the record in to Harold grenfell,I’m not sure if it was accepted it was the same time they were at oxwhich your right about crumlyn bog it’s underwatched they can go undetected easily best of luck looking it would be great to find them again.we were told about them by I’m not sure who the bog was watched more those… Read more »
4 Swifts in Manselton, roof top level
12 Sanderling on the beach at Port Eynon at 5pm today.
Two bearded tit were captured and ringed at Oxwich National Nature Reserve this morning by Gower Ringing Group. Both were juvenile males in fully juvenile plumage. The first breeding record of the species in at least 40 years at Oxwich / in our recording area. Great news.
The birds were subsequently heard commuting across the marsh later in the morning, so are fairly mobile. The South Pond hide seems as good a place as any to listen out for them ‘pinging’ in the reedbed for anyone who wants to try to see them.
Wonderful record. Well done Richard. I remember seeing Harold Grenfell emerging from the South Pond area, clip board in hand, when he reported a Bearded Tit’s nest. I can’t remember the date, but at least 30 yrs ago.
I have checked the Gower Birds checklist 2008. It says first recorded at Oxwich Marsh on 17th October 1972 and present until April 1989 with breeding proved. Last seen at Oxwich in October and December 1992.
It would be interesting to know if bearded tits have also bred at any other unexpected sites this year – which might indicate an ‘eruption year’ and post-breeding dispersal last year. If so, this could mean they may have been present and went undetected at Oxwich over last winter/spring. Bearded tits are often quite vocal with their ‘ping ping’ calls in autumn/winter. Coupled with the regular bird ringing at Oxwich, you might then imagine they would have been picked up earlier. As far as I’m aware, I think the nearest regular breeding site is Newport Wetlands. Within the GOS recording… Read more »
Great to know Bearded Tits doing well in Oxwich! Well done to ringing team for getting this on record.
Possible bonapartes gull at gnoll park back on the 12th feb 2024
4+ Nighjars over clearfell above Brombil Reservoir, Port Talbot, yest eve, calls and churring