To add a sighting, simply leave a reply below. Enter the details of your sighting and upload an image or video clip if possible. You will need to be registered and logged-in to post updates or leave replies.
NB: Maximum size for video clips is 30Mb…
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 couple of Swifts flying And screaming over the house this afternoon. They will soon have disappeared on their migration after a year in which I have seen less than in any year I can remember.
Oxwich Marsh this morning: kingfisher, grasshopper warbler (3), garden warbler (3), lesser redpoll (flyover). Also the usual reed warbler, sedge warbler, Cetti’s warbler, willow warbler, a few blackcap, chiffchaff etc. Large numbers of siskin and goldfinch.
At 0730 a grey heron feeding firstly in one, and then in a smaller, pool on the top of Cefn Bryn. A bad day for Cefn Bryn’s frogs.
Towards the end of a very long day’s walk in the rain 5 August: a brown hare a couple of hundred yards south west of Llandewi Church. Beyond that, a buzzard over Stouthall and a couple of ravens between Sluxton Farm and Middleton.
Ashleigh Road western field: 36 black-headed and 62 Mediterranean gulls
Ashleigh Road central field: 3 black headed and 1 Mediterranean gull (nothing at Sketty Lane)
West Cross: 49 black-headed and 1 Mediterranean gull
Mumbles Head: 14 common scoter
Last couple of weeks a jay family on the feeders (Castle Road Mumbles), with fluffy juvenile very noisily demanding food from parents.
July 26 afternoon Pennard Cliffs group of 5 choughs flying and feeding.
August 1 early evening redstarts (at least 2) on lower walls of Dryslwyn Castle near Llanarthne
A brief view of a Wheatear at Southgate this morning at 0700.
Blackpill: 107 oystercatcher, 1 dunlin
Sketty Lane: 60 Mediterranean gulls, 24 black-headed gulls. No gulls at Ashleigh Road
Blackpill: 2 common sandpiper.
Sketty Lane: 22 Mediterranean gulls, 25 black-headed gulls
Bracelet: 22 Mediterranean gulls, 3 black-headed gulls
Visit to Pant-y-Sais with Rob Jones. Very quiet birdwise apart from a few Redpolls in songflight and the odd Cetti`s.The best sightings were of insects which included four Musk Long-Horn Beetles and a few Four-Banded Longhorns,apparently quite rare. A Green Sandpiper flushed from Red Jacket Pill plus a Kingfisher. A pair of Mute Swans had just one cygnet on the Tennant Canal at Jersey Marine village.
Wheatear on the rocks between Horton and Slade this morning
Blackpill: 104 oystercatcher, 121 black-headed gull, 5 Mediterranean gull, 5 curlew at high water.
Sketty Lane playing field: 17 Mediterranean gull, 29 black-headed gull
Ashleigh Road western playing field: 74 Mediterranean gull, 26 black-headed gull
Ashleigh Road middle field: 3 black-headed and 1 Mediterranean gull.
Bracelet: 27 Mediterranean gull
Mumbles Pier area: 50+ turnstone
Rothers Tor: digger wasp Cerceris rybyensis and beautiful orbweaver spider
Llanrhidian. Greenshank 3, Green Sandpiper 14, Teal 9, GW Egret 1, Lapwing 10.
Loughor Bridge. Curlew 27, Whimbrel 5.
4 juvenile Choughs huggled together on a cliff ledge at Pennard today.
Castell Du. Common Sand 2, Green Sand 2, Little Egret 14, Canada Goose 177.
22 Mediterranean gulls at Ashleigh Road this morning.
Common sandpiper and curlew off the Tivoli, Swansea Bay
At Penclawdd from the car park – 2 Greenshank on 28th July.( Pics attached from Port Eynon over previous days )
I was camping at Port Eynon from 25th to the 28th July and it was certainly very good for Mediterranean gulls! – the best I have seen here. The numbers changed regularly daily with the best count of 85 on 25th. Many birds were observed ( when flushed) heading inland towards Scurlage presumably cutting across to the Burry Med Gull flock at Pwll. Previously I have seen this with a inland high flock in Sept so maybe possibly be a regular route. The true figure is very hard to say as the same colour ringed bird (3ILE) was seen on… Read more »
Ed. Interestingly different colour ringed Sandwich Tern from the one I saw on the 27th.
For quarter of an hour just after midday today there was this bat flying above our garden and a neighbours’. It was generally at between 15 feet and 50, but sometimes came down to chest height. Fleetingly I had three very unsatisfactory views of a swallow over the garden, but not well enough to be sure. Bullfinch calling, as most days. Young robin transitioning to a red breast. A welcome song thrush yesterday.
Ashleigh Road / Sketty Lane. 52 Mediterranean gulls on the playing fields this morning.
Curlew calling from Swansea Bay
Llanrhidian. GW Egret 1, Green Sandpiper 8, Lapwing 15
Castell Du. Canada Goose 102, Pied Wagtail 51, LRP 1 juv, C’n Sandpiper 1, Kingfisher 1, Sand Martin 200, mostly resting on the mud banks, Swallow 50.
19 Med and 11 black-headed gull on the western of the Sketty Lane playing fields this morning.
Nothing in the bay, around the pier or at Bracelet
Port Eynon 1400-1530hrs. Gannet 61, Fulmar Petrel 1, Manx Shearwater 18, all down channel, Sandwich Tern 2, one of these was colour ringed apparently ringed in Wales (Cemlyn?), Whimbrel 1, Ringed Plover 12, Sanderling 7.
Dalton’s Point Bl t Godwit 179
Tern. Seems likely Paul unless it was ringed by Tony Cross in Ceredigion. He does a few I think
Looks like Tony Cross. Will confirm after my return to Kent.
Visit to Brunel Dock & River Neath Estuary this a.m. A Whimbrel was flushed from the basin, 4 Little Egrets & 4 Grey Herons roosted at Monkstone Marina.At the high tide roost were 300+ Oystercatchers,37 Curlew, a few Whimbrel & Redshanks plus a splash of colour provided by a Knot in full summer plumage. Up to 3 Common Sandpipers flying around the estuary. Small numbers of gulls present inc. 3 Mediterranean which included 2 juvs. Family groups of Wheatear, Stonechat & Sedge Warbler noted. With Phil Routliff, Rob Jones and Dave Cornish. Sunday 26th July.