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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.
Gnoll Ponds Neath
Male garganey found yesterday afternoon..
Boxing Day: 121 dunlin roosting on the lifeboat slip on Mumbles Pier on mid and rising tide. May be a pre-roost, as some birds moved off east subsequently. A few turnstone around, but no roost had formed at the time.
Christmas Day: A firecrest in my garden near Langland Corner. Actively foraging. Had one in Dec / Jan a couple of years ago, so will be interesting to see if it hangs around.
Monday 23rd December 2019. A 6.3mile walk with Phil Routliff from the village of Bryn past Penhydd Fawr Farm and through forest to the corn barn near Afan Argoed. Great Grey Shrike seen for a few minutes on top of small tree just west of corn barn grid ref SS 813 948. For the shortest walk to the site park in layby on A4107 Afan Valley road at SS812 949. If driving up the valley from the west the lay by is on the right hand side so take care when turning in and please remember not to block the… Read more »
Ashley Road playing fields
Looks like all of Swansea Bays oystercatchers have been pushed by the high tide and rough sea onto the pitches.. a lot of birds.. also relocated the curlew flock too.. nice to see and not a dog walker in sight..
35 Mediterranean Gulls and 14 Oystercatchers at Bracelet Bay today, 20th December. Also a single Rock Pipit probably defending a winter territory in Limeslade Bay.
Monday 18th December about 9 00am. Green Woodpecker near Langland Corner.
Peter R Douglas-Jones
Sunday 15 Dec 2019: c6 finches together, two certainly and all probably, bullfinches – road from Oldwalls to Cheriton.
Bracelet Bay
Great Northern Diver flying across into Swansea Bay
20-30 med gulls present
Nice flock of about 12 turnstones on the rocks below the coastguard station
Recent Decision by the
Glamorgan Rarities Committee
Accepted: Siberian Chiffchaff, Oxwich, 17th November 2019.
Tawny Owl calling this morning at 0710 behind George Terrace, Mumbles. Blackbirds mobbing it.
Recent Decision by the
Glamorgan Rarities Committee
Accepted: Long-tailed Skua Port Eynon Gower 15th October 2019.
Bracelet Bay
1 gcg close in
POLISH Ringed med Gull white on red “PHAN” still present this morning
Bracelet Bay
4 gcg’s close in this morning
Port Talbot
A very large peregrine is giving the local town centre pigeons something to worry about this morning..
Gnoll Park & Moss House Woods with Dave Cornish & Phil Routliff. 101 Mallard, 8 Tufted Duck, 12 Moorhen,6 Coot & a male Goosander. Two escapes,a male Gargany & a female Chiloe Wigeon. A Red Kite over the park plus 2 over the Ivy Tower. ” Marvel of the day ” was a torpid but fresh looking Merveille du Jour moth on the woodland floor. Sunday 8th December.
I am not convinced the Garganey is an escaped bird it arrived during a big influx of this species in to uk its unringed and doesn’t show signs of captivity.
Moderate numbers of snipe (5 captured by the ringing group), but very few passerines at Oxwich this morning. 1-2 woodcock also present in the wet woodland / scrub, and water rails and tawny owls calling first thing. Light movement of meadow pipits, and a few ravens over.
3 Water Rails calling at Oxwich Marsh this afternoon.
DKT and PRDJ Oxwich am. 6 oystercatcher, 31 sanderling, 20 ringed plover, over Nicholaston Woods 2 buzzard, edge marsh f stonechat, North Pond mute swan, South Pond 2 m shoveler, c10 teal.
However a walk through Nicholaston Wood by DKT and PRDJ produced no birds at all, and a walk by DKT along the cliff path from Langland to Caswell yesterday produced only a single Robin…..
Walk from Pontrhydyfen to Afan Argoed this morning with Gail. Dipper on the river, flock of Long tailed tits 8+, Robins in abundance, 4 Bullfinches and numerous Blue and Great tits.
Pennard GC
Red kite, buzzard, kestrel, chough… Plenty of meadow pipits..
Sunday Dec. 1st Crymlyn Burrows. Counted c440 Great Crested Grebes in Baglan/Swansea Bay, 6 Red-throated Divers, c280 Oystercatchers 4 Teal, 14 Cormorants and a huge flock of c 1600 Herring Gulls. Also present, Dave Cornish & Rob Jones.
1 peregrine (prob M), 1 kestrel (F) on cliff at Pennard this morning. Over 163 scoter near Oxwich Point. And the usual 3 chough.
Jack snipe (2) and a chiffchaff at Oxwich this morning.
Water levels lower and common snipe use of the marsh has changed, with more around the South Pond.
Less crests around (only 2 goldcrest)
One knot with the oycs at Mumbles opposite Norton House this morning high tide
Good to a handful of turnstone right in the heart of Mumbles this morning.. foraging the very small exposed shoreline outside oyster wharf.. totally unnoticed by the majority of passers by..