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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.
Dear All
A reminder that we are now (as of early February) starting to see many species becoming territorial. For Schedule 1 species at risk of disturbance at the nest, we need to ensure that any sightings do not provide information that may lead to their disturbance. This includes cliff-nesting species such as Dartford warbler and chough which have been targeted by photographers (some of whom have used tape lures) in recent years. Please be aware of this in your posting. A list of Schedule 1 species that occur in our area is above.
Regards
Owain
A pair of Dartfords at Pennard yesterday. Also about 178 scoter — well down from the c400 in late December / early January. And a single stonechat — fewer than usual about this winter at Pennard.
Apologies – not a sighting. Bound copies of British Birds, free to good home. Volumes 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007. Also, Volume 1 of ‘Twitching’, unbound. Will deliver in GOS area. Whatsapp me on 07968 838152 or email 63alucas@gmail.com
Belated news of 5 little gulls foraging close inshore on the southern edge of Port Talbot Dock / northern edge of Margam Sands on 29 January (per James Garside).
In association with a large mixed gull flock including 800+ herring gulls
45 Curlew, 28 Oystercatcher and a Common Gull at Ashleigh Road at 9.45am this morning. Then at Blackpill at 10.15 there were c.1035 Oystercatcher along with 3 Curlew, 20 Var-tailed Godwits, 3 Knot and a Little Egret.
Hey all, I saw this Harrier last Friday at around 4pm at Llanridian marsh. I’m guessing its a Hen Harrier and not the Pallid?
Is the Pallid thats been hanging around a male or a female?
Apologies for the poor quality of the pictures.
Hi Jordan,
Yes that is a ringtail Hen Harrier, not the Pallid Harrier. The Pallid is a juvenile, so the sex can’t be determined.
Lukas
Thanks Lukas : )
How did you identify it? I’ve been looking online and I can barely tell the difference!
Limeslade to Langland this morning.
3 Chough
1 Dartford Warbler
A lot of the lower cliff gorse has been cut back
Yesterday (Jan 29th)
Penclawdd Marsh: 100 Oystercatcher, 5 Grey Plover, 82 Golden Plover, 4 Curlew, 41 Barwits, 1 Knot, 19 Dunlin feeding along the river at high tide. Also 1 Merlin, 1 Peregrine Falcon, 3 Red Kite, 1 Buzzard and a male Hen Harrier hunting over the marsh.
At Whiteford mid-day: 53 species including 1 Slavonian Grebe, 3 GN Diver, and lots of Turnstone/Oystercatcher/Grey Plover feeding by the lighthouse.
Oxwich Marsh: 55+ snipe, 2 goshawk, sparrowhawk, 100+ goldfinch, woodcock. Other Gower sightings this weekend have included a ruddy shelduck at Landimore, reports of the pallid harrier at Crofty and Llanrhidian, great northern diver and slavonian grebe at Whiteford, 2 Siberian chiffchaff at Crofty Saltmarsh, at least 8 great white egrets at Llanrhidian, 2 hen harrier, 3 merlin (including a male and female together), 3 peregrine. Also reports of marsh harrier from various parts of the north Gower saltmarsh, an apparently overwintering whimbrel at Dalton’s Point, along with 2 common sandpiper. (per Mark Hipkin, Dan Black, Darren Coombes and Rob… Read more »
BTO Big Garden Birdwatch this morning in Langland;
Carrion Crow 2, Woodpigeon 2, Magpie 2, Great Tit 2, Robin 1, Blue Tit 2, Coal Tit 2, Starling 2, Collared Dove 1, Herring Gull 2, Bullfinch 1, Wren 1.
Don’t forget you can take part in the BTO Garden Bird Survey every week for free
Always good fun to see my Bird Track Records 2023. Still in my Pembrokeshire/Carmarthenshire/Gower bubble
1400 Black-headed Gulls and 600 Herring Gulls during Wintering Gulls Survey at Oystermouth on 24th Jan. Also 1 Curlew , 12 Oystercatcher and 1 Redshank