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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.
We had a grey wagtail with us throughout most of last winter. It or a congener was with us in the garden today for what may be its first visit of the winter; also a female green woodpecker. Bracelet Bay (taking permitted exercise) two choughs.
Male Greater Spotted Woodpecker in garden feeding on nuts regularly in past few days. Also flocks of Goldfinches and flock of Long-Tailed Tits visited last week.
Stephen could you please provide a location in your comments
5 common gull and 63 black-tailed godwit at the end of Greenacres Road, Penclawdd this morning. Also a great egret and a common sandpiper on Penclawdd Marsh.
5 spoonbill, 1 great-crested grebe, a common gull, and hundreds of waterfowl at the end of Greenacres Road, Penclawdd today.
Here’s the pix of yesterday’s YBW from Mewslade. Sorry about the poor views but it was right in the tree tops. I think I can rule out Pallas’s even on these views because of the pale bill base but the extremely unlikely possibility of Hume’s…..? I have a few other rubbish views which I’ll keep in case someone wants them to try to make a decision.
Nice variety of birds at Pennard this morning. Amongst which were whinchat, peregrine, raven, kestrel and little egret.
Nice to meet you this afternoon Alan..
Mewslade with tit flock in sycamore wood 1 yellow browed warbler (record shot to follow), 1 chiffchaff, 1male blackcap. Further down in figs area 2 brown head blackcap, 2 chiffchaff, 1 redwing. Middleton area 2 chiffchaff, 1 swallowb 1 brown head blackcap. Rhosili down south end 1 juv dartford warbler. Rhosili vile area 1 male blackcap, 3 swallow.
At 2230 yesterday: a tawny owl heard outside the house after an absence of maybe a couple of years. This afternoon a swarm of goldfinches: a dozen on one feeder at the same time with more in the ornamental tree in which the feeder hangs.
At the pull-in at the end of Greenacres Rd, Penclawdd this afternoon there were 3 shoveler and 40 male winter plumage pintail.
A stunning male Black Redstart at Tywyn Crescent,sandfields estate this evening.Reported and filmed by Mark Hewitt. Visited with Phil before dusk though no luck.
A hen harrier perched in a dead tree at Cwm Ivy marsh this morning.
Saturday 1 chough at Whiteshell Point.
Horton to Oxwich point, 2 Chough, 1 Wheatear, 15 Swallow and 10s of Meadow Pipit. 10s of Med Gull on ploughed field with Herring Gulls & 1 Blackheaded Gull. Sign of the times!
Oxwich Marsh very quiet this morning. Woodlark for the second day – again relatively briefly – a few chiffchaff and goldcrest. Sparrowhawk active moving finch flocks and woodpigeons around.
Latest ringing news here: https://www.gowerbirds.org.uk/oxwich-marsh-mid-october-2020-some-autumn-highs-and-the-one-that-got-away/
Aberavon Beach with Phil Routliff- 106 Great Crested Grebes just offshore,300+ Black-headed Gulls,250+Herring Gulls,16 Lesser & 4 Great black-backed Gulls,19 Carrion Crows etc. 5 Turnstones & 2 Rock Pipits on Aberavon breakwater (jackstones pier).
On the morning of the 17th and this morning a lot of birds (48 species) on Penclawdd Marsh with the high tide. 300 wigeon and teal, 11 Pintail, 2 shoveler, 1 kingfisher, 1 green sandpiper, 1 common sandpiper, 1 great-crested grebe, 3 great egret, 3 redwing, 1 fieldfare, and 3 reed bunting.
On 16th October in the Neath valley over Aberpergym 1 Hawfinch flew west high with a some Redwing was a great surprise. later down at Brunel Dock a Merlin in the Dunes, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Reed Bunting and 30 Skylark. 2 Peregrines hunting as one was very impressive to watch – both adults. ON 17th Oct up the hill by T Bones 8-9am held 22 Ravern, 1 Goshawk and a light passage of birds moving east including a Single low calling Brambling , 12 Swallow and a handful of Redwing , Fieldfare and Chaffinch. Later up Dyffryn Cellwyn area 1… Read more »
A fishing party of 6 little egrets and 2 gulls (black-headed?) at the Salthouse Point, Crofty this afternoon and unidentified bird of prey circling high overhead. Edit: sorry photos failed to upload.
Oxwich Marsh. 1 chiffchaff in village. 2 Otter in front of hide but obacured by reeds 10am. Flyby Kingfisher same place. 1 returned up the hide boardwalk as I thought I’d heard a Woodlark singing very faintly but decided it was a result of my decreasing hearing but maybe not…. Fed up with patrolling Mumbles head, most of the Chiffchaff cleared out thursday night. 6 Chough Tutt Head pm thursday and 5 Grey Seals hauled out off Limeslade fri am. Only migrants a few Swallow, one House Martin, one of each sex of Blackcap and a few Siskin passing over.
Oxwich Marsh: woodlark in field (briefly – then flew west), firecrest (male – different bird to yesterday as unringed), goshawk, peregrine and a flyby chough. 2 otter crossing the marsh road 05:45. Apparent adult and youngster.
Small flocks of swallows several times over the morning
An assortment of little egrets, curlews and gulls at the Salthouse Point, Crofty this morning plus this small bird which I can’t identify:
Stonechat
Brilliant, thanks!
Male to be precise if I’m not mistaken
About 200 Goldfinches with a few Linnets on the Vile sunflowers this morning with small flocks of Starlings passing by and Skylarks overhead. About 30 Meadow Pipits also nearby and occasional Redwing. 2 Coal Tits on garden feeders In Middleton and Grey Heron at our pond.
At 1520 three swallows flying south-east over Brynfield Road.
AM. Oxwich Marsh: yellow-browed warbler, firecrest (male), 5 chiffchaff, 3 Cetti’s warbler, small numbers of redwing pre-dawn.
PM. Mumbles Lighthouse. 6 eider west including eclipse drake. The only passerines on the lighthouse island were stonechat, 20 linnet and rock pipits
31 turnstone on Lifeboat slip.