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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.
One of Thursday’s Nightjars
14 Swift seen fairly low above the river at Wychtree roundabout this evening.
At least 2 Nightjars showing on Kilvey Hill Thursday evening, just after 10:30pm. A third could be heard.
40+ starlings by neath castle today lots of juvs among them looks like a good breeding season.
4th July a red kite low over milland road neath upsetting the local gulls, in the Brunel tidal dock 1 common sandpiper,in the reedbed dock a little grebe.
Oxwich Marsh: fledged kingfisher.
A few grey wagtails moving over early morning. Breeding season appears to have been good locally for reed and Cetti’s warbler, with plenty of young of both species in the reedbed.
11 swifts in group flying over plasmarl
Still struggling to id Wagtail sub species! This one of a pair in Mewslade car park this week. From previous comments from Dewi in February, dark underwing shadow suggests a juvenile Pied. Alternatively, could it be a White Wagtail?
3 Swifts at 4.30 and 1 at 5.30 at West Cross on 1st July
Yesterday evening there was remarkable total of 27 Little Ringed Plover at Castell-du, with just one juvenile among them. Hopefully there will be plenty to come that are currently still in breeding areas, but the large number of adults suggests there has been a high failure rate this year. Also 6 Common Sandpiper and ca.100 Sand Martin.
This evening, first big-ish flock of swifts I’ve seen over Tycoch this summer – difficult to count accurately but around 15 birds. Parties of about 3, 4, 5 overhead most other days. I’ve noticed before that flock numbers can increase here as the summer goes on, perhaps boosted by juveniles.
Also a family group of stonechats (adult male with several immatures) at Crymlyn Bog this morning. In fact various fledglings seemed to be everywhere, including mistle thrush. Reed warbler, sedge warbler and chiffchaff also still singing. Willow warblers seem to have gone quiet now, although still seen.
At this time of year Common Swift numbers are also boosted by “bangers” theses are second calendar year birds that fly around looking for potential nest sites for next year.
A very young Common Redstart was an interesting bird to capture and ring in my garden on Pennard Cliffs this morning. It’s a new species for the site and appears to have likely originated from a relatively local nest site judging by its age.