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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.
The ringing year to date. An update: https://www.gowerbirds.org.uk/2025-the-year-to-date-and-gower-society-grant-funding/
With Rob Taylor, at Castell-du this evening, 17 Common Sandpiper, 3 Little Ringed Plover, 4 Greenshank, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Teal and 104 Canada Geese were the pick of the bunch. Earlier on the intertidal flats SW of Loughor Bridge were 2 Bar-tailed and 110 Black-tailed Godwits including a colour-marked bird, ringed at Bangor Harbour in Jan-2024, subsequently resighted in Cheshire, Llanfairfechan and Spinnies
Oxwich: lesser whitethroat, grasshopper warbler. Good numbers of reed warbler. Sedge warbler starting to move, with some carrying significant fat.
Yesterday evening(July17) there was a slow drifting flock of 60+ Common Swift and 30+ House Martin above Clydach.Possibly a migrating group moving in an easterly direction.For a while they were joined by a Peregrine that flew up from the well known local landmark.
At Bracelet a change of weather results in the sea being rougher and many hundreds of Manx Shearwater flying down channel.
Make that thousands…..
10 + swifts over giants grave this morning 4 over Briton ferry cricket club this evening plus 50 + assorted gull on the pitch mostly herrings with juvs also a few lesser b b gulls with juvs all local breeders I suspect
Castell Ddu on the rising tide this morning : Osprey perched on the sandbank was a nice treat . 4 Lapwing , 3 Greenshank , 13 Common Sand , 3 LR plover . 1 Cattle egret and 18 Little egret feeding in the shrinking marsh pools .
Oxwich Marsh: a garden warbler was about 2 weeks earlier than we normally see them. Maybe a locally fledged youngster. Most are recorded on passage.
Also lots of young reed warbler, a few more sedge warbler coming through, and good numbers of young Cetti’s. Clearly a better tit breeding season than the last two, with lots of youngsters around. Also good numbers of young siskin.
Langland: hummingbird hawk-moth in the garden on Southward Lane
07.50 at Bracelet a Gannet diving close to two dolphins.
Thirty plus Swallows hawking over Broad Pool at 06.00 and one Swift dipping down to drink.plus one Gray Heron.
Approx 7 or 8 swifts flying above Caereithin area at 14:30 today for around 10 mins, could be heard screaming. I have also seen individuals/smaller groups of swifts fairly regularly over the past few days in this area
Around 25 Swifts low over Manselton right now. Largest group I’ve seen.
I wonder if it’s the same lot seen over other parts of the City?
I’ve heard quite a few all morning.