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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.
Jack snipe flushed at Pant y Sais fen today, also a common snipe.
Fantastic to see our President, Heather Coats, awarded the Jubilee Medal by the BTO. The Medal is awarded to individuals who have shown outstanding commitment to the BTO, through ambassadorial work (giving talks, attending events), organising BTO surveys locally or regionally, fundraising , surveying particularly challenging areas, supporting monitoring schemes, training ringing trainees, contributing as Regional Representatives or leading training courses for BTO. Also great to see long-time friend of the Society Dr. Rob Thomas being given the Marsh Award. Rob has been an inspiration to numerous students / researchers over the years, and is one of our regular speakers.… Read more »
Both continue to show amazing commitment to the study of birds and thoroughly deserve this recognition 👏 🙌
It turns out I don’t know how to add photos later so since I’ve edited them I’ll pop them in this post.
(Attached photos from Worm’s Head & Rhossili 16/10/2025)
Today was a rather special day around Rhossili. I made the effort to get out to Worms Head (Inner Head to be more precise) for 08:15 in hope of finding a rare migrant. My welcoming party wasn’t quite what I expected but very welcome even so. A 1st W male Dartford Warbler was calling from the scrub and subsequently showed from time to time during my 3 hr trip to the tidal island. A quick look out to sea found a number of groups of Auks flying east out of Carmarthen Bay. The groups varied in sized of between 5… Read more »
Female or Juvenile Hen Harrier over Llanrhidian today. Marsh Harrier and Red Kite also seen
Male hen harrier near to Cefn Bryn this afternoon. Around a dozen rooks foraging around Arthur’s stone. Three wheatear along the path from Cefn Bryn to Arthur’s Stone.
A good day for raptors at Llanrhidian today: Buzzard, Marsh and Pallid Harriers, Kestrel, Red Kite, Peregrine and Sparrow Hawk. Also this Glossy Ibis.
Decent flight of 700+ birds west over Mumbles Head this morning with Mark Hipkin. Highlights were a late Sand Martin and 25 Crossbill. Other counts included 28 Swallow, 1 House-Martin, 8 Skylark, 191 Meadow Pipit, 2 Grey Wagtail, 69 Pied Wagtail, 186 Chaffinch, 8 Bullfinch, 4 Greenfinch, 82 Linnet, 128 Goldfinch, and 44 Siskin. Also, a Dark-bellied Brent Goose flew east.
Pallid Harrier, Hen Harrier, Glossy Ibis and 8 Great White Egrets present at Llanrhidian Marsh this evening
Unusual to see a Grey Heron flying over Mumbles road this morning, heading towards Singleton Park.
Just after midnight Tawny Owl female perched at length on telegraph pole Upper Killay (seen thro open Velux) calling repeatedly. Also a male heard nearby.
A Kestrel and a Marsh Harrier at Llanrhidian Marsh this afternoon. (I arrived at exactly the right time to miss the Pallid Harrier.)