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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.
Report (via Ed Hunter) of a buff-bellied pipit and a Lapland bunting at the end of Weobley track earlier today. Approx OS grid reference: SS 4732 9460
Ringing at Oxwich this morning. We were instructed by Owain. This may have been the all-time record turnout for a GOS field meeting, at nearly 30. Conditions were good; and we were shown goldfinch, blue tit, GSW, Cetti, marsh tit and more. Thank you Owain.
The Wryneck was still in Mewslade this morning. It was elusive but occasionally showed well in trees or on the wall between moving feeding areas – attached a map of where it showed when the path was quiet. A red colour ringed Herring gull A+J was in the pony field at the Vile. There seemed to be a lot of Sparrowhawks about today too Other birds in the Mewslade / Middleton and Vile area 6 Goldcrest, 8 Blackcap, 10 Chiff, 1 Whitethroat. 6 chough, Green Woodpecker, 21 Collard Doves. The only birds moving was about 30 Skyarks heading east Wernffrwd… Read more »
Seen during a watch at Rhossili followed by a visit to the Mewslade Valley by Ed O’Connor between 08:45 and 14:45.
Vis mig: 2581 swallows (mainly east), 186 skylark, 91 chaffinch. 344 meadow pipit, 61 pied / white wagtails, 20 siskin, 3 greenfinch, 4 bullfinch, 11 reed bunting, 7 jay, 13 song thrush, 3 sand martin, 1 house martin, 15 golden plover, 2 snipe, 1 woodlark, 3 great spotted woodpecker, 44 dunnock, 3 sparrowhawk, 2 buzzard, 16 stonechat.
Mewslade Valley: wryneck , lesser whitethroat, 11 blackcap, chiffchaff, 6 goldcrest
Port Talbot
Tidal bit of the River Afan below McDonald’s
Surprisingly 1 little grebe fishing in the river
1 grey wagtail .
Assortment of gulls
4 common dolphins moving west close inshore between Limeslade and Rotherslade this morning. A calf with three adults. Regularly breaching. Followed by large gulls and a couple of gannets. 4 common scoter west.
Otherwise a big day of movement for meadow pipit and (presumed) white wagtails, with some indications of finch movement (particularly linnets).
At Limeslade this morning large numbers of gulls fishing during the storm, with lots of Gannets with several immature birds, six Cormorants drying off on the Lighthouse rocks, two Choughs over the Tutt, a pair of Green Woodpeckers and a Sparrowhawk. Close in the bay at Limeslade a big male seal seemed to be sheltering.
Broad Pool this afternoon, two Little Grebes in the water and a Red Kite flying over. Llanrhidian to Crofty, 100+ Swallows fuelling up for their long flight south. Similar number of Greylag Geese.
Yesterday (3rd October) afternoon at Blackpill at high tide there were 3 Brent Geese amongst a mix flock of gulls (Herring, Black-headed, Lesser Black-backed and Mediterranean) and Oystercatchers. There were a few other waders which I think were Bar-tailed Godwits.
Yesterday AM: Tutt Head (Bracelet) 1 pale phase Arctic skua west into the wind at 07:50. Common scoter. Numerous gannets and pulses of small gull activity (kittiwake, black-headed gull and Med gull), with all birds generally moving west.
Swansea Bay: distant large diver, presumably GND, but seen as a squall came in and couldn’t find it afterwards to confirm.
PM: Sandwich tern (w/pl adult) in inshore waters of Oxwich Bay.
This afternoon at Rhossili bay – there were 9 Choughs flying down from Rhossili Down to take shelter on the cliffs also a adult Med Gull in the bay. On the beach 2 GBB gulls were feeding on a Seal pup carcase. Mewslade and Middleton – in the sheltered corners there were 3 Chiffchaff, 3 goldcrest, Treecreeper, green Woodpecker and a Sparrowhawk cruised through. Also 20 swallow and 1 House Martin were flying east Weobley track: 170 Golden plover , 7 Dunlin with the plovers including one with a huge bill more like a Curlew sandpiper – must be as… Read more »
Langland golf course this morning six Choughs above Whiteshell Point, 20 plus Swallows seemingly flying the wrong way on their migration, good numbers of Linnets and a male Sparrow Hawk flying along a hedgerow hunting.
Over the last few days a Peregrine (or poss. 2) has started targeting the wader flock at Loughor Foreshore, resulting in a decline in numbers of most species. Today I watched a big juvenile force a Bar-tailed Godwit (the only one in a flock of 182 Black-wits) into the water. After several attempts, it eventually lifted it from the water and carried it off over the saltmarsh. As I was following it, a Buzzard appeared from nowhere and successfully robbed the Peregrine. Just before this action a Goshawk flew over the estuary, so perhaps it’s not surprising the waders are… Read more »
In the garden this afternoon. He was standing in the ornamental tree (now dead) on which we hang our feeders.
This late afternoon I walked from National Trust Rhossili to the CoastWatch hut. The last 200 yards is a gentle, wide, uphill slope, close cropped by sheep and by walkers’ feet. Here were 13 choughs feeding confidently and all but ignoring the few walkers, runners and a dog which were about. I think we are seeing their behaviour changing as they get accustomed to the large numbers of people who walk in Rhossili. (Earlier: in my garden a grey wagtail, which may visit us much of this winter.)
A great couple of hours seawatch off Port Eynon this morning the highlights being a Black Tern ,2 Arctic Skuas and a 1st year Little gull. These were with a good movement of 90 Sandwich Tern, 5 Commen tern, 1 Arctic tern,110 Kittiwakes, 45 Med Gulls, 12 Common Scoter, 48 Gannet, 1 Fulmur and 150 auks all heading west as soon as the rain stopped. On the beach there was 21 Med Gulls, 7 Sandwich Tern and a Grey Plover. At Kittle a 1st year med gull with 3 Black headed gull At Blackpill at low tide :11 Curlew, 35… Read more »
Delighted and surprised to see a kingfisher this morning flying through the marina in Swansea
Ysgol Bae Baglan playing fields
100+ gull flock .. 50/50 herring / bhgs
2 med gulls
1 lesser BB..
3 skylark flying around Pennard Golf Course this morning.. pretty sure they are the first I’ve seen this year .
For reference, the main muddy patch feeding areas off Loughor Foreshore car park are shown here
The ‘muddy patch’ off Loughor Foreshore continued to draw in more Black-tailed Godwit last week, though numbers didn’t quite break the 600 barrier. Other waders noted there over the same period included 4 Bar-tailed Godwit, 5 Curlew, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 58 Dunlin, 80 Knot, 20 Oystercaycher, 1 Ringed Plover & 2 Ruff.
Numbers of the two commonest duck species have fallen slightly from the previous week, with maxima of 84 Pintail & 130 Mallard, though 4 Gadwall today were new for the autumn period..
This feeding opportunity was taken by a cloud of Gulls, two Grey Herons, a Cormorant and over 40 Little Egrets. Across the water from Loughor car park.
A large skein of Greylags flew 11.45 this morning. 60 plus birds heading east towards Swansea Bay
3 reed warbler and 1 sedge warbler were the only long distance migrants at Oxwich this morning other than the swallows and house martins feeding over the reed bed.
A large pied / white wagtail roost has built up estimated at 60+ birds.
80 greylags over the marsh mid morning