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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.
1 May: a sedge warbler singing from ornamental scrub near Swansea Quadrant was unusual.
Horton – Oxwich Pt. First fledged stonechats of the year, whimbrel (3), kestrel.
Pennard Cliffs. Lesser whitethroat recorded by Richard Dann
Early morning walk to Mynydd Carn Llechart and Mynydd y Garth.A good variety-including Meadow Pipit,Skylark,Wheatear,Stonechat,Red Kite,Buzzard,Sparrowhawk,Swallow, House Martin and plenty of Linnet.Three Cuckoo calling-two from Cwm Clydach and one on the slope of Mynydd y Garth.
Ham Wall on Sunday May 14th, Mini bus trip from Swansea: just three seats remaining contact me to book: we shall be looking for Bittern and Hobby and many more in this very rewarding reserve.
A good field trip on Sunday late afternoon to the Glynneath Falls: the Pied Flycatcher proved elusive, but we saw 23 species of birds, plus Bank Vole, and frogs in amplexus. Ed reported his first Swifts of the Year in Glynneath and Dippers were showing well in good numbers.
Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Dipper (4+), Goldcrest, GS Woodpecker, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Heron, Jackdaw, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Nuthatch, Robin, Starling, Swallow, Treecreeper, Wood Pigeon, Wren.
Whiteford Point nr Lighthouse 53 whimbrel with oystercatchers, dunlin in summer plumage and a few ringed plover. Another two whimbrel near ruptured sea wall. April 29th.
3 Ruff, a lone Lapwing & 3 White Wagtails at Castell Du, new in today
https://photos.app.goo.gl/oYLCyx7gs6Sb4QSk6
Cuckoo heard (not seen) Lliw Valley, just above head of Lower Reservoir on West Side
Grasshopper warbler reeling on the northern side of Cefn Bryn above Great Walterston Farm this morning
Dalton’s Point this afternoon.
Black t Godwit 297, Knot 22. All the Bar tails seem to be on the Carms shore.
No stilts at Castell Du today, but still some interest in the form of Ruff, Barwit, 37 Whimbrel, 4 Curlew, 7 LRP, 2 Common Sands & 3 Whinchat
Reed warblers have now joined the sedge and grasshopper warblers at Crymlyn Bog. Also cuckoo calling today.
Yesterday evening at Castell Du.
As well as the stilts still a Ruff present, 32 Whimbrel, 6 Curlew, C’n Sand, 2 LRPs, and a different Bar tail, this one in nbp.
Owain , these were by the outflow pipe /Pylon on the Glamorgan side . Apologies, I didn’t give exact location in Whatsapp message… forgot how close we are to Carms at this point !!
Chris, they were at Castell Du this evening.
I got a bit lucky this morning popping down to Loughor bridge on the falling tide . As it was a big tide , the water was still high , and these two crackers were present. They only hung around for around 10 mins before flushing and flying up estuary,,,sadly not relocated . stealth mission to get some photos as they were close in . Male and female I think?
Gutted they didn’t hang around for anyone else.
Lesser whitethroat also ,,
Plenty of whitethroat on the cliffs suddenly.
Sorry, pics didn’t upload.
2 black-winged stilts near Loughor Bridge (per Chris Brewer). Just out of area, but very close!
Castell Du at HT this morning. A good variety of waders.
Whimbrel 63, Bar t Godwit 1, Ruff 1, coming into bp, Dunlin 4, Curlew 4, Greenshank 1, Common Sandpiper 6, Little Ringed Plover 2, Oystercatcher 3, Shelduck 4, Gadwall 5.
Dalton’s Point this afternoon.
Bar t Godwit 63 (many more on the Carms side), Whimbrel 13, Dunlin 5, Spoonbill 2 flew in from Salthouse Point direction and dropped mid channel.
Reed, sedge and grasshopper warbler all back at Oxwich. Also whitethroat, and of note (given it is April) a firecrest (unsexed bird – female or first winter / 2 cal year male). Also kestrel, and a few snipe still.
This evening at Loughor Bridge over the HT. Bar t Godwit 231. Some visible migration noted amongst the godwits. A great deal of conversation between the birds and after disturbance by a Peregrine and a Marsh Harrier two flocks of about 50 each flew high up the estuary to the east. There were a further 243 on the Carms shore which seemed to fly towards the WWT as the tide pushed them off. This kind of confirms Barry’s suggested ball park total for the estuary from yesterday. Also- Grey Plover 12, Dunlin 24, Marsh Harrier 1 female type (probably a… Read more »
Between Limeslade and Rotherslade this morning my first Whitethroat of the year, plus off Lambswell Velvet Scoter flying up channel and a Seal and three+ Common Dolphin showing well.
A quick look at Loughor Bridge this morning after HT.
Bar t Godwit 393, Black t Godwit 60, Dunlin 31. Many more of both godwit species strewn along the Carms foreshore towards the WWT.
In addition to Paul’s count, there were an additional154 Bar-t Godwits at Salthouse Point this am, so at least 547 in the estuary today.
I bumped into Paul this evening and in addition to smaller numbers of Bar-wits, were c50 Whimbrel and a fine Osprey that headed up into the Loughor.
A one hour seawatch at Port Eynon this afternoon. All birds up channel unless stated.
Whimbrel two flocks totalling 48 birds, Large auk sp 7, Fulmar Petrel 1, Sandwich Tern 1 west. Two red Bar t Godwits on the beach. No sign of any Ringed Plovers on the foreshore.
South of Loughor Bridge at HT this evening.
Bar t Godwit 167, Whimbrel 35, Little Egret 3, Curlew 3, Oystercatcher 48, Dunlin 16, Ringed Plover 1, Turnstone 1, GC Grebe 3.
A small group of 15 Little Gulls were feeding on the saltmarsh this evening off Berthlwyd. At Salthouse/Wernffrwd were 50+ Whimbrel, 39 Barwits, 24 Grey Plover, 32 Dunlin and a Turnstone