Drake Green-winged Teal further away than Eurasian Teal. Notice strong vertical white bar at side of breast on the GWT (record shot taken yesterday)
Today: The drake has proved very elusive this morning but has finally shown itself again on the flooded scrape area south of the main reedbed, and therefore in East Glam. Picked up again around midday and viewed from the haul road. (CJ)
Terry T & Kim P found this very obliging 2cy Kumlien’s Gull at Fendrod Lake, this afternoon. It has already acquired a taste for bread by all accounts so it could be a popular bird if it sticks around a while. It flew off towards the bay at 16:50 (ish)
The ad Ring-billed Gull was still at Blackpill roosting on the sea, early evening. Also there was 4cy Yellow-legged Gull at Crymlyn Burrows, mid-afternoon.
A quick reminder that the rescheduled trip to Whiteford is this Saturday. Arrive at the Cwm Ivy car park from 08:30 to leave there at 09:00. A long day is planned and the weather looks like it will be good for that day. Those wishing to stay for the full day will be encouraged to join me at the Llanrhidian Roost watch from 16:30. Also anyone just wishing to come along to the roost watch is more than welcome to do so. Please contact me if you need directions for the viewing point at Llanrhidian.
My contact details and a bit more information about the plan for the day can be found on the main site, via contacts and also GOS events.
Indoor meeting tomorrow – David Rich will be giving a talk on Gulls in the Environment Centre, Swansea tomorrow evening. It will be appreciated if you could turn up before the expected start time 19:15 – £1 on the door to cover room hire
The rescheduled Whiteford trip will now take place on Saturday 8th March – meet at Cwm Ivy car park at 09:00 – The day at Whiteford will be followed by a roost watch at Llanrhidian.
The regular meetings at the Blackpill Visitor Centre will be on Sunday 9th March – High tide roost and the chance to meet other members of GOS and RSPB
A field trip to look for Great Grey Shrikes will take place on Sunday 16th March – Please get in contact with me if you are interested in coming on this trip. Numbers are likely to be limited.
Showed a couple of times this morning both sides of Jackstones Pier. Also 4 Little Gulls (3 ads & 2cy), Med Gulls and 10+ Kittiwakes. There was a Guillemot just off the pier and a 1stW/fem Black Redstart flew from the docks to the pier.
The weather for Sunday seems to be in the balance. It looks like the day will be dry, or certainly drier than today and tomorrow. However, it does look like it will still be fairly windy, and from experience I can say that Whiteford can feel very exposed in stormy conditions. Therefore at this point I will suggest the following
The full day is going to be cancelled – there will be no Llanrhidian roost watch
A half day will be run – going to the Whiteford Hide and back
I will be there to lead those who still want to give it a go on Sunday for a half day, which will go out to the lighthouse and back via the hide. Windy conditions will make long distance viewing of birds difficult and the swell will also contribute in making things tough.
I doubt that I would normally choose to visit a place like Whiteford during these conditions but the birds will still be there! Seeing them well might be difficult.
I will run a full Whiteford and Llanrhidian field trip on Sunday 2nd March 2014 and reschedule the field trip programmed for that day by moving it back 2 weeks.
Therefore to summarise – The field trip on Sunday (2/2/14) will be run as a reduced event. Those who want to brave the elements should turn up as planned and we will aim to leave the Cwm Ivy car park at 09:30. We will be back at the car park by 13:00. There will be no Llanrhidian Roost watch.
If coming then make sure you are prepared to face the elements. It will be very wet underfoot and obviously good waterproofs and warm clothing will be essential. I would suggest wellington boots are also essential.
If uncertain please contact me 07875431917 or markhipkin1@gmail.com
An imm Iceland Gull was on the sea off Blackpill this evening around 16:45.
Great Crested Grebes are still in good numbers in the bay. 153 off Aberavon Beach, 106 off Crymlyn Burrows & 67 off Blackpill.
Just a quick reminder to say that I’m running a field trip to Rhossili tomorrow morning and then onto Burry Holms for the afternoon.
Details are on the Field Trip pages via the main Glamorgan Birds Website. I’ll be in the car park at Rhossili from 08:00 and we will stay there until 09:15 before going on a circular walk. The weather might be kind to us and all being well the circular walk will have us back to the car park by 11:30. The advantages of turning up early means that if you get to the car park before the attendant arrives then parking is free; otherwise it’s £3 per car. High tide is early morning and hopefully this will bring the Scoter flock closer to shore where they can be viewed from the car park. From 09:15 there’ll be a few stopping points along the coastal path to check the sea and then on to Fall Bay before heading back to the car park via the arable fields. We will not be going onto the causeway or Worms Head.
Due to the recent Gull fest at Burry Holms over the last few weeks I’m planning to tweak the afternoon plan a little to try and include going onto Burry Holms itself. The afternoon part of the day will involve more static viewpoint periods, which isn’t for everyone but with Thayer’s, Kumlien’s, Iceland, Glaucous and Little Gulls all being seen over the last couple of weeks it could very well turn out to be a rewarding part of the day.
So hopefully plenty to see and talk about. Apart from possible parking charges the trip is free. Members of GOS and non-members alike are very welcome to join in. Please come prepared to face the elements and also be advised that some of the terrain will be challenging due to wet and muddy conditions. Also many of the birds on view during the day will be distant and will require telescope views to appreciate them; if you are able to bring a telescope with you please do. If you don’t have access to a telescope then generally on these trips we all offer use of the scopes available to make sure the whole group gets to see all the birds.
The link to the GOS Events pages, including field trip info, is provided below
1 Bonxie chasing a Herring Gull briefly, before landing on the sea (14:45). Also at least a couple of Little Gulls in with the passing Kittiwakes – at least 1 Ad + 1st W.
Aberavon – Shelduck (2), Common Scoter (5), Red-throated Diver (2 + 2->w), Great Crested Grebe (58), Little Egret (1->w), Guillemot (5 inc 1 sum plum), Auk sp (10+). Also 1 Grey Seal + 1 Harbour Porpoise + 1 very distant cetacean which did a full breach – most obvious explanation would be a Harbour Porpoise? The briefest of views of a leap that wasn’t exactly towering but it did seem a little big for a Porpoise at the distance (4km). Sadly I couldn’t relocate it or find any obvious seabird presence in the immediate area..
Crymlyn Burrows – Common Scoter (1), Red-throated Diver (1->w), Great Crested Grebe (272), Ringed Plover (192), Grey Plover (10), Sanderling (163), Dunlin (26), Bar-tailed Godwit (2), Mediterranean Gull (1st W + ad), Common Gull (92)
Blackpill – Great Crested Grebe (144) (per comm AWF)
It is my pleasure to report that during the recent Gower Ornithological Society AGM I was announced as the new Records Secretary/Report Editor and County Recorder for West Glamorgan.
I would like to take this opportunity to express a huge thanks to Harold E. Grenfell and Robert H. A. Taylor for their outstanding work over the years. Harold, one of the founding members of GOS, made significant contributions towards every annual report since the first issue was published in 1968. His eye for detail and commitment to the progression of the society is a major credit to him. Harold’s legacy has provided strong leadership combined with diligence and enthusiasm, which now finds the club in very good health. Robert has committed the last 17 years to keeping accurate records for the society during increasingly challenging times. The combination of his ability, experience and knowledge of the recording area is second to none. During his tenure Rob has also made numerous outstanding finds including the most recent and very popular Isabelline Wheatear.
It will be difficult for me to match what both Harold and Rob have given to the society over the years and I face the daunting task of maintaining their very high standards. However, it’s an exciting opportunity for me to offer a fresh approach and I relish the challenge of developing these roles in the years ahead. Fortunately for me, the task at hand is made less difficult due to the availability of a rich array of help close to hand. The Gower Ornithological Society is full of very able section writers and the committee is full of talented colleagues. I am also pleased to have the support of many members of the neighbouring birding societies that I have had the fortune to know and get on with.
Birding is a fantastic hobby and I couldn’t be happier than when I’m out birding with the company that it brings. I’ve met lots of great people and made good friends through birding in the last few years. My wish is for more of the same in the future with some great birding along the way.
A late bargain Peacock was on the wing near the Kenfig River. Flying from the reed bed before settling on the bank of Morfa Tip. Generally fairly quiet bird wise at a few locations around the county, today. Although, following Terry Tovey’s nice Little Egret count opposite Brunel Dock earlier this week, it was nice to see at least 10, this evening, at this under watched roost site
The above video shows 316 Great Crested Grebes on the sea off Crymlyn Burrows. In addition to this there were 95 off Aberavon Beach, 19 off Blackpill & 1 off Mumbles Pier. 431 in total at this stage in the winter is impressive. The recent calm weather, which looks set to continue again next week, should allow further greater numbers to be counted.
Also in the bay 1 Black-throated Diver and 5+ Red-throated Divers off Aberavon Beach, with some distant small flocks of Scoters (27), those seen well enough to ID being Common Scoter. There were also some Eider off Mumbles Pier with 1m +3f. Interestingly, reading Owain’s post below makes me think there may be as many as 7, or more, in the area. I saw 3 distantly from Blackpill that looked like 3 sub-adult males and had assumed that the group of 4 I saw from Mumbles a little later at closer range that included 3 females and an adult male might have been the same. At least 5 including Owain’s sub-ad (or possibly 7) is a good count for the area and November is a good month to see them at this location.
Common Scoter (17), Great Crested Grebe (95), Ringed Plover (179), Sanderling (248), Turnstone (3) & Common Gull (34). Also 3 very distant Auk sp heading west.
Free-flying collection Geese are providing some diversity to the Canada Goose flock on the Neath Salt Marsh, currently. 107 Canada Geese also have 1 Abyssinian Blue-winged Goose (presumably the same bird that was here 13/2/12) and 1 Bar-headed Goose (down from 2 that were present a month or so ago) mixed in with them. It’s hard to get excited about them, but it does perhaps allow sub-groups within the big flock of Canada Geese to be tracked?
More traditional free-flying birds were made up by – Shelduck (3), Teal (11), Lapwing (6), Curlew (7), Redshank (1) and Starling (c250)
At Crymlyn Burrows around HT – Common Scoter (11), Great Crested Grebe (137 ((67 off CB) + (70 off AB))), Ringed Plover (179), Sanderling (207), Dunlin (221) and Curlew (31).
The fabulous male Penduline Tit showed near the visitor centre at Newport Wetlands, this afternoon. After waiting unsuccessfully for 5 + 1/2 hours in poor conditions for the bird to show I decided to call it a day at 15:30. Luckily for me I hadn’t got that far when it decided to return to the centre and news got out quickly. I knew it would be, but now having seen it, I can state whole heartedly it was worth the wait and then some!
Some video on the link http://youtu.be/_VIB87bEtiM
The link below takes you a website where you can choose to support the petition to WAG to Ban shooting Greenland White-fronted Goose. It’s easy and can be completed in less than a minute. All you need is name , email address and location. State reason for support if you want (optional). Of 2500 signatories needed, the petition only needs a further 187. It’s so easy and I for one should have supported this well before today.
Petition to WAG: Ban shooting Greenland WFG
Mute Swan (2 imms on sea off CB), Wigeon (1m ->e), Common Scoter (((8)(4)(3)) on sea), Great Crested Grebe (75 off AB + 14 off CB) & Guillemot (20+)
A quick mid-morning (09:45-10:30) sea watch before the rain came in. Viewed from Baglan Dunes – Common Scoter (20), Velvet Scoter (2), Great Crested Grebe (42), Turnstone (18), Guillemot (4), Auk sp (30-40), Sky Lark (2 ->e) and Swallow (4 ->e).
Also a decent flock of Starlings (300+) around Scarlet Avenue, mainly flying around but landing out of view in back gardens, etc. It’s perhaps worth keeping an eye on them though, this area has form!
2 Bar-headed Geese with 170 Canada Geese on the salt marsh, this morning. Also here Starling (c200) and Linnet (c60)
A walk around Crymlyn Burrows from late morning found Wigeon (2), Common Scoter (5), Red-throated Diver (1), Great Crested Grebe (14), Gannet (2), Hobby (1juv), Kestrel (1), Ringed Plover (171), Bar-tailed Godwit (2), Swallow (6), Stonetchat (7), Goldcrest (1), Long-tailed Tit (19), Reed Bunting (9)
Yesterday, Margam Moors/Kenfig river mouth/Kenfig salt marsh Mute Swan (3 ->w) Canada Geese (100+ ->e), Wigeon (1 + 6 ->e), Teal (6), Common Scoter (10 ->w) Mallard (150+), Red-throated Diver (1 ->w), Great Crested Grebe (3), Lapwing (3), Snipe (7), Kingfisher (1), Sky Lark (53 ->w), Meadow Pipit (c40 ->w), Wheatear (3), Redwing (1), Chiffchaff (3), Goldcrest (2) & Chaffinch (18 ->w)
Glamorgan Bird Club 
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