Glamorgan Boundaries

Map showing mid-point boundaries between adjacent vice-counties, which should be helpful for anyone venturing out into the Bristol Channel. Also shown is the East Glamorgan / West Glamorgan boundary and the East Glamorgan extensions to vc41, shown in pale blue.

Great White Egret at Waungron

(c) Julian Evans

Julian Evans has sent us these very nice photos of the Great White Egret adding "taken on 25th August 2011, at Upper Loughor estuary (Glamorgan side) at Waungron on private land with kind permission of the owner."

Port Eynon Poms

Two Pomarine Skuas lingered off the point for 5 mins or so before heading off west, at one point chasing a Kittiwake. Pale phase adult with spoons picked up well east of point heading west and landed on sea straight out at 11:38. Pale phase immature bird was then picked up at 11:51 straight out chasing a Kittiwake. This was joined by the adult then they both headed off west together.

Cormorant

drying out wings or aiding digestion ? or perhaps both ?

Gower news

Two Pomarine Skuas past Port Eynon this am [per BS].

raptor over Skewen

Julie Eustace sent me this photograph of a raptor over her Skewen house yesterday, which she said was much bigger than a nearby buzzard. The pointed carpels, narrow wing bases and long neck and tail all look good for Honey-buzzard to me. Any other thoughts?

Great Shearwater 14miles WSW off Worm's Head

Two shots of the Great Shearwater taken from the Swansea-Cork Ferry on 7th August, c14 miles WSW of Worm's Head, Gower [VC41]. Both photos by Peter Howlett.

Garganey.

I flushed what looked like the same drake seen on 6th and 10th this morning from Kenfig east shore.

Seawatching at Port Eynon

Observers :- Mark Hipkin and Dave Pritchard
Time :- 05:50 to 09:40
Weather :- Overcast with some light rain
Wind :- SW 15-20mph

Storm Petrel 1 (west at 06:10)
Great Skua 1 (west at 07:17)
The commoner species showed variable directional movement, passing east and west and best guess tallies are given. Otherwise (w) = passing west
Common Scoter 39(w), Manx Shearwater 100+, Fulmar 8+, Gannet 30+, Whimbrel 2(w), Kittiwake 80+, Sandwich Tern 20+ and Common Tern 2(w)

wood sandpiper and spotted redshank at Llanilid

Kenfig pool.

Male Garganey in eclipse plumage. Possibly the same bird seen there on 6th Aug. The bird was still on the pool, north of the boathouse, when i left at 9AM.

Great Shearwater in or out?

Peters Howlett's sighting of a Great Shearwater 14 miles WSW of Worm's Head on 7th Aug begs the question Do we have a marine boundary to the county? If, as I suspect, the answer is no, then are there guidelines elsewhere for defining one? Clearly his Pomarine Skua c.200m outside of Swansea Harbour on the same trip clearly does qualify! What with Martin's Cory's it's sizing up to be a good year for seabirds and we haven't even had any decent winds yet.

Cory's shearwater.

Text from Martyn Hnatuik - Cory's going west past Porthcawl at 08:50hrs

Kenfig pool.

Garganey, male in eclipse plumage. The bird was very alert and despite keeping my head down behind a bramble bank to get closer, it flew off west when i was still 60 metres from it. Martyn Hnatiuk spotted it first from the north hide and alerted me to it's presence by phone as i walked along the shoreline.

News

Llanilid: Garganey (fem/imm) 5th & Wood Sandpiper (6th), also 2 Spotted Redshanks there.
KNNR: Garganey (eclipse male) 6th

Kenfig saltmarsh yesterday.

Green sandpiper. 6 of these present.
Also 1 Ruff, 1 Greenshank, 2 Dunlin, 8 Common snipe and 33 Lapwing.

Important News

Additions to the Rare Bird Breeding List [RBBP]
1. Arctic Skua
2. Long-eared Owl
3. Short-eared Owl
4. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
5. Willow Tit
[All listed above have fallen below 1500 breeding pairs in UK]

At least two species will affect us here in Glamorgan. Would all observers please note when taking observations of the latter two species in the breeding season, to list habitat, behaviour, song and any signs of actual breeding.
Species to be retained on RBBP affecting Glamorgan (1500+ breeding pairs)
Red Kite
Cetti's Warbler
Dartford Warbler
Species removed from RBBP
Gadwall
(Leach's Petrel)
(Scottish Crossbill)

Roseate Tern in the Burry

The Roseate Tern was first seen on the morning tide off Pembrey Harbour by Dominic Davidson and stayed long enough for other Carmarthenshire birders to see it that morning. It then reappeared on the evening tide and was seen by a gathering of 15 or more, including Eddie Hunter who managed to get these very useful record shots.

(c) E.A. Hunter

(c) E.A. Hunter

Most of the terns left Pembrey sometime after 7pm and the Roseate flew out into the estuary with them. At around 7.30pm Neil Edwards and myself watched it fly into the gull roost at Pwll-y-froga (SS521949) with 40 or so Common and Sandwich Terns, where it stayed for 10-15 minutes before being disturbed by a man in a toy hovercraft!