GRC Blog


Welcome to the GRC Recorders pages. This blog provides details on all the relevant news of Glamorgan’s scarcer birds, plus all BBRC & WRP decisions that affect us locally. It will also be used to document the status and occurrence of these scarcer species and we welcome contributions from anyone with photographs, artwork or documentation of rarities past, present and future. The GRC also welcomes all seawatching news from around Glamorgan and news of passage migrants in spring & autumn, uncommon birds in our area and unusual behaviour.


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The Glamorgan Rarities Committee, in conjunction with the Glamorgan Bird Club & Gower Wildlife , have agreed to co-operate with the Welsh Ornithological Society in the sharing of bird records & photographs in the interest of keeping accurate records and to promote birdwatching in North, Mid & South Wales.

Sunday 29 September 2013

Red-backed Shrike at Mewslade Valley

Alastair Flannagan found this Red-backed Shrike at Mewslade Valley, this morning. Generally showing quite well both sides of the path but favouring the more elevated parts of the east side of the valley, around SS42328740, as the footpath became busier as the day went on. It was feeding well and looked in good condition.
In many ways, plumage-wise, it was similar to a bird I saw on Skokholm earlier in the autumn, whereby the upper-parts, in particular around the head, would appear plain and not barred. From some angles and in some lights this bird would appear similar to an adult female bird. However, the barring on the mantle and upper-tail coverts show this bird is in it's 1st year.
Some early murmurings had agreed that it might be worth checking for Brown Shrike. The bird showed a dark brown mask but not very dark, the upper-parts showed more contrast between head, back and tail than one would expect from a concolourous, generally darker plumaged Brown Shrike and the outer tail feathers appeared to be clean white rather than pale. The primary projection shown by this bird was not the usual > 1/2 exposed tail length for Red-backed Shrike although still longer that one would expect for Brown Shrike which is normally much shorted than 1/2 exposed tail length. A good looking juv/1st W Rd-backed Shrike and a very nice find by Alastair, which was enjoyed by 10+ birders paying their respects.
Also in the area a probable Wryneck - brief flight views given to a couple of birders independently from the same area as the R-b S. Blackcap (3), Garden Warbler (1), Chiffchaff (10+), Goldcrest (3) & Spotted Flycatcher (4)
AWF, MHi, RJ, JNE et al
A Firecrest was a nice surprise at Llandarcy Saltmarsh, Neath. Showing with a tit-flock early morning
MHi, RJ
Later a stop off at the Lanrhidian roost was rewarded with a fly-by Great White Egret and a couple of Green Sandpipers.
RJ, MHi, BS
Red-backed Shrike distribution map for vc41
2013 record in black, all others red with pre-2000 shown as open circles
Firecrest distribution map for vc41

3 comments:

chris said...

great find Alistair,well done.Bet ypu're glad you gave the wetlands phalarope a miss!

Barry Stewart said...

2 Great White Egrets at Llanrhidian yesterday evening (MP & JP).

Barry Stewart said...

Add another black dot to the Firecrest map at Dunraven (just seen by NPR).