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.


All visitors are welcome. You must first register by sending an email to GlamRC@gmail.com before you can contribute. An invite will be sent to your email address. Blog content will be strictly moderated. Access to pages and downloads are available to everyone. All photographs on this blog remain the property of the originator.
If you would like to use photos, please arrange permission beforehand.


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.

Friday 6 May 2016

Sker Plover

The Golden Plover at Sker is causing a few of us some headaches. Whether it is an American or an European, people can judge for themselves. However, my initial feeling is that this bird appears to have too much of an European influence to be treated as an American, not a pure one at any rate! Hopefully I'm wrong.
Discussion on this bird may run but I'll post a few pics here to help things on their way. The axillaries, and underwing generally, are very much as one might expect for a European Golden Plover (EGP). Also pro EGP is the shortish wing projection. Conversely, pro American Golden Plover (AGP) is the primary projection, which appears at least 80% with 5 visible pps. The bill appears small and the bird appears leggy even in the short grass. The face has rather an open look to it which may explain why the supercillium doesn't jump out at you, or maybe it should be bolder.
This bird is seemingly a first summer bird with much of the juvenile plumage worn and faded. This might explain the rather cold tones in appearance.  If this is an AGP then it is an unusual looking one, but whatever the case no-one can deny it is a challenging and interesting bird.






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