 |
| Small flock of Great Crested Grebes |
Also Common Scoter ((10)(8)(2)) on the sea, Great Crested Grebe (42), Guillemot & Auk sp (30+) and Swallow (4 heading east)
The Great Crested Grebe numbers are starting to build in the bay. Swansea Bay qualifies as being Nationally Important to Great Crested Grebes and the numbers that occur between Port Talbot Docks and Swansea Docks make a significant contribution to the overall total. The timing of their arrival is thought to co-incide with seasonal influx of herring, sprats and other fish species that shoal and travel up the Bristol Channel from November through to January. Outside of this period in the winter months the Grebe numbers can be fairly low, sometimes surprisingly so. When the fish are present Great Crested Grebe numbers sail past the 1% threshold (190) and have occurred at more than twice that amount. This year I'm hoping to organise a count, using recorders positioned across the bay, which should help us understand the numbers involved more accurately. I have a feeling the there may be many more than has been previously estimated and documented, however, numbers do fluctuate seasonally. We wait and see..
No comments:
Post a Comment