It has come to our attention that birders having been entering ABP controlled land in search of the Ross's Gull, today. There is an unmanned gate at the end of Riverside Road, where it meets the public footbridge over the Afan River. Signs at the gate clearly show that unauthorised access beyond the gate is prohibited. The gate is watched by CCTV cameras and workers that use the area report trespassers to security. Today, an ABP security guard had to travel from Swansea to respond to a complaint made to ABP, which resulted in 3 birders being asked to leave. Tata Steel security will also respond to alerts from this area.
It is incredibly frustrating not knowing where this bird is when its not showing from the public areas. However, there is no excuse to trespass in order to try and see the bird. A handful of permits are issued each year to allow WEBs counts and other survey work to be done, so any further reported incidents will jeopardise the relationship between the land owners and volunteer surveyors. Please be mindful of this.
The Ross's Gull has been reported less frequently today, but it did return to the shore and pier northwest of the Afan River mouth between 14:00 till 14:30 at least. In addition to this there are some reports of it showing along the Afan River during the day.
PLEASE DO NOT enter the private land beyond the gates at the end of Riverside Road where it meets the public footbridge over the Afan River. Although the gates are open, signs clearly warn against unauthorised access. Private security will be asked to respond to birders that are trespassing here. Thank you.
No comments:
Post a Comment