Following up on news passed on to me by David Carrington of a Red-billed Chough reported it Port Talbot I have been able to speak with the observer. Jim Philips was travelling back from work along Harbour Way a couple of weeks ago. The specific date is somewhat uncertain but judging by the weather conditions during the time of the sighting it would indicate 26th June 2014. Mid-afternoon on the 26th the rain was very heavy and Jim noticed a Crow/Jackdaw sized bird huddled low down on a fence post next to the road. As Jim approached closer he could see that the bird had a slender, down-curved bill which was orange coloured! He was immediately shocked when realising that he had just driven past a Chough. The bird was described as being in a bedraggled state and looking sorry for itself in the atrocious conditions!
The description of the bird together and the apparent weather around the time of the sighting in addition to the time of year in which the sighting was made suggest this bird was a juvenile bird disoriented and displaced by extreme weather conditions.
Thanks and congratulations go to Jim for reporting this sighting of a bird, as far as I'm aware, not previously recorded in Neath Port Talbot. Thanks also to Dave for passing on this news.
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