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.

Thursday 15 November 2012

South-west Gower

Broughton

The 4 Velvet Scoter, found by Chris Brewer on Saturday, have now increased to 5. I've tentatively classed all as f/imm since all appear to show a pale area behind the bill. One, or possibly two, in the group show male features to me.

The group were often split up 4+1 in the bay and showed no real intention of sicking with the 100+ Common Scoter, which was just as well since the majority of them flew off and out of sight, early on. The Velvet Scoters were a little mobile, but only making short flights, and remained on view from 07:30 till 09:00. Occasionally other duck would fly in to join them; these included small groups of Common Scoter which was nice for comparison (see below), also a Red-breasted Merganser and later a Wigeon (both drakes) settled with the Velvet Scoter briefly.
5 Velvet Scoter are the back most birds almost in a line
The best place to look for them appears to be from Minor Point, shown on the OS Map (SS 409 931). During the walk to get there at first light a Short-eared Owl was hunting the dunes and a very nice flock of 25+ Purple Sandpiper flew past heading west.


Rhossili Bay

Further to the reports on RBA and Birdguides, yesterday, the 2 female type Long-tailed Duck were still with the "closest" group of Common Scoter. Their number again, easily, 3000+. 3 Tufted Duck flew around the Bay for a while and 3 Red-throated Diver were also present.

It was also very nice to meet up with, albeit briefly, the EGBC field trip group - John W, Alan R et al. Alan R had picked up another Velvet Scoter in with the closest Common Scoter flock and hopefully there's more nice stuff to come from their very well attended gathering.

1 comment:

John Wilson said...

We had one Velvet at Minor Pt which was definitely a male, with a yellow bill patch and the little white comma mark under the eye, and defo jet black in overall colour.