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.
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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.

Wednesday 29 January 2014

Iceland Gull and Grebes

A whistle stop tour of Swansea Bay to get a count of Great Crested Grebes found them still in good numbers. Counts from Aberavon Beach, Crymlyn Burrows and finishing at Blackpill just before HT. 326 Great Crested Grebes in total is still surprisingly high for this period of the winter. It was clear also while doing the count that gull numbers were good, particularly Black-headed Gulls. A rough estimate would put Black-headed Gull numbers across the bay at 2000+ and likely even 3000+

Large White-headed Gulls were less conspicuous with only small gatherings here and there on the sea. Amongst the gathered gulls on the sea off Blackpill was an immature Iceland Gull that I suspect was a 3cy. However, by the time I found it it was getting dark quickly. My attempts to get closer views were foiled by it flying off when I was closing the distance and as such I'm only really happy about it being an immature Iceland Gull. General paleness and clean looking primary tips seemed to discard the possibility of it being a Kumlien's.

It seems unlikely this bird is the same as the reported ad Glaucous Gull at Blackpill on Monday and further details of this bird will be gratefully received.

The Lesser Scaup was showing very well on Cosmeston Lakes CP today and very nice images taken by Andy Burns can be viewed via the Glamorgan Birds website

Late news yesterday - Red-throated Diver (7), Bonxie and Little Gull (3) were all seen to fly west past Common Cliff (BS)

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