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.

2016 Records



GLAMORGAN RARITIES COMMITTEE
In association with:~
GOWER ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY & GLAMORGAN BIRD CLUB
All records of description species during 2015


Italics   No description or photographs submitted
A           Record Accepted by GRC unless stated (NB ‘w’ = waivered site)
P           Record Pended
NP        Record Not Proven
IC         In Circulation
?           Record considered to be of unknown origin
*            Welsh Description Species [WRP]
**           British Birds Description Species [BBRC]
[H]        Heard only
[WG]     West Glamorgan
[EG]      East Glamorgan
(Note: re: 'waived' = "w - the need for a description for this species has been waived only in these specific instances - e.g. species has increased to 5+ records per year, or due to a large influx as in the case of Waxwing occasionally, or the regularity of the species at some sites e.g. Red Grouse at 2 locations in north Glamorgan, Slavonian Grebe at Whiteford & Burry Inlet, Marsh Harrier on North Gower, KNNR & Wentloog, Puffin at Worm's Head, Water Pipit at various estuarine localities".)

BOU Order:

Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus)
A [EG] 11 [8 ads, 3 juvs] Kenfig Pool 8 Nov [ND], then same birds at E Aberthaw same day [MCP et al].
A [EG] 3 Apr [1] Parc Slip -[MC,ME,GG]
(c) Mike Clark

Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus)
A [WG] 05 & 06 Mar Neath Saltmarsh - [EAH]
(c) Mark Hipkin

Garganey (Anas querquedula)
A [EG] 28 Mar [pair] Kenfig Pool - [RHAT]
Showing the male of the pair present (c) P. Smith

IC [WG] 12-19 Apr [4 (2 pairs)] Llanrhidian Marsh - [BS & MP]
Showing the 2 males (females close by) (c) B. Stewart

?  [EG] 12 & 13 May [male] Kenfig Pool - [ND]

A  [EG] 29 Aug 2, Kenfig river mouth [Owen Leyshon]

A  [EG] 07 Oct Kenfig Pool - [ND]

A  [EG] 28 Aug - 7 Sep Watermill Flood [NPR]

[WG] 18 Oct [female/imm] Llanrhidian - [BS, DRWG, JPH]

(c) B. Stewart

     *Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)
A   [EG] 14 Jan - 24 Apr [Drake] CBWR & Cosmeston CP - [GP, CJ, PMH et al] and Lisvane             Res 17 Mar [PB & RJT] {from 2015}
                                                              (c) JDW

[VC41] Mar 2016 [fem] undisclosed site - [per GRC]

Velvet Scoter (Melanitta fusca)
 A [EG] 03 Jan [drake] Porthcawl - [SRH, AM]
NP [EG] 4 off Porthcawl 18 Nov

Smew (Mergus albellus)
A [EG] 14-15 Jan [redhead] Kenfig Pool - [PP]
(c) M. Hipkin


Red Grouse (Lagopus lagopus)
w [EG] 15 Feb [1+] North Glamorgan - [per GRC]

Black-throated Diver (Gavia arctica)
[WG] 17 Jan [1] Margam Breakwater - [GR et al]
A   [EG] 2 off Lock's Common 14 Nov [MSC]

Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus grisus)
 A [EG] 03 Aug [1] off Sker Point - [ND]

Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus)
A   [EG] 1 Porthcawl 20 Aug [ABv]

Leach's Petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa)
A [EG] 10 Jul [1] off Porthcawl - [MSC]

**Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides)
A [EG] 29 May [1] Watermill, Ogmore - [DCB et al]
(c) Jeff Slocombe


Great White Egret  (Egretta alba)
[WG] 02 Jan - 10 Mar [max 3 on 03 Jan, 19 & 27 Feb & 10 Mar] Llanrhidian Marsh - [multi obs] {from 2015}
A [EG] - 1 Lavernock Pt 12 Oct [DRWG]
A [EG] - 1 Kenfig Pool 27 Nov [ND]

*Cattle Egret (Bibulous ibis)
A [EG] 06 May [2] Cardiff Bay - [PMH]
    [WG] 05 Nov [1] Salthouse Point - [RHAT]
A  [EG] 26 Dec Wentloog Level - Cardiff [P. Brewster et al]

Spoonbill (Platalea leucrodia)
A [WG] 20 May [2] Loughor - [DC & TT]

Red-necked Grebe (Popiceps grisegena)
A [EG] 03 Jan Porthcawl - [SRH, AM]

Slavonian Grebe (Popiceps auritus)
w [WG] 03 Jan [4] Whiteford Point - [MHi]
w [WG] 16 Jan [2] Whiteford Point - [DJJ & GJJ]
A [WG] 22 Jan [1] undisclosed site - [per GRC]
w [WG] 11 Feb [2] Wernffwrd - [BS]
w [WG] 10 Mar [6] Wernffwrd - [MHi]
w [WG] 26 Mar [3] Llanrhidian - [BS & RHAT]
w [WG] 17 Apr [2] Burry Est. - [DR]

Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus)
A [EG] 18 Jun - 1 male Mawdlam  - [PGL]

Common Crane (Grus grus)
 A [EG] 05 May [2] f/o Kenfig - [ND]
(Probably from the GCP in Somerset)

Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)
A [EG] 22 Mar Aberthaw Saltmarsh - [GNS]
(c) Dave Pritchard

*Kentish Plover (Chardrius alexandrinus)
A [EG] 18 Apr [1] Sker Point - [ND, RWW & DGC]



(c) Dave Carrington


Dotterel (Chardrius morinellus)
[EG] 11 Oct [1] Nash - [RGS]

*Temminck's Stint (Calidris temminckii)
NP [EG] 5 Jun [1] Kenfig Pool 

**Baird's Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii)
 A  EG] 13-14 Oct [1] Kenfig Pool - [ND]

Grey Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius)
A  [EG] 5 & 6 Sep Lisvane Res [Alan & Jess Cripps]
A  [EG] 7 & 8 Nov E. Aberthaw lagoon [Maxine Levett]

Pomarine Skua   (Stercorarius pomarinus)
NP [EG] - 1 juv at Porthcawl 17 Nov

**Bonaparte's Gull (Chroiococephalus philadelphia)
A  [EG] 05 & 19 Apr [ad S] Cardiff Bay - [PGL et al, AB & MM]

Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides)
A [EG] 15 Mar [2cy] Llantwit Major - [GNS]
A [EG] 11, 13, 16 & 20 Apr [2cy] Cardiff Bay & surrounds [AGS et al] & Llan/Lis Res. 23 Apr - [PB]
(c) Graham Smith


Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus)
A [EG] 27-31 Jan & 01 to 18 Feb [1st W] The Knap, Barry - [CJ]
A [EG] 22 Feb Aberthaw [GNS] {same as above}
A [EG] 26 & 27 Feb Cardiff Bay [GNS] {same as above}
                                                              (c) Ceri Jones

[WG] 25 & 31 Mar [2cy] Crymlyn Burrows - [MHi]
(c) M. Hipkin

A  [EG] 31 Dec Cardiff Bay juv [GNS]

**Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica)
[WG] 18-21 May [1] Loughor - [BS]
(c) B. Stewart

 A [EG] 05 June [1] Kenfig Pool - [ND & DCB]

Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur)
 NP [EG] 07 May [1] Kenfig 
A [WG] 9 Jun [1] Fairwood Common - [DH]
 NP [EG] 28 Jun [1] Llanishen, Cardiff

Wryneck (Jynx torquilla)
A [EG] 1 Pant Norton 28 Aug (NPR)
A [EG] 1 Grangetown - Cardiff 8 Sep (Amy Schwartz)
    [EG] 1 Gileston/W Aberthaw - no details submitted
A  [EG] 1 Dunraven 12 to 16 Sep (D Ripley)

Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor)
 A [WG] 05-08, 20, 23 Jan & 12 Feb, 10, 13 & 30 Mar, 08, 10 Apr [1] Afan Forestry - [D. Coombs]
A [EG] 06 Jan, 26 & 27 Feb, 07, 09, 12 Mar [1] Garwnant - [A. Dowson & Mike Hogan]

A [WG] 23 Jan intermittently to 28 Feb [1] Mynydd Marchywel - [RJ]

A [EG] 26 Feb [1] Coed Craig Ruperra - [Andrew Bevan]
                                                            (c) Andrew Bevan

A   [EG] 1 Garwnant 23 Oct [Martin Bell]

Pallas's Warbler (Phylloscopus proregulus)
    [WG] 30 Oct [1] Middleton - [PPa & PT]
    [WG] 03 Nov [1] Middleton - [EAH]

Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus)
    [WG] 06 Oct - ?? Nov [??] Mewslade - [Multi-obs]
A  [EG] - 26 records in total, for 3 Oct to 28 Dec all accepted
  

Hume's Warbler (Phylloscopus humei)
    [WG] 29 Oct - ?? Nov [1] Middleton - [EAH & CDB]

Siberian Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita ssp. tristis)
    [WG] 23 Feb [1] Llanrhidian - [BS]
    [WG] 03 Nov [1] Middleton - [EAH]
A [EG] 1 Cardiff Bay 27 Dec [AGS et al]
A  [EG] 1 Forest Farm 25 & 26 Nov [RM et al]

Wood Lark (Lullula arborea)
A [EG] 1 Lavernock Pt 25 Nov (GNS)

Richard's Pipit (Anthus richardi)
    [WG] 30 Oct [1] Whiteford - [CDB]
A   [EG] 1 1stW at Nash Pt 1, 5 & 7 Dec [PPa et al]

Water Pipit (Anthus spinoletta)
w [EG] 17 Jan [1] Ogmore River - [NPR]
w [WG] 05 Mar [2] Neath Saltmarsh - [EAH]
w [EG] 10 Mar [1] River Thaw, wet meadows - [GNS]
w [WG] 29 Mar [1] Cwm Ivy Marsh - [JFD]
A [EG] 1 Llwyn-on 5 Dec (MHo, Tim Griffiths, Marc Everett)

Twite (Carduelis flavirostris)
NP   [EG] 30 Lavernock Pt 10 Oct - inadequate details.

Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis
w [WG] 01-23 Jan [max 3 on 01 & 17 Jan] Whiteford Point - [CDB et al]
(c) M. Hogan 18/01/2016


w [WG] 16 Oct - ?? Nov [max 4 on ?? Jan] Weobley causeway - [CDB et al]
w [WG] ?? Oct - ?? Nov [max 8 on ?? Nov] Vile, Rhossili - [MHi, EAH et al]
A [EG] 1 Porthcawl RNLI stn 31 Oct [H Fowler]
A  [EG] 1 Porthcawl 8 Nov [Strinda Davies]
A  [EG] 1 E Aberthaw 8 Nov [MCP and GNS]
A  [EG] 1 male Sker 7 Nov [ND]

Lapland Bunting (Calcarius lapponicus
A   [EG] 1 at Nash Pt 30 Nov [GNS]

Updated for E Glam
19 Aug 2017 by PB

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