Red-throated diver - passage

Gavia stellata

A marked autumn passage of birds travelling from north to south has been recorded since at least 1980, spanning the months August to December, though singles were recorded in 2 years on the 11th July and once on the 3rd July.

This movement has been well documented at Strumble Head. August records were confined to the latter part of the month, 19th – 31st, totalling just six birds over the period 1980 – 2006.The main passage was between October and December and is represented below in graphical form. These are the mean annual values calculated from the total number of birds recorded for the period 1980 to 2006, grouped into six day intervals.

Only once in 27 years did the passage continue into January, when 40 passed on the 6th in 1991, thereafter no movement being detected during that month. The number of birds passing on any one day was generally small but over 30 was recorded five times in four different years, the maximum being 44 on the 4th December 1993.

The December peak was obscured in some years, with passage ceasing during gales. It is not known whether these held up birds within the comparative shelter of Cardigan Bay which continued their migration when the wind moderated, or the gales displaced birds from further south to seek shelter in the Bay, or possibly whether both reactions took place.

A passage of smaller volume than in the autumn has been noted in spring, March to 30th May. This has not been well documented but has involved birds passing westwards off St Govan’s Head, northward past the offshore islands of Skokholm and Skomer and eastwards past Strumble Head.

The Red – throated Diver has only been recorded in Pembrokeshire once in June, when two were seen at Skomer on the 18th in 2003.

Red-throated diver - ages

Gavia stellata

Very few observers have reported whether their sightings involved adults or immature birds, perhaps not surprisingly considering the circumstances in which they are often seen. However in the autumn it is easy to differentiate those in full summer plumage and those showing traces of summer plumage, from those in winter and juvenile plumage.

This was recorded systematically at Strumble Head during autumn passage between the years of 1980 and 2008. The proportion showing signs of summer plumage was 91 % in September, 50 % in October and 3 % in November (latest on 23 November), the total number of birds examined being 483, 588 and 533 respectively. This clearly indicates that adults pass earlier than the bulk of younger birds.   

Graham Rees

(Covers records up to and including those for 2006).

Red-throated Diver - 1894

Species account from M Mathew, 1894, The Birds of Pembrokeshire and its islands

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Surf Scoter - 2007 summary

Melanitta perspicillata

Rare visitor.

The Surf Scoter breeds across the North American continent mostly north of the tree line, moving south after the breeding season along both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. A very few cross to northern Europe, particularly to Britain and Ireland.

The first Surf Scoter recorded in Pembrokeshire was a male found at Druidston by Leader Hawkins on the 29th October 1979, which stayed until the 4th November. There followed an immature male passing Strumble Head on the 13th November 1982 and four males together doing the same thing on the 13th November 1987. A male, sometimes two males together, off Madoc’s Haven, near Nolton, from the 14th November 1987 to the 5th March 1988, were most likely part of the Strumble Head foursome. A male passed Skokholm on the 25th October 1990.

A male was present off Amroth from the 3rd to the 27th January 1991, 27th November 1994 to the 2nd January 1995, with two males seen on the 22nd December 1994, a male from the 14th February to the 14th March 1997, 21st and 22nd March 1998, 15th November 1998 to the 11th February 1999, 29th November 1999 to the 15th January 2000. Males were also seen elsewhere in Carmarthen Bay during this span of years, for example at Marros and Pendine in Carmarthenshire.

A male and female were at Broad Haven (N) in St Bride’s Bay from the 5th December 2003 to the 2nd January 2004 and a male and female off Newgale, also in St Bride’s Bay, on the 26th and 27th November 2005. Single males passed Strumble Head on the 9th June and the 22nd September 2004.

All the Surf Scoters recorded in Pembrokeshire were seen in association with Common Scoters and it is probable that they accompanied that species on its annual migrations to and from winter quarters, in which case far fewer individuals were probably involved than the plethora of dates might suggest.  

Graham Rees.

(Covers records up to and including 2008).  

Redshank - 1980s winter atlas

Tringa totanus

The BTO winter atlas showed that redshanks were present in several coastal and estuarine 10km squares during the winters of 1981-82, 1982-82 and 1983-84.

The darker the colour, the higher the relative total count for each 10km square.  The darkest blue represents over 121 birds, with the highest count being 165 in SN01.

The distribution is consistent with the Birds of the Estuary Enquiry (BoEE, now WeBS) at that time, with the majority of birds in the inland parts of the Cleddau Estuary complex.  However, the maximum counted by BoEE in winter 1982-83 was 1048 throughout the whole estuary.

The Nevern and Teifi estuaries provided the main wintering grounds in the north of the county.

LACK, P.C. (1986) The atlas of wintering birds in Britain and Ireland. T. & A.D. Poyser

Chaffinch - 1980s winter

Fringilla coelebs

The BTO winter atlas showed that chaffinches were present in virtually all 10km squares during the winters of 1981-82, 1982-82 and 1983-84.

The darker the colour, the higher the relative total count for each 10km square.  The darkest blue represents over 360 birds, with the highest count being 1258 in SM80.

However, it should be noted that the figures show a high correlation with the number of recording cards returned (therefore related to recording effort) for each 10km square. 

LACK, P.C. (1986) The atlas of wintering birds in Britain and Ireland. T. & A.D. Poyser

Fieldfare - 1894

Species account from M Mathew, 1894, "The Birds of Pembrokeshire and its islands"

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Redwing - 1894

Species account from M Mathew, 1894, "The Birds of Pembrokeshire and its islands"

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Snow Bunting - migration

The Snow Bunting has a circumpolar breeding distribution, inhabiting the treeless expanses of the Arctic, extending south to areas of Norway and Scotland. Partially migratory, many winter far south of the breeding range. Most occurring in Britain have been of the Icelandic race P. n. insulae but the nominate race P. n. nivalis has been recorded in lesser numbers.

Six single Snow Buntings are on record for Pembrokeshire between the years 1859 and 1914, indicating that the species did not loom large during the specimen collecting era, which is perhaps significant considering their striking appearance. Lockley et al (1949) noted that the Snow Bunting was “a regular visitor to Skokholm in October and November but only once seen in spring”.

For the whole county there followed records in 17 years between 1953 and 1969, in 14 years between 1970 and 1989 and in every year bar one between 1990 and 2007.The majority, 86 %, were recorded in the autumn, between mid September and December, the earliest being on the 11th September. Of these 50 % were recorded in October.

Mostly single birds were involved but parties of up to 10 were sometimes encountered, with up to 15 seen at Ramsey, up to 17 at Skokholm and up to 38 at Strumble Head. The mean county autumn total was 9 per annum, excluding exceptional numbers recorded in 1996 and 1999.

 A total of 172 was recorded in 1999, of which a passage total of 115 on 16 dates was logged at Strumble Head. A total of 209 was recorded in the autumn of 1996, 160 of them spread over 10 dates passing Strumble Head.

 Snow Buntings have been recorded in the autumn at Pen Morfa, Dinas Island, Strumble Head, Garn Fawr (Pen Caer), Pen Brush, Trefin, Abereiddi, Trwyn Llwyd, St David’s airfield, Treleddyn, St David’s Head, Porth Clais, Ramsey, South Bishop, Solva, Newgale, Nolton Haven, St Bride’s, Martin’s Haven, Wooltack Point, Skomer, Grassholm, The Smalls, Marloes Beach, Skokholm, Gann,  Dale airfield, Kete, St Ann’s Head, Freshwater West, Castle Martin ranges, St Govan’s Head, Stackpole, Greenala and Garron.

 It seems that Snow Buntings can be encountered anywhere in coastal areas during autumn passage. Single birds at Carn Ingli on the 24th October 2005 and at Foel Eryr on the 28th November 1985 are the only inland records at this time of the year, perhaps reflecting the paucity of observers away from the coast at passage time.

A small and erratic spring passage has been detected in coastal areas, with variously one to three birds at a time noted during March and April, in 14 years between 1958 and 2006. Single birds were also recorded at Manorbier on the 26th May 1991 and at Strumble Head on the 5th June 1959 and 19th August 2002, the latter “captured” on video.

References

LOCKLEY. R. M, INGRAM. C. S. and SALMON. H. M.1949. The birds of Pembrokeshire, West Wales Field Society.

Chaffinch - 2008 winter

Fringilla coelebs

Chaffinch numbers have been boosted during the winter months when the sedentary breeding population has been joined by immigrant continental birds. Bertram Lloyd (1939) considered the small groups he found around farm rickyards and dungyards to be local birds but the larger flocks in the more open countryside were continental birds.

Since then the farmyard groups have largely disappeared in the absence of spilled grain and dung heaps, which have largely given way to slurry pits. Groups in the wider countryside have varied in size and distribution dependent on the nature of changing agricultural practices. Those areas proving attractive to Chaffinches have been barley stubbles, seeded turnips, unharvested linseed and crops like sunflowers planted for the benefit of Pheasants. Beech mast has also been exploited but the quantity available is cyclical and the trees are local and sparsely distributed in the county.

The size of most winter flocks has been between 50 to 300 birds, with some larger gatherings on record. 500 were at Longhouse on the 6th February 2004 and Castle Martin on the 15th January 2007, 600 at St Florence on 31st December 2005, 750 at Angle on the 23rd December 2008, 900 at Marloes on the 25th January 1993, 2,000 at St Florence on 29th January 2006 and 3,000 at Hubberston on the 5th January 2006. 

Graham Rees. (Covers records up to and including 2008)
References: LLOYD. B. 1929-1939 Diaries, National Museum of Wales.

Song Thrush - 1894

Species account from M Mathew, 1894, The Birds of Pembrokeshire and its islands

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Red-necked Grebe - 1894

Account extracted from M Mathew, 1894, The Birds of Pembrokeshire and its islands.

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