Bewick Swan - 1949

Cygnus bewickii bewickii

Mathew gives the following records: Trevithan Pool, 10 Nov 1887. five immatures near St Davids, 1887; an immature near St Davids Dec 1890, in which winter many swans were seen; and a herd of fifteen there Nove 1982, probably of this species.  one other in 1905.  No recent records.

R.M.Lockley, G.C.S.Ingram, H.M.Salmon, 1949, The Birds of Pembrokeshire, The West Wales Field Society

Bewick Swan - 1994

Winter visitor. Not recorded from May to October

All Mathew's (1894) occurrences were near St David's, one shot at Trefeiddan in November 1887 being the first, while five others were shot in the same area later in the winter and "plucked and roasted", one in 1890 when many swans, probably Bewick's, were present (including flocks of up to 50 birds). A flock of 15 in November 1892 was probably also this species. Lockley et al. (1949) give one further record dated 1905.

Bewick's Swans have occurred more frequently since 1950, when one was at Dowrog on 17 April, with flocks of up to 26 passing through in most years from late October to December and March to April. Others arrive in response to hard winter weather to the east. The maximum occurred during the cold winter weather of early 1985 when there was a total of at least 49 Bewick's Swans in Pembrokeshire, with a herd of 32 at Hendre Eynon on 25 January.

Bewick Swan - 1980s winter

The BTO winter atlas showed that Bewick’s Swans were present in seven10km 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 9-29 birds, the maximum in Pembrokeshire during the period being ten in 1981 during a cold weather influx.

GHR 

Bewick Swan - 1894

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

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