Black-tailed Godwit - 1949

Limosa limosa limosa

According to Mathew a rare autumn visitor.  Recent records: ten Dale, Feb 1938 and five Dale, 5 Oct 1947; one Bosherston Marsh, 7 Mar 1938; one Skokholm, 22 May 1933, 7 April 1938, 25 May and 6 July 1947.  One Tenby 28 August 1947.

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

Black-tailed Godwit - 1994

Passage migrant

Mathew (1894) considered the Black-tailed Godwit to be a rare autumn visitor and Lockley et al. (1949) noted seven occurrences of single birds at Dale, Bosherston, Tenby and Skokholm, with five at Dale on 5 October 1947, which included February, March and May records.

It is now a regular passage migrant in small numbers, most frequently in autumn, between 25 June and 28 October. Numbers are small, normally up to ten birds, but larger flocks do occur with up to 35 seen regularly around Little Milford throughout August and September between 1949 and 1955. Only small numbers have occurred there since; however, about 40 put in a brief appearance on the Carew River on 20 July 1984. One or two occasionally spend the whole winter on the Cleddau Estuary, principally in the upper reaches at Hook and Carew/Cresswell.

Groups of up to ten pass through between 3 March and 8 June, with larger flocks occasionally stopping off briefly; for example 15 were at the Gann on 18 May 1985 and 25 there on 26 May 1987.

Black-tailed Godwits are not confined to the estuaries while on passage, being recorded at the offshore islands of Skokholm and Skomer, on popular bathing beaches including 18 seen at Broad Haven (north) on 2 May 1963, or passing offshore ( including 22 passing over the Smalls on 2 July 1982 and one flying in off the sea at Strumble Head on 12 September 1984). It is probable that most, if not all, are of Icelandic origin.

Donovan J.W. & Rees G.H (1994), Birds of Pembrokeshire

Black-tailed Godwit - 1980s winter

The BTO winter atlas showed that Black-tailed Godwits were present in only two estuarine 10km squares during the winters of 1981-82, 1982-82 and 1983-84, both within the Cleddau Estuary complex  

The light blue colour represents 1-4 birds which is consistent with the Birds of the Estuary Enquiry (BoEE, now WeBS) results at that time.

Graham Rees

Black-tailed Godwit - 1894

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

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