Brambling - 1949 status

Fringilla monifringilla

Regular winter visitor to the whole coast with Chafinches from October onwards, and can usually be found among the large flocks of finches about farm yards and stacks.  Occasional Skokholm and Skomer.  Described by Mathew as a rare and irregular winter visitor.  Seldom recorded before 1930.

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

Brambling - 1994

Winter visitor and passage migrant. Not recorded from May to August

Mathew (1894) considered the Brambling a rare and irregular visitor, whereas Lockley et al. (1949) considered it regular.

Today they pass through Pembrokeshire in small numbers most autumns between 3 October and 28 November, though one was at Skokholm as early as 25 September in 1976. It is probable that more pass undetected at night as there are occasional falls of larger numbers, such as 800 seen at Skokholm on 22 October 1966.

A few can usually be found among other finches in winter, but larger flocks of 100-110 occur in some years, usually among turnips which have seeded, or, more recently, in unharvested flax.

A small and erratic spring passage has been recorded on the islands and in coastal districts between 4 March and 27 April.

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

Brambling - 1980s winter

The BTO winter atlas showed that Bramblings were present in few 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 41 birds.

Small numbers were erratic in occurrence in Pembrokeshire but occasionally larger groups gathered at good food sources, as shown on map. 

Graham Rees

Brambling - 1894

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

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