Wednesday, August 7, 2013 at 7:53AM Regulus regulus anglorum
Resident and winter visitor. Irregular on the islands.
R.M.Lockley, G.C.S.Ingram, H.M.Salmon, 1949, The Birds of Pembrokeshire, The West Wales Field Society
Wednesday, July 4, 2012 at 12:26PM The Goldcrest suffers high mortality during severe winter weather. This was experienced in 1979, affecting the breeding population during the 1984-88 survey, when it was estimated that there were about 5,000 pairs by 1988. There were no severe winters thereafter up to and including the time of the 2003-07 survey. During this survey a 33% increase in distribution was detected, despite clear felling of some conifer plantations, probably because most had been surveyed before felling took place. The BBS found there had been a 14% increase in numbers in Wales in 2006–07, which if applied to Pembrokeshire suggests the population had risen to about 6,000 pairs during the survey of 2007 but this is likely to decrease following the loss of so many conifer plantations.
Graham Rees
Fieldwork 2003-07 (based on 490 tetrads)
Red = breeding confirmed = 72
Orange = breeding probable = 249
Yellow = breeding possible = 11
Total tetrads in which registered = 332 (67.8%)
Sunday, December 25, 2011 at 11:28AM Breeding resident and passage migrant
Although Mathew (1894) regarded the Goldcrest as a common resident, Lockley et al. (1949) remarked that they were not numerous in Pembrokeshire owing to a lack of conifers. Today they breed widely in small numbers over most of the county, but are extremely numerous in the conifer plantations that now exist. At an estimated density of ten pairs per tetrad, with possibly 500 pairs per tetrad in the plantations, the breeding population was probably about 5,000 pairs at the time of the Breeding Birds Survey of 1984-1988. Severe winters cause high mortality in Goldcrests, greatly reducing the breeding population.
A distinct, but erratic, spring passage occurs during the period 10 March to 27 May, when many small falls of 20 or so are found on headlands and the offshore islands.
They are normally more numerous on autumn passage, from 4 August to 12 November, and falls are generally larger; for example, about 250 were noted at Skomer on 8 October 1959.
Goldcrests are widespread in Pembrokeshire in the winter, joining mixed tit flocks and sometimes roving in loose-knit groups of their own species.
Fieldwork 1984-88 (based on 478 tetrads)
Red = breeding confirmed = 72
Orange = breeding probable = 139
Yellow = breeding possible = 38
Total tetrads in which registered = 249 (52.1%)
Friday, November 11, 2011 at 12:51PM 
Red = breeding confirmed
Orange = breeding probable
Yellow = breeding possible
Sunday, October 9, 2011 at 6:07PM 
The BTO winter atlas showed that Goldcrests were present in most 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 20 birds.
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.
Graham Rees
Sunday, September 26, 2010 at 12:49PM Regulus cristatus
A common resident, receiving accessions to its numbers in the winter from northern countries. Mr. Dix saw a flock of about fifty in a plantation on 6th November. Goldcrests were always numerous in the larch plantations at Stone Hall, where we came across numbers of their beautiful nests. One we found close to the house was entirely lined with the feathers of the Green Woodpecker. There was a nest of these birds in an adjoining sycamore tree. We have had several bright plumaged male Goldcrests sent to us by friends for Firecrests. Although the Firecrest is extremely likely to occur in the winter-time in Pembrokeshire, we have not yet either seen or heard of a county specimen. It may be useful to remark that the Firecrest is always to be easily distinguished from the Goldcrest by the white line above the eye.
