Red-necked Grebe - 2000 onwards

Podiceps grisgena - Uncommon winter visitor

2000 - One Strumble Hd 8 Nov (CB, GHR et al).

2001 - One Strumble Hd 31 Oct (CB, PM, GHR)

2003 - Singles Strumble Hd 24 Sept (CB, GHR) and Bosherston 11 & 12 Nov (DJa et al).

2004 - One Fishguard Harb 9-28 Dec (AR et al).

2005 - One Teifi Estuary 12 Feb - 14 Mar (JG PN)

2006 - One Angle Bay 26 – 31 Dec (PRH et al).

2007 - All records came from two sites.  2 were at Angle Bay on 6 Jan, a single there on 18 Jan, 4 Feb and 2nd Mar (CH et al).  A single passed Strumble Head on 17 Oct (GHR)

2008 - Only two records this year, both of singles: at Angle Bay on 26 Jan - 6 March (CH et al); and at Carew Millpond 15 Dec to end of year (DGI et al)

2011 - A single bird at Cwm Yr Eglwys from 5th Jan to 1st Feb (SEB) and another at Gann/Dale Roads from 29th Jan until 13th Mar (DJA).

2015 - Single birds at Amroth on 5th Jan and at Angle Bay from 8th - 17th Jan were the only records for the year.

2016 - A single bird at Westfield Pill from 3rd to 12th Nov was the only record received.

Records extracted from the Pembrokeshire Bird Reports

This species has been added to WRP Description list as of 1st Jan. 2017.

Red-necked Grebe - 1949

Podiceps griseigena griseigena

Tracy said that he had several times killed this species on the millpond at Pembroke.  One Tenby, spring 1898; one Crickmarren Pond, 1 Mar 1917; one Solva, 10 Sept 1920; one St Ann's Head, 21 Apr, 1938.

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

Red-necked Grebe - 1994

Scarce winter visitor. Not recorded between May and August

Mathew (1894) noted "several examples" from Pembroke Mill Pond and Lockley et al.(1949) added four further records. A total of 46 have been noted since, extreme dates being 4 September and 21 April. They have been recorded from all parts of the outer coast, particularly Fishguard Harbour and St Bride's Bay, within the estuaries, mainly the Cleddau, and at several fresh water sites such as Bosherston Pools.

Easy to locate and identify on fresh waters and estuaries, it is difficult to do so on the sea. However, enough birds have been found around the outer coastline over the years to suggest that the Red- necked Grebe is still overlooked and may well be a regular visitor in small numbers.

Red-necked Grebe - 1980s winter atlas

The BTO winter atlas showed that single Red-necked Grebes were noted in one estuarine and three coastal 10km squares during the winters of 1981-82, 1982-82 and 1983-84.

Graham Rees

Red-necked Grebe - 1894

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

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Red-necked Grebe

Podiceps grisegena

A scarce winter visitor and passage migrant.

The Red – necked Grebe breeds mainly in fresh water habitat, in the temperate Palearctic and Nearctic, mostly wintering on tidal waters.

In Pembrokeshire, Mathew (1894) noted that the Red–necked Grebe had been killed several times at Pembroke Mill Pond. Thereafter records were more specific. A total of 102 birds were recorded in 44 years between 1898 and 2006, observer cover being greatest from the 1980’s. It seems that the species has been a regular visitor but more have been seen in some years than in others, mostly one to four in a year but six were noted in 1987 and 1997, 10 in 1988 and 16 in 1996.

Annual totals on record 

They have been noted around the outer coast at Newport Bay, Fishguard harbour, Solva, Newgale, Druidston, Little and Broad Haven (N), Martin’s Haven, Wooltack Point, St Ann’s Head, Giltar and Tenby, on the Teifi Estuary and in most parts of the extensive Cleddau Estuary as far upstream as Little Milford. They have also occurred on fresh waters at Bosherston, Llys y fran Reservoir, Heathfield Gravel Pit, Pen Beri Reservoir, Treginnis, Slate Mill Reservoir, Bicton Reservoir, Westfield Pill and Crickmarren Pond. Additionally singles were recorded once at Skomer, twice at Skokholm and on six occasions flying past Strumble Head, which were considered to be active migrants.

They were mainly recorded in the periods of January to March, 55 %, and October to December, 40 %, but also seen four times in April, once in May (at Skokholm on the 21st 1997), once in July (at Dale on the 30th 1948) and six times in September.

Graham Rees

( Covers records up to and including 2006 ).