Snow Bunting - 1949 status

Plectrophenax nivalis nivalis

Recorded near Fishguard, 1859; at Smalls Lighthouse, 17 Oct 1884.  Regular visitor Skokholm, Oct - Nov, but only once seen in spring.  Others records: Solva Oct 1894, Feb 1912, Boulston 1906, Feb 1911. St Ann's Head 17 April 1914.

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

Snow Bunting - 1994

Passage migrant and winter visitor. Not recorded in May, July and August

Mathew (1894) recorded Snow Buntings near Fishguard in 1859 and at the Smalls on 17 October 1884. Lockley et al. (1949) added records from Solva in October 1894 and February 1912, at Boulston in February 1911 and at St Ann's Head on 27 April 1914. They also noted that it was regular at Skokholm in October and November, but had only once been seen in the spring.

Nowadays one or two pass in spring, between 10 March and 27 April, though not annually. One was at Strumble Head on 5 June 1959.

They are regular autumn migrants, passing through coastal regions and the islands, occurring as far out as the Smalls. Groups of up to 12 have been recorded annually between 23 September and 18 November. At Strumble Head 14 birds were seen on 9 October 1983, and 17 birds were at Skokholm on 6 October 1961.

Up to 30 Snow Buntings have been found in the winter on the tops of the Preseli Mountains and they are probably regular, a challenge for birdwatchers to ascertain their true status there. Individual birds have also wintered on the coast at Fishguard Harbour several times during the 1980s, and at Strumble Head in 1984, while groups of five at St Ann's Head on 30 December 1984 and on Castle Martin ranges on 22 January 1985 may also have been wintering.

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

Snow Bunting - 1980s winter

Up to five birds were seen in four 10km squares during the BTO winter atlas of 1981-82, 1982-82 and 1983-84.

Graham Rees 

Snow Bunting - 1894

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

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Snow Bunting - migration

The Snow Bunting has a circumpolar breeding distribution, inhabiting the treeless expanses of the Arctic, extending south to areas of Norway and Scotland. Partially migratory, many winter far south of the breeding range. Most occurring in Britain have been of the Icelandic race P. n. insulae but the nominate race P. n. nivalis has been recorded in lesser numbers.

Six single Snow Buntings are on record for Pembrokeshire between the years 1859 and 1914, indicating that the species did not loom large during the specimen collecting era, which is perhaps significant considering their striking appearance. Lockley et al (1949) noted that the Snow Bunting was “a regular visitor to Skokholm in October and November but only once seen in spring”.

For the whole county there followed records in 17 years between 1953 and 1969, in 14 years between 1970 and 1989 and in every year bar one between 1990 and 2007.The majority, 86 %, were recorded in the autumn, between mid September and December, the earliest being on the 11th September. Of these 50 % were recorded in October.

Mostly single birds were involved but parties of up to 10 were sometimes encountered, with up to 15 seen at Ramsey, up to 17 at Skokholm and up to 38 at Strumble Head. The mean county autumn total was 9 per annum, excluding exceptional numbers recorded in 1996 and 1999.

 A total of 172 was recorded in 1999, of which a passage total of 115 on 16 dates was logged at Strumble Head. A total of 209 was recorded in the autumn of 1996, 160 of them spread over 10 dates passing Strumble Head.

 Snow Buntings have been recorded in the autumn at Pen Morfa, Dinas Island, Strumble Head, Garn Fawr (Pen Caer), Pen Brush, Trefin, Abereiddi, Trwyn Llwyd, St David’s airfield, Treleddyn, St David’s Head, Porth Clais, Ramsey, South Bishop, Solva, Newgale, Nolton Haven, St Bride’s, Martin’s Haven, Wooltack Point, Skomer, Grassholm, The Smalls, Marloes Beach, Skokholm, Gann,  Dale airfield, Kete, St Ann’s Head, Freshwater West, Castle Martin ranges, St Govan’s Head, Stackpole, Greenala and Garron.

 It seems that Snow Buntings can be encountered anywhere in coastal areas during autumn passage. Single birds at Carn Ingli on the 24th October 2005 and at Foel Eryr on the 28th November 1985 are the only inland records at this time of the year, perhaps reflecting the paucity of observers away from the coast at passage time.

A small and erratic spring passage has been detected in coastal areas, with variously one to three birds at a time noted during March and April, in 14 years between 1958 and 2006. Single birds were also recorded at Manorbier on the 26th May 1991 and at Strumble Head on the 5th June 1959 and 19th August 2002, the latter “captured” on video.

References

LOCKLEY. R. M, INGRAM. C. S. and SALMON. H. M.1949. The birds of Pembrokeshire, West Wales Field Society.

Snow bunting - winter

Plectrophenax nivalis 

There were 25 January records and 17 in February, up to 2006. Most were transient, recorded on single dates or gone in two or three days.

Two first seen at Fishguard Harbour on the 22nd November 1993 remained until the 14th January 1994, one staying until the 16th February.

Nine found on the Castle Martin ranges on the 21st December 1996 had reduced in number to seven by the 31st December, which stayed until the 19th January 1997, six of them were still there on the 2nd February.

Three which arrived on the salt marsh at the Nevern Estuary on the 29th November 2004, remained until the 11th January 2005, two of them until the 28th February.

A group of 23 occurred at Ramsey on the 6th January 2000 but there is no information as to how long they stayed.

The status of Mynydd Preseli as a wintering ground for Snow Buntings has not been resolved. It would appear that active watchers seldom traverse the upper regions in winter. Local farmer J. G. Stewart-Peter when recording two birds on the 2nd January 1953, stated that he saw small numbers on the highest parts of the range in most winters.

About thirty were noted on “Preseli Top” on the 1st March 1970 and 10 there on the 25th January 1986, 15 were near Foel Cerwyn on the 18th December 1987, three at Foel Feddau on the 18th February 1988 and eight or nine on Foel Drygarn on the 16th December 1997.

Graham Rees

(Covers records up to and including 2007)