Pacific Diver - 2008 and 2009

Following one being found at Llys-y-fran reservoir in the winter of 2007, one (assumed to be the same bird returning) was at Llys-y-Fran Reservoir between 16th January and 6th February 2008. It was sporting 2nd year plumage (with distinctive chin strap). One on 16th and 17th February 2009 was also assumed to be the same bird.

Sources: Pembrokeshire Bird Reports 2008 and 2009.

Black Stork - 2015

One over the Garland Stone on Skomer on 25th May (MW, TW), also seen over West Hook

Farm on the same day. Record accepted by BBRC.

Source: Pembrokeshire Bird Report, 2015

Western Orphean Warbler - 2013

One in a garden at Orlandon Kilns, Dale from 10th November to 5th December 2013 was the first record for Pembrokeshire, new to Wales and the third for Britain.

Swainson's Thrush - 2015

Catharus ustulatus Carfonfraith

Vagrant one previous record, the first live bird for Britain and Ireland, logged in 1967, 1 trapped

1936-1976: 1 trapped

For many the highlight of the 2015 season was the arrival of a first-summer Swainson’s Thrush on 2nd June (RDB, IB). It arrived on the back of a deep area of low pressure which tracked quickly across the Atlantic, delivering unseasonal gale force winds to the west coast and a Cedar Waxwing to St. Mary’s, Scilly, on the same date. Similar systems during the previous week had produced the first spring Grey-cheeked Thrush for Ireland at Termoncarragh, Mayo, on 25th May and the second spring Veery for Britain at North Ronaldsay, Orkney, on 30th May. Catharus thrushes were thus firmly on the radar in spring 2015, nevertheless it came as something of a surprise when a push of the Cottage Heligoland revealed the presence of a North American visitor, the first spring record for Britain and the second record for Wales following one on Skokholm between the 14th and 19th October 1967.

The bird was a first-summer, as indicated by the retained juvenile greater coverts, and it was clearly emaciated with no fat reserves evident, almost non-existent pectoral muscles and a weight of just 23.5g. It was quickly released into the Courtyard where it was only seen briefly during the rest of the day. Happily the bird was still alive on the morning of the 3rd and it was clearly feeding well; although it could go missing for up to an hour, it regularly emerged from the nettles at the west end of the Courtyard and sat on an Elder where it would clean its bill before descending once again into thicker vegetation.

Occasional weather windows, its predictable feeding pattern and its position away from the more fragile areas of Skokholm allowed for twitches to be organised on the 4th, 5th and 8th and for 76 visiting birders to view the bird alongside residential guests. The bird went missing on the morning of the 7th, only to be refound in the Wheelhouse Heligoland that afternoon; in the hand it was clear that the bird’s condition had improved significantly, with a tracheal pit full of fat, more rounded pectoral muscles and a weight of 34.0g (a 44.7% increase in five days). The bird was released back into the Courtyard where it again showed predictably until the evening of the 10th; regular searches from the 11th onwards failed to find the bird.

Pictures on Skokholm blog

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There are four subspecies of Swainson’s Thrush which form two genetically distinct clades, one of which summers to the west of the Rocky Mountains and the other to the east. It was hoped that mitochondrial DNA analysis of a dropped feather would allow the Skokholm thrush to be identified to subspecies, however the feather showed a cytochrome b sequence identical to birds sampled on both sides of the Rockies. Although unassigned to race, this was only the 33rd Swainson’s Thrush to be documented in Britain.

Skokholm Bird Observatory Annual Report 2015 (Richard Brown & Giselle Eagle)

Brown-headed Cowbird - 2009

One was photographed in an Angle garden - 13th to 15th July 2009.

Accepted by BBRC as the first record for Pembrokeshire and for Wales and only the 5th record for the UK. (2009 Pembrokeshire Bird Report).

Cedar Waxwing - 2015

The remains of a predated bird were found at Treginnis on 27th June (C. Orgill). Accepted by BBRC as the first record for the county and for Wales. 

Source: Pembrokeshire Bird Report, 2015.

Blyth's Pipit - 2014

One at St David's Head on 18th November 2014 (Kathy Young-Powell, Mike Young-Powell, Bob Haycock) was the first accepted record for the county and only the second for Wales.

Cattle Egret - accepted records 1990-2009

Bubulcus ibis

British Birds Rarities committee

1997 Pembrokeshire Skomer, 30th April (W.Parker, P.Pugh et al.).

2008 Pembrokeshire Sandy Haven and Hasguard Cross area, adult, 17th October to 30th December, photo (D. J. Astins et al.) (Brit. Birds 102: plate 75).

2008 Pembrokeshire West Angle, 9th December, photo (C. Hurford).

2008 Hubberston, 9th–26th December, photo (C. Hurford et al.) different bird to the above.

2008 Pembrokeshire Trefasser, Strumble Head, five, 15th–29th December, photo (R. Dobbins, R. Johns et al.).

2008 Pembrokeshire Dale, 17th December into 2009, photo (K. J. S. Devonald et al.).

2009 - Dale bird from 2008 1 - 3 Jan before flying off south-west on the latter date.  Castlemartin also had a bird on 1 Jan (CH).  Then there was the long-staying bird at Newport found on 22 Feb and remained in the area until 14 April (SB).  Finally a bird at Angle on 19 Oct (RC).  

Sooty Tern - accepted record

Onychoprion fuscata

2005 Pembrokeshire Strumble Head, adult, 23rd August 2005 (G. H. Rees, A. Rogers), see also Anglesey.

Initially discovered, though not positively identified, at Rhosneigr on 5th July, this magnificent tropical tern was relocated two days later in the heart of an Arctic Tern S. paradisaea colony on The Skerries, where it delighted a procession of boatloads of visiting birders. On 10th July, the bird moved to the nearby tern colony at Cemlyn Bay, coincidentally the same site that hosted a well-watched Bridled Tern O. anaethetus in July 1988, leaving many observers with a distinct feeling of deja vu. On 12th July, the bird made the short hop across the Irish Sea to the tern colony at Rockabill, Co. Dublin, but, amazingly, by the evening of the same day it was back at Cemlyn, which just goes to show how far our rarities can wander in a day. Thereafter, its appearances proved frustratingly intermittent and it was last reported flying out to sea from Cemlyn on 26th July.

In a final twist to the tale, what was considered probably to be the same bird rewarded seawatchers with a flypast at Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire, in late August. A detailed account of the Anglesey bird was given by Davies (2005). Although these reports take the total number of records of Sooty Tern in Britain to 25, only two others have occurred since the famous exhausted bird found in Northamptonshire in May 1980: one in Kent and East Sussex in July 1984 and another in Fife in July 1989.

(Davies, A. 2005.The Sooty Tern on Anglesey. Birding World 18: 282–288.)

Dusky Warbler - accepted records 1990-2009

Phylloscopus fuscatus

British Birds Rarities Committee

2003 Pembrokeshire Porth Clais, near St David’s, 10th-13th November (P.Grennard, O.Roberts et al.).

Pine Bunting - accepted records

Emberiza leucocephalos

British Birds Rarites Committee

2000 Pembrokeshire Skokholm, male, 28th April 2000 (T.Purcell, G.Thompson).

Greenish Warbler - accepted records 1990-2018

Phylloscopus trochiloides - ELOR GWYRDD - Very rare autumn visitor.

British Birds Rarities Committee

1990 Dyfed Skomer, 19th June (C.J.Orsman, H.A.Williams).
1996 Pembrokeshire Skomer, 27th June (T.P.Drew, J.Hayden, L.Smith et al.).
1997 Pembrokeshire Skokholm, 23rd June (G.V.F.Thompson et al.).

2003 - Pembrokeshire Skokholm, 4th-5th June (G.Morgan et al.) European and west Siberian race P. t. viridanus.

2012 - Very rare autumn visitor. One on Skomer on 8th Sept. (DB).

2013 - The only accepted record was of one on Skokholm on 18th June (GE, RB), the sixth record for the island'

2014 - Single Skomer on 7th June (EMS). Tenth record for the county, three have previously been recorded on Skomer and six on Skokholm.

2015 - Singles on Skomer on 12th June and 23rd July (EMS). 5th & 6th island records.

2017 - A single at Martins Haven, Deer Park on 25th Sept (DJA, BS). Accepted by WRP as the first mainland record in Pembrokeshire.

Records since 2012 extracted from the Pembrokeshire Bird Reports