Search site
Atlas

Species list
Powered by Squarespace
Navigation

Entries in duck (13)

Sunday
Sep182011

Goosander - 1980s winter atlas

The BTO winter atlas showed the 10km squares where Goosanders were recorded 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 4-10 birds seen in a day.

Graham Rees 

 

Sunday
Sep182011

Goldeneye - 1980s winter atlas

The BTO winter atlas showed that Goldeneyes were present in both estuarine and fresh water 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 27 birds, with up to 47 recorded in SM 91.

Graham Rees

Sunday
Sep182011

Gadwall - 1980s BTO winter atlas

 

 

The BTO winter atlas showed that Gadwalls were present in both estuarine and fresh water 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 23 birds.

 

Graham Rees 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday
Sep162011

Eider - 1980s winter atlas

Friday
Sep162011

Common Scoter - 1980s winter atlas

The BTO winter atlas showed that Common Scoters were present in a few coastal and estuarine 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 more than 96 birds. Up to 420 were recorded in St Bride’s Bay (SM 81 & 82) and 650 off Amroth (SN 10) during this period.

Graham Rees 

Monday
Apr112011

Eider - ages

Somateria mollissima

Most observers reporting during the years 1981 to 2006 noted the age of birds seen. 61% were classified as female, 15% as immature males and 24% as adult males. Adult males were rarely seen during the winter months but were more frequently seen among passing groups. Illustrating this point, of 74 adult males recorded during the period, 62 of them migrated past Strumble Head.

Graham Rees.

(Covers records up to and including 2008).

References

MATHEW. M. 1894. The birds of Pembrokeshire and its islands, R. H. Porter.

Monday
Apr112011

Eider - breeding

Somateria mollissima

Breeding was suspected at Caldey in 1981 and a flightless group in the St Govan’s Head/Barafundle   area in July 1983 was thought to be a female with a brood of large young.

Monday
Apr112011

Eider - passage

Somateria mollissima

Eiders have also been recorded in transit in every month of the year, either flying past prominent headlands like Dinas Head and Strumble Head (1 to 19 at a time), past the islands of Ramsey, Grassholm, Skomer and Skokholm (1 to 15 at a time), or settled temporarily on the sea.

 The latter category has included 30 at the Green Bridge of Wales on 26th April 1984, 38 in Caldey Roads on 25th March 1998, 17 off Solva on 17th April 2001 and 40 off Porthgain on 29th December 2003.

The origin and destination of these birds is unknown but Pembrokeshire lies between the main Eider concentrations in Wales at Aberdysynni, Merrionydd, mean of 72 in 12 recent years, and the Bury Inlet, West Glamorgan, mean of 97 in the same period, so could conceivably involve interchange between these populations.

Monday
Apr112011

Eider - winter

Somateria mollissima

Varying small numbers over-wintered (December/January to February/March) in 89 % of the years 1952 to 2008, most frequently in St Bride’s Bay between Little Haven and Newgale, the most involved being 16 in 1998.    

Winter presence in St Bride’s Bay: 1981-2005.

Others that have stayed throughout the winter were: two at Amroth in 1994, up to three in Angle Bay in 1998, singles in Newport Bay in 1999/2000 and in 2001, one to six in 2002, one to five at the Gann in 1987, two in 1963 and one in 1968/69.

Eiders which occurred in the winter but remained for shorter intervals were also recorded at Ceibwr, Fishguard Harbour, Jack Sound, West Angle, Sandy Haven, Newton Noyes, Llanstadwell, Neyland, Lawrenny/Roose Ferry, Landshipping, Frainslake, Manorbier, Giltar, Tenby, Saundersfoot and Caldey.

Monday
Apr112011

Eider - status

Somateria mollissima

Winter visitor and passage migrant.

The Eider has a circumpolar Arctic and sub Arctic breeding distribution, extending southwards to northern England and Northern Ireland. They are sedentary and dispersive.

The Eider was first put on record for Pembrokeshire by Mathew (1894) noting an immature male at Dale on the 18th January 1891. He also mentioned that Eiders had been shot at Stackpole and Pembroke but gave no other details. Next noted in 1952, Eiders have been recorded in most years since.

Sunday
Feb272011

Red-breasted Merganser - 1894

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

Click to read more ...

Sunday
Feb272011

Goosander - 1894

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

Click to read more ...