Little Grebe - winter

 Tachybaptus ruficollis

Outside of the breeding season Little Grebes have been recorded on all of the estuaries and main freshwaters, as well as on many small ponds.

The Little Grebe was originally classified as a winter visitor by Lockley et al (1949) and Saunders (1976) when there were no known breeding birds in the county and they noted them on small ponds, lakes, reservoirs and estuarine arms. Only Saunders put any numbers to these occurrences, citing up to 20 on the Gann lagoon and 32 in Hook Reach.

Largest concentrations recorded between 1983 and 2005 were: Cleddau Estuary 69, Nevern Estuary 9, Teifi Estuary 8, Freshwaters 97.

Donovan and Rees (1994) estimated the average county winter population to be about 150 birds. Within the cover achieved by the Wetland Birds Survey team over 100 are on record for most recent winters, the maximum being 162 in the winter of 1996/97. However the survey could not cover all the small waters on which Little Grebes have been seen but seldom reported, so the 150 estimate on average is probably realistic or possibly a slight under estimate.

 Haycock (2008) noted a decline in Cleddau Estuary numbers from about the 1990’s and suggested this could be due to Westfield Pill becoming less suitable for this species. She also pointed out that the mid- winter population for the whole county was reasonably steady overall.

Normally they have started to appear on the estuaries in August and September and reached peak numbers by November to January, thereafter numbers diminished with most having departed by April.

Graham Rees

(Covers records up to and including 2008)

References

DONOVAN. J and REES. G. 1994. Birds of Pembrokeshire, Dyfed Wildlife Trust.

HAYCOCK. A. 2008. A review of the status of wetland birds in the Milford Haven Waterway and Daugleddau Estuary, A report to the Milford Haven Waterway Environmental Surveillance Group. Unpublished.

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

SAUNDERS. D. R. 1976. A brief guide to the birds of Pembrokeshire, Five Arches Press.

Little Grebe - breeding

 Tachybaptus ruficollis

Breeding resident and winter visitor.

The Little Grebe breeds throughout the temperate and tropical Old World and is resident, dispersive and migratory.

In Pembrokeshire it inhabits still fresh waters in the breeding season so is absent from the fast flowing rivers and streams. It requires waters to be vegetated around the fringes and beneath the surface. It is secretive and inconspicuous around the breeding area and can easily be overlooked, its far carrying, distinctive, whinnying call often being the first indication of its presence.

The breeding status of this species in the county in the past is difficult to evaluate. To Mathew (1894) it was a breeding species but by 1949 Lockley et al stated “apparently does not breed”.

Saunders (1976) commented “Strangely it does not remain to breed, for at least to human eyes, there are several suitable waters.”

However, Bertram Lloyd’s diaries contain records of breeding at Llambed in 1936 and suspected breeding at Slebech in 1937 and Sharrock (1976) indicated possible breeding between 1968 and 1972 in the south west of the county.

Donovan and Rees (1994) quoted breeding at Thornton Reservoir (now defunct) in 1965, at Pembroke Mill Pond in 1975 and at Trefloyne in 1981, with suspected breeding at Bosherston during the 1970’s and 1980’s.

The lack of breeding during the review periods of Lockley et al and Saunders might well have been the result of severe winters in 1939-40, 1947-48 and 1962-63 eliminating a small population which was previously present.

Two breeding bird surveys of the county using a grid of tetrads have since been completed and the results are summarised as follows: 

[Breeding maps & statistics]

Comparison of the results of the two surveys indicates an almost fourfold increase in the number of occupied tetrads during the elapsed period. Most birds were on well vegetated farm ponds used for irrigation. Many of the ponds used in 2003 – 07 had only recently been constructed in the 1980’s and only subsequently became vegetated and thus suitable for Little Grebes.

Although most small waters were used by just one breeding pair, some tetrads encompassed more than one such body of water and on some larger waters there was more than one pair, for instance there were four pairs at Marloes Mere. Allowing for these variables, the county total was estimated to be about 70 pairs by 2007, compared to 12 pairs in 1988.

Graham Rees

(Covers records up to and including 2008)

References

DONOVAN. J and REES. G. 1994. Birds of Pembrokeshire, Dyfed Wildlife Trust.

LLOYD. B. 1929-1939 Diaries, National Museum of Wales.

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

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

SAUNDERS. D. R. 1976. A brief guide to the birds of Pembrokeshire, Five Arches Press.

SHARROCK. J.T. R. 1976. The atlas of breeding birds in Britain and Ireland, Berkhamsted, T. & A. D. Poyser.

Carrion Crow - 2010

Corvus corone

Breeding resident.

The Carrion Crow was assessed as common and widespread in Pembrokeshire by Mathew (1894), Lockley et al (1949) and Donovan and Rees (1994). They were persecuted by gamekeepers during Mathew’s time, a hint of the scale being the record of 134 killed on the Cawdor estate in 1821. This continued into the Lockley et al era, an example being 150 counted on a gibbet at Slebech in 1930. Such carnage diminished during the two World Wars when many gamekeepers were recruited to the armed services. Control measures are still attempted but on a small and localised scale, so they are now unmolested over much of their county range.   

Nesting in trees, on old buildings and cliff ledges, the Carrion Crow has been found breeding all over the county, including the major offshore islands. Its breeding distribution was plotted in 1984 – 88 by a survey using tetrads as a grid and this was repeated in 2003 – 07.

Breeding surveys	1984 – 88	2003 – 07
Total tetrads where found	459	453
Confirmed breeding	390	354
Probable breeding	22	51
Possible breeding	47	48

An estimate of the breeding population was attempted following the survey of 1984 – 88, which was based on the distances between nests in a small number of random localities. With no other information available at the time, this was used to calculate a county total breeding population of 18,000 – 21,000 pairs. With the benefit of hindsight this is now considered to be an inflated total. The BTO’s New Atlas of 1988 – 91 showed Pembrokeshire contained Carrion Crows at maximum abundance and if their UK average density is used as an adjustment, a county population of about 10,000 pairs results, which seems more realistic. The 2003 – 07 survey found no marked difference in distribution from the 1984 – 88 survey, so there was probably no change in the size of the breeding population.

Being a successful breeder the Carrion Crow produces a surplus component to its population, comprised of immature birds that are too young to breed or adults which cannot find a vacant breeding territory. In places these form flocks which have been most noticeable on parts of the estuaries such as Fowborough and the Gann. This “reservoir” enables territories made vacant by various means, like shooting, to be recolonised.

There are several records of Carrion Crows flying in off or out to sea at headlands and islands, as far out as The Smalls, but the only concrete evidence of migration was of a nestling ringed on Bardsey Island which was recovered in north Pembrokeshire. 

Graham Rees.

(Covers records up to and including 2010)

Green Sandpiper - status

Tringa achropus

Passage migrant and winter visitor.

The Green Sandpiper breeds across the northern Palearctic from Scandinavia to Siberia, wintering south of this range as far south as Africa and Asia.

From the late 1800’s to the present, the Green Sandpiper has predominantly been an autumn visitor to Pembrokeshire. Throughout this period some have over wintered and a small erratic spring passage has been detected. They have been seen around many small pools, both on the mainland and offshore islands, in the upper reaches of estuaries around the zone where fresh water runs into salt water and overflying land including habitations.

Overall it is likely that this species has been under recorded, inasmuch as it can occur on quite small ponds and streams which are seldom visited by observers.

Graham Rees.

(Covers records up to and including 2006).

Green Sandpiper - spring

Tringa achropus

Departure of over wintering birds from the main localities have been recorded up to late April and early May. Assessing spring passage has therefore not included records of this nature. Away from these wintering sites spring passage has been noted in 21 years between 1952 and 2006, so it has not been an annual event. Records have come from Skokholm, Skomer, Pembroke Mill Ponds, St David’s airfield, Tretio, Pen Beri, Gann, Teifi Estuary, Treffgarne, Ritec and Fortune’s Frolic. They occurred between March and 22nd May and involved single birds, except for two at St David’s airfield on the 7th April 2003 and two at the Gann on the 29th April 2001.

Graham Rees.

(Covers records up to and including 2006).

Green Sandpiper - winter

Tringa achropus

In 1894 Mathew wrote of the Green Sandpiper, “not infrequently it occurs throughout the winter months”. Subsequently this was established as a regular feature. This has mostly involved single birds at any one locality but up to five have been seen at favoured sites. The most favoured places have been Westfield Pill, the Blackpool Mill / Minwear region of the Eastern Cleddau, Millin Pill, Carew / Milton and Cresswell Quay. Birds centred on these areas possibly account for occurrences at Rosemarket, Clerkenhill, Llawhaden, Little Milford, Broadley / Southern Pitts and Cosheston. Less regular winter records have come from Pentwd, Nevern Estuary, Sealyham, Heathfield, St David’s airfield, Wallis Moor, Scolton, Bicton, Herbrandston, Gann / Mullock, Monkton, Ludchurch, Norchard and Lydstep.

Graham Rees.

(Covers records up to and including 2006).

Green Sandpiper - autumn

Tringa achropus

Females tend to leave the breeding grounds early, about a third of the way through June, small chicks being left in the care of the males. Autumn passage in Pembrokeshire has commenced from the 20th June and continued to October, representing 65 % of the annual totals. Earlier birds were recorded at the Teifi Marshes on the 13th June 1990 and 2nd June 1996. One individual was reported as summering at the Teifi Marshes in 1994, being present from May to August.

Conceivably some November occurrences could have been late migrants but October has been used as a cut off point in this assessment.

Autumn passage totals 1990 – 2006.

These are minimum figures, for no means have been found for evaluating turnover of individuals at each site. Most records refer to one to four birds per occasion but up to five have been recorded at Skokholm, Eastern Cleddau and Heathfield Gravel Pit, six at Skomer, Teifi Marshes and the Gann, seven at Westfield Pill and nine at Pembroke Mill Ponds.

Graham Rees.

(Covers records up to and including 2006).

Sanderling - winter

Calidris alba

One to five birds at a time have been recorded during the winter period, December to March, initially in 1927 and 1929, then in 1961 and 1963, in 1983, 1985, 1987, 1991 and in every year from 1994 to 2006. Most records are for single dates but occasionally they have stayed for up to a month and in 1996 up to three were at Fishguard Harbour for six weeks and in 1997 up to three at the Gann for six weeks. Perhaps these were offshoots from the substantial winter population found at Cefn Sidan in neighbouring Carmarthenshire.

Graham Rees.

(Covers records up to and including 2006).

Sanderling - passage

Calidris alba

Autumn passage has been recorded from the 16th July to the end of November. The most favoured localities have been the Teifi Estuary (max. 15 on the 21st August 1987), Nevern Estuary (max. 18 on the 29th July 2005), Angle Bay (max. 25 on the 22nd September 2006) and Frainslake (max. 57 on the 21st July 1996). Transient birds have also been seen at popular bathing beaches, mostly involving one to four birds at a time but 12 were at Broad Haven (North) on the 2nd September 1985 and 50 there on the 30th July 1986.

Spring passage has been recorded from April to the end of June, most passing through during May, hence being a much quicker event than autumn passage and in terms of volume involving about half the number of birds.

The same localities were frequented in spring as in autumn, flock sizes being similar, the maximum recorded being 40 at Frainslake on the 18th May 1996.

Cumulative passage totals 1980 – 2006.

Graham Rees.

(Covers records up to and including 2006).

Sanderling - status

Calidris alba

Passage migrant and winter visitor.

The Sanderling has a circumpolar Arctic tundra breeding distribution, subsequently migrating to shorelines throughout the rest of the world, short of Antarctica. Those seen in North West Europe are from Greenland and Siberia.

The Sanderling was classified by early authorities as an autumn and occasional spring passage migrant to Pembrokeshire. Subsequent observations have confirmed the autumn passage but also shown that there has been an annual spring passage and a few winter occurrences. They have mostly occurred on sandy beaches and flats but have also been seen resting on rocky shores and by coastal pools like those on Skokholm , Skomer and Newgale Marsh and once running about on the dry runways of the disused Dale airfield. They have also been seen passing offshore from Strumble Head, the islands and The Smalls.

Graham Rees.

(Covers records up to and including 2006).

Ross’s Gull

Rhodostethia rosea

Vagrant.

The Ross’s Gull has a disjointed Arctic breeding distribution and largely winters in the far north but a few occasionally wander further south.

An adult was at Fishguard Harbour on the 15th and 16th February 1981. It was found by Jack Donovan, while leading a field meeting of the Mid-Pembrokeshire Section of the Dyfed Wildlife Trust. Perched initially on a hand rail by the lifeboat station amid a group of Black-headed Gulls, it flew off into the harbour.

It was relocated the following day, walking on the sands of the inner harbour but shortly afterwards took off, gained height and departed northwards. This was the first recorded occurrence in Wales.

Graham Rees.

(Covers records up to and including 2008).

Red-necked Phalarope - 2008

Phalaropus lobatus

Vagrant.

The Red – necked Phalarope breeds above the middle latitudes across the Holarctic, the nearest to Pembrokeshire normally in the far north of Scotland. Western Palearctic birds winter in the Arabian Sea and largely migrate overland.

A juvenile shot on a farm pond at St Twynells in c.1900 was housed in the collection of F. Roberts. Bertram Lloyd examined the specimen on the 20th May 1928 and verified the identification was correct. Lockley et al (1949) quotes “Recorded by a writer in the Field, 18th March 1899” but gives no detail, not even a locality. Barrett, 1959, noted singles off St Ann’s Head (not St Govan’s as quoted by Donovan and Rees, 1994) on the 19th September 1950 and at the Gann on the 16th September 1957. Subsequently there was a juvenile on a farm slurry pond at Haroldston West on the 4th and 5th October 1983.

Graham Rees.

(Covers records up to and including 2008).