Little Egret - expansion

Egretta garzetta

The main locality where Little Egrets were seen during the expansion period was the Cleddau Estuary, which has many scattered inlets. The systematic monthly WeBS counts, running from September to March, became the foundation for monitoring numerical presence and population trends (Haycock, 2006). Cover for the months April to August were assessed from general observations reported, augmented by information gathered as a side product of the PCNPA’s annual Shelduckling surveys (Hodges, 1991-2006)

The possible alternative of counting birds attending roosts turned out to be less useful, as those located, such as at Brunt Wood and Carew Mill Pond, were not consistently occupied over time. 

Maximum counts – Cleddau Estuary

The majority (64 %) of Little Egrets recorded at the Cleddau Estuary up to 1988 were in the spring, predominantly in May. Thereafter, up to 2002, most arrived during the winter months and from 2003 peak numbers occurred in September.

Musgrove (2002) established a pattern had emerged in Britain of peak arrival in September with a smaller peak again in March. A small March peak seems to have also occurred on the Cleddau Estuary since 2003. These developments have taken place during the period when Little Egrets were progressively colonising southern England as a breeding bird.

The smaller estuaries of the Nevern and the Teifi have also proved attractive to Little Egrets, in numbers appropriate to their size. Two to four birds has been the normal presence at the Nevern Estuary from 1993, but up to five were noted in 2001 and 2005 and none were seen in 1998 and 1999. There was an average presence of four at the Teifi Estuary over the same period, with five in 2006, six in 2003 and 2005 and 12 for a brief part of November 2001.

The Little Egret has displayed a degree of restlessness and exploration during its range expansion into Pembrokeshire. It expanded its feeding range to areas adjacent to the estuaries where cattle and cattle feeders were present and was seen picking over freshly ploughed land.

 It has also been encountered at many rocky localities around the coast, such as Martin’s Haven, Trefin and Cwm yr Eglwys, visiting the offshore islands of Skokholm, Skomer, Ramsey and even Grassholm, sheltered areas like Fishguard Harbour and Solva, streams and ponds like Newgale Marsh, Afon Alun, Trefeiddan, Bosherston , Heathfield, Withybush, Manorteifi and further inland at Ffynone and Llys y fran Reservoir.

Graham Rees

(Covers records up to and including 2011)

References

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.

HODGES. J. E, Reports for 1991 – 2006. Daugleddau and Milford Haven Waterway, Surveillance of summer Shelduck populations, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority. Unpublished.

MUSGROVE. A. J. 2002. The non-breeding status of the Little Egret in Britain, British Birds, Vol. 95, 62 – 80.

Little Egret - status

Egretta garzetta

Winter visitor and passage migrant which has bred.

Little Egrets have a widespread breeding range encompassing southern and central Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. They began extending their wintering range in western France from 1974/75, reaching the northern coast during the course of 25 years, where nesting followed from 1988 and it is likely that dispersing birds from this population resulted in a flow into southern Britain.

The first recorded in Pembrokeshire was at Goodwick Moor as long ago as November 1909, when the species was a vagrant to Britain. The first for Britain was in Yorkshire in 1826 and very few were noted in the country during the 19th and the first half of the 20th century. Singles at Dale in May 1938 and May 1949 were among those few.

The modern ingress to Britain showed an understandable concentration on the south coast of England nearest area to France between Sussex and Cornwall. Commencing with a few birds in the 1950’s and 1960’s, it slowly gathered numerical momentum through the 1970’s and 1980’s.

In Pembrokeshire during this period, singles were seen at Goodwick in April 1955, at Little Milford in June 1962 and at the Gann in August 1962. One which commuted between the Gann and Sandy Haven Pill from October 1969 until April 1971 was joined by another on the 9th November 1969 which disappeared in mid December, believed to have been shot. It was thought that this was the same bird as seen at Fishguard in mid October 1969 and at Solva on the 29th and 30th October 1969.

Two others were at the Gann on the 15th May 1970, one was at Martin’s Haven from the 20th November 1972 to the 14th January 1973, one at Skokholm on the 18th May 1983, one at the Teifi Estuary from the 30th April 1984 which was presumed to have moved to the Nevern Estuary on the 2nd and 3rd June 1984 and one was at Sandy Haven Pill on the 19th and 20th May 1987.

There was a marked arrival in Britain in 1989, with peaks in May, August and December, probably totalling 120 birds. Pembrokeshire’s share was two at the Nevern Estuary on the 10th December, one remaining until the 19th.

From that year onwards the species occurred annually in the county in increasing numbers. These were exciting times for local observers, for the Little Egret was classified as a national rarity until the BBRC removed it from their list after 1990. Nonetheless this attractive and usually conspicuous bird continued to capture observers’ attention and up to about 1996 was well reported locally. Thereafter people became more blasé about seeing them and did not register their sightings so assiduously.

Graham Rees

(Covers records up to and including 2011)

Marsh Harrier - 2011 - Analysis

Circus aeruginosus

Cumulative monthly totals up to 2011.

Peak passage periods were April and May in spring and August and September in autumn. Apart from one seen near St David’s on the 2nd January 1955, there have been two over wintering birds, at the Dowrog in 1982/83, Marloes Mere in 1994/95 and at Castle Martin in 2009/10.

The only adult males recorded were: at Stone Hall in 1880, Ramsey on 20th May 1953, Skomer on the 3rd April 1984 and 24th – 25th April 1997, Trefeiddan on the 8th April 1984, the Gann on the 2nd March 1994 and 29th March 1995, Skokholm on the 3rd May 2001, Hendre, St David’s, on the 4th May 2001, the Dowrog on the 13th November 2003 and one half of the possible breeding pair in 2010 and 2011.

Most Marsh Harriers recorded were at or near the coast, from the Ceredigion border to Tenby, most frequently at the Teifi Marshes, St David’s area, Skomer and Marloes Mere.

Records from further inland were: Stone Hall in 1880, shot at Loveston in c.1884, Jordanston Moor prior to 1894, Mynydd Preseli on the 14th August 1929, Thornton on the 12th May 1971, Treffgarne on the 29th September 1996, Clarydale on the 15th April 1997 and Haverfordwest Race Course on the 10th October 2002. It should be noted that the bulk of observer attention has been focussed on the coastal strip.

Marsh Harriers seen migrating through the county have often hunted on the way, particularly pausing at wetlands, heath and moor but have also been seen quartering barley fields. Many followed the line of the coast but one was seen flying northwards out to sea at Strumble Head on the 6th May 2001 and another coming in off the sea from the north on the 3rd November 1996. A female was seen to depart eastwards from Marloes Mere on the 26th April 1987 steadily gaining height and was at an estimated altitude of 500 feet when finally lost to sight.    

Graham Rees

(Covers records up to and including 2011)

Marsh Harrier - Status

Circus aeruginosus

Scarce passage migrant, winter visitor and former breeder.

The Marsh Harrier breeds throughout the Western Palearctic, wintering southwards as far as Africa but it is resident in some areas.

Said to be formerly a common resident in Pembrokeshire, it had become a rare visitor by the time of Mathew (1894). How rare can be judged by there being only eight recorded occurrences between 1880 and 1941. Eighteen individuals were noted between 1942 and 1980, an increase that cannot be entirely due to a growth in the number of active observers.

From a single pair in 1971, the British breeding population increased by about 20 % per year to reach a minimum of 363 pairs by 2005. Although Pembrokeshire is peripheral to the main breeding area in eastern England and the species remained scarce in the county, its frequency of occurrence increased during the British population expansion.

Pembrokeshire: birds per annum, 1982 – 2011.

 

A pair summered in both 2010 and 2011 but breeding was not proven.

Graham Rees

(Covers records up to and including 2011)

Strumble Head

The premier sea-watching site in Pembrokeshire.

The Strumble Head Story Talk by Graham Rees, presented at the 2005 Pembrokeshire Bird Conference

Fishguard and Strumble Bird Blog

Strumble Head  Birding sites in Pembrokeshire

Treecreeper - 2003-07

Field experience during the 1984-88 survey suggested an average density of five pairs per tetrad, from which a county total of 1,000 nests was calculated. The figure derived from the 1988-91 National Atlas  was marginally lower. The BBS assessed there was a 21% decrease in Wales between 1994 and 2007, which if applicable to Pembrokeshire suggests a breeding population of a little less than 800 pairs at the end of the 2003-07 survey. Winter survival of Treecreepers decreases with an increase in wet weather. The trend towards wetter winters in Wales during the past fifteen years may well be at least part of the explanation for the reduced breeding population.

Graham Rees

 

Fieldwork 2003-07 (based on 490 tetrads) 

Red = breeding confirmed = 64

Orange = breeding probable = 95

Yellow = breeding possible = 38

Total tetrads in which registered = 197 (40.2%)

Nuthatch - 2003-07

The Nuthatch is a sedentary bird, so it is likely that all summer records are of breeding birds. The estimate at the end of the survey of 1984-88 was made on this premise, suggesting an average density of three to four pairs per tetrad and a county population of 600 – 800 pairs. The higher of these figures accords with the average density used by the 1988-91 National Atlas  to calculate the UK population.

Since then the BBS has indicated a 76% increase in Wales between 1994 and 2007. If the BBS findings are applied to the number of occupied tetrads registered by the survey of 2003-07, using a density of four pairs per tetrad, a population estimate of 1,500 pairs in Pembrokeshire emerges.  

 Graham Rees

Fieldwork 2003-07 (based on 490 tetrads) 

Red = breeding confirmed = 84

Orange = breeding probable = 109

Yellow = breeding possible = 21

Total tetrads in which registered = 214 (43.7%)

Marsh Tit - 2003-07

The Marsh Tit has a glossy black cap and bib and lacks a wing bar. It is mostly found in deciduous woodland, nesting in natural holes, usually in trees.

The county breeding population was estimated to lie in the range of 500 – 700 pairs at the close of the 1984-88 survey. This was based on an estimated average density of three to four pairs per occupied tetrad, which attempted to allow for there being a wide variation between the number to be found in the largest blocks of deciduous woodland and lesser numbers in smaller areas of occupied suitable habitat. Since then Marsh Tit populations have declined both in the UK and across Europe, probably due to poor productivity and competition with other tit species.

The 2003-07 Pembrokeshire survey revealed a 16% decrease in distribution, compared to the BBS’s 12% decrease between the years of 2000 and 2005. The Pembrokeshire BAP Bird Survey of 2003 found a range of densities equivalent to 0.8–8 pairs per square km where this species was found.

Although the area covered was too small to be taken as representative of the county as a whole, it did illustrate that the approach resulting in the 1984-88 estimate was reasonably based. If the 16% decrease is applied to this estimate, it suggests a county breeding population of between 440 and 590 pairs at the end of 2007.

Graham Rees

Fieldwork 2003-07 (based on 490 tetrads) 

Red = breeding confirmed = 39

Orange = breeding probable = 72

Yellow = breeding possible = 34

Total tetrads in which registered = 145 (29.6%)

Willow Tit - 2003-07

The Willow Tit has a black cap and bib like the Marsh Tit but the cap is dull, not glossy, and it has a pale wing panel. It also has a distinctive, irascible sounding, “chay - chay” call. Willow Tits inhabit boggy thickets and damp woodland where dead and rotten branches enable them to excavate their nest holes.

According to the BBS the Willow Tit decreased in the UK by 65% between 1994 and 2004, from what was considered to be a stable population in the 1980’s. It was estimated that there were 200 – 300 pairs in the county at the close of the 1984-88 survey, based on an estimated density of two to three pairs per occupied tetrad.

The 2003-07 survey found their Pembrokeshire distribution had decreased by 54%, suggesting there were about 120 pairs by the end of 2007. The most likely causes of decline are competition with other tit species, increasing nest predation by Great Spotted Woodpeckers, and deterioration in the quality of woodland as feeding habitat for Willow Tits (www.bto.org/birdtrends2006/wcrwilti.htm)

Graham Rees

Fieldwork 2003-07 (based on 490 tetrads) 

Red = breeding confirmed = 7

Orange = breeding probable = 30

Yellow = breeding possible = 12

Total tetrads in which registered = 49 10%)

Coal Tit - 2003-07

The county breeding population was estimated to lie in the range of 500–700 pairs at the end of the 1984-88 survey. This estimate tried to make allowances for the disparity between densities in conifer plantations and those found elsewhere. It assumed a density of 50 pairs per tetrad in conifer plantations and two to three pairs per tetrad elsewhere. Subsequent experience suggested this under estimated the occupation of non-conifer habitats. This resulted in a lower mean density than the UK average used in the 1988-91 National Atlas, which also showed a relative abundance map showing Pembrokeshire as having a lower than national average. Scaling this proportionally suggests the county figure could have been about 1,100 pairs at that time.

The BBS found there was a 16% reduction in population in Wales between 1994 and 2007, which if applied to the revised 1988 figure for Pembrokeshire, suggests there were about 900 pairs during the 2003-07 survey. However clear felling of conifer plantations took place during the years of the 2003-07 survey which must have reduced Coal Tit numbers. This is not reflected in the survey returns, for some plantations were surveyed before the fellers moved in. To what degree the Pembrokeshire breeding population has been reduced has yet to be evaluated, requiring future study.

Graham Rees

Fieldwork 2003-07 (based on 490 tetrads) 

Red = breeding confirmed = 70

Orange = breeding probable = 120

Yellow = breeding possible = 19

Total tetrads in which registered = 209 (42.7%)

Great Tit - 2003-07

It was estimated that there were 13,500 pairs breeding in the county at the end of the survey of 1984-88, based on an estimated average density of 35 pairs per tetrad. The 1988-91 National Atlas calculated an average density of about 26 pairs per tetrad and their abundance map showed Pembrokeshire holding about average abundance. This suggests the county population was about 10,100 pairs at that time.

The Pembrokeshire survey of 2003-07 showed a 9% increase in distribution and the BBS showed a 34% increase in numbers for Wales. Applying these findings indicates there were about 14,700 pairs breeding in Pembrokeshire at the end of 2007.

As with the Blue Tit, increased winters survival in response to widespread garden feeding will have contributed to the increase in the breeding population.

Graham Rees

Fieldwork 2003-07 (based on 490 tetrads) 

Red = breeding confirmed = 260

Orange = breeding probable = 131

Yellow = breeding possible = 30

Total tetrads in which registered = 421 (85.9%)

Blue Tit - 2003-07

It was estimated that 24,000 pairs were nesting in Pembrokeshire at the end of the 1984-88 survey, based on a mean value of 60 pairs per occupied tetrad. This was a similar level to that of the 1988-91 National Atlas, using the calculated national average and relative abundance distribution.  

Little distributional change was apparent by the conclusion of the 2003-07 survey but the BBS indicated there had been an increase of 29% in Wales between 1994 and 2007. Accepting that a similar increase took place in the county, the population at the end of 2007 was probably about 31,000 pairs. Widespread garden feeding resulting in increased winter survival was undoubtedly a contributing factor to increased breeding numbers.

Graham Rees

Fieldwork 2003-07 (based on 490 tetrads) 

Red = breeding confirmed = 311

Orange = breeding probable = 95

Yellow = breeding possible = 23

Total tetrads in which registered = 429 (87.6%)