Common Scoter - 2010 ringing recoveries

"Sea Empress" scoter ringing recoveries - what have we learned so far?

Back in those dark days of Feb 1996, some 4,571 common scoters were found dead/dying in and around Carmarthen Bay as a direct result of the "Sea Empress" oil spill. However many oiled scoter were rescued, cleaned and released, even though the sceptics said it was a waste of time - they were unlikely to survive long.

Back in 1996, next to nothing was known of the origins of scoter wintering in the Bay. By ringing the cleaned birds (later released from rehab centres in cleaner waters off the Welsh coast and in southern England) it was hoped that at least something positive would come out of this disaster. So what have we learned so far?

About 70 scoters were recovered shortly after being released around the coast of south-west Wales and southern England. But one unlucky victim was oiled again by the "Tricolor" spill off the Dutch coast in late January 2003 having survived seven years after release (this one was among 60 scoters found oiled).

Now, almost 14 years on, it is interesting to note that there have been three "Sea Empress"-ringed scoter recoveries in Russia (one west of the Urals and two further east in the province of Yamalo-nenets) the most recent of these being found (shot) in June 2009 - thirteen years after being cleaned and then released.

So all the effort put in by volunteers in Milford Haven and around West Wales and elsewhere, to try and help these birds recover from their ordeal, was certainly worth it. More information on the BTO ringing blog from where the following map was borrowed.

Bob Haycock, Pembrokeshire Bird Blog

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

Great Northern Diver - 1980s winter atlas

 

The BTO winter atlas showed that Great Northern Divers were present in some coastal 10km squares and the outermost part of the Cleddau Estuary, 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 3-5 birds.

Graham Rees 

Fulmar - 1980s winter atlas

The BTO winter atlas showed that Fulmars were present in most coastal 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 216 birds. Fulmars occupy their breeding sites on many days throughout the winter.

Graham Rees 

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).

Little Tern - Spring

Sternula albifrons

There have been only 15 records in the spring, between 14th April and 24th June, having been seen eight times in April, three times in May and four times in June. All were occurrences of one or two birds at a time except for six in Solva Harbour on the 8th May 1916.

Graham Rees.

(Covers records up to and including 2006).

Little Tern - Autumn

 Sternula albifrons

The Little Tern has predominantly been seen in the autumn, between 30th July and 6th November. There has been about an equal volume of records for August and September, with fewer in October and just one July occurrence, at The Smalls on the 30th, and singles were seen Tenby on 6th November 1961 and Skokholm on 1st and 6th November 1980. Most records were of one to three birds at a time but larger groups have been seen on 17 occasions, the largest being 23 at Skomer on the 17th September 1992.

Total number of birds recorded 1916 – 2006.

Graham Rees.

(Covers records up to and including 2006).

Little Tern - status

Sternula albifrons

Scarce passage migrant.

Little Terns breed from Britain eastwards into Europe and central Asia and south as far as North Africa and India. They nest on both sides of the Irish Sea and along the west coast of Scotland with just one colony in Wales, post 1989, in Flintshire. Those seen in Pembrokeshire probably originate from these Irish and west coast colonies.

The Little Tern was considered to be an occasional passage migrant by Mathew (1894) and Lockley et al (1949), whereas Donovan and Rees (1994), with the benefit of increased observer cover, concluded it was a scarce passage migrant seen in most years.

Little Terns have been recorded around the coast at Fishguard, Strumble Head, Abermawr, St David’s Head, Solva, Newgale, Broad Haven (North), Skomer, Skokholm, St Govan’s Head, Tenby and Caldey, further out to sea at Grassholm and The Smalls, inside the Teifi and Nevern Estuaries and within the extensive Cleddau Estuary  at the Gann, West Williamston and Picton Point. All were seen over salt water except for singles at Bosherston on the 31st August 1937 and on the 8th September 1993

Graham Rees.

(Covers records up to and including 2006).

Roseate Tern - autumn

Sterna dougallii 

The majority of Roseate Terns have been noted between the 1st July and the 28th September.

Distribution of total birds 1963-2008, July – September in six day periods.

The graph was compiled from records of two at Amroth on the 14th August 1973, two at Penally on the 16th August 1973, two at Ramsey on the 19th September 1973, one in the Cleddau Estuary at Llangwm on the 13th September 1976, one in the Nevern Estuary on the 17th July 1980, one at Cwm yr Eglwys on the 5th July 1990, a total of 17 at Skokholm and a total of 77 at Strumble Head. Most have involved sightings of one or two birds per occasion but there were four at Skokholm on the 31st July 1990 and again on the 24th August 1992, one to five per occasion were involved in the Strumble Head series but eight on the 9th July 1988 and again on the 25th August 2004, with 11 on the 29th July 1990.

Additionally one was noted at Strumble Head on the 2nd October 2000 and one at Cwm yr Eglwys in mid October 1971.

All records involved adult birds save for two juveniles at Skokholm on the 31st July and the 5th August 1990.

Graham Rees

(Covers records up to and including 2008).

Roseate Tern - spring

 Sterna dougallii

Very few were recorded in spring. They were: one at Caldey in April 1975, two at Poppit on the 20th April 1998, one at Fishguard Harbour on the 24th April 2007, one at Skomer on the 23rd May 1995 and one at Strumble Head on the 27th May 1985.

June records were: two at the Gann on the 30th 1995, one at Strumble Head on the 12th 1998 with two there on the 19th in 1983 and the 23rd in 1984.

Graham Rees

(Covers records up to and including 2008).

Forster’s Tern

Sterna forsteri

Vagrant.

The Forster’s Tern is a North American species which has occurred as a vagrant to Britain and Ireland.

On the morning of the 10th January 1994 Sarah Earle saw a tern at Pwllgwaelod, which she sketched and described but did not identify. In the afternoon of that day Brian Atkinson independently saw and identified a first winter Forster’s Tern in the adjacent Fishguard Harbour, presumably the bird seen by Sarah. It remained there during the morning of the 11th January, being seen well by several observers down to a range of less than 10 metres, but was not seen thereafter.

Another first winter Forster’s Tern was seen at the Gann on the 4th December 2000 which moved on to Dale, where it was watched at close quarters fishing along the high tide shoreline. It was lost to view about half an hour later and despite several observers scouring the surrounding estuary area could not be relocated. It may have cut overland to nearby West Dale Bay, where nobody thought to look at the time.

Graham Rees.

(Covers records up to and including 2009).

Sandwich Tern - Autumn

Sterna sandvicensis

Autumn passage has been numerically greater than that of spring, logged between 1st July and the end of October, with 11 November sightings, the latest on the 28th. Taking the break point between spring, 30th June, and autumn, 1st July, is debatable but the latest mean June date is the 22^nd and the earliest mean July date is the 9th. Peak passage has consistently occurred between the 25^th of August and the 30^th September.  The graph shows the average no of sightings per week.

Strumble Head, mean day counts for peak period, 1980 – 2007.

The heaviest passage has been recorded along the north coast and this has been well documented at Strumble Head, where annual totals logged have varied as follows:

Strumble Head autumn totals 1980 – 2007.

Although passage birds normally moved steadily along the north coast, there have been occasional accumulations for short periods, such as 60 in the mouth of the Teifi Estuary, 42 off the Nevern Estuary, 150 in Fishguard Harbour and 250 between St David’s Head and Ramsey. Most have dispersed out to sea once clear of the Bishops but some have moved along the west coast, with up to 32 being logged at Skomer and 40 at the Gann and along the south coast up to 23 have been recorded at Tenby and Saundersfoot, with up to 40 at Wiseman’s Bridge.

The furthest recorded inland was one flying over Roch on the 21st September 1984 but they have several times been seen leaving Fishguard Harbour heading overland above Goodwick Moor. Although regularly seen inside the Cleddau Estuary, particularly at the Gann, in Dale Roads and Angle Bay, the only records from further upstream have been singles at Llanstadwell on the 9th July 1985 and 4th September 1985, two at Newton Noyes on the 2nd October 1985 and 10 at Landshipping on the 2nd October 2004 with 30 there on the 13th September 2006.   

Graham Rees

(Covers records up to and including 2007).