Dunlin - 1980s winter atlas

The BTO winter atlas showed that Dunlins were present in several 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 over 900 birds.

The distribution is consistent with the Birds of the Estuary Enquiry (BoEE, now WeBS) at that time, with the majority of birds in the inland parts of the Cleddau Estuary complex.The Nevern and Teifi estuaries provided the main wintering grounds in the north of the county.

Graham Rees 

Curlew - 1980s winter atlas

 

The BTO winter atlas showed that Curlews were present in most 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 210 birds.

The distribution is consistent with the Birds of the Estuary Enquiry (BoEE, now WeBS) at that time, with the majority of birds in the Cleddau Estuary complex. The Nevern and Teifi estuaries provided most winter records in the north of the county.

Graham Rees 

Common Sandpiper - 1980s winter atlas

The BTO winter atlas showed that Common Sandpipers were present in six estuarine 10km squares during the winters of 1981-82, 1982-82 and 1983-84.

The darkest colour represents 2 birds seen a day, the lighter blue represents one bird in a day. The UK is at the northern extremity of the winter range of this species.

Graham Rees 

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).

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). 

Long-billed Dowitcher - 1987

Limnodromus scolopaceus.

Vagrant.

Although restricted as a breeding species to north-east Siberia, Alaska and north-west Canada, the Long-billed Dowitcher is an almost annual vagrant to Britain and Ireland.

A first winter bird was at the Gann from the 12th December 1987 to the 3rd January 1988.

Late in the afternoon of the 12th December 1987, approaching high tide with a light drizzle falling, Graham Rees was positioned in his car overlooking the upper Gann lagoon when an unfamiliar medium sized wader, with a Snipe like bill and a white patch on its back, flew in to alight on a muddy margin. Viewed through a window mounted telescope it was identified as a Long-billed Dowitcher and a full description was taken.

This was before mobile telephones were available and by the time the observer had returned home to use land lines to spread the word, darkness had descended. However, the bird remained in much the same place until the 3rd January 1988 and was seen by many observers. When flushed, as it was all too frequently by dog walkers, it usually called, adding further confirmation to the identification. The details were submitted to the BBRC who found it acceptable. This was, and remains to date, the only record for Pembrokeshire.         

Graham Rees.

(Covers records up to and including 2008).