Pintail - breeding records

There are very few breeding records in Wales

Skomer

1988 - 2 pairs bred and raised 2 chicks to fledging.  This is a new breeding record for the island and for Wales.

1989 - 4 pairs bred raising 10 young (broods of 4, 3, & 3)

1990 - 2 pairs attempted to breed but were not successful

1991 - It was considered that 2 pairs tried to breed but were unsuccessful

1992 - 2 broods seen on 6 June, but not an any subsequent day.

1993 - 1 pair bred and 1 chick seen on 2 May did not fledge

1994 - 4-5 pairs bred and 7 chicks fledged.

1995 - 2 pairs bred and two chicks fledged from North Pond

1996 - 2 pairs were thought to breed, but no broods were seen

1997 - One pair bred, one bird fledged from island.  Duckling first recorded 20 June.  The female and, especially, the fledged bird did have mallard characteristics suggesting hybridisation.

1998 - The presumed mallard-pintail hybrid was present, and was thought to have bred (with a mallard)

1999 - female mallard x pintail hybrid was present on North Pond intermittently throughout the season, mating with a mallard, but no chicks survived to fledging.

2000 - a female mallard x pintail hybrid was present on North Pond intermittently throughout the season, mating with a mallard, but no chicks survived to fledging.

2001 - A female mallard x pintail was present on North Pond intermittently throughout the season.  Two breeding attempts (with a mallard) resulted in the offspring being predated by gulls on both occasions.

2002 - A pair toured the island ponds between 4 and 24 April.  The female reappeared on 11 June and was reported at North Pond with six chicks on 20 June.  The chicks did not survive a day, and the female was last seen on 21 June.

2007 - a female Pintail x mallard hybrid was seen at the North Pond on 6th April with 13 chicks, but was not seen subsequently.

Skokholm

1993 - One pair probably attempted to breed, unsuccessfully, and had departed by early May

1994 - pair seen on 20 April only

1995 - Pair staying throughout April, but breeding was not confirmed

1996 - One pair frequented North Pond throughout March, briefly reappeared in mid-April but breeding not suspected

Records extracted from the Pembrokeshire Bird Reports 1988-2000

White-fronted Goose - 2018

Scarce winter visitor and passage migrant.

All records relate to birds of the Greenland race A.a. flavirostris: seven at Marloes Mere 26th Oct, presumably the same as at Dale Airfield 29th Oct, one of which was sporting a neck collar – put on at Wexford in March 2003. 14 at Trevine Common 26th Oct – 16th Nov.

From the Pembrokeshire Bird Report 2018

Tony Fox confirmed the bird at the airfield was CDZ, as seen by Brian and Paul G on Sunday. Tony gave a bit more of his biography and sightings:

This was first autumn male we caught at a place called Hvanneyri in west Iceland on 23 September 2017.  This site is the home of the Agricultural University of Iceland where they maintain a large area of hayfields adjacent to natural wetlands which are a magnet for the White-fronted Geese in both spring and autumn when they pass through.  We are not entirely sure of his parents, as he associated with two other collared individuals V3Y and a bird fitted with a telemetry collar (both adult females when they were caught in the same catch), as well as a unmarked adult that obviously escaped capture on that occasion whilst in Iceland following capture.  You will see on the attached list of all resightings of marked Greenland White-fronted Geese away from Wexford (where the vast majority are marked and resighted) your bird wintered last year on Wexford Slobs (as do many of the geese that stage in Hvanneyri), where it was also seen with the same marked/unmarked associates.  Interestingly, CDZ was not seen at Hvanneyri this autumn, which is somewhat unusual, since as well as being incredibly site loyal to their winter quarters, these geese also tend to use the same spring and autumn staging areas in successive seasons.

Andrew Simms, Pembs Bird Blog

Red-breasted Merganser - Breeding records

1995 - Female noted at the Gann 18 June.  Reappeared on 6-7 July with 2 large flightless young (GHR et al), the first breeding recorded in Pembs. 

2005 - Female with 4 ducklings Eastern Cleddau, 24 June

Records from Pembrokeshire Bird Reports for those years.

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

Snow Goose - 2015 Skokholm

Rare.  Three records prior to 2000 when a small feral population established on Skokholm

One on North Plain on the evening of 5th April 2015 was the first since 2010 (HD et al.).

In June 2000 four pinioned birds reached Skokholm, three of the emaciated individuals making it to the plateau where they were fed. The following year two of the birds paired and produced four free-flying offspring. One of the adults and three of the young survived to 2003 and the three young were regularly seen with Canada Geese around the Marloes Peninsula in 2004.

Two birds were seen in 2005, 2006 and 2007, with one pairing with a Canada Goose in the latter year and producing [5] infertile eggs. A single was logged in 2008, 2009 and 2010, again pairing unsuccessfully with a Canada Goose in the latter two years.

The other Skokholm records are three immatures on 13 June 1971, a Slimbridge ringed bird on 9th May 1975 and five white adults north with four Barnacle Geese on 15th April 1991.

Skokholm Bird Observatory Annual Report 2015 (Richard Brown & Giselle Eagle)

Canada Goose - 2019 WeBS

The peak of 1669 on the Cleddau occurred in June 2007.  The peak during the 'normal' count season of September to March was 651 in December that year.  During the 2010s, the peak count on the Cleddau has been in June or July.

Canada Geese did not appear regularly in WeBS counts on the Nevern Estuary until 2003-04.  Maximum counts of between 1250 and 1500 have occurred several times in September-October since 2013-14.  Counts are still low outside of this period, with none recorded in November-January, although there have been occasional counts of less than a dozen in mid-winter on non-count days. 

Counts on the Teifi Estuary have numbered in the 100s since 2000, steadily increasing to 1000 in September 2010-11.  Since then, there have been several counts of over 1000, all in the September-November period.  It is possible that these are birds that were at the Nevern earlier in the season.

Generally small numbers (less than 50) occur on fresh-water sites.  However they are more regular on LLys-y-Fran (up to 400) and on Marloes Mere (370 in 2010-11 but more usually less than 100).

Counts of Canada Geese can be surprisingly low at any site due to their habit of moving away to feed in fields, often some distance from the water, during the day.

National trend

The WeBS national trend for Canada Goose show a massive increase in the Welsh population in the late 1990s, however the overall British trend showed only a slow increase at that time.  The English popluation remained relatively stable, suggesting that a part of the increasing population has moved to Wales.

Canada geese across Britain have shown a typical population curve of a “new” species, whether introduced by man or by natural expansion.  Initially they remained at a relatively low level as the population established itself, followed by a rapid rise, and then (since around 2000) a levelling out as the population reaches the maximum carrying capacity of the habitat.

As the numbers of geese have increased, they have increasingly fed away from the estuary and are often missed during a count.  This may account for a low peak number in some years, and it is difficult to know if this is a true indication of the population change, or just half the birds being elsewhere. 

Are they causing a problem?

Some studies have been undertaken in other parts of the country regarding their effect on other wild birds using the same water bodies.  This research suggests that even large numbers of Canada geese have no effect on other species of wildfowl.  The increased population on the Cleddau does not, at present, appear to be having any effect on the overall numbers of wildfowl in the areas they occur.  However, there may be an effect on the vegetation from trampling and eutrophication.

Brent Goose - 2019 WeBS

Brent geese were occasional visitors to Pembrokeshire before 1990, and only began to appear regularly on WeBS counts in1993-94 as shown below.

The highest numbers in any season are recorded between December and February

Almost all brent geese are seen on the Cleddau, especially at the Gann or at Angle Bay.  Just a handful are counted on the Nevern and Teifi.

As the birds commute - either in a flock, or in small groups - between the Gann and Angle Bay - it is possible that they can be double-counted at times.  However, an individual count of 77 at Angle Bay in December 2016, (and other individual counts - 68 at the Gann in 2012 and 62 at Angle Bay in 2017 - on non-WeBS days) that suggest the WeBS totals are reasonable.

Almost all birds are of the light-bellied race (hrota) - with just a handful of dark-bellied birds recorded.

Many ringed birds have been observed, and these prove movements between Ireland (main ringing station), Pembrokeshire and Brittany, and to north-east Canada (breeding grounds) via Iceland and Greenland.

AH

Pembrokeshire WeBS coordinator

Black Scoter - Winter 1991-92

A male Black Scoter Melanitta nigra americana was suspected at Newgale on 24th Nov 1991 by Stuart Devonald) and was positiviely identified on 25th December by David Astins.  It was present until at least 8th February 1992.

Black Scoter has now been recognised as a separate species Melanitta americana.  

See article by Martin Garner

American Black Duck - 2008 - 2nd Pembrokeshire record

Anas rubripes

The afternoon of Sunday 16th March was one of those 'toss a coin in your head' afternoons.  I'd been out cycling for four hours in the morning (honestly, I had), and after cleaning the bike, taking a shower, and demolishing a sizeable lunch, I was pretty tired.  It was a choice between going for a snooze, or heading down to Dale, as I tend to on a Sunday afternoon, to check the gull roost.

My better half, Ellie, was up for taking our dogs for a good walk, so I dragged myself out to the car and we headed off for Dale from our home in Haverfordwest (just 600m from the Rose-coloured Starling and did it visit our garden? Nope!). For some reason I suggested we went to Marloes Mere first, which would be my first visit of the year, so that I could check the Mere and surrounding fields while Ellie and her mum took the dogs down to the beach.  We'd still have time for the gull roost afterwards, which would give me a chance to see if the first-winter ring-billed gull was still around, and what the count of Mediterranean gulls would be (the previous Sunday it had been an impressive 17).

After checking the north-east portion of the Mere from the northern Scammell hide, which revealed my first wheatear of the year as well as feral snow goose, I dragged my weary carcass back through the car park and out to the southern Britton Hide, built in memory of my good friend Mark.  As everyone knows the original hide had blown down in the severe storms of December 2006, but a sponsored bike ride from Marloes Mere to the Welsh Wildlife Centre in Cilgerran during Easter 2007 had raised the funds to rebuild it.  Whilst it still needed some finishing off at the time, it still provided shelter from the elements and some cover for viewing the southern and western end of the Mere (I think some Birdforum comments that it looked a shed were justified at the time, but not now!)

With the scope set up I quickly locked on to a darkish-looking female-type mallard, dip-feeding on the largest open area of water viewable from the hide.  It was with a drake mallard, but alarm bells were ringing immediately due to the consistent chocolate-brown body and wing feathers, contrasting somewhat with paler cheeks, neck and supercilium.  There were no paler centres to the body feathers, particularly the flanks, and there was no white visible on the sides of the tail.  I couldn't make out anything on the closed wing, and the bird frustratingly did not flap or open its wings at all to show me the all-important speculum.

I rang Jon Green from the hide (I just knew he'd be in, he doesn't get out much you know) who very helpfully double-checked literature for me, and then Richard Dobbins who was unfortunately too far away at Llys-y-fran to make it to Marloes before dark.  He did get hold of Steve and Anna Sutcliffe (whose number I didn't have to hand), who live just a few miles away, who checked their coy of BWP and then joined me for the last 20 minutes or so of light.  Sadly the bird continued to feed the whole time, and as the light faded we still hadn't seen the all-important speculum. 

I had a good vibe about the bird though, and in the past instinct has tended to prevail (eg black scoter, Isabelline wheatear, semi-palmated sandpiper), so on returning home and after checking literature for myself (as well as blogging my poor attempt at a 'phone-'scope photo), I decided to circulate the news as a probable black duck.  From the plumage pattern and tone alone, I couldn't see how it could be a hybrid, which had been my one main concern. The fact that no white trailing edge to the speculum/secondaries could be seen at rest also boded well.

Thankfully the bird showed well the next morning, including revealing the clinching purple-blue speculum with black leading and trailing edge - not a trace of white!  Other good features were the white under-wing feathers contrasting markedly with the flanks, and the detailed pattern of the olive-toned bill with dark basal two-thirds of the culmen and nail, with an olive 'wrap' across the distal third.  All of the female mallards present had quite different orange-toned bills - and they weren't chocolate brown either!

The Marloes Mere black duck was only the third for Wales, following the famous male at Aber, Caernarfon from 1979 to 1985, which produced several hybrid young, and our only previous county record, a male at Heathfield in January and March 2001, which was sadly only seen by two observers.  Thus for many, this bird provided a new Pembrokeshire bird for the list, a Welsh tick, for some a 'lifer' and for me justification for my persistence with the under-watched peninsular (mind you, can name a part of Pembrokeshire that could be considered to be well-watched?).

The bird remained well into May, usually paired to a drake mallard, until the vegetation grew so high that most of the ducks 'disappeared'.  Whether she stayed to breed will never be known, though certainly no dubious-looking black duck look-alike youngsters were ever seen and by the time the vegetation died back, neither was the black duck.  Where did she go?

For obvious reasons, I dedicate 'my' black duck to Mark Britton, who remains sadly missed.  His hide continues to be a real asset to us - seven months after the black duck was found from it, a lucky lucky lucky visitor found  blackpoll warbler in the willows in front of it - and at the time he was watching it, I was less than a mile in a straight line away on Dale Airfield!  Birding can be cruel sometimes.  Black duck, blackpoll warbler, what black next . . . .?

David Astins

Pembrokeshire Bird Report 2008

Greylag - 1980s winter atlas

The BTO winter atlas showed that Greylag Geese were present in two 10km squares during the winters of 1981-82, 1982-82 and 1983-84, presumed birds of feral origin.

Graham Rees 

Green Woodpecker - 1980s winter atlas

The BTO winter atlas showed that Green Woodpeckers were present in most 10km squares of their known breeding range 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 birds seen in a day.

Graham Rees 

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