Sunday, September 18, 2011 at 4:03PM 
The BTO winter atlas showed that Goldeneyes were present in both estuarine and fresh water 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 27 birds, with up to 47 recorded in SM 91.
Graham Rees
Sunday, September 18, 2011 at 4:01PM 
The BTO winter atlas showed that Gadwalls were present in both estuarine and fresh water 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 23 birds.
Graham Rees
Friday, September 16, 2011 at 12:05PM 
The BTO winter atlas showed that Common Scoters were present in a few 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 more than 96 birds. Up to 420 were recorded in St Bride’s Bay (SM 81 & 82) and 650 off Amroth (SN 10) during this period.
Graham Rees
Friday, September 16, 2011 at 11:54AM 
The BTO winter atlas showed that Canada Geese were present in only one 10km square during the winters of 1981-82, 1982-82 and 1983-84.
The mid blue colour in the square represents over 27-121 birds recorded in a day. About 100 Canada Geese remained in the Boulston area of the Western Cleddau which is where they were introduced in 1955.
Graham Rees
Friday, September 16, 2011 at 11:50AM 
The BTO winter atlas showed that Brent Geese were present in two 10km squares during the winters of 1981-82, 1982-82 and 1983-84.
The light colour, of the10km squares represents 1-15 birds seen in a day, the most in Pembrokeshire being six.
Graham Rees
Monday, April 11, 2011 at 6:38PM Somateria mollissima
Most observers reporting during the years 1981 to 2006 noted the age of birds seen. 61% were classified as female, 15% as immature males and 24% as adult males. Adult males were rarely seen during the winter months but were more frequently seen among passing groups. Illustrating this point, of 74 adult males recorded during the period, 62 of them migrated past Strumble Head.
Graham Rees.
(Covers records up to and including 2008).
References
MATHEW. M. 1894. The birds of Pembrokeshire and its islands, R. H. Porter.
Monday, April 11, 2011 at 6:37PM Somateria mollissima
Breeding was suspected at Caldey in 1981 and a flightless group in the St Govan’s Head/Barafundle area in July 1983 was thought to be a female with a brood of large young.
Monday, April 11, 2011 at 6:36PM Somateria mollissima
Eiders have also been recorded in transit in every month of the year, either flying past prominent headlands like Dinas Head and Strumble Head (1 to 19 at a time), past the islands of Ramsey, Grassholm, Skomer and Skokholm (1 to 15 at a time), or settled temporarily on the sea.
The latter category has included 30 at the Green Bridge of Wales on 26th April 1984, 38 in Caldey Roads on 25th March 1998, 17 off Solva on 17th April 2001 and 40 off Porthgain on 29th December 2003.
The origin and destination of these birds is unknown but Pembrokeshire lies between the main Eider concentrations in Wales at Aberdysynni, Merrionydd, mean of 72 in 12 recent years, and the Bury Inlet, West Glamorgan, mean of 97 in the same period, so could conceivably involve interchange between these populations.
Monday, April 11, 2011 at 6:35PM Somateria mollissima
Varying small numbers over-wintered (December/January to February/March) in 89 % of the years 1952 to 2008, most frequently in St Bride’s Bay between Little Haven and Newgale, the most involved being 16 in 1998.
Winter presence in St Bride’s Bay: 1981-2005.
Others that have stayed throughout the winter were: two at Amroth in 1994, up to three in Angle Bay in 1998, singles in Newport Bay in 1999/2000 and in 2001, one to six in 2002, one to five at the Gann in 1987, two in 1963 and one in 1968/69.
Eiders which occurred in the winter but remained for shorter intervals were also recorded at Ceibwr, Fishguard Harbour, Jack Sound, West Angle, Sandy Haven, Newton Noyes, Llanstadwell, Neyland, Lawrenny/Roose Ferry, Landshipping, Frainslake, Manorbier, Giltar, Tenby, Saundersfoot and Caldey.
Monday, April 11, 2011 at 6:34PM Somateria mollissima
Winter visitor and passage migrant.
The Eider has a circumpolar Arctic and sub Arctic breeding distribution, extending southwards to northern England and Northern Ireland. They are sedentary and dispersive.
The Eider was first put on record for Pembrokeshire by Mathew (1894) noting an immature male at Dale on the 18th January 1891. He also mentioned that Eiders had been shot at Stackpole and Pembroke but gave no other details. Next noted in 1952, Eiders have been recorded in most years since.
Monday, March 14, 2011 at 4:59PM Anser albifrons
The majority of records where the birds were seen well enough could be ascribed to the Greenland race A.a.flavirostris. During the period of this review up to 600 of this race regularly wintered at Cors Caron but ceased to do so after 1968 but an average of 140 have wintered on the Dyfi Estuary in recent years, both these localities being in neighbouring Ceredigion (Roderick and Davis, 2001). However, much larger numbers have wintered throughout the period in Ireland, the closest to Pembrokeshire being at Wexford Slobs. It seems likely that most of those seen in Pembrokeshire were moving between these populations.
Birds of the Greenland race, A.a.flavirostris, were identified in the Castle Martin area during the large influx in the arctic winter of 1963. Many of the others encountered in January at other coastal areas, like Ramsey, Skomer, Marloes, Broad Haven (N), Newgale and Goodwick, were of the Siberian race A.a.albifrons. At least 370 birds were involved countywide and those at Ramsey stayed there until the 3rd March. The Greenland birds were probably from a frozen Cors Caron, the Siberian birds most likely were from the population which wintered at that time on the Afon Twyi at Dryslwyn. One shot at St Justinian’s in January 1963 had been ringed in Holland in January 1960.
The only other records of A.a.albifrons were: three at St David’s airfield from the 27th January to the 4th February 1998, two at Skokholm on the 9th November 2002 and one with the Teifi Valley Canada Geese flock from the 4th December 2005 to March 2006.
Graham Rees.
(Covers records up to and including 2008).
References
RODERICK.H and DAVIS. P.2010. Birds of Ceredigion, The Wildlife
