Glossy Ibis - 1894

Species account from M Mathew, 1894, "The Birds of Pembrokeshire and its islands"

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Spoonbill - 1894

Species account from M Mathew, 1894, "The Birds of Pembrokeshire and its islands"

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American Bittern - 1894

Species account from M Mathew, 1894, "The Birds of Pembrokeshire and its islands"

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Bittern - 1894

Species account from M Mathew, 1894, "The Birds of Pembrokeshire and its islands"

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Night Heron - 1894

Species account from M Mathew, 1894, "The Birds of Pembrokeshire and its islands"

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Little Bittern - 1894

Species account from M Mathew, 1894, "The Birds of Pembrokeshire and its islands"

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Knot - habitat

Calidris canutus

All records have been from coastal areas bar one inland at Wallis Moor on the 23rd April 2002. Most have been seen at the Cleddau Estuary, with smaller numbers at the Teifi and Nevern Estuaries and Fishguard Harbour. They have also been seen on many of the beaches and by coastal pools, including those on the offshore islands and one frequented the runways of the old Dale airfield in September 1983.

Graham Rees

(Covers records up to and including 2006).

Knot - spring passage

Calidris canutus

A small volume spring passage has been detected between March and the 30th May. The majority of the records involved up to four birds at a time but seven were at the Gann on the 22nd April 1990, 12 at Angle Bay on the 2nd May 1994, 19 at Frainslake on the 13th April 1996 with 39 on the 19th March 2006, 12 on the 9th April 2006 and 23 at nearby Blucks Pool on the 2nd April 2006.

A single laggard passed Strumble Head on the 2nd June 1997 which remains the only record in the county for that month.

Knot - winter

Calidris canutus

Knots have long visited Pembrokeshire in the winter months of December to February but have only infrequently remained throughout those months.

They were recorded in every winter from 1983 to 2006 with the exception of 1992. Only one was reported in the winter in 1989, two in 1985 and five in 1986. Groups which did not stay for long were:  55 at the Gann on the 7th February1954, 60 there on the 13th January 1963, 30 Pen y Cwm on the 27th January 1963 and 36 Furzenips on the 27th January 1996.

Even at the most favoured parts of the Cleddau Estuary, Angle Bay and the Pembroke River, they have seldom endured for long. The largest county presence of 500 at the Pembroke River on the 22nd January 1972 was only recorded on that date. A further 185 there in December 1999 had decreased to just nine by January 2000. Similarly 65 at Angle Bay in January 1987 had reduced to two by the 15th February.

Full overwintering has been recorded twice to date (up to 2006). About 85 were present from December 1996 to February 1997 using both Angle Bay and the nearby Pembroke River, whereas 24 at Angle Bay in December 2005 had increased to 70 by January 2006 with 80 by February.

It is established that Knots move between different estuaries in the UK during the winter in response to variable food availability, so it is possible that those occurring in winter in Pembrokeshire could have come from parts of Carmarthen Bay or the Burry Inlet, moving on if the local food supply was limited. This is speculation for there is no evidence that this happens, appropriate ring recoveries could provide confirmation.

Knot - autumn passage

Calidris canutus

Post 1949 the Knot has principally remained an autumn migrant, which has passed through from the 13th July to November, occasionally into December.  Records have mostly involved one to 20 birds per occasion but 36 were seen at Angle Bay on the 23rd September 1999, 40 there on the 24th October 1963 and 43 on the 11th September 2000, 22 at the Gann on the 6th September 1991 and 24 at Frainslake on the 4th August 1997.

Flocks have also been noted moving southwards offshore which in all probability did not alight in the county and possibly not until they had reached France or beyond. This movement has involved 25 passing Ramsey on the 30th September 2001, 67 passing Skokholm on the 29th September 1958, 30 doing the same on the 25th August 1979 and a total of 2,742 logged passing Strumble Head in the autumn between 1983 and 2006.

The Strumble Head passages have been annual but variable, the fewest in a year being 21 in 1986, the most 578 in 1999. Groups of up to 20 birds were mainly involved but larger flocks were seen on many occasions, the largest being 85 on the 20th August 1983 and 90 on the 26th September 1996.

Pattern of passage, Strumble Head, 1983 – 2006 in six day periods.

Knots were also recorded during a lighthouse attraction at Strumble Head in the early hours of the 25th September 1985.

Knot - status

Calidris canutus

Passage migrant and winter visitor.

The Knot has a circumpolar Arctic breeding distribution and winters in temperate and tropical areas. International studies have established that most Knots occurring in Britain are of the race islandica, which breeds in Greenland and the Canadian Arctic.

The nominate race canutus, breeding in the Old World Arctic, could conceivably occur occasionally in Pembrokeshire, perhaps in those years when there is a large influx of Little Stints and Curlew Sandpipers which share a similar breeding range.

Mathew (1894) considered the Knot to be an autumn and winter visitor to Pembrokeshire, appearing on the flats and oozes at the end of August and beginning of September. He gave no indication of the numbers involved but noted it as being seen commonly every autumn near Pembroke, also on the sands at Goodwick.

 Lockley et al (1949) also classified the species as an autumn and winter visitor, usually seen in small parties of less than 20 birds but occasionally in larger groups, noting 100 at Dale on the 6th November 1938.

Post 1949 the Knot has principally remained an autumn migrant but has overwintered and there has been a small and regular spring passage.

References

LOCKLEY. R. M, INGRAM. C. S. and SALMON. H. M.1949. The birds of Pembrokeshire, West Wales Field Society.

MATHEW. M. 1894. The birds of Pembrokeshire and its islands, R. H. Porter.

Great Skua - occurrence

Stercorarius skua

With an increased number of observers taking an interest in the birds occurring in Pembrokeshire’s offshore waters from 1980 onwards, the number of Great Skuas recorded rose to a level far greater than was expected from the previous sightings , with a mean of 196 per annum between 1980 and 2006. During this period the lowest annual total was 86 in 1993 and the highest 569 in 1983. The bulk of the birds were recorded on autumn passage, between July and November, though probably some of the 71 recorded in December over the years, might also have been migrating. Most were recorded along the north coast of the county, principally at Strumble Head.

AUTUMN TOTALS STRUMBLE HEAD.

Mean pattern of occurrence Strumble Head, 1980 – 2006, birds per six day periods.

The most recorded in a day was 198 on the 3rd September 1983.

It was discovered that the concentrations along the north coast dissipated once the birds had regained sea room when clear of The Bishops, in the same way as Arctic Skuas but less quickly. This is based on observations from boats and from sightings made from The Smalls when the lighthouse was manned by a birdwatcher throughout the autumns of 1983 and 1984. For instance when the maximum of 10 were seen from The Smalls on the 17th October 1983, 49 passed Strumble Head and when more typically three were recorded at The Smalls on the 20th October 1984, 66 were logged at Strumble Head. Numbers passing the offshore islands have also been low, normally between one and four birds on some autumn days, with seven off Skokholm on the 2nd September 1985 and seven off Ramsey on the 8th September 1996 the highest counts. Single birds have also been seen in St Bride’s Bay and off the south coast. However individual Great Skuas have shown a greater tendency to linger for a while than have the smaller skuas. Up to 10 have been encountered in a day in the Celtic Deep and 14 attended a mixed feeding flock of seabirds at Broad sound on the 28th September 1978.

Great Skuas have been recorded around the coast of Pembrokeshire on 19 occasions in January and 20 occasions in February, so evidently in some years they winter nearby. Compared with autumn, spring passage has been slight, with cumulative totals of eight recorded in March, 24 in April, 13 in May and 20 in June, having been detected in about equal number off the west coast and north coast but less frequently from the south coast.

Graham Rees.

(Covers records up to and including 2006).