Welsh Journals

Ornithological Notes 1964 By H. MORREY SALMON These notes include the more unusual and interesting occurrences in Glamorgan in the year 1964. They are summarised in this form for the convenience and interest of members of the Society. Those who desire more detailed records can consult the Glamorgan Annual Bird Report, 1964, published jointly by the Ornithological Section of the Society and the Gower Ornithological Society. Of the Divers, only two species were recorded in this year, all off the coast of Gower: a dead Red-throated Diver, badly oiled, was found at Oxwich in March and one other was seen off Worms Head in April. In December, one Great Northern and several Red-throated Divers were seen. Of the Grebes, the Great Crested was seen chiefly in autumn, with up to four or five birds on some reservoirs in October but this species has not yet begun breeding again in the county. Small parties of both Slavonian and Black-necked Grebes were again seen, chiefly in the Burry estuary in January-February, with one party of four of the latter as late as 5th April; some were again seen in December. The resident Little Grebe, much reduced after the severe weather in January-February, 1963, nested on several waters in the Vale of Glamorgan. Of seabirds: single Storm-Petrels were again seen off Lavernock Point in July- August-September and very large numbers of Manx Shearwaters were also seen in the Bristol Channel during summer, especially from Lavernock Point. The Mediterranean race of this Shearwater comes to British waters in autumn and several of them were identified off Worms Head in August; several Sooty Shearwaters were also seen. Fulmar Petrels again bred on the Gower cliffs in quite small numbers. Gannets were reported in the Bristol Channel in considerable numbers off the Gower coast in July-August especially, no doubt following shoals of mackerel, and some came up as far as off Porthcawl and Lavernock Point. The two heronries in the county were again occupied, with numbers unaltered at Penrice in Gower, but at Hensol the small numbers to which the Herons had been reduced by the hard weather in early 1963 had improved to twelve pairs, quite near the normal population. An unusual member of this family was a Little Bittern, seen at Oxwich Marsh on 4th July; a rare vagrant to Britain, it had not been recorded in the county since 1908. A Bittern was seen at Kenfig Pool on 2nd January. Of the duck family: Gadwall were seen in larger numbers than before in January- February at Whiteford, in Gower, at Kenfig Pool and at Hensol but none, apparently, stayed to breed. Some were again seen in November at the new reservoir at Eglwys Nunydd. This duck is becoming more widespread in the county generally, at least in winter, probably due to a build-up of feral populations spreading from private collections of wildfowl. Shoveler nested again at Oxwich and Tufted Ducks bred on at least two waters in east Glamorgan. A feature of the winter flocks of wildfowl was the presence of Pochard in unprecedented numbers in the county, especially at the new Eglwys Nunydd reservoir, where there were nearly 900 of this species in mid-February. Long-tailed Duck came again in October-November, one being found dead at the mouth of the Rhymney River and another was seen at the Cadoxton ponds. Among the sea-ducks, Velvet Scoter seem to be becoming more frequent visitors and up to eight were seen off west Gower during January-April and four were in the Burry estuary in September. Eider Duck were in that estuary all the year round, the greatest numbers, eighty, being in January-April. All three species of the saw-bill ducks, Red-breasted Merganser, Goosander and Smew were seen in the year as winter visitors to the county.