Llanelli Naturalists Newsletter - September 1999 - No 64
Dave Powell
Diver records were rather sparse for the period under review, with the only reports being of five Red-throated off Telpyn Point, in the extreme west of the county, on 27 Sept., and single Great Northerns off Burry Port in March and at Cefn Padrig, Burry Port on 3 April. There was a notable July count of 150 Manx Shearwaters off Cefn Sidan.
As usual, Little Egret numbers fluctuated, with counts of 5 in April, 1 in June, up to 7 in July and a peak of 19 in October at WWT Penclacwydd. There were also birds on the Gwendraeth Estuary and Glynea Pond (Bynea) on 18 Aug. and another single bird at Llansteffan on 25 Aug. Spoonbills continued to delight visitors to Penclacwydd, with a single bird present from 22 March to 6 April whilst an adult was there on 27 May. This latter bird was joined by a second bird on 31 May and a third arrived on 20 June.
What turned out to be the second new county record of the year (more of the first later) was a drake American Wigeon, which caused much excitement at Penclacwydd on 3-9 October. There was an early Garganey at the same site on 8 March and 2 drakes were there from 5 to 25 May. The Long-tailed Duck off Pembrey was probably the same bird that was recorded the previous month. A North American visitor was the Surf Scoter, a 'High Arctic' species, discovered from 20 to 23 March amongst the Common Scoter flock in Carmarthen Bay between Amroth and Telpyn Point. Another - possibly the same individual - was there on 27 Sept.
Autumn counts of returning wildfowl at Penclacwydd were:
1325 Teal, 140 Shoveler, 175 Pintail, 202 Shelduck, 18 Gadwall, 249 Mallard, 120 Brent Geese and 526 Wigeon.
A pair of Greylags were flushed from a pond at Ffrwd Fen on 22 March and a flock of 7 were watched flying SE over Llanelli from Bigyn Hill on 27 Oct. No less than 60 Greylags were on the Tâf below Llandeilo-Abercywyn on 25 Sept., together with an impressive 36 Greenshanks. The exact origin of the feral population of Greylags in the county is somewhat unclear. It is known that three were shot (out of a flock of five) on the R. Tâf in Nov. 1968, with the next record being of three at Coed Farm on the Tywi Estuary, north of Ferryside in mid-Nov. of the same year. Mr Peter Bond at Coed Farm was a keen wildfowler and he afforded protection to these geese on man-made ponds below his farm.
These feral birds subsequently established themselves in the 'Three Rivers' area (Tâf/Tywi/Gwendraeth) with breeding known, for example on the Witchett Pool on Laugharne-Pendine Burrows. In 1998 at least two pairs were seen at this site on 8 May, including one bird actually on the nest beside the Witchett Brook. Cetti's, Reed and Sedge Warblers sang nearby. Feral
Greylags first bred at Penclacwydd in 1993, and now a population is also established in extreme S E Carms, with a flock of twenty-odd birds regularly seen in the Penclacwydd-Machynys area, derived from subsequent successful breedings at Penclacwydd and, probably, reinforcement of birds from farther west.
Other wildfowl records of note include the successful breeding of Gadwall, Pochard and Tufted Duck at Machynys Ponds; the last-named species also bred at Penrhyngwyn Pond and Sandy Water Park. Red Kites had a successful breeding season, with - throughout the Welsh range - some 163 pairs of which 110 were known to be successful, raising 171 young. 1998 was remarkable for the number of broods with two young, doubtless as a result of fair weather when the chicks were young and an abundance of voles. The re-introduction schemes in England and Scotland continue to be successful with, for example, no less than 71 breeding pairs in the southern English population. In Carms, wandering non-breeding (or post-breeding) birds were seen at Ginst Point on 8 May, over Mynydd Penbre in late June and one entertained a party of Ramblers at Llangennech on 8 July. All records of the expanding Kite population will be welcomed and hopefully it will not be too long before this species is nesting again in woods around Llanelli - how many readers know that the old local name for Cwm Fferman (just north of Burry Port) was 'Cwm Barcut' ('Kite valley')? The Welsh Kite Trust is worthy of readers' support, as all proceeds go towards Kite conservation and research and an informative, colour newsletter is produced. Contact Tony Cross, Project Officer, The Welsh Kite Trust, The Stable Cottage, Ddowlod, Llandrindod Wells, Powys LD1 6HG for details.
There were four Osprey sightings during the year: two each in Spring and Autumn, with singles seen flying over Parc Howard, Llanelli (on 9 May) and one flying east over Penclacwydd on 27 May. An Osprey remained on the Tywi at Croesyceiliog from 13 to 21 Sept. and another was on the R. Gwendraeth at Cydweli (Kidwelly) on 3 and 4 Oct. As usual, all the Dotterel records emanated from the Mynydd Du area, with 3 on Garreg Lwyd on 24 April and nine there the following day. Single birds were on Tair Carn Uchaf on 3 May and also at Tair Carn Isaf on 4 May. Autumn Dotterel records were all confined to Garreg Lwyd with two there on 3 Sept., three on the 17th, and up to four from 21-23 Sept. A significant breeding record for Penclacwydd was of a pair of Little Ringed Plovers, which nested on the shingle banks at the new 'Swannery'. The Banc-y-Lord/Commissioners' Bridge area provided the regular annual Green Sandpiper records, with up to three there from July. Three birds were also at Morfa-uchaf, Ferryside on 18 Aug., with singletons reported from Llangennech and Hendy. A Grey Phalarope was a welcome visitor to the brackish, shrimp-rich Penrhyngwyn Pond, Machynys where it remained from 12 to 20 September. This confiding bird (it would feed only a metre or two from the observer) obviously allowed excellent views.
Mediterranean Gulls were recorded at Penclacwydd on 17 May and also at Machynys Pond, where there were up to four during July, whilst earlier, a first-year Iceland Gull was watched bathing in a rainwater puddle at Burry Port Harbour on 5 April. Penclacwydd had only their second-ever record of Kittiwakes, when four were seen out on the estuary on 3 April. These attractive, small gulls seldom venture to the eastern part of the County, preferring the more rugged cliffs further west. There were up to 70 Sandwich Terns in the Burry Port/Pembrey area during July, whilst four species - Common, Arctic, Sandwich and Black (a single) were at Penclacwydd in September. The only auk record for the period was that of two Razorbills seen off Morfa Bychan, Pendine on 21 March.
Little Owl records included a bird in the Great Mills car park, Trostre on 10 Aug. and one on Carreg Sawdde Common, Llangadog on 2 Oct. Early December brought several sightings of a Barn Owl on the Kidwelly Flats near Commissioners' Bridge.
On 26 April the year's 'star-bird' - an Alpine Swift - entertained some of the luckier local birdwatchers for more than an hour as it hunted wind-blown insects over Sandy Road and Iscoed (Stradey). This county first is a much larger relative of the Common Swift and is essentially a bird of rocky and mountainous parts of Southern Europe. Unfortunately, it was driven off by a heavy squall before the writer of these notes arrived on the scene! A Turtle Dove was discovered feeding among the resident Collared Doves at Penclacwydd on 16 & 17 May. Earlier in the year, the Hoopoe reported from Pencader on 12 & 13 March was presumably the same bird that was spotted in February at Maesycrugiau. Birders attracted to view the relatively long-stay Grey Phalarope at Penrhyngwyn Pond, were further rewarded by the sighting of a Firecrest in the young pathside trees and also a Wryneck which was feeding on ants and other insects on the shingle at Penrhyngwyn itself. This was the first record for the species since 1993 and it remained there from 13 to 20 September, whilst on the last date, a second bird appeared in the car park at Penclacwydd.
It was a dismal year for Yellow Wagtails, with only one sighting of a single bird at Penclacwydd on 5 April; there was also a single White Wagtail at Burry Port in March. The latter is the Continental and nominate form Montacilla alba alba of which our British Pied Wagtail M. alba yarrellii is a sub-species.
Two Black Redstarts behind the Huntsman Corporation Works (formerly Texaco) at Bynea on 2 Nov. were probably passage birds. A Great Grey Shrike was at Rhydycymerau on 7 April and more
Firecrests were at Penclacwydd on 18 and 20 to 23 March. Signs of Winter's arrival were evident by mid-October with Fieldfares and Redwings (19th) and Bramblings (14th) being recorded at
Penclacwydd. Two Black Redstarts behind the Huntsman Corporation works (formerly Texaco) at Bynea on 2 November were probably passage birds.
