Hirundo rustica – GWENNOL – Breeding summer visitor and passage migrant

‘Winter’ records are observations between December and March, usually at least a month after the last migration records. However, in some years this distinction is not made in the the bird reports.

Year	First	Last	Winter records
1981	17 March	31 October	2 December
1982	26 March	16 November
1983	10 March	14 November
1984	31 March	12 November
1985	30 March	21 October
1986	17 March	10 November	4 December
1987	4 April	27 October
1988	26 March	6 November
1989	20 March	29 October	One wintered at Haverfordwest, being first seen on 9 Jan and last seen about 4 Mar after which it was feared that it succumbed during sudden frost (JWD et al).
1990	30 March	26 October
1991	29 March	30 October	2 December
1992	18 March	30 October
1993	15 March	10 October
1994	20 March	20 November
1995	23 March	16 November	One Teifi Marshes 13 January
1996	19 March	7 November
1997	30 March	3 November
1998	18 March	25 November
1999	23 March	5 November
2000	11 March	12 November
2001	24 March	16 November
2002	24 March	20 November
2003	27 March	12 November
2004	19 March	31 October	Winter records – Singles St Davids 1 and 9 December, and 4 Texaco Refinery Nov to 31 December – survival probably helped by the microclimate at the refinery
2005	17 March	21 November	At Texaco refinery, 4 wintered until 3rd week Jan then down to 3 by end of month, one remained until 10 Mar. 4 were ringed on 1 Jan, one that had been caught on 20 Dec 2004 had lost 25% of its body weight between these two dates. Singles Milford Haven 1 Mar & W. Angle 10 Jan, were probably from Texaco. 3 Amroth 26-27 Jan.
2006	27 March	2 November
2007	14 March	3 November	Single at Bosherston on 7 December
2008	27 March	26 October	December records included: 3 at Stackpole Home Farm 9th and 11th, 2 here on 22nd, singles St Anns Head on 11th, and Pembroke Dock on 3rd and 24th, and birds at the Chevron refinery on 12th.
2009	13 March	23 October	Last surviving swallow at Chevron was last seen on 5 January, 2nd bird found dead due to the cold weather. Winter records: two hawking around farm buildings at Church Farm, Castlemartin on 22nd November.
2010	17 March	16 October
2011	13 March	26 October
2012	18 March	8 November	December records were from Hundleston with two on 5th and 10th and a single on 7th.
2013	9 April	14 November
2014	17 March	1 November
2015	2 April	18 November
2016	23 March	4 December
2017	12 March	4 December
2018	17 March	26 October
2019	14 March	8 December
2020	18 March	1 December

Records extracted from the Pembrokeshire Bird Reports, which may contain more detail than shown here.

More about the Swallow in Pembrokeshire