Category: Osprey

Osprey – first and last dates

Annie

Pandion haliaetus – GWALCH Y PYSGOD – Scarce passage migrant.

YearFirst sightingLast sightingEstimate of the number of birds involved
198112 Septemberonly record
198229 Augustonly record
198418 Julyonly record
198629 Mayonly record
198812 June25 Octoberthree birds
19894 March30 Septembertwo birds
19903 May6 Augustthree birds
199128 March10 Septembereight birds
199213 May29 Augustsix birds
199329 April9 Octobernine birds
19946 Octobertwo birds
19956 March15 Octobersix birds
199627 April21 Septembersix birds
19976 April17 Julyseven birds
19988 May10 Octobertwelve birds
19998 May9 OctoberEleven birds
200014 April18 DecemberEight birds
20019 April29 SeptemberEleven birds
20027 April9 OctoberTen birds
200329 March14 SeptemberSeven birds
200419 March11 October8 spring birds, 6 autumn birds
20054 April5 OctoberFive birds
200611 April19 OctoberEleven birds
20078 Aprillate OctoberThree birds
20084 AprilEight birds
20098 April13 SeptemberFive birds
201010 AprilSix birds – incl. 1 or 2 summering on the Cleddau
201111 SeptemberFour birds – incl. 1 or 2 summering on the Cleddau
201224 March17 SeptemberNine birds
201323 March30 SeptemberSix birds
2014early March2 OctoberTwo spring birds, nine autumn birds
201526 March21 SeptemberSix spring, three autumn
201611 April10 SeptemberEight birds
201718 April26 SeptemberThree spring birds, three autumn birds
20188 April2 SeptemberThree spring birds, two autumn birds
20193 April26 SeptemberThree spring birds, three autumn birds
20206 April1 OctoberA long staying 1CY bird at the Gann 5 Sept – 1 Oct had been ringed as a nestling near Elgon, Moray on 10 July this year.
202130 March17 October

Note that the number of birds may differ from the table in Osprey 2020 because that table is the number of birds in each month, and some may have stayed into a second month

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

More about the Osprey in Pembrokeshire

Osprey – 2020

Annie

Pandion haliaetus – GWALCH Y PYSGOD – Scarce passage migrant.

Previous records are summarised in Osprey 2006

Records

The table below summarises records (number of birds reported each month) since 2007. The annual totals and monthly pattern of records are consistent with those recorded between 1988 and 2006. The majority of records are from the Cleddau Estuary, with most of the rest from the islands, and the Nevern and Teifi estuaries.

YearJFMAMJJASONDTotal
2007   1     2  3
2008   22   4   8
2009   3   11   5
2010   2311     7
2011     1121   4
2012  13  122   9
2013  12  121   7
2014  11   451  12
2015  141  13   10
2016   21  23   8
2017   11  22   6
2018   21  11   5
2019   3  111   6

In 2010 and 2011 one or possibly two birds summered on the Cleddau estuary.  It is not certain whether any attempt was made to breed.  A juvenile was seen in the same area from August 2011 onwards, but this may have been a passage bird from other breeding sites in Wales.

Records extracted from the Pembrokeshire Bird Reports

Movements

A colour-ringed bird was seen and frequently photographed (top photo) at the Gann from 5 – 29 September 2020. The colour-ring number has been confirmed as 422 (white numbers, blue ring). This was a juvenile male, ringed at a nest near Elgin, Moray, on 10th July by Roy Dennis and Ian Perks.

Information from the Pembrokeshire Bird Blog

More about the Osprey in Pembrokeshire

Osprey – 2006

Annie

Pandion haliaetus – GWALCH Y PYSGOD – Scarce passage migrant.

The Osprey has a worldwide breeding distribution, being absent only from the Polar regions. It is a summer visitor in temperate zones, north European birds wintering as far south as Africa.

The Osprey was formerly a rare bird in Pembrokeshire. Mathew (1894) knew of no occurrences but I. K. Morgan, while researching natural history matters in Carmarthenshire, unearthed the record of a specimen taken at Fishguard about 1842. It was documented in the unpublished papers of L. W. Dillwen. Another Osprey was recorded at the Pembroke River in 1904 (Lockley et al, 1949). Ospreys became extinct as a breeding bird in Britain post 1908 but began to recolonise Scotland in the early 1950’s. Numbers built up to reach 72 pairs by 1991 and 184 pairs by 2004. A few have nested in England and Wales.

Just one Osprey was recorded in Pembrokeshire during the time of breeding extinction in Britain, at the Pembroke River in September 1931. The re-establishment of the British breeding population had a discernable effect on occurrences in Pembrokeshire, being recorded in just one year in the 1960’s, then in two years in the 1970’s and in six years in the 1980’s. From the time that the Scottish population reached 50 pairs in the late 1980’s Ospreys became of annual occurrence in Pembrokeshire and the number of birds involved increased. 

Number of birds per annum, 1988 – 2006.

Most records refer to birds passing through but some have lingered at good food sources for days, more so in autumn than in spring.

Cumulative monthly totals, 1966 – 2006.

Spring records span the 4th March to the 28th June, autumn records from the 17th July to the 25th October, with a single occurrence in December at the Teifi Estuary on the 18th in 2000.

Attracted to waters where they can catch fish, Ospreys have been recorded from many places around the coastline, including the larger offshore islands, from all of the estuaries and from all the main rivers up to the headwaters, and bodies of water like Llys y fran Reservoir, Heathfield Gravel Pit and Clarydale, even prospecting small ponds at Troopers Inn and Wiston.

Graham Rees. Pembrokeshire County Bird Recorder 1981-2007

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.

More about the Osprey in Pembrokeshire

Osprey – 1994

Annie

Pandion haliaetus – GWALCH Y PYSGOD – Occasional visitor. Not recorded from November to February

Not recorded by Mathew (1894) but Lockley et al. (1949) knew of two occurrences, on the Pembroke River in 1904 and again in September 1931. Ospreys have been reported on about 23 occasions since 1966, mostly between July and early October but also once in March, three times in May and once in June. Most records refer to single birds passing along the coast or over the islands but some have stayed awhile about the Cleddau Estuary, where they are attracted by shoals of grey mullet. Frequency of occurrence in Pembrokeshire has increased as the Scottish breeding population has increased.

Donovan J.W. & Rees G.H, 1994, Birds of Pembrokeshire

More about the Osprey in Pembrokeshire

Osprey

Annie

Pandion haliaetus – GWALCH Y PYSGOD – Scarce passage migrant.

Osprey – first and last dates

Earliest and latest sightings of this passage migrant, with an estimate of the number of birds involved each year since 1981. Records from the Pembrokeshire Bird Reports

Osprey – 2020

Pandion haliaetus – GWALCH Y PYSGOD – Scarce passage migrant. Previous records are summarised in Osprey 2006 Records The table below summarises records (number of birds reported each month) since 2007. The annual totals and monthly pattern of records are consistent with those recorded between 1988 and 2006. The majority of records are from the […]

Osprey – 2006

Pandion haliaetus – GWALCH Y PYSGOD – Scarce passage migrant. The Osprey has a worldwide breeding distribution, being absent only from the Polar regions. It is a summer visitor in temperate zones, north European birds wintering as far south as Africa. The Osprey was formerly a rare bird in Pembrokeshire. Mathew (1894) knew of no […]

Osprey – 1994

Pandion haliaetus – GWALCH Y PYSGOD – Occasional visitor. Not recorded from November to February Not recorded by Mathew (1894) but Lockley et al. (1949) knew of two occurrences, on the Pembroke River in 1904 and again in September 1931. Ospreys have been reported on about 23 occasions since 1966, mostly between July and early October but also […]

Osprey – 1949

Species account from the Birds of Pembrokeshire, 1949, by Lockley, Ingram and Salmon.

Osprey – 1894

Species account from the 1894 ‘Birds of Pembrokeshire and its Islands’ by Rev M A Mathew