Eastern Glamorgan Bird Report 2006

Excellent new Bird Report I think. Good photographs well reproduced and fantastic drawings by Paul Parsons, Colin Richards and Bob Mitchell. Jake's list of Principal Documents and Dates in the History of Glamorgan Avifauna was very interesting.

The Report itself could do with a few more initials though e.g. for 'scarce birds' like Firecrest, Black Redstart, Lesser Pecker, Hawfinch, Willow and Marsh Tit etc - it might encourage people to go out looking for new sites for these species? Also earliest and latest migrants and any birder who goes to the effort to do monthly counts.

I was glad to see in the Report that two members of Birders in Boxers now jointly hold the highest count for Velvet Scoter in the recording area! 7 at Ogmore-by-Sea. Good man Tim for finding them and putting me on to them!

One thing I didn't expect was that the WRP accepted the American Wigeon found at Cardiff Bay in the summer of 2006. It was so poo-pooed at the time as a 'plastic duck' that I didn't bother counting it in my Glamorgan/East Glamorgan year lists. But, that's all changed now! So wait for it. I hope you're sitting down. Here are my new totals for 2006:

Glamorgan: 187 East Glamorgan: 178

Both personal year list bests for the two recording areas, but both definitely Vauxhall Conference standard compared to the Premier League totals set by other birders in Glamorgan!