November/December 2023: ‘Storm’ Wigeon on Anglesey and Waxwings galore
Wildfowl, unsurprisingly, took to the fore across Wales during the winter months, with a stunning-looking ‘Storm Wigeon’ on Anglesey a particular highlight.
September & October 2023 – the most extraordinary influx of extreme rarities for Welsh birders
Autumn 2023 will go down in the history books as the greatest ever period of scarcities and rarities for Welsh birding, with the largest arrival of American landbirds in recorded history. WOS strongly condemns the behaviour of a small number of twitchers which was in breach of the birdwatchers’ code.
‘The most remarkable week in Welsh birding’
We normally publish a Scarce & Rare report after the end of each month, but the past week has been so exceptional that, if you don’t know already, it’s worth summarising now.
August 2023 – seabirds centre stage again
For the second month in a row, seabirds took centre stage, with the first UK Bridled Tern for ten years the star,
June 2023 – a good mixture of scarcities in both north and south Wales
It was a brilliant June for one lucky Glamorgan patch birder, with the discovery of not one but two Welsh rarities.
July 2023 – an impressive month for seabirds and seawatching
Little passerine interest, but a splendid month for off-shore and coastal sea-watching
May 2023 – a Song Sparrow on Bardsey and a good range of late summer migrants
A SONG SPARROW on Bardsey Island, Gwynedd, on 9th had twitchers springing into action and there was an excellent run of late returning summer migrants.
March & April 2023 round-up, including a UK first
The first ever UK Black-winged Kite amazed an observer near Newtown and Wales was well represented in the UK-wide influxes of Purple Herons, Black-crowned Night Herons and Alpine Swifts. Click for more highlights of a busy two months.
February 2023 – the second Baikal Teal of the year and the very first signs of Spring
No apologies for using the same species as January for the featured image – a second Baikal Teal for Wales and the second of the year! Otherwise a quiet month, with a few tantalising harbingers of Spring at the end.
January 2023 – Wales’s first Baikal Teal in Powys
Highlight of the month was the first Baikal Teal for Wales – in land-locked Powys!