MFS Annual
Reports 1947-1973: extracts of bird sightings
An archive
of these reports from the National Museum of Wales was recently handed to me. I
have extracted the following records and now passed the archive onto MFS, who
hope to digitize it in due course. The full archive contains not only bird
notes, but records of other fauna and flora in the county. In the earlier
years, J.H.Owen was the principal ornithologist, and William Condry contributed
records from the west of the county. From 1967 Roger Lovegrove compiled the
bird reports. Many records were submitted by Ken Stott.
1948: Corncrakes calling at Meifod, Welshpool,
Deytheur, and Llandrinio. Young were seen at Tynllwyn, Welshpool.
Chough:
1 pair bred successfully.
Red-backed
Shrike: nested successfully at Llanymynech.
Nightjar : nested successfully at
Llanymynech.
1951: Woodlark nested Llanymynech Hill, juvs. in nest
in July.
Spotted
Flycatcher: 127 nests were found and monitored by J. H. Owen.
1952: Leach’s Petrel was found dead at Aberbechan.
1955: Little Auk was found dead near Catle
Caereinion.
Golden Oriole: one singing,
location not mentioned. This species appears in other years too.
1956: Corncrakes ‘decreasing drastically.’
Woodlark: still nesting at
Llanymynech.
1957: Hoopoe: 1 at Plas-y-Court, Middletown, 4 Apr;
2 at Llandysilio (Four Crosses), 25 Nov.
1958: Woodlark on Long Mountain, probably nested
Leighton Woods.
1961: Crane in a field in Llangadfan, with a full description
that rules out Heron: ‘black bushy tail-like feathers and head markings clearly
seen.’
1963: Turtle Dove: 6 pairs recorded in the county
1964: Yellowhammer: 100 at Groes near Guilsfield in
March. ‘Good numbers in hedgerows everywhere.’
1965: Golden
Plover: 20+ pairs nesting on moors near Llanbrynmair.
1966: Woodcock: several pairs bred Gregynog
Redshank nested Hem near Forden.
1967: Black-headed Gull colonies held 700 pairs (Llyn Hir),
650 pairs (Llyn Tarw), Llyn Lort 100 pairs, Llyn Mawr 80 pairs.
Siskin: not known to nest in the
county. Just occasional records.
1968: White-fronted Goose: 1,080 Leighton in Feb.
Black
Grouse: ‘quite numerous’ in Hafren and Dyfnant Forests.
Golden
Plover: 40 pairs on one moor in west of county. Numbers vary greatly year to year: some years
very few found.
Reed Warbler: first known
breeding in county. 4 singing males at Lymore, Montgomery.
Fieldfare: much more numerous as
winter visitor than Redwing.
1969: Grey Heron: only known heronry in county is
at Bryngwyn (Bwlch-y-Cibau), 11 pairs. (22 pairs in 1971).
Corncrake: probably nested
successfully at Aberbechan and Pontdolgoch.
Woodcock: bred Gregynog; roding (territorial display
flight) at Aberhafesp and Moel-y-Garth
Chough: bred at ‘usual site’: (I assume this is
the quarry at Centre of Alternative Technology, where I saw them nesting in the
early 1980s).
Sand Martin: 1,300 pairs estimated along the
length of the Severn in the county.
Great Crested Grebe: bred at the following
lakes: Gwyddior, Ebyr, Llyn Du, Gwgia, Vachwen Pool, Maesmawr, Lymore, Llyn
Mawr and Van Pool.
1970: Great Crested Grebe: as above, plus
Clywedog, Bryngwyn and Glansevern.
Red-breasted Merganser: nested
successfully near Llanwrin on the Dyfi.
Grey Partridge: many records
throughout the eastern part of the county.
Turtle Dove: still several pairs.
1972: Arctic Skua found dead near Llanrhaeadr.
1973: Great Skua found dead near Bettws: first
county record.
Whitethroat: first signs of recovery in numbers
after disastrous UK-wide 1967 crash in numbers after drought in the Sahel.
Wood Warbler: ‘reasonably common’
throughout the county’s woodlands.
Ring Ouzel: 4 known breeding
sites: Lake Vyrnwy, Carno, Dernol Valley, and Pennant Melangell.
In case you
feel saddened by the loss or decline of many of the above species, the trawl
through these records also reveals that some species such as Stock Dove, Reed Warbler, Stonechat,
Redstart, Goldfinch and Siskin are now more numerous than in the post-war
period. Now we know about 11 heronries in the county, compared with just one in
1969.
