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Pied Flycatcher

Welcome to Brecknock Birds

Welcome to Brecknock Birds. This site has been set up to encourage interest in bird watching and ornithology in Brecknockshire.

This is a child friendly site and in common with other bird sightings websites, we appeal to contributors to put the birds first. Particularly for sensitive species, please can we ask that no reference is made to breeding sites or aspects of behaviour that would indicate breeding at a set locality in your postings. If in any doubt, then please contact Andrew King, Brecknock County Bird Recorder, first (email below). In view of this, any postings made that are deemed inappropriate will be removed by the moderators without warning or explanation. Please note that all photographs remain the property of the person posting them. Permission must be obtained from the relevant owner before they may be reproduced or copied. We hope these pages will build on our knowledge of birds rather than provide valuable information to those few people that may wish to target species for their own purposes.

The district of Brecknockshire covers approximately 500 square miles, stretching from Rhayader to Merthyr Tydfil, Ystradgynlais to Hay on Wye. We hope very much you enjoy bird watching here as much as we do and look forward to hearing about your bird sightings. Happy birding!

Shoveler


Brecknock Bird News by Andrew King, County Bird Recorder (andrew.king53[at]virgin.net)


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LOCAL COUNTY ATLAS
The national BTO Atlas closed at the end of July 2011. However, Breconshire continue to gather data for our own Local Atlas. The culmination of 5 years of data gathering at the end of July 2012 will be the biggest bird distribution project ever undertaken here.
The final Winter Atlas recording period starts on 1st November 2011. PLEASE continue to collect records - either through Timed Tetrad Visits (TTV) or Roving Records - and submit them via the BTO Atlas website which is staying open for the benefit of Local Atlas projects.
Brilliant progress has been made over 4 years, but plenty of areas of the county still require more detailed coverage in winter - and choosing the TTV option will suit that best. Selection of TTVs via John lloyd, BTO Breconshire Regional Rep in the usual way, via the BTO website.
However, 15% of the tetrads (2 x 2 km sq)in the county have no winter records attributed to them, for which a walk through once in winter is the best way to find the commonest species with little difficulty - submit as Roving Records. In summary, the Black Mountains (SO23), Abergwesyn area (SN85) and Glyntawe/Ystradfellte areas (SN81/91) need attention, ALL of which are brilliant walking areas to find a few birds.
Please either search the BTO Atlas website for more under-recorded areas, or alternatively contact me via email on andrew.king53@virgin.net and I can inform you of squares nearest your home.

PLEASE find the time to help us out, for what is now the final winter recording period.

Thank you.
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2010 Breconshire Bird Report - NOW AVAILABLE

The 2010 edition is available from Brecknock Wildlife Trust or the County Bird Recorder.
This 78-page edition covers all species recorded in Breconshire during 2010, a summary of Llangorse Ringing Groups' 2010 Report, and articles on the finding of breeding Black Redstart and a sighting of Red-rumped Swallow in the county.
Price: £6.50 (+ 70 pence P&P if mailed out). Contact Clare Morgan at BWT on 01874 625708. Cheques to be payable to 'Brecknock Wildlife Trust'. Address; Brecknock Wildlife Trust, Lion House, Bethel Square, BRECON, Powys, LD3 7AY.

Back copies are also available at ridiculous prices! Discuss with Clare at BWT.

Thanks to all those that have contributed records, photographs, articles and sketches to the Report.

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BTO Atlas
The four winters/four summers recording periods completed on 31st July. With 326 observers contributing over 100,000 local records, it has been a project of staggering proportions that will create a baseline in our knowledge of Breconshire's (and the UK's) birds. THANK YOU to all of you.
There is still the opportunity to submit records of late-breeding species as long as you find them!
There are still plenty of gaps!!

I am aware that some records entered on this website (many from regular contributors) have not been forwarded to the Atlas. We have until end of Nov-Dec to get all these in, so PLEASE, if you have records that have not been forwarded to the Atlas, please enter them. These may go back as far as November 2007. Methods to do this really are painless via the BTO website (www.birdatlas.net)or via written forms. The choice is yours - if in doubt please contact either myself (andrew.king53@virgin.net - or tel 01874 658351) or John Lloyd (the_lloyds@dsl.pipex.com)

All species count - common or rare!

Thank you for your contributions - it will be many years hence before a similar nationwide bird distribution project will be repeated.

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Most recent sighting... (See all sightings / add a sighting)

Entry added by: tony & jan jenkins on Sun 29th January 12, 03:40pm Sighting location: talybont resevoir. Sighting date: 29/01/12
several goldeneye near the shallows of the resevoir, 3 males with 7 female, single dabchick, a pair of tufted and 3 cormerant

Entry added by: Steve Jones on Sun 29th January 12, 01:38pm Sighting location: Llanwrthwl. (SN975638) Sighting date: 29/01/12
Big garden birdwatch - 27 House Sparrow, 8 blue Tit, 2 Great Tit, 1 Coal Tit, Robin, Dunnock, 3 Blackbird, 3 Siskin, Nuthatch, 3 Chaffinch. Also 7 Starlings, 1 GSW and a Grey Heron that didn't come into the garden. Since yesterday 60 Meadow pipits turned up on nearby fields, a cold weather movement or earlier returning birds taking a big risk?

Entry added by: Gareth Rees on Sun 29th January 12, 11:38am Sighting location: Mynydd Illtyd. Sighting date: 28/01/12
Just in case it goes under the radar, 2 GG Shrikes reported for Mynydd Illtyd yesterday by Keri Williams and posted on Glamorgan Birds. Sounds like they were near the road west of the visitors centre between Traeth Mawr and Felincamlais pool.

Entry added by: Andrew King on Sun 29th January 12, 09:47am Sighting location: Pennorth garden. Sighting date: 29/01/12
RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch - apart from an absence of Coal Tit, the regulars showed up in normal numbers: Robin 2, Blue Tit 7, Dunnock 1, Chaffinch 6, Greenfinch 16, House Sparrow 6, Goldfinch 4, great Tit 3, Song Thrush 1, Blackbird 2, Magpie 1, Pheasant 1, Gt Sp Woody 2, Nuthatch 2.