Friday, 21 September 2018

Snipe


An interesting point Kim about the published status of snipe, and also about wryneck. 

Snipe used to breed but there have been no "modern" records of them doing so, at least as far as I know. Fieldwork for the most recent local and national breeding bird atlases (which many observers contributed to) covering the period between 2003 and 2007 (local atlas) and between 2008 and 2012 (national atlas) found no definite breeding evidence. 

The first Pembs breeding atlas survey (1984-88) found only about ten pairs "on the bogs of the Preseli Mountains, with possible breeding in the meadows around the confluence of the rivers Syfynwy and Eastern Cleddau". Its status then was "winter visitor and scarce breeder" (Donovan and Rees, 1994). 

"Snipe were recorded from 5 tetrads (2x2km squares) during 2003-07 but only three of these were inland within areas of potentially suitable breeding habitat. The other two locations being near the coast were almost certainly records of transient birds. Even at the inland locations, it is likely that Snipe recorded here were also migrants. No “classic” display flights were recorded". 

Wryneck appear to have last bred even much longer ago (19th Century?). Its status (and likely a number of other species) also needs further review!    


Below is a map of snipe distribution from the Pembrokeshire Breeding Birds Atlas (2003-07). 
Some further information can be found in the Pembs Avifauna here:



Yellow = breeding possible = 5
Total tetrads in which registered = 5