Wednesday, 15 April 2020

Archived on-line copies of Pembrokeshire Bird Reports

If anyone wants to have a browse down memory lane, or is considering doing some research on Pembrokeshire bird species, you can now access (on-line) all of the annual Pembrokeshire Bird Reports (first published back in 1981) which are now all available as scanned PDF copies.

The reports provide summaries of species records submitted to the County Recorders each year. They can be accessed via the Pembs Bird Group blog, Pembs Bird Group Avifauna or this sightings blog by clicking on Reports in the menu bars.

As well as the annual species records, many of the reports also include some short papers and notes on bird-related topics, for example:
  • An analysis of results from an annual Common Birds Census of the Pembroke Upper Millpond 1981-86 by David Little and Richard Shaw in the 1986 Report. How might the species composition recorded then compare with that of today?
  • An article by Steve Sutcliffe on the Diet of Little Owls on Skomer in the 1989 Report – does this species still breed on Skomer these days?
  • Strumble Connection by Graham Rees, also in the 1989 edition - a fascinating review of this important sea-watching location and of some of the interesting species that pass by Strumble.
  • David Astins carried out a review of Mediterranean Gulls in the county in the 1993 Report (a    species-review surely overdue an update!).
  • The Reports link also provides access to other general bird survey reports and to an annotated checklist of all species known to have been recorded in Pembrokeshire up to and including 2018. 
Happy reading during this “Lockdown” period.