Julian Friese

Summary

An ornithological survey of the fens and marshes of coastal south-east Carmarthenshire, between Cydweli and Hendy was carried out on behalf of The National Rivers Authority (NRA) and the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) during the summer of 1994. The region was found to be, in a Welsh context, of particular importance for several species.

At least 6 pairs of Water Rail and a minimum of over 330 territory-holding Reed Warblers were located This part of Carmarthenshire was revealed to be, after West Glamorgan, the most important area in Wales for Reed Warblers. Another important discovery was of 8 or 9 singing Cetti's Warblers. This species is a nationally rare breeding bird in Britain (with an estimated population of less than 450 pairs). The survey found the district to be one of the most heavily occupied in Wales. The highest densities of both Sedge Warbler and Reed Bunting in the county occurred in the study area. The important fens around the Witchett Pool (on "MoD Pendine") were not included in the present survey. Therefore, the total numbers of Reed, Sedge and Cetti's Warblers, Reed Buntings and Water Rails in Carmarthenshire obviously exceeds the figures offered above. Several locally-important reedbed sites e.g. Dyfatty Marsh. "Ashpits Pond" (Burry Port) and much of Ffrwd Fen are of comparatively-recent origin, yet they hold substantial numbers of fenland birds This ability of this "fenland suite" of birds to colonise new reedbed/marsh habitats gives room for optimism in that, if particular localities are threatened (as are several in the Llanelli area) then replacement, new fens could compensate for their loss, particularly if incorporating a range of design features.

For Cetti's Warbler, the data has been updated to include 1995 records. It should be noted that this was a survey of fens and marshes rather than open water bodies (of which there is also a noteworthy concentration in South-east Carmarthenshire). Therefore, this summary concentrates on Reed and Sedge Warbler, Cetti's Warbler, Reed Bunting and Water Rail.

Introduction

Ornithological data about wetlands in the county of Carmarthenshire, particularly concerning their breeding populations, is virtually non-existent Although two surveys of reedbeds were carried out by Bibby (1982 of all known sites of over 2 hectares in England and Wales and by Tyler (1993) of exclusively Welsh localities (many of which were missed by the first survey), these contained little or no information about bird populations and almost exclusively dealt with the number, type and extent of reedbed. Some of Carmarthenshire's neighbouring counties, do however, have population estimates for several wetland species, notably passerines In order to partly rectify the situation in Carmarthen, a survey in 1994 was undertaken of the wetlands in the south east of the county. Historically, the reedbeds and marshlands In this region were once far more extensive than they are today and almost certainly contained breeding species now extinct in the county such as Bitterns Botaurus stellaris and Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus during the 19th century (as was testified by contemporary writers) Over the last two centuries, however, most of the larger marshes have been drained and all that remains are small scattered fragments, some of which are, paradoxically, of more recent origin These remnants (and "new sites") are still thought, cumulatively, to provide the nesting habitats for an appreciable number of breeding pairs of fenland birds.

Because these wetlands frequently adjoin the built-up areas of the LIanelli conurbation, they are, increasingly, under pressure from development, usually in the form of new roads, landfill, housing and industrial estates. Additionally, open-cast coal mining is likely to affect the lower Gwendraeth valley, particularly in the vicinity of the important site of Ffrwd Fen Some sites have already been lost or partly destroyed e.g. Techon Marsh at Llwynhendy, just east of LIanelli, which was partially damaged by a municipal rubbish dump, later infilled. Also, almost completely devastated were the reedbeds immediately south of Bynea, due to the construction of a new trunk road and a proposed Industrial Park. Before any possible defence is launched to safeguard these sites, data is required to find out their full worth as a biological resource. This is perhaps the most urgent reason for the ornithological survey - these remaining fenlands have been thought intuitively by local naturalists to be important for some scarce or habitat restricted birds, but no data has ever been gathered.

The main species identified as rare, scarce, restricted by specialised habitat or otherwise held to be of conservation value for this survey are as follows:

1. Water Rail Rallus aquaticus. A secretive and skulking species, scarce throughout Wales, the total breeding population estimated at only 100-150 pairs. The low-lying marshes of Carmarthenshire, particularly in the south-east probably hold a not insignificant portion of the Welsh population. The species requires a fairly large area of damp or wet ground with rank vegetation typically consisting of reeds, sedges, rushes and other aquatic plants
2. Grasshopper Warbler Locustsella naevia. A scarce and nationally declining bird confined to areas of low rank vegetation - often damp marshes. Grasshopper warblers have undergone a major decline in Britain over the last two decades The New Atlas of Breeding Birds 1988-91 (Gibbons el al 1994) illustrates a loss of occupancy in 36% less 10 kilometre squares than occurred Atlas in 1968-72 The bird although also inhabiting dry situations is frequently associated with the fringes of wet sites where coarse grasses, rushes, brambles and sedges predominate.
3. Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus. A warbler typical of reedbeds and exclusively tied to that habitat and plant in Wales, although utilising plants of a similar nature in England The Welsh portion of the British population of an estimated 40-80, 000 pairs (Gibbons, et al 1994) forms only a small fraction of the total, due to the scarcity of reedbeds in Wales
4. Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus. A more widespread species than its close relative above. Its population suffered a drastic decline in the late 1960's due to drought conditions in the wintering quarters of the Sahel region in Africa. Since that time however, there has been some recovery and the population level is now regarded as slowly increasing (Marchant, 1990). As its name suggests, inhabits sedges and similar low herbage.
5. Cetti's Warbler Cettia cetti. A rare but slowly increasing species of scrubby marshland with a British population of around 450 pairs. Listed among the Red Data Book birds in Britain (Batten et al 1990) and on Schedule I of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. The interface between reeds and bushes (particularly willows) forms the species favoured habitat It also frequents drainage ditches overgrown with vegetation such as brambles and reeds.
6. Reed Bunting Embriza schoeniclus. A fairly common inhabitant of wetlands of all types, although as with other seed-eating passerines currently undergoing a sharp drop in population levels. The Reed Bunting is not exclusively tied to reeds as its name might imply It occurs on watersides and damp ground where the vegetation often contains reedmace, reedgrass, rushes or coarse grasses. What seems to be essential to even territorial male tor pair) are scattered bushes - rendering any singing bird perched on them conspicuous.

Survey District Description

This is a low lying region in the extreme south-east or the county of Carmarthenshire.

bordering the two estuaries of both the Gwendraeth and Loughor rivers and part of the Carmarthen Bay. It extends in a narrow arc from Cydweli in the north, eastward through the flood plain of the lower Gwendraeth Fawr river upstream as far as Pontnewydd. South of Cydweli the district includes the low Gwendraeth estuary and its flood plain. Pembrey Burrows and the built-up areas of Burry Port and Llanelli. It also includes the level ground east of LIanelli and the lower Loughor Estuary on its northern bank between Llangennech and Hendy. This district can be conveniently sub-divided (in a west-east direction) into four broad areas:

1. The lower Gwendraeth floodplain and estuary. A large area of open, level ground consisting of many rushy fields, overgrown hedgerows and patches of impeded drainage. some of which have become sizeable fenland habitats The western section of this area merges into conifer forestry and also a sand dune system farther to the south west. At one time these sand dunes acted as a barrier to water flowing out into Carmarthen Bay - resulting in a much larger marshy area (both saltmarsh and freshwater fen) than any found in the district today. Subsequently, these marshes were drained by ditches and wider dykes - evidence for this exists in the name "Swan Pool Drain" shown alongside a major drainage channel on current ordnance survey maps for the Pembrey district, (Grid Reference SN409018).
2. The Burry Port - LIanelli conurbation. A heavily built-up section with any remaining wetlands confined in a slim belt of land hemmed in by roads and a railway line. They are also closely associated with past industrial activity e.g. the reedstands in the disused canal and ash lagoons east of Burry Port. The canal at Pembrey was later filled in, and then acted as a bed for the newly constructed railway line. Today the line tracks, at least as far as near Cydweli, have been dismantled The sides of the old route however still retain patches of reed and other rank vegetation in the drainage ditches. This vegetation, no doubt, originated from the margins of the old canal itself. The ash lagoons (east of Burry Port) some of which have been subsequently infilled, were formed by dumping of fly-ash from the former Carmarthen Bay Power Station, on former saltmarsh which was isolated by the construction of the main railway line and its embankment in the 9th Century To prevent the problem of wind-blow, the settling lagoons were flooded. After use these were often infilled but a few were left and developed wetland vegetation communities. The dried-out areas are themselves of interest for wildlife. Damp horse-grazed grassland with damp hollows support wintering Snipe and a few breeding pairs of Lapwings.
3. "The LIanelli levels". A flat landscape which covers approximately I2 square kilometres south-east of LIanelli. Nearly all of this district has gradually been reclaimed over the centuries from the saltmarsh that once existed here. Substantial amounts of this "new" land has been lost to development of one sort or another. The district though still retains a number of fenland pools and reedbeds rich in fauna and flora. A detailed description of the nature of this landscape is given by Morgan (1995).
4. The Upper Loughor Estuary. This consists of primarily saltmarsh. The presence here, however of a number of railway lines and junctions set on embankments have acted as an impediment to saltwater incursions. This has resulted in the "landward" side drainage ditches turning into small freshwater reedbeds (particularly once blocked) and in the case of Llangennech reedswamp into a much more expansive fen. Much of the surrounding land is made up of small rush-dominated fields with severely waterlogged ground (some of it actually "shaking" when trodden on). There are also patches of coarse grasses adjoining willow and birch carr alongside many stretches of the railway line.

Historical Background

"The fenns of this district lye near the coast about Kidwelly and Llangennech and are of considerable extent; they are, for the most part, overflowed by spring tides; and on that account called salt marshes".

Charles Hassall in his General View of Agriculture in the Co. Of Carmarthen with observation on the means of its improvement (1794).

The Marsh Harrier is "the most common member of the falcon tribe about the sandy flats on the coast of Carmarthenshire".

George Montagu in Montagu's ornithological dictionary. First Edn (1802).

Whilst John Leland in his The Itinerary in Wales, (1536-39) noted the "good hawking' of Bitterns on the "Gwendraeth Fechan" (=Fach).

The quotes cited above indicate to us the possible extent of marshland on the flat coastal belt of Carmarthenshire at about the beginning of the 19th Century. Whilst - admittedly - much of Hassall's observation refers to saltmarsh ("morfa"), it would have included too, brackish reedbeds and freshwater marshes in areas of impeded drainage Montagu's remark is valued, not only for evidence of the presence of presumably breeding Marsh Harriers but also, indirectly, as an indication of the presence of large reedbeds and adjacent extensive areas of rough ground, both strict requirements for nesting birds of that species. Likewise, ample suitable habitat must have been present to support Bitterns in the Gwendraeth Fach valley.

All this changed with the enclosure movement of the early 1800's, part of a widespread phase of agricultural improvement and land "reclamation". The first major enclosure in Carmarthenshire was with the Enclosure Act put to parliament in 1807, concerning the enclosure of the vast Morfa Mawr ("Llanelly Marsh"), east of LIanelli. Similar schemes affected other areas of coastal Carmarthenshire - Llangennech, "Pembrey Marsh". "Laugharne Marsh" and smaller proposals along the Tâf and Tywi rivers (James. 1994)

An informative and very readable account of the development of the Carmarthenshire coastline (with particular emphasis on the two major dune systems of Laugharne/Pendine and Pembrey/Tywyn is given by James (1991). In that summary, the growth of both the Pembrey/Tywyn Burrows and the conversion of marshland to agriculture is chronicled. Mention is also made of the "Swan Pool", from which the present "Swan Pool Drain" gets its name James quotes the well-known description in the so-called Lhuydiana (Fisher, 1917) of the Swan Pool. In it, mention is made of the use made by the site by waterfowl including wild geese (presumably the Russian White-fronted geese Anser anser albifrons which, prior to afforestation at Pembrey, formerly wintered in the Lower Gwendraeth valley) and "wild Swans or Elkes". "Elkes" probably being a corruption of elyrch, the Welsh plural for "swans".

Many of the present day fens are surprisingly recent. The reedbeds at Banc-y-Lord (on Pembrey Airfield. Site No 6) or Techon Marsh at Llwynhendy (Site No 2:) were grazed wet pasture until waterlogging or neglect resulted in reed invasion from adjacent ditches The

Banc-y-Lord site for example was, apart from the fringes, devoid of reeds until c 1950+.

Techon Marsh was abandoned agriculturally much earlier, but one of its names - "Waun

Techon" (Techon Meadow) suggest its different past usage. Even the important Ffrwd Fen reedbed is mostly new. Both rather recent maps of Ffrwd (again c 1950), verbal evidence from local residents and, more recently, observations of local naturalists confirm the rapid spread of reeds in the absence of intensive management (such as horse/cattle grazing) Ffrwd was described as being almost without reeds except for the inevitable growths in ditches etc), with a strong colony of "Ffa'r Gors" (bogbean) somewhere near the middle. Although Ffrwd would have been predominantly without reeds, the fen vegetation, consisting of a range of marshland herbaceous plants, would have been rich in parts Indeed, the Pembrey (Butchers Arms) corner of Ffrwd is very diverse indeed - with the rare Marsh Pea Lathyrus palustris and with Frogbit Hydrochaeris morus-ranae in the ditches. An outstanding and varied invertebrate fauna is also present. This is due to the antiquity of this part of the Ffrwd Fen, it being formed behind a minor sand ridge on the past Medieval coastline. Recent sampling of the invertebrate fauna at Llangennech (Kirby, 1994) also suggests that this locality too is of rather great age. Conversely, once more, Dyfatty Marsh just east of Burry Port is of recent origin - impeded drainage due to dumping of ash from the nearby (now demolished) power station - and the locally important Machynys Pond, with its notable community of nesting wildfowl and rich dragonfly assemblage, is derived from former clay pits (Morgan, 1995)

The Future - Threats & Opportunities

Wetlands have had - at least in the past - a bad image, though this misconception has been addressed by natural history programmes on television in particular and locally, through the efforts of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and others. Nevertheless, threats remain, with several important sites having been lost in the last 10-15 years

Techon Marsh, Llwynhendy - about two thirds of this wetland (mostly reedbed with herbaceous fen) was used as a landfill site in the mid-late 1970's.

Between Dyfatty Marsh and "Ashpits Pond" - a significant hectarage of mixed fen lost, again for landfill in the mid-1970's.

"Sandy Marsh" - a Typha-swamp/willow carr, just South-east of the Stradey rugby Ground. Infilled in 1970's (an impoverished fragment still remains).

"Tesco Roundabout Marsh" - a large reedbed (with a known strong population of breeding Reed Warblers), approx. North-east of the roundabout. Infilled late 1980's.

S. and North of Trostre Works - The southern marsh "as infilled by the British Steel Corporation and the North-west reedbed as a landfill site in the early 1990's.

North and North-west of the new Berwick Roundabout, Bynea - a substantial area of Phragmites, Typha-swamp and rushy fields, infilled in conjunction with new road construction and the development of an industrial park

Other sites known to be threatened in the short term are Dyfatty Marsh, earmarked as land for an industrial estate (part of the "Burry Port - Vision" proposal of 1993) S. of Berwick Roundabout a small area of fen - the area lies on a proposed gypsy camp. The pair of the Glynea marsh, Bynea (the Typha-bed) adjacent to the former main road. It is proposed to infill this Water Rail breeding site and to utilise it for development.

The aggregated numbers of, for example. Reed and Sedge Warblers, Reed Buntings on the "lost sites" must have been significant.

It will be noted that the majority of sites which received individual assessment in this survey, are of comparatively recent origin. This concurs with the view of Everett (1989), with regard to reedbeds nationally It seems that the characteristic avian assemblage of those sites with emergent vegetation (principally Phragmites but with also some Typha and other species) will occupy localities almost irrespective of age provided certain habitat features are present, such as, for example, strong reeds to support the nests of Reed Warblers and fringing herbaceous vegetation and willow/alder carr for feeding. The habitat requirement of this characteristic bird assemblage (Reed and Sedge Warbler, Cetti's Warbler, Reed Bunting etc) upon which the present survey focused, can be readily found in the ornithological literature (eg Marchant et al (1990) and Gibbons et al (1993)) Fens are in any case transitory, successional habitats reverting, eventually, to carr-woodland and thereby losing characteristic species (and, simultaneously, gaining others). Either these fens have to be managed (an expensive and very difficult proposal) or new sites created, the latter ideally close to original sites so as to facilitate colonisation by plants, invertebrates and birds (though this is less important for the more mobile latter group) "Inoculation" with plants or invertebrate-rich mud/herbage can aid this process.

The coastal belt of Carmarthenshire is recognized as being at risk from inundation should predictions of sea level rise prove accurate. This is logical given the former status of these areas - former saltmarsh at, or just above, sea-level Concentration of resources in safeguarding built-up areas and possible abandonment of certain other areas may be a possibility Even without a rising sea level scenario. some areas are anyway already rather unsuitable for particular developments without recourse to enormous landfill projects - the low-king parts of the Machynys Peninsula or the strictly coastal areas south of the main railway lines at Bynea/Penclacwydd Such areas could be utilised to create wetland habitat as well as to receive flood waters.

Pre-eminent amongst proposals for habitat creation is the large proposed water body and associated fens and car between the currently being constructed Welsh Water Sewage Treatment Works at Penybryn, Bynea and the WWT Centre at Penclacwydd Expertise for the successful construction of such a site exists with WWT staff and there is also a newly-expanding literature on this innovative topic (e.g. Everett. 1987 & Tyler. 1994) The recent creation of a rather brackish water body at Penrhyngwyn Pond, another saline lake on the former site of Nevill's Dock. LIanelli and the large freshwater expanse of Sandy Water Park all provide (improving) habitat for waterfowl, though, at present, marginal vegetation is limited (but increasing at all these sites. The wildlife potential of such habitats can be dramatically enhanced by careful design - provision of shelter and nesting sites by planting of native trees, shrubs or aquatic vegetation such as the planting of reed clumps which are allowed to spread, and by the creation of discrete, disturbance-free zones. Andrews (1990) and Ward and Andrews (1993) provide excellent guidance here. Potential areas for open water/fen habitat creation in the Llanelli area include parts of the proposed golf-course on the eastern flank of the Machynys Peninsula and on semi-derelict land east of the former power station at Burry Port. If open-cast coaling were to proceed in the flood-prone Lower Gwendraeth valley (with its consequent loss of species-rich rough wet pasture, hedgerows and woodland, then any restoration plans should include a compensatory package of wetland/fen creation.

Proposals for open-cast coal mining close to Ffrwd Fen give rise to-concern about the possible effects this would have on the water-table should consent he granted. Any such proposals would need to be thoroughly investigated to assess the environmental implications. Where other schemes are carried out (not necessarily open cast but developments like roads or industrial estates) compensatory' works, such as the creation of new wetlands (even if small in size) could be undertaken.

As already stated, Welsh Water in conjunction with the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and Llanelli Borough Council have plans for a major wetland site just east of the existing reserve at Penclacwydd near Llanelli If the plans reach fruition, the reedbeds so created could be large enough to accommodate breeding Marsh Harriers and Bitterns (once resident in Carmarthenshire's now long lost extensive fens) Bearded tits might also conceivably be attracted to breed at the new site. This new fen could be one of the important wetland

creation schemes in Wales, with the potential not only to lure the afore-mentioned rarities to breed but to provide quality habitat for a wide range of fenland wildlife - Reed Sedge and Cetti's Warblers The site would also attract nesting wildfowl such as Tufted Duck or Pochard. which will utilise the deeper areas for feeding, or Shoveler, Gadwall or others in the shallows If suitable fish are introduced then Grebes could be induced to breed and Ospreys to visit on passage. The planting of suitable "fenland" trees - willows and poplars might attract a heronry - or not, unreasonably, even Little Egrets 1 (Some of the trees to be planted could he the nationally-rare Black Poplar - which occurs locally - and which 'as a suitable twiggy structure for nesting birds'). As well as being of enormous conservation significance as regards provision of threatened habitat, this new fen would be a tremendous educational resource - with board walks and hides - both for visitors, local people and schools The message of the richness of fenland and its conservation importance could be emphasized on this show-piece.

If all the suggested fen-creation schemes bear fruition, then this will compensate for (or, optimistically, exceed) the losses of habitat which have occurred over the last two decades

Survey Methods

The survey was undertaken between mid-May and the end of July 1994. Individual sites were visited once, whilst bigger ones, such as Ffrwd Fen had two visits.

Singing male passerines of the species listed above were counted. Although, other evidence of presence or breeding was amassed, such as the sighting of young, nests or displaying pairs, these were all counted as singing males, to standardise the counts. These counts were carried out during the morning when bird song is at its strongest, provided that local weather conditions were conducive. i.e. usually rain-free and relatively windless. The counts obtained, particularly, at the larger sites like Llangennech should he regarded as approximations of the total number of birds present These figures if anything are on the cautious side and are a probably conservative total It is known that counting singing males of Reed and Sedge Warblers and Reed Bunting can underestimate the breeding population (Bell et al 1968) and it is thought that, certainly for the larger sites, there has been an underestimate of the Acrocephalus warblers. Counts at smaller sites and also, the narrower linear localities are likely to be more accurate.

Discussion

Because most sites had just one visit, an approximation only of the numbers of territory holding males or pairs was obtained The results for the target species are shown in Table I on and pie charts showing the relative abundance of the passerine species at the main .

Water Rails were seen or heard at 5 sites and this is thought to represent at least 6 pairs. This almost certainly underestimates the true breeding population, as some sites, such as. Llangennech regularly hold Water Rails during the breeding season, although none were observed here at the time of the survey visits.

The Water Rail is a markedly elusive bird which is heard rather than seen, consequently there is often a paucity of records for this species. It was pleasing therefore, to record it at several of the sample sites - Glynea Pond (Bynea), Dyfatty Marsh and Ffrwd Fen, and to positively confirm breeding at the latter site. It may well be that there is more than one pair at the Ffrwd fen Nature Reserve, and the same may apply to other fens Certainly, it is known to breed on the south-western section (i.e. that part nearest the main road) of Glynea Pond, where it bred in 1993 (I K Morgan pers. comm.), and where it has been known to breed since at least the late 1960's. Unfortunately, much of this latter site is threatened with infill and development. It has also been recorded as breeding in the past at the "Ashpits Pond", Burry Port and, more recently, presumably at the Witchett Pool fen complex at MoD Pendine. The species is more widespread in winter, being found in overgrown ditches and the like, as well as established fens. Many of the fens surveyed in summer 1994 are known to support Water Rails in winter (e.g. Ffrwd Fen, Ashpits Pond, Techon Marsh, Glynea). In winter too, it occupies rank, flooded dune slacks near Tywyn Point ("RAF Pembrey Sands'). As with the above species, fewer Grasshopper Warblers were recorded (5) than were probably present. The usual way of locating the bird is by listening to its distinctive reeling song. Once a male has found a female and mated however, singing decreases greatly. making the task of discovering the birds much harder This part of Carmarthenshire though is known to be a stronghold in Wales for this species as a result of the work carried nut for the British Trust for ornithology's New Atlas of Breeding Birds in the years 1988 to 1991 The abundance map in the atlas shows a clear concentration of Grasshopper Warbler records from southern Carmarthenshire, many of them emanating from the surveyed sites.

Another outcome from the survey has confirmed that Sedge Warblers occurred in the highest densities in this pan of the county, than elsewhere (The other areas in Carmarthenshire which contain sizeable numbers include the coastal south-west and the middle reaches of the Tywi valley) Sedge Warblers - according to the pie charts produced -form a smaller (but still significant) percentage of the populations at least at the major sites in the sample, e.g. ref charts for Llangennech, Ffrwd Fen and Dyfatty Marsh. The striking exception though is at the Banc-y-Lord reedbed, where it is thought that the greater dominance of strong stands of herbaceous vegetation other than Phragmites, on rather drier ground, accounts for this. The counts for Sedge Warblers at the top five localities were, in descending order

Penallt 6

"S of Bynea" 14 (a diffuse, composite "site")

Llangennech 11

Banc-y-Lord 10

Ffrwd Fen 9

Here, it is interesting that a hardly-known site Penallt has yielded the best count.

The most numerous species with at least 333 territorial males was shown to be the Reed Warbler This is vet; probably on the conservative side for a population estimate, as counting singing males as a means of deriving a population total is known to underestimate the number of pairs present at any site (Bell et al, 1990) Barry Stewart (pers. comm., 1994) has also suggested for one site with which he is very familiar through ringing of Acrocephalus warblers - Ffrwd Fen Nature Reserve - that the estimates for the present study are on the low side. If this is so for Ffrwd Fen, then the 'underestimate' will probably be consistent for all study sites and the total numbers of Reed Warblers will be in excess of the number suggested above. Indeed, at Oxwich NNR alone "at least 450 pairs" were present by 1977 (Lovegrove et al, 1994), and one or two of the 1904 study's reedbeds at least approach the size of that at Oxwich (e.g. Ffrwd Fen and Llangennech). However, the relative importance of the 1994 Carmarthenshire study sites is believed to be correct. The Reed Warbler expectedly numerically dominates many of these fenland sites with an abundance of reeds, as inspection of the pie-charts showing the relative abundance of selected fen species illustrate This species, for example, dominates the bird assemblages at Llangennech, Dyfatty Marsh and. particularly the Ashpits Pond", Burry Port. At other sites, such as Ffrwd Fen and the Banc-y-Lord reedbed it is less dominant but still, respectively, accounts for just over or just under 50% of the total. It is known (see map in Gibbons et al. 1993) that the coastal fens of the Carmarthenshire coast and Gower (and also those on the Gwent Levels) are particularly important for this species in Wales. and the present survey supports this view. If converted directly from singing males into pairs a reasonable exercise on the basis of earlier statements) a direct comparison can be made with other county or county site estimates. Few Welsh sites contain populations that can be measured in hundreds of pairs. Only Oxwich and Crymlyn

Bog in West Glamorgan and Llangorse Lake in Breconshire regularly do so. The populations of these first two-named sites have been variously calculated, over the last 2 decades, as being between around 200 to 400 pairs (Lovegrove, et al, 1994) Llangorse Lake - which is home to all of Breconshire's Reed Warblers - is thought to have a population of 100-200 pairs (Peers and Shrubb, 1990). Elsewhere in Wales, particularly in the north, the numbers of Reed Warblers are generally small. The county estimate for Pembrokeshire is 60 pairs. (Donovan & Rees, 1994), Ceredigion 50-70 pairs and Gwent about 100-200 pairs (Tyler, et al, 1987) Mid and South Glamorgan, like North Wales, contain small numbers, (Lovegrove, et al, 1994).

The surveyed part of the county therefore, holds a population of Reed Warblers that compares favourably with the best sites of West Glamorgan. A full county survey (which would include the extensive fens around the Witchett Pool on MoD Pendine and the smaller marshes associated with the Tâf and Tywi) might show that Carmarthenshire vies with West Glamorgan as being the most important county in Wales for the species The most important South-east Carmarthenshire localities for Reed Warbler were (in descending order, numbers referring to singing males or pairs)

Llangennech 54

Ashpits Pond 31

Ffrwd Fen 30

Dyfatty Marsh 29

Techon Marsh 28

These top 5 sites held over 50% of the population of the survey area (remembering that the important Witchett Pool fen complex and other minor sites remain to be assessed - a point to be borne in mind for all species). It is only in recent years that the "Ashpits Pond", (just east of Burry Port) has been almost completely vegetated by Phragmites.

Consequently, the loss of open water has dramatically reduced its local significance as a wintering site for Coot, but clearly it is now ideal Reed Warbler habitat - sturdy reeds standing in moderately deep water. In the 1993 Invertebrate Survey of South Carmarthenshire Fens, carried out by Peter Kirby, Dyfatty Marsh and - especially - Techon Marsh did not reveal any invertebrate communities of great significance. However, the present survey does indicate their importance (at least locally) for Reed Warblers. Dyfatty Marsh is also of the greatest local significance for Cetti's Warblers, with by far the highest total ("4-5 pairs") recorded at this site (see following note).

Cetti's Warblers were found at 5 sites with 8 or 9 singing males recorded. Breeding was first proved in the county at Ffrwd Fen in 1990 when a juvenile was mist-netted and ringed. Since then, several other sites have contained singing males including Llangennech and Pwll (Carmarthenshire Bird Report 1986-92) where they were not heard during the survey visits Along with Oxwich in West Glamorgan and the Teifi marshes on the Pembrokeshire-Ceredigion border, coastal Carmarthenshire is now the headquarters for this species in Wales.

Dyfatty Marsh is pre-eminent for Cetti's Warbler, (which also occurs at Ffrwd Fen) Subject to the absence of severe winter weather, this latter species might be expected to increase as willows progressively colonize the peripheries of other existing reedbeds Although it is seemingly impossible to miss this species when in song, at other times it is very skulking. Indeed, it was not recorded in the 1994 survey at the Pwll site (No 15) nor at Llangennech (25), from where it has previously been recorded. It has also been recently discovered at Dafen Pond, LIanelli (SNS3 1015), where it occupies an area of flooded willow carr at the back of a large pond This latter site was not, incidentally, included in the present survey About 11-13 "pairs" (the species is polygamous) are thought to be present in South-east Carmarthenshire including at least one new "pair" found (in the 1995 field season) at Penallt and another alongside the mineral line below Pont-newydd Golf course, newly-fledged young were also present at the latter site Two or more "pairs" are not believed (1995) to be now established at the Ashpits Pond, near Burry Port. These were not noted in the 1994 survey. This total does not include the perhaps significant (at least 3 pairs) at the Witchett Pool. The county total is therefore a minimum, of c18 pairs.

For Reed Buntings the top sites are as follows:

Llangennech 20

Ffrwd Fen 18

Pinged 16

"S of Bynea" 14

Penallt 12

(The "Railway Junction" site at Hendy, Techon Marsh and Dyfatty Marsh are not far behind the lower scores listed above). With Reed Bunting, two sites of known importance - Llangennech and Ffrwd Fen top the list Other rush-covered waterlogged fields in the lower Gwendraeth valley (such as besides the Gwendraeth Fawr. upstream of Pontnewydd) are likely to support other pairs of this bunting. The total figure offered should therefore, be regarded as a bare minimum Reed Buntings do well at most of the sites generally, and in the small sample illustrated by pie charts. Here, though, the exception is the "Ashpits Pond", a water body with very- steep, grassy sides and only a very limited area of waterlogged rushy pasture or other low, mixed vegetation beloved of Reed Buntings. Like Sedge Warblers, Reed Buntings were found at higher numbers in this part of Carmarthenshire than anywhere else with at least 170 singing males. The Reed Bunting's breeding distribution in the county is less restricted to the coast than the other species in this survey, Friese (1994) summarises this species' tetrad distribution in the county.

The importance, in the survey district, of two of the major sites (Llangennech and Ffrwd Fen) to passage migrants, en route to their wintering grounds should also be noted. They are used both as roosting and "feeding up" habitats for a number of species Ringing at these sites from 1988 to 1990 has provided evidence of a high turnover of birds every night with significant numbers of Swallows (and smaller numbers of Sand Martins) as well as the

Table 1

Total number of singing males/pairs* of target species found during survey.

* Likely to be an under estimate as non-discrete rushy pastures occur elsewhere in study area, whilst, may also be an under-estimate due to the difficulties in locating this rather elusive species.

** at least one singing male is located nearby, North-west along the former canal towpath. It is suspected that yet another occupies an area of fen-carr behind Trostre. This total may therefore be put at "10-11".

usual Sedge, Reed and other warblers passing through. The figures for these ringed birds, over the period 1980-1990 at Ffrwd and Llangennech are impressive A total of 3288 Swallows. 903 Sedge Warblers and 892 Reed Warblers being caught by mist nets. (Stewart. 1990). Techon Marsh is also known to be used for passage Acrocephalus warblers whilst Pembrey Saltings reedbed has been utilised by Sand Martins. A useful future survey would be an assessment of reedbed sites for passage migrants.

Evidence of wintering birds using these reedbeds is scant, although observations of "masses" of Starlings roosting at Ffrwd Fen occurred in 1993 and roosts of this species have also occurred at Llangennech and the Pembrey Saltings reedbed. (This probably involved a total of at least 100, 000 birds). A range of common birds - various Tits, Wrens, regularly frequent reedbeds in winter and such sites regularly support Water Rails. Other species recorded using or passing through these fenland habitats in winter over the last decade include Bittern, Marsh Harrier and Firecrest (Carmarthenshire Bird Reports 1983-1993).

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to the following who supplied additional information - John Ellis. Clive Jones, Dave Powell. Ian Morgan and Barry Stewart. To Peter Davis and Dick Squires for providing the Reed Warbler estimate for Ceredigion and Peter Hope-Jones for other parts of Wales. Gratitude also to Ian Morgan for help with researching some of the historical data Barry Stewart and Ian Morgan also made suggestions for improving the text. Finally, thanks are due to both the National Rivers Authority and the Countryside Council for Wales for permission to reproduce this report.

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