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Post Info TOPIC: North Wales and Anglesey


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RE: North Wales and Anglesey


steven burke wrote:

Rob, considering the times we were both there I really don't know how we did not see each other hmm
I was sat on the beach about 1.30 ish til 3.30 about 40 yards away form that carcass.





You must've been on a different part of the beach at those specific times and I missed you, I'm surprised that Glaucous Gull could take off the way it was feeding on the Porpoise. It made for good viewing getting stuck into the carcass and covered in blood.

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Rob, considering the times we were both there I really don't know how we did not see each other hmm
I was sat on the beach about 1.30 ish til 3.30 about 40 yards away form that carcass.

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saburke


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Sunday 24th Dec 11.45am - 1.30pm

Llanddulas (from the car park of The Beach Caravan Park)
Only 1 other birder present for the most part whilst I was there and 2 others not stopping long that almost scared the Glauc off when they came running over, so I don't know where you were Steve, I don't know how we didn't see each other.

- 1 Glaucous Gull
A fairly well bleached juvenile. On the sea at first but shortly after... it did a couple of fly rounds and then came to feed on the Harbour Porpoise carcass, The other birder there said Birdguides have got it wrong putting it out as a juvenile and that it's a 2nd winter referring to the whiteness, BUT in my opinion it's a juvenile as it still has a dark eye and there didn't appear to be a pale tip at the end of the black. Am I wrong in thinking they essentially remain a juvenile until they become a 2nd W, so the bleaching can be of varying degrees and rates??

Also of note...
- Surf Scoters 2 Drakes
Very distant and only just managed to ID them as they put their head up quickly and went back to sleep.
- Velvet Scoter 1 Drake
A little closer in and safely ID'd but only when it put its head up.
- Common Scoter 100's far out
- 10 Oystercatcher
- 2 Turnstone
- 2 Raven over
- 1 adult Great Black-backed Gull and a juvenile with the Glaucous.
- 4 Great Crested Grebe
...and also 1 small Grebe seen but I just couldn't get enough on it to safely ID it as it kept disappearing behind the swell.



-- Edited by Rob Creek on Monday 25th of December 2017 01:16:30 PM

-- Edited by Rob Creek on Monday 25th of December 2017 01:18:21 PM

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llandullas 12-3.30pm

from the car park...

hundreds of common scoter
2 surf scoter, distant but still just about able to id
4 red breasted merganser
13 turnstone
3 redshank
1 ringed plover

further up the beach just past the river mouth...

glaucous gull, showing well but stayed mostly on the water, there is a dead carcass on the beach there which it has been feeding on but I waited 2 hours & it did not come to it hmm




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December WeBS was delayed by a week to make use of more convenient tide times. As NW Angleseys utility player, I was happy to move over to the Cymyran Strait, the channel that divides the Anglesey mainland from Holy Island. It is very different to the Alaw estuary, which has been my patch for recent counts. Points of access are fewer and harder to achieve, but the channel is narrower in many parts, so the birds are closer and easier to count. The numbers are less daunting too. The variety of countable species is good, as is the variety that dont count.

I split the section into three: the northern stretch that comprises Four Mile Bridge and Valley Doors; the section at the southern end, bounded by the dunes alongside the airfield; and the bits between. The first section was difficult in driving rain, and 185 may have been an underestimate of Pale-bellied Brent Geese. The southern end produced c60 Wigeon, along with small counts of Dunlin, Redshank, Curlew, Oysercatcher and Snipe, with singles of Jack Snipe and Bar-tailed Godwit. The middle section was the best. Total number of recordable species was 23, including 11 of wader and five of duck.

It took me two visits to the Inland Sea to catch up with Great Northern Diver. There have been as many as four individuals in recent weeks, but I managed just two. I also found close views of a Slavonian Grebe, but not the small flock of Scaup that favours the sheltered northern bays. There are 20+ Red-breasted Merganser and Goldeneye present, and a redhead Goosander was on the mitigation pool.

My Silver Bay patch continues to deliver the usual mixture of familiar and unexpected. On the pasture by the plantation, winter thrushes are well-represented, and Curlew and Lapwing both exceeded 30 individuals, as did a mixed flock of Chaffinch and Goldfinch. A Goldeneye was a rare treat in the strait, and a Woodcock passed through at dusk. A Red-throated Diver was 20 yards offshore at low tide. Frustratingly, a harrier passed briefly over the top of the woodland before I could seize my binoculars to clinch an id. The Firecrests that I first found two weeks ago were much more obliging, as they worked the brambles along the edge of the plantation. They fed at eye level, occasionally darting up into the air; there are now three in a single team, working with Goldcrests. At this late stage of the year, it is possible that they will be here for the winter.




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Other than an unseasonal Chiffchaff sighting, my Saturday morning Silver Bay circuit was uneventful. With the weather looking unsettled, I decided to cast my net a little further afield for the remainder of the day.

I started with a straightforward success: two Cattle Egrets close to the narrow road that connects Penlon to Trefdraeth, opposite the farm called Tyn Fflat. There were five in the same spot at the turn of the year, and up to three have been seen in the past week.

I parked half a mile to the east and entered the south side of Cors Ddyga. Formerly known as RSPB Malltraeth Marsh, it is unusual site for this organisation: they have elected to invest far more for the benefit of birds than for the comfort of armchair birders and the overspill from glossy wildlife TV documentaries. Rather like Inner Marsh Farm in the pre-Burtonopolis era, it feels like a well-kept secret.

My target at this end was a group of White-fronted Geese that had been reported earlier in the week. I soon noted that all the airborne grey geese were dropping into an area of dead ground. After some enterprising, and very wet, use of bridle paths, and an unwanted delay managing a terrier / chicken episode, I arrived at a point that offered a view over the grazing herd. Disappointingly, they all proved to be Greylags, though the arrival of eight Whooper Swans was compensation.

As the rain settled in, I had even lower hopes of finding the Water Pipit at the Pentre Berw end of the reserve, and my prophecy was fulfilled. However, it was well worth the soaking for the great spectacles of massed Wigeon and Teal, and the overhead squadrons of Snipe. There were 50+ Black-tailed Godwit around the lagoons, plenty of Lapwing and a single Grey Plover. A male Marsh Harrier briefly quartered the marsh.

Next stop was Benllech where I renewed my pursuit of a regular Firecrest. This time my thirty minutes of wandering around the toilet block in the lower car park delivered the right result, albeit briefly. Three adult Eider (two males) were close offshore in the bay (the first I have seen anywhere this year); three Red-throated Divers, 30 Great Crested Grebes and a couple of dozen Common Scoter were further out.

The adjoining hillside is providing good feeding grounds for a variety of birds, I found a Brambling on the last visit. Highlight this time around was a flock of 50 Linnets.

The Silver Bay patch picked up on Sunday morning in bright, calm weather as two Whooper Swans flew west over pasture.

A short bike circuit produced four Purple Sandpipers and 20+ Turnstones in the Trearddur Bay roost and 190 Pale-bellied Brent Geese by Penrhos CP car park. A Water Rail was feeding in a traditional spot at Soldiers Point, Holyhead.

My afternoon patch circuit was even more successful. My viewing point over the mouth of the Cymyran Strait on the retreating tide revealed 65 Dunlin, 75 Curlew, 15 Lapwings, 5 Redshank, a Sanderling (very scarce here in winter) and uncounted numbers of Oystercatcher and Wigeon. I also picked up a new bird for the patch: two Little Grebes in the channel. However the passerine flock in the plantation was the real source of interest: Blue, Great, Coal and Long-tailed Tits, Chaffinch, Bullfinch. Goldcrest and two Firecrests, feeding immediately in front of me in bracken, three feet from the ground. There are more Firecrests on the island than birders at present.


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Great Orme
11am
Old Mines Area
1 f Black Redstart was being very obliging, perching up on fence , until it was enthusiastically mobbed by a pair of Stonechat and it then , not unnaturally, flew off.

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I have known that Purple Sandpipers are resident somewhere on my Silver Bay patch since December 2015, when I came across a group of six huddled incongruously on the coastal path, sheltering from the mountainous waves driven onto the rocks by Storm Fred. My terrier, as surprised to see them as I was, gratefully added them to his species-chased list.

On Sunday morning, I finally caught up with one as it fed, with six Turnstones and a Redshank, on a small offshore rock invisible from the path. Now that I have established the location I am hopeful that they may become a regular sighting and in greater numbers.

There were five additional species of wader on the site over the weekend, including a Bar-tailed Godwit on the Cymyran estuary, five Ringed Plover and an impressive count of 25 Snipe on the soggy headland.

There are other soggy spots too after heavy midweek rain, and a group of fourteen Black-tailed Godwit have set up residence on the flooded field at the foot of Gorad Hill in Valley. This field is worth watching: it has hosted several species of waterfowl in past wet winters, including two White-fronted Geese in 2015.

There had been at least three reports of Firecrest from the island during the week, from Cors Ddyga, Newborough and Amlwch, with other recent sightings in Benllech and Llaneilian. There were very few small birds where I looked, though a good mix of thrushes remain. Three Cattle Egrets have been found at Pont Marquis, just inland from Malltraeth. If these are like last years birds they can prove surprisingly elusive, as they feed amongst the cattle.

The Inland Sea looked busy with ducks and waders at low tide, and I picked out a Great White Egret and a couple of Pintail in a very brief scan from the Anchorage on Saturday. A Great Northern Diver has set up base there, but is better looked for from the A55 end.

My other patch highlight was a Merlin, which scythed through Saturdays north easterly at pace, as it headed over the headland towards Borthwen; only my third record here.




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Great Orme Llandudno 12.00-15.00

On the sea, just below the coast road : 1 Red Throated Diver, 5 Guillemots, 1m Red Breasted Merganser, 10 Shags, 4 Fulmers and 2 Great Black Backed Gulls.

Along the headland, mainly on bracken : 6 Stonechats, and surprisingly a long way from any proper cover a single Blue Tit.

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John Williams


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There was plenty of variety around Holy Island, Anglesey, over the weekend. I had notched up 66 species by midday on Saturday, without using the car.

Thrushes were the most obvious feature on my Silver Bay patch, with much increased numbers of all the common species, along with a flock of 14 Fieldfare in the tree tops my first of the year here. The best record was a Whooper Swan, which flew in off the sea then headed north east, only my second ever record here. Other than 40 Lapwing, wader numbers were fairly low in the Cymyran mouth, but the Wigeon count was a healthy 182. Nineteen Snipe, flushed from the very boggy headland, was also a good count.

A Great Northern Diver has settled on the Inland Sea, best seen from the tip of Ynys Leurad, or the raised embankment on the north east side that carries the A55. There were two Grey Plover and a Mediterranean Gull by Four Mile Bridge. A small group of Pintail fed on the western side.

A few Shoveler had returned to Llyn Penrhyn in Valley Wetlands. The numbers generally increase well into treble figures by the winters end. Twenty Gadwall were packed into the small roadside pool between Llynnoedd Penrhyn and Cerrig Bach, where a Cettis Warbler sang from the reeds.

I drove to Benllech after lunch, in pursuit of a Firecrest that had been photographed on successive days. I eventually found the right site (the car park part of the way up the hill from the beach), and also found the roving mixed flock, but I didnt find my target. A large Chaffinch flock fed in the fields on the opposite hillside, and occasionally dispersed to neighbouring treetops. A Brambling, that perched briefly in a tree in the car park gave me welcome compensation for any disappointment I have seen far more Firecrests than Bramblings on Anglesey over the years.

Sundays strong north easterlies and heavy showers ruled out productive birding, though seven Chough on my afternoon circuit was fair reward. A Woodcock flew over as I got into the car to leave at 5pm: my 112th patch species of 2017.


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November WeBS was brought forward a couple of weeks, so I counted the Alaw estuary on Sunday. High north westerly winds made counting difficult, but at least it remained dry. The numbers of commoner waders had fallen from October (162 Oystercatchers, 102 Curlew), but plover species did well, with the recent arrival of Grey Plover (37), while Lapwing rose to 16. There were also a couple of Golden Plover in the roost. Other species included Dunlin (49), Bar-tailed Godwit (3), Redshank (34) and Turnstone (2).

Waterfowl were even harder to count as they bobbed on choppy water along the distant north shore. Brent Geese (they are the Nearctic hrota subspecies here) have swelled to 112 there will have been others on the Inland Sea. Shelduck (34) and Wigeon (77) numbers felt low. Two Pintail remain, and a female Goldeneye was the first I have seen this autumn. Gull numbers were very low.

The Inland Sea is the pick of the local sites at present: two Great White Egrets and a Great Northern Diver featured in the count. There are a few Goldeneye back here too, while Red-breasted Mergansers are more plentiful.

The field at the foot of Gorad Hill in Valley is starting to flood again. A Black-tailed Godwit was feeding here when the local Jackdaws allowed it to settle; they seem to have a particular dislike of this species.

Purple Sandpipers have re-appeared in the Trearddur Bay high tide roost. I counted eight on Saturday on the second rock islet to the west of the lifeboat station. There were 22 Turnstones and a Ringed Plover in the same area, and a Med Gull on the sea.

A redhead Goosander has taken up residence at Valley doors on the north of the Cymyran Strait. I counted 225 Wigeon in the mouth of the strait.

My Silver Bay patch didnt turn up much. Thrush numbers were good and included low double figures of Redwing. I flushed seven Snipe on the headland, though was disappointed that the November full moon brought no Woodcock sighting. A Guillemot was in the bay. A Tawny Owl called from the plantation.


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Autumn has taken some big strides into winter in the two weeks since my last visit to Anglesey. The bracken has turned dark brown and bent groundward. Assisted by the previous weeks storms, sallows and thorns have been stripped of leaves (an advantage to the birder).

Wind was a feature of the weekend too. Storm Brian whipped up a force seven that persisted throughout Saturday; he brought some horizontal rain with him too.

In the circumstances, I did better than I might have expected. I sought the comparative cover of the Inland Sea on Saturday morning. A single Whooper Swan was with a dozen Mutes. There is a small group of this visitor on the island each winter, usually in the Cefni valley. I have seen them grazing the fields above the Alaw, but never previously on the Inland Sea. Red-breasted Mergansers numbered about 20, most of them in a single flock. There is still no sign of Goldeneye, though a few are back in the Alaw estuary. A Razorbill was unexpected. A Wheatear equalled my record for latest date. I returned on Sunday afternoon and added three Scaup to the tally. Another birder had seen a Great Northern Diver in the section by the A55.

Back on my patch at Silver Bay there was a reasonable variety of waders. The seasonal usuals (Curlew, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Turnstone and Redshank) were joined by a Bar-tailed Godwit in the mouth of the Cymyran. I saw five Lapwings at the Inland Sea, but they havent arrived here yet. I flushed a Snipe on the headland. Woodcock should be back for my next visit.

On Sunday, the wind had veered to the North West. A small flock of Redwing fed in cattle pasture my first of the year here. I had a brief spell watching the sea from the landward end of Holyhead breakwater. The breaking waves were spectacular, but the birding wasnt: just low numbers of Kittiwake and Gannet. An Isabelline Shrike was on this coastline the previous Sunday.

I finished the weekend with a walk on my patch on Sunday afternoon. As I emerged from the path through the plantation, I could see an auk on the sea, about 50 yards from the edge of the tide. It proved to be a winter-plumaged Black Guillemot, a patch lifer. As so often is the case in birding, timing was everything; less than five minutes later it flew westwards along the shoreline.


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Just had a call from a birding friend, he had an adult Rose-coloured Starling on his garden Feeders in Connah's Quay today between 12.30-12.45pm, it stayed for approx 10mins and then flew off ans as yet hasn't returned. It was alone rather than with a Starling flock but will hopefully join up with one and become a bit more trackable. What a great reward for his garden bird feeding smile



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Providence dealt a calm, dry day with good visibility for the October WeBS on Anglesey. I conducted my count of the Alaw estuary in shorts a rare treat.

It is a period of big tides, but the rules still demand that counting is restricted to two hours either side of high tide. The consequence was that wader counts were lower than normal there were some regular species that didnt feature at all, e.g. Bar-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Turnstone and Ringed Plover. I wonder if there are controls in place to allow for this when the data is interpreted?

Oystercatcher was the outright winner, on 276, with respectable totals of Curlew and Herring Gull. A female Goosander in the wader roost was unexpected, while four Lapwings were the first of autumn. Out on the water, Brent Geese were up to 40 (there were 60 in Beddmanarch Bay in the afternoon), while Wigeon, Pintail and Teal all hovered around the low double figure mark. I recorded a modest 20 species in total.

Undoubted star of the weekend was a Red-necked Grebe in Beddmanarch Bay that showed down to 50 yards from the cob. It has been here for a few days now, an irregular visitor to Anglesey, it is the first that I have seen on the island.

A showy Great White Egret continues to favour the north shore of the Inland Sea. I counted 24 Little Egrets along the same stretch.

There was very little to get excited about at my Silver Bay patch. Two Jays over the plantation, three Chough on the headland and a very late Whimbrel on cattle pasture were the only points of interest. Last weekend I noted that a few Swallows were hanging on; there were fewer this weekend, and they seemed to be of the passing through variety.

Records from other observers included a Dotterel on the south end of The Range and 17 Ruff around Carmel Head.


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American Golden Plover - Juvenile 07.10.2017 - Dinas Dinlle Gwynedd North Wales still present at 4pm

At a loose end today ,weather awful ,I decided on a day out instead to Dias Dinlle near Caernarfon as apposed to doing penny again and go to look at the Juvenile American Golden Plover that had been present this week in the hope it was still about.

Awful weather Conditions and very flighty Plovers ,due to Airport traffic meant that even locating the bird was difficult at times and the shots were never going to be more than record shots of this stunning Rarity, which through the scope in the field looked so much better than in any Picture. When I found the plover I was the only one there at that point ,so it was nice to find it and manage to identify it myself amongst the 500+Golden plovers present at the site today and the site covers quite a large area, and the birds rarely settling for long.
Picture - The American Golden Plover is the front right Grey bird for anyone who didn't know.



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Anglesey is non-conformist. Saturday neatly side-stepped the forecast to produce a calm day, with some sunshine and very little rain. Calm is not used often on Holy Island in a weather context.

Viewing conditions were ideal on the Inland Sea, where wildfowl numbers are building up. The main Wigeon flock was in the northern section, roughly 300 of them. There were at least 25 Red-breasted Merganser assembled in small groups, and about ten Great Crested Grebes.

Two Little Stints fed near the tip of Ynys Leurad with a small group of Redshank and Dunlin. They are fairly scarce here, though two had also been recorded on the Alaw, near Llanfachraeth, with two Curlew Sandpipers, earlier in the week.

The other scarce bird was a Great White Egret, which uncharacteristically sat out in the open, on the western shore in front of the conifers at Cae Glas. There were double figures of Little Egret and Heron along the same shoreline.

Back on my patch at Silver Bay, Rhoscolyn, there was a small selection of waders with c30 Ringed Plover, a few Dunlin, four Redshank and many Oystercatchers and Curlew in the mouth of the Cymyran estuary, where the Wigeon flock has increased to c60. There were also two winter-plumaged Sanderling and two Knot, both scarcer here. Fourteen Turnstone fed on the tideline seaweed at the eastern end of the beach. I saw my first ever patch Mediterranean Gulls here last Saturday, but there was no sign of them yesterday. They are a reliable feature fom the car park at Penrhos CP, and around Four Mile Bridge, and seem to be increasing in number.

There was not much evidence of passerine passage: just a couple of Swallows, and a sprinkling of Meadow Pipits, though Goldcrest numbers seemed high, and there were at least eight Rock Pipits on the beach. Two Jays over the plantation were a sign of local movement. They breed at Bodior, but this is the only time of year that they can be seen at Silver Bay.

Two Dotterel had been found on The Range last Sunday, when the weather had put me off looking for them. Happily, I heard that they were still around, so went for a look late in the afternoon. Thanks to good directions, and some good luck, I picked them up in flight before they settled fifty yards in front of me. As I admired them through the lowest zoom setting, a pod of three Rissos Dolphins passed in the background, one of them breaching the water playfully. Six Chough passed along the edge of the cliff, and three Wheatear darted around the heather and gorse. South Stack lighthouse blinked away to the right. I looked around to see if there was anyone who might share my good fortune. Despite acre upon acre of open ground, I could see nobody at all. Anglesey is a magical place.


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Every Anglesey birder worth their salt knows that when there is a blow from the north west at this time of year it is time to fill your boots. From a variety of north coast sites, including Point Lynas, Amlwch Octel, Bull Bay, Cemlyn and Soldier's Point, the regulars had a bonanza day. Many of the most-treasured passage seabirds clocked in over the morning: Leach's and Storm Petrel, Little and Sabine's Gull (Lynas only), Arctic and Great Skua, Balearic Shearwater, Red-throated Diver etc. The commoner passage migrants, especially Gannet and Kittiwake passed in huge numbers.

I decided to stay on my Rhoscolyn patch in the hope of waifs and strays, and got what I deserved for my lack of adventure: 50+ Gannet, c6 Kittiwake, c12 Manx Shearwater, 2 Common Scoter and a Fulmar. I later sat in my friend Norman's car at the Holyhead breakwater while he called out Storm Petrels and a Bonxie that I missed; he had seen four Storm Petrels before I arrived. At least I saw a passing Red-throated Diver.

Not all was gloom. I saw five Chough on my morning circuit, including one as I drank my morning coffee. I counted 76 Curlew on the Cymyran from my spy post in the woods, and missed treading on an adder by a foot on the way there. I also had singles of Greenshank, Redshank and Whimbrel on a brief walk down the Cymyran from Four Mile Bridge and watched porpoises from the headland west of Bull Bay.

Tomorrow is WeBS day, the first winter count of 2017, and I have the Alaw Estuary; this is like opening the batting at Lord's in the first test!

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A Holyhead visit! After the success of last year I just couldn't resist another visit. 35 species without any effort to find them as my target was primarily to find the chough. I managed to find them straight away with only a brief close landing. Apparently they are in a different spot to last year but just when I was about to give up getting a decent picture, I peeped over the mound near the RSPB castle building and there was one, then two together. I dar'nt had moved to a better posture incase it spooked them (The light was excellent though). They flew to the cliffs and teamed up with another 3. Altogether I found 8 in the area! Also to note was juvenile stonechat, meadow pipits, willow warbler, buzzard, little egret and I'm quite pleased with myself over a kestrel i found through a train window at a distance near the snowdon mountains area and whilst moving! Ta!!

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Mike Duckham wrote:

Rob that's a great sighting, hearty congrats. I'd certainly encourage you to send the details to the county recorder so it gets recorded for posterity.
Rob Creek wrote:

A late finish for me today as I'm still delivering around North Wales and Gwynedd today, a busy one due to bank holiday traffic and big restaurant orders for the weekend.

But it's all been worth it for just one moment alone. I was delivering to Dylan's Italian restaurant at Cricceth (Gwynedd) on the sea front when I noticed a large Raptor flying over being harassed by a Carrion Crow. I ran back to the wagon for my bins as I kind of got a feeling I knew what it was.

- White-tailed Eagle (and an adult at that!) LIFER

What an astonishing site, never dreamt I'd see one whilst working. A huge bird it was. I tried for a camera shot but it wouldn't focus due to the heat haze, but never mind. It flew off towards Morfa Bychann (Snowdonia) as it followed the coastal hill line.

Also of note whilst driving over the Capel Curig Pass...
- Whinchat 1
- Ring Ouzel 2m (both perched up on rocks)

...and not a single Red Kite all day!


 





Hi Mike,
I've been in touch with Rhion Pritchard and subsequently completed and submitted the sighting form to the Welsh Rare Bird Committee.
Let's wait and see what happens
wink
Cheers
Rob

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Mark Burgess wrote:


Cemlyn NR
Sandwich Tern 8, A catastrofic failed breading season, No birds seen returning with sand eels








 Is that really true,its a shame if it is? After the record breeding year last year :( I knew the other week they were well down and something was not right I have been 6 times this year and there were 400+ 2 weeks ago ,any news on what has happened? Is it the high tides? I hope you are wrong its my favourite place :(

 

someone on the north wales forum just contacted me with this

Yesterday the large island was empty of terns, the small island had a handful. I spoke to some NT people who said that most of the colony had left last Tuesday, they were hoping for reports of sightings elsewhere. There had been some predation by otters and gulls but the actual reason for there departure was not certain. Very sad. There were 1400 pairs bred last year :(



-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Sunday 25th of June 2017 08:47:52 AM

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A day spent on Anglesey and North Wales, Highlights

Holyhead Harbour
Black Guillemot 1 m distantly flying across the harbour

South Stack RSPB
Chough 8
Fulmar 1
Kittiwake 42
Manx Shearwater 12
Puffin 6
Gannet 8
Razorbill and Guillemot in their 100's
Stonechat 8 several young fledgling
Linnet

Cemlyn NR
Sandwich Tern 8, A catastrofic failed breading season, No birds seen returning with sand eels
Common Tern 6
Black headed Gull 8
Black Guillemot 2

Gronnant
Little Tern c60
Sandwich Tern 5
Ringed Plover 14
Stonechat 10
Linnet 6
Sedge Warbler 2









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Rob that's a great sighting, hearty congrats. I'd certainly encourage you to send the details to the county recorder so it gets recorded for posterity.
Rob Creek wrote:

A late finish for me today as I'm still delivering around North Wales and Gwynedd today, a busy one due to bank holiday traffic and big restaurant orders for the weekend.

But it's all been worth it for just one moment alone. I was delivering to Dylan's Italian restaurant at Cricceth (Gwynedd) on the sea front when I noticed a large Raptor flying over being harassed by a Carrion Crow. I ran back to the wagon for my bins as I kind of got a feeling I knew what it was.

- White-tailed Eagle (and an adult at that!) LIFER

What an astonishing site, never dreamt I'd see one whilst working. A huge bird it was. I tried for a camera shot but it wouldn't focus due to the heat haze, but never mind. It flew off towards Morfa Bychann (Snowdonia) as it followed the coastal hill line.

Also of note whilst driving over the Capel Curig Pass...
- Whinchat 1
- Ring Ouzel 2m (both perched up on rocks)

...and not a single Red Kite all day!


 



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Timperley life list c. 89 (ish). Barn Owl 4.11.19, Green Sand 27.8.19, Little Egret 13.2.19, ringtail harrier sp 20.10.18, Fawn Yawn 15.10.18, Grasshopper Warbler  15.4.16, Tree Pipit 13.4.16, Yellowhammer 5.4.15, Hobby May '11, Wigeon Dec '10



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Monday late afternoon through to early this afternon spent in Anglesey, mostly in and around Rhosneigr, as well as a day on Holy Island; highlights:

Rhosneigr (including Llyn Maelog):

Waders, other than the ubiquitous oystercatchers (a couple of growing chicks, too), were in low numbers, and mostly seen singularly.

Chiffchaff, willow warbler, blackcap, whitethroat, sedge warbler, reed warbler, Cetti's warbler, linnet, reed bunting, sand martin (numbers seemed down on last year, with one of the colonies seeming to have only one active nest; lots last year), house martin, swallow, stonechat, meadow pipit, rock pipit, pied wagtail, skylark, etc.
Swift
Gadwall
Red-breasted merganser
Ringed plover
Sanderling
Redshank
Curlew (maybe a whimbrel too; looked possible at a fair distance, but I wouldn't put money on it).
Herring gull
Lesser black-backed gull
Great black-backed gull
Manx shearwater
Shag
Cormorant
Gannet
Sparrowhawk
Kestrel
Buzzard

Offshore (at high tide) is a tern colony of hundreds of commics. None were playing this year, perhaps the high winds kept them offshore for some reason, so no chance of any species ID, but I did speak to the RSPB guy who looks out for it, and he said there's roughly 700 birds, all commic, with the large majority being Arctic.

Holy Island:

4 black guillemot at Holyhead Old Harbour, just outside the station (a first for me, and one of two I was particularly hoping to see this holiday).

South Stack (a good six hours, having an awful lot of fun):

Whitethroat, linnet, greenfinch, swallow, stonechat, meadow pipit, rock pipit, skylark.
6+ chough
2 raven
c6 puffin
2,500+ guillemot
500+ razorbill
10-15+ kittiwake
200+ herring hull (including a few fluffball chicks)
30+ lesser-black-backed gull
8+ great black-backed gull (one chick)
6 fulmar
1 cormorant
2 gannet offshore

4+ chough around the mountain, too.

North Stack:

2 rock pipit
2 chough
c40 guillemot
67+ razorbill
100+ herring gull
5 lesser black-backed gull
3 great black-backed gull offshore
28+ Manx shearwater offshore (and this was the other one)
9 fulmar
7 shag (including well grown chicks on two nests)
23 cormorant (including well grown chicks on four nests)
8+ gannet offshore

2 lesser redpoll at Breakwater Country Park; a new Anglesey bird for me, also here chiffchaff, willow warbler, whitethroat and numerous stonechat, including at least one fledgling.

Some great other wildlife as well, for the relevant thread.




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Another visit to South Stack today in pleasant weather. As usual called in to Holyhead Harbour beforehand where four Black Guillemot were seen, three just beyond the entrance and a single bird in the inner harbour. All the usuals at South Stack although no Manx Shearwater were noted despite two or three sea watches. Called at the Gronant Little Tern colony on the way home. Despite the recent storm setback, I am told by the warden that the colony will 'hold its own' this year which is good news. Amongst others :-

Black Guillemot (4)
Guillemot
Razorbill
Puffin (3-5)
Fulmar
Kittiwake
Gannet
Chough (c.6)
Rock Pipit
Skylark
Linnet
Stonechat (2)
Whitethroat
Sedge Warbler
Reed Bunting
Sand Martin
Ringed Plover
Little Egret
Little Tern



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Highlights of the High Peak RSPB group trip to Anglesey today in very strong winds:

South Stack: 2 Puffin, 2 Kittiwake, Peregrine Falcon, 2 Chough, 3 Raven, many Manx Shearwater, Gannet,  Guillemot and Razorbill, Rock Pipit, Stonechat.

Cemlyn Bay: 4 Black Guillemot, 2 Arctic Tern, 4 Common Tern, 2 Red Breasted Merganser, Kittiwake, Dunlin, 2 Ringed Plover, many close in Manx Shearwater. 

Return journey saw a Barnacle Goose at Conwy RSPB and a Red Kite East of St Asaph



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I didnt have to get out of bed to decide to abandon my Anglesey BBS count this morning: the gusts of wind and battering rain put it beyond doubt.

There was ample compensation when I got up a couple of hours later in the biggest seabird passage of the year. I hadnt seen Manx Shearwater from Silver Bay this year, but I had counted 181 from the front window before my coffee went cold, along with eight Gannets and two Fulmar. Down on the headland, closer to the action, I counted a further 144 Manxies in just five minutes; they continued to pass by, hundreds by hundreds, as I looked out for other species. In the next half hour I managed a dozen more Gannets, four Kittiwakes, two Razorbills, one Guillemot, half a dozen unidentified auks, two Shags, two Common Scoter and a Sandwich Tern. Just up the coast at South Stack, Ken Croft, who has more patience than I do, counted an astonishing 12,632 Manxies in four hours. The Cemlyn wardens had a Storm Petrel in their treasure trove. It was one of those rare and happy combinations of wind force, wind direction and time of year.

The Alaw estuary and Beddmanarch Bay seem drained of small waders, but they have hung on later than usual at the undisturbed eastern end of Silver Bay. There were still six Turnstones this morning, while yesterday there were double this number with two Sanderling, two Dunlin and four Ringed Plover. Today, a Curlew was the first for a few weeks.

Song birds were hard to hear over the wind, but a Grasshopper Warbler was singing from brambles by the track to Cromlech in Rhoscolyn on Sunday, and a Lesser Whitethroat was just below Ty Lon on the road to Silver Bay. A female Siskin was a welcome find in the plantation on Saturday. Sadly, the absence of Cuckoos so far this year threatens a third year without a record here.

After a run of twitchable rarities, last weeks guest star, an American Golden Plover on the beach at Llanfwrog on Thursday evening, did not wait for the weekend birders.


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To catch a fish you must think like a fish, to catch a rare bird on Anglesey you must think like Mark Sutton. It seemed inconceivable that the Staffordshire birder could sustain his recent run, but he did just that. He will soon be taking orders.

This weeks giant was a Red-backed Shrike, a stunning adult male. It is not in quite the same league as some recent fare, but as the islands first adult male since July 1991, it is a fair effort. He saw it for three seconds on Saturday evening in strong wind and driving rain, but it had the good grace to hang around for a steady stream of birders on Sunday. The birding pages described the location as Penrhos CP, but you wouldnt get much change from an hour if you walked from there to its actual location on the opposite shore near Llanfwrog. I have carried out numerous winter WeBS counts on this section, lashed by wind and rain; I had not noticed its potential for Mediterranean visitors.

Elsewhere, the year moves steadily by. Small wader passage is not yet finished: I had double figure counts of Dunlin, Ringed Plover and Sanderling on the less-frequented eastern end of Silver Bay. There were also a few Turnstones, including some striking summer-plumaged males. Just like the changing colours of the headlands flowering plants, warbler song marks the passage of the seasons. We started in March with Chiffchaff, then came Willow Warbler with support from Blackcap, now Whitethroat holds sway, with a backing of Sedge Warbler. Soon it will fall quiet. My nearby Grasshopper Warbler was reeling again on Friday night, which suggests residency, and perhaps breeding. It has been a quiet year for Lesser Whitethroat, but I heard one on the A5025 just south of Llanynghenedl, while cycling on Sunday.

Cemlyn had attracted a Little Stint on Sunday morning. I couldnt find it in the afternoon, though three Sanderling were roosting on an islet off the trwyn. Arctic Tern numbers are low this year, which means that Roseate Tern sightings have also been few. There were many auks offshore, and a few Gannets, and I saw my first Manx Shearwaters of the year.


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A late finish for me today as I'm still delivering around North Wales and Gwynedd today, a busy one due to bank holiday traffic and big restaurant orders for the weekend.

But it's all been worth it for just one moment alone. I was delivering to Dylan's Italian restaurant at Cricceth (Gwynedd) on the sea front when I noticed a large Raptor flying over being harassed by a Carrion Crow. I ran back to the wagon for my bins as I kind of got a feeling I knew what it was.

- White-tailed Eagle (and an adult at that!) LIFER

What an astonishing site, never dreamt I'd see one whilst working. A huge bird it was. I tried for a camera shot but it wouldn't focus due to the heat haze, but never mind. It flew off towards Morfa Bychann (Snowdonia) as it followed the coastal hill line.

Also of note whilst driving over the Capel Curig Pass...
- Whinchat 1
- Ring Ouzel 2m (both perched up on rocks)

...and not a single Red Kite all day!

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Spring 2017 has been bountiful on the Isle of Anglesey, especially for regular Staffordshire-based visitor, Mark Sutton. Over the past four weekends he has put together a catalogue of finds that reads like the 'Hastings rarities', though each bird was twitchable to the fortunate few in this under-watched county.

He kicked off with the islands third ever Broad-billed Sandpiper at Beddmanarch Bay on the evening of 1st May. It was still around the following day, and later turned up on the Isle of Man. His next two-day special was a male Red-footed Falcon, also a third for Anglesey, on the Alaw estuary, about ¾ mile south of Llanfachraeth on the evening of 6th May. I managed to connect with it , before it departed late the following morning. The following weekend he found a Bea-eater at Cemlyn and on the weekend just passed he added a Spoonbill on the SW corner of the Inland Sea (still present today), and a Quail on the Alaw estuary, which stayed overnight into Saturday. Not content with the above, he has ticked off Anglesey scarcities like Spotted Flycatcher, Tree Pipit, Wood Warbler and Osprey on his regular beat between Carmel Head and Cemlyn in the north west of the island.

A visiting couple from Altrincham pulled up to admire Whimbrel in a sheep field at Rhydwyn on 6th May, and found themselves looking at seven Dotterel. Sadly, in what has been a poor spring for this bird, I couldnt locate them later that evening.

I, also a visitor, have had my own high points. There is just one reasonable body of fresh water in my adopted home parish of Rhoscolyn. It is usually good for Gadwall and Little Grebe, and I have once seen Scaup there, but on 6th May I found a pair of feeding Garganey (there were three males at Malltraeth Marsh RSPB on the same day). Later in the evening I picked out a Little Stint (my first spring bird on the island) feeding with c150 Dunlin from Four Mile Bridge. I was pleased, the following day, to find a Garden Warbler at Valley Doors.

Malltraeth Marsh is getting better by the year as management of the flooded fields yields its dividends. The breeding Lapwings have been joined briefly by Wood Sandpiper, Whinchat and Yellow Wagtail.

Wader passage, now coming to a close, has been strong on my Silver Bay patch. Whimbrel, down to two this weekend, have been everywhere; my best count was 33. Sanderling passage peaked this weekend with 18 on the beach yesterday morning, with double figure counts of Ringed Plover and Dunlin also recorded. Turnstones, in fine summer plumage, have also been passing through in lower numbers. Sandwich, Arctic and Common Terns are all back fishing in the bay, and Gannets are offshore in small numbers, one small flock of Common Scoter passed through, though Manxies have yet to appear. A single skua on 7th May was too distant for identification.

Rhoscolyn has also done well for visiting passerines, with maximum daily counts of four Grasshopper Warblers (one of them 30 yards from my door), 10+ Sedge Warblers, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 2 Reed Warblers, and higher numbers of the more abundant species. Perhaps the strangest sighting of all, on 7th May, was a massive count of 51 Wheatear, with six White Wagtails, in one small ploughed field just above the headland.



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As Simon said a great afternoon yesterday in Morfa Madryn, and he has described it all down to a tee! Only a few of us stuck it out after the main group of birders already present had called it a day. The few birders present were thankful to Simon and myself as Simon picked up on the white patches on a bird as it flew in and I located it once on the ground, so we got everyone else on to it, we met some nice people whilst there, and I found a first class sandwich shop near St.Asaph.

- Citrine Wagtail 1 female (Lifer)
- Yellow Wagtail 2 at least inc 1 stunning male
- Pied Wagtail 1
- Winchat 2 cracking males
- Garden Warbler 2 and possibly another
- Sedge Warbler 1
...constantly singing at full volume and driving away at least 3 Chiffchaff



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An excellent trip to Morfa Madryn with Rob Creek yesterday to see a new bird for both of us, Citrine Wagtail. We had to wait over an hour for a conclusive sighting, with a pair of Yellow Wagtail present to complicate matters, but eventually a bird showing lots of white on wings and tail dropped into view and we ended up seeing the bird feeding on the ground for several minutes. It had been variously described as male and female on Birdguides, but in prime breeding season it surely couldn't have been a male, with their distinctive all-yellow head. The key separation notes from the Yellow Wags were the grey crown, nape and back and 2 white wing bars, and very bright white primary fringes and outer tail feathers. The bird bobbed its long tail constantly, another difference and much more reminiscent of Pied Wagtail. All in all a cracking sighting.

Morfa Madryn is a lovely spot as many will know; along with the usual shoreline birds we were entertained by 2 male Whinchats on the saltmarsh, a borderline psychotic Sedge Warbler singing with immense gusto right by the viewing area and at least 2 singing Garden Warblers in the trees and bushes behind us. No sign of the reported Wood Sandpiper, but we didn't mind that!



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Sunday was a day of plenty on my Anglesey patch at Silver Bay, Rhoscolyn, as migrant breeders move in and passage reaches its peak.

Three Sanderlings were on the east end of the beach. These are a fairly regular sighting in groups of up to 50 in May, but are a scarce bird on the island at all other times of the year. Whimbrel are also a regular passage feature, with numbers highest in spring. On Sunday, 33 individuals were involved as small flocks commuted from neighbouring Cymyran Bay my highest count here in a single day. A flock of c20 Dunlin, along with the ubiquitous Oystercatchers, were the only other waders seen.

I also passed my previous high count of Wheatear, with a minimum of 36 dotted along the headland cliff tops and heath, including a denser concentration on the ploughed field above Porth Cae Du There must have been still more along the path to Borthwen, which I didnt cover. White Wagtails were also moving through, with at least five on the beach and three on the fields.

There had been no sign of Whitethroat on my last visit ten days earlier, but it was the first bird that I heard when I opened the door at 7:30. A Sedge Warbler and a Grasshopper Warbler on the headland were also new arrivals. A Lesser Whitethroat was by the track to Bwa Wen on Monday afternoon. Cetti's and Reed Warblers were audible from the bus stop at Llyn Penrhyn, valley Wetlands. Swallows and House Martins continue to pass through in good numbers.

Five Sandwich Terns fished the bay and two commic Terns were too distant to identify with confidence. A single Gannet was close offshore. Winter wildfowl have moved on, but three Gadwall have, surprisingly, taken up residence on the salt water at the mouth of the Cymyran.

Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler are back in the plantation and adjoining scrub. A Lesser Redpoll was my first of the year here.

I was immensely fortunate in the afternoon to cash in on the Black Tern bonanza, when two birds hawking over the rippled surface of Llyn Cefni were the first I have seen of this species on the island. Though annual, they are scarce this far west, and more likely to be seen off the coast in autumn.

The biggest news of the weekend was the discovery of a Broad-billed Sandpiper at Beddmanarch Bay on Sunday evening, rediscovered on the Alaw estuary this morning. Let us hope it stays until weekend!

-- Edited by Nigel Troup on Tuesday 2nd of May 2017 03:33:10 PM

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Anglesey Sat 15th - Mon 17th Apr

Spent the weekend at Trearddur Bay to celebrate a big family birthday, but birding opportunities were pretty much limited to the headland around the Bay itself and the area around the Inland Sea.

Sat 15th:
A pair of House Martins collecting mud from the beach and attempting to start a nest on the Sea Shanty Cafe, but a Jackdaw kept interfering with their efforts. Also 2 Swallows and a Pied Wagtail.

Sun 16th:
A few Oystercatchers and a Whimbrel in Treaddur Bay. A few Swallows and singing Willow Warblers, but otherwise it was just the resident birds. although Stonechats were not seen, I could hear them calling in the fields.

Late afternoon I walked to 4-mile Bridge. Plenty of Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Linnet and Dunnock in the roadside bushes. On the inland sea, 2 pairs of Red-breasted Merganser and 16 Pale-bellied Brent Geese were the only birds out of the ordinary for me. Mon 17th Morning walk around the west side of the Inland Sea produced only a couple of singing Goldcrest and a Great Black-backed Gull in the way of anything new. Finally a quick visit to South Stack produced 5 Chough c7 Fulmar c30 Razorbill 1 Raven 3 Stonechat 1 singing Skylark Meadow pipit in the fields and a small number of Swallow over. The cliffs seemed to be largely occupied by Herring Gulls, though I could see a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls around and 3 pairs of Fulmar nesting higher up the cliffs. Others reported Gannet and Manx Shearwater further out, Guillemot and a single Puffin but with the view of the birds often obscured by selfie-stick waving tourists posing on the cliff edge, I gave up after a while. 6 new year ticks, but its mid-April and I still have so many species to catch up with.

-- Edited by Charles Farrell on Monday 17th of April 2017 05:07:56 PM

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Little Orme (09.30-14.00)

1 Puffin amongst the numerous Guillemots, bit no Razorbills.

Lots of Cormorants, some in display flights soaring high over the hill, which looks odd for sea birds. Below the cliffs a few Shags fed just offshore.

Fulmers giving close views, and even flying around the old quarry. A steady passage of Gannets and Kittiwakes offshore. 5 Sandwich Terns.

4 House Martins, 1 Swallow, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 2 Oystercatchers and 2 Wheatears. Blackcap and Chiffchaff singing in the largely sycamore scrub.

Near the top of the hill are extensive areas of gorse and a few hawthorne thickets, no obvious migrants here, but plenty of garden birds, mainly Chaffinches, but also 3 House Sparrows.




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Near Bala today - an ascent and traverse of Arenig Fawr.

Highlight of the climb - 2 gorgeous male Ring Ouzels! First time in 45 years of hillwalking that I've seen TWO of them, and only the 4th and 5th I've ever seen.
They were in typical Ouzel territories, well below the summit ridge, on broken, rocky ground.

Also - 2 lovely male Wheatear, my first of the year, loads of Meadow Pipits, a Chiffchaff, a Willow Warbler, a pair of Raven, a Sparrowhawk, a Buzzard, 2 Canada Geese, 3 Great Black Backed Gulls, 7 Herring Gulls, a male and a female Stonechat, a male Reed Bunting, some Chaffinch, Pied Wagtails plus the more usual Robins etc.

Very satisfying trip as so often I walk the hills and see very little in the way of birds other than meadow pipits!

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Great Orme. (10.00-16.00)

2 Choughs, 5 Wheatears, 1 Rock Pipit, 6 Stonechats, 4 Ravens, 2 Kestrels and 4 Linnets.

Below the road & on/over the sea.

1 Black Guillemot, 3 Fulmars, 2 Gannets, 6 Great Black Backed Gulls and around 100 Kittiwakes.

Lots of Guillemots and Razorbills below the cliffs near the cafe, and Shags commuting between the base of the cliff and offshore.



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Highlights of a few days on Anglesey this  week.

Newborough forest and Llanddwyn Island: 3 Crossbill, 30 Siskin, 7 Sandwich Tern, 4 Stonechat, Gannet, 3 Razorbill, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, 4 Chiffchaff, 4 Swallow 

Trearddur Bay: 4 Chough, 3 Purple Sandpiper, Red Throated Diver,  Wheatear, 7 Stonechat, 40 Linnet, 7 Guillemot, Willow Warbler, 5 Swallow 

Four Mile Bridge: 21 Little Egret, 30 Sandwich Tern, Black Tailed Godwit, 6 Red Breasted Merganser, 15 Swallow, 4 Sand Martin 

South Stack: many Razorbill, Guillemot and Gannet, Peregrine Falcon, 2 Stonechat, 8 Manx Shearwater

Cemlyn: 20 Sandwich Tern, 3 Black Guillemot, 2 Mediterranean Gull, 40 Golden Plover, 2 White Wagtail 

Puffin Island: 3 Puffin, 45 Eider, 4 Swallow, 30 Guillemot. 



-- Edited by Chris Harper on Saturday 8th of April 2017 01:50:33 PM

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One and a half hours at Conwy RSPB reserve this afternoon in wet and blustery weather. Fairly quiet overall, an array of ducks including Tufted Duck, Pochard, Teal, Wigeon, Gadwall, Shelduck and Shoveler. A few Curlew, around thirty Redshank and a minimum of one hundred Sand Martin. Half a dozen Chiffchaff and an early Willow Warbler.

Again, fairly quiet at Llanfairfechan with around ten Red breasted Merganser, a dozen Common Scoter, half a dozen Gannet, a few Sand Martin moving west and two early House Martin also moving west.

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There were a few portents of the return of spring on Anglesey over an unsettled weekend. A male Wheatear on the headland at Silver Bay was the earliest that I have seen on the island. Chiffchaff seem early too, and are back in reasonable force: three at Silver Bay and two by Valley Doors on Saturday, three on a walk along the clifftops between Lligwy and Traeth yr Ora yesterday.

Personal highlight was the addition of two new species to my life patch list, which moves up to 128. Taking five years to find my first Moorhen may seem like modest success, but suitable habitat is scarce; remarkably I found another the following day. Given their regularity at other nearby sites, it is even more surprising that it has taken this long to find a Great Northern Diver: there was one close offshore, from the headland, on Sunday's stormy seas.

There are still plenty of Brent Geese around, I counted 60 in the mouth of the Cymyran yesterday, though Wigeon have moved elsewhere. Waders included 22 Turnstones (an increase) and a small mixed flock of Ringed Plover and Dunlin. Curlew and Redshank were each down to one. There were c20 Pintail on the Inland Sea on Saturday morning, viewed from the Anchorage Hotel.

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Worlds End - 10:30 - 13:00 - grey and blustery weather

Walked from the Road (parking area up near the top of the valley) to the pine forest;
- Red Grouse c.8
- Crossbill - stood on edge of the forest for about 10 minutes and had at least 5 sightings of pairs of crossbill - some coming down and displaying around the smaller replanted trees
- Raven
- Stonechat

Had my sarnies in a layby about 200 yards beyond the watershed;
- Black Grouse 13 males in a lek displaying on green patch on the other side of the valley at 12:30

Interestingly I didn't see one bird of prey

Chris

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Black Grouse & Anglesey 12/3/2017

    A nice trip to the principality to see some birds that, sadly we dont get to see very often, which is a good enough excuse to visit Wales. We met in Norden at 6am with myself, Steve & Chris Brown with Chris driving. There was a feel of spring in the air as we gained height towards World`s End, we were hoping to get some pictures of the lekking Black Grouse. We first saw a distant couple of males but, as we reached a pull in around 14 male Black Grouse were all doing their posturing, displaying etc, only problem was a car was stopped right in the middle of the road! We headed along the single track road and watched from the car as another 20 male birds were displaying. Raven, Peregrine, Meadow Pipit & Stonechat also observed. As we headed back downhill around 6 more birds were seen and a few pictures taken. Great birds to watch and in a really good place.

    The long drive to Anglesey was brightened up with lots of Daffodils in full bloom along the roads, very nice. We reached Holyhead Harbour and soon managed to watch a single Black Guillemot. The tide was very high and we remarked that we had never seen it that high before. We headed up to South Stack with its impressive seabird colony, Guillemot, Razorbill and Herring Gull. We were a bit early for Kittiwake and Puffin but a few Sand Martin heading north made up for that. The local Chough flock also put on a good display for us, Steve searched in vain for a Rock Pipit and we all missed a Hooded Crow that had been seen in the area.

   We called in at Penrhos, but could not find a Slavonian Grebe that had been seen earlier in the day, next stop was the Spinnies or Aber Ogwen. We managed to see a Greenshank in the tidal pools along with Redshank, Teal, Shelduck and lots of Oystercatchers. Got home by 6pm after a good trip out.

Dave O.



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Early March is slack birding time on Anglesey: wintering wildfowl and wader numbers are in decline and it is too early for spring passage; the weather didn't help much either. Nonetheless, there are some good birds around.

The Black-necked Grebe that arrived in December was showing on the Inland Sea on Saturday afternoon, from the tip of Ynys Leurad. The Scaup flock has dwindled to four, but a Long-tailed Duck had joined them. Goldeneye numbers remain at around 20 and Red-breasted Merganser around a dozen. A Grey Plover and twelve Knot were with commoner waders.

I peered forlornly from the window late Sunday morning, hoping that the rain might stop; it didn't. Some compensation was available in two distant Red-throated Divers and thirty Wigeon in Cymyran Bay, a small passing flock of Linnets, and a Grey Wagtail that dropped in to feed on muddy ground beyond the hedge (quite scarce here). We went to the shops before lunch and I called in at Holyhead fish quay on the way, where I finally caught up with the Glaucous Gull, at the sixth attempt. This juvenile bird, ringed at Svalbard, was an Anglesey lifer for me, and for my patient wife, who couldn't care less about such things. I took an unsatisfactory photo on my mobile; it was close enough to read the letters on the ring.

A few hundred Guillemots were back on the ledges at South Stack, their backs turned to the constant driving rain. I couldn't see any Razorbills in the brief scan that I made, nor any Kittiwakes. It is still a little early for the first returning Puffin.

My Silver Bay patch was quiet. There were 20 Dunlin and half a dozen Ringed Plover on a sand bar in the mouth of the Cymyran near high tide, and five Turnstones on the beach. A Tawny Owl was calling when we arrived on Friday night. Small sensible birds kept their heads down.

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Mid morning visit to Old Colwyn for high tide and stayed until 2.30ish.

Birds of note...
- Glaucous Gull 1 juv with small group of Common Scoters
(Didn't expect to see this at all)
- Great Black-backed Gull 1
- Common Scoter 1000's
- Velvet Scoter 2 drakes
- No sign of Surf Scoter despite thorough search
- Red Throated Diver 2
- Long-tailed Duck 1 (female type?)
- Scaup 4 (inc 2 drakes)
- Great Crested Grebe 1
- Shag 2
- Cormorants
- Turnstone 7

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Three full days and a few hours today in and around Rhosneigr; not exactly lucky with the weather, sea fret on Tuesday morning, incessant rain on Wednesday, then, yeah, yesterday, whilst today, obviously, was a gorgeous, bright late winter's day. Still, every day was productive. Highlights:

Stonechat
Meadow pipit
Rock pipit
Skylark (beautiful views, as always, here)
Rook
Raven
Teal
Wigeon
Red-breasted merganser
Shelduck
Brent geese (peak count 47)
Great crested grebe
Ringed plover
Golden plover
Grey plover
Lapwing
Dunlin
Sanderling
Purple sandpiper (a first for me; delighted)
Turnstone (could watch them all day)
Snipe
Redshank
Greenshank
Oystercatcher
Curlew
Little egret
Grey heron
Shag
Cormorant
Black-headed gull
Common gull
Lesser black-backed gull
Herring gull
Great black-backed gull
Kestrel
Buzzard

Llyn Maelog (from two visits; peak counts):

Goldcrest, meadow pipit, pied wagtail
2 moorhen
24 coot
22 teal
2 shoveler
2 gadwall
24 tufted duck
3 pochard
7 goldeneye
1 red-breasted merganser
4 great crested grebe
3 snipe
1 redshank
38 oystercatcher
Several curlew over (one scooting low over the water)
1 grey heron
11 cormorant (all first winter birds)
1 great black-backed gull

Nice gull roost forming on the occasion I was there later in the day, but other than the odd lesser-black backed, I couldn't make anything out other than good numbers of black-headed and herring.




-- Edited by Shannon Llewellyn on Saturday 25th of February 2017 12:04:11 AM

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Further to my note from Friday, there follows a belated weekend note for anyone planning half term break on Anglesey.

After an unproductive circuit of my Silver Bay patch, followed by an unsuccessful check for Glaucous Gull at Holyhead fish quay, my first stop on Saturday morning was Malltraeth Marsh, Pentre Berw. This site requires patience and some leg work, but it can be very rewarding. On arrival, a local had seen both Marsh Harrier and Merlin. I had no luck with either of these, but managed my first Black-tailed Godwits of the year, along with many hundreds of Wigeon and large numbers of Lapwing and Teal. There were a small numbers of winter thrushes along the Cefni, along with a few pairs of Stonechat. This is a good site during spring passage.

I headed on to the estuary mouth at Malltraeth, but didnt spend long there in a cold wind. There were the usual high numbers of Redshank and Pintail out on the estuary, and Golden Plover on the cob pool, also a Greenshank and Black-tailed Godwit on the river, viewed from the road.

I drove back along lane that runs parallel to the Cefni, turning north just past Pont Marquis. Five Cattle Egrets were found in a roadside field near here in December, though reports have been sporadic since. The first couple of fields drew a blank, but 400 yards up the road I could see white blobs two fields back. There are few parking opportunities, but I managed to stop in the middle of the road for long enough to get positive scope views of three of the birds: two Little Egrets and a Cattle Egret. The remainder of the birds were obscured by hedge and cattle.

A brief late afternoon stop at windy, wet, and misty, South Stack, produced three Fulmars back on the ledges, though the Guillemots had disappeared for the day.

I finished back at Holyhead fish quay, where a Great Northern Diver on the sea was compensation for the missing Glaucous Gull.

Sunday started with a dog walk along the southern shore of the Inland Sea, starting at Four Mile Bridge and taking in Ynys Leurad. It was on good form, with a fine variety of waders, including Greenshank, Knot and Grey Plover. There were double figures of Red-breasted Merganser and Goldeneye. I also managed to pick out the long-staying Black-necked Grebe, though couldnt find the Long-tailed Duck or small raft of Scaup that is still around. Two Mediterranean Gulls were in the channel by the bridge.

I followed this with a cycle ride that started well with Barn Owl (undisclosed site). The Hooded Crow was still on wires by the chapel at Llanfachraeth. Just up the road, on the Alaw, a single Greenshank flew over. On the other side of the track, on the blind side of the clapper bridge, I flushed a wintering Green Sandpiper.

Llyn Llywenan held many common ducks and twenty or so Mute Swans, but no sign of Whoopers. A pair of Goosander was a good find in these parts. I congratulated myself on a pair of Linnets in the hedgerow south of the lake - my first of the year. By the end of the day, I had seen separate flocks of 30+, followed by 60+ and then 15, all at Silver Bay. There were six Snipe on the headland here.

Total species count for my long weekend on the island was an impressive 94. I added Common Scoter at Colwyn Bay on the way home.


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Good start to our tour of North Wales this morning with leks of 6 and 19 Blackcocks at the usual locations along the road to World's End. Plenty of posturing and sparring from the birds at the first lek in particular. Most of the wood at World's End has gone so we headed off to Anglesey. As the satnav route took us via Denbeigh, we had a brief stop-over at LLandudno but it seems the Snow Buntings had moved on since Wednesday.

An incident on the A55 meant that Riggers and co had scanned the Holyhead Marina to no avail and headed off up Turkey Shore Road by the time Mike A. and I got there but we managed to find 2 Black Guillemots from the quay by the long-stay car park. Two Great Crested Grebes were there too, but nothing else of any note. Poor visibility at South Stack persuaded us into the cafe for some refreshment. No sooner was everyone settled when the fog cleared enough for Mr. Rayner to pick out a Chough on Ellen's Tower, where it was soon joined by a second bird. There was nothing else to hold out attention when we went back out so we set off for a circuit of the Inland Sea.

The Great Northern Diver showed very well from the embankment at Beddmanarch Bay, with Pale-bellied Brent Geese very close in on the eastern shore of the bay and 3 Red-breasted Merganser a little farther out. The enclosed section held good numbers of most of the commoner waders and waterfowl. Further viewing from Four Mile Bridge produced c.57 more Pale-bellied Brent to the south of the road and 85 Pintail to the north. A single Grey Plover was on the nearest spit to the north of the road, with a Turnstone 'near the traffic cone"! on the same spit. Karen spotted a Peregrine on the ground which flew towards us and then managed the very neat trick of splitting into two birds heading in opposite directions!! Both birds harassed the gulls, waders and wildfowl before one bird vanished and the other returned to perch up ready for the next attack. We had no luck with the Cattle Egret near Malltraeth but all in all not a bad day with 61 species seen.

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Worlds End

I arrived on site at 7.10am, In previous years the first Lek to the right of the first left hand bend had held the greatest number of birds, This morning no birds at all, Swiftly moving on Windows down periodically stopping I could hear the birds hissing and bubbling sounds but couldn't see any, Eventually came across a Lek which contained 20 Blackcock and a smaller one of 6, Great spectacle, Also plenty of Red Grouse heard and 3 seen.

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Today was day one of a three-day spell at Silver Bay after a six-week absence.

I picked up just under 40 species on my morning walk over the patch: Rock Pipits (3) and Chough (3) were the first of the year. Wader numbers were unexceptional, as the tide was low, but 115 Curlew roosted with the Lapwings at the Cymyran mouth. There were 25 Brent Geese there this evening, and a couple of dozen Wigeon. I flushed seven Snipe on the headland.

I spent the rest of the day at local spots there is plenty to look out for. A Little Owl was at Cromlech, Rhoscolyn, and a drake Shoveler on the nearby pond. The Long-tailed Ducks seem to have left Trearddur Bay, but a Red-throated Diver was very close offshore, and a Purple Sandpiper roosted on the offshore islet, just after high tide.

A Great Northern Diver was in Beddmanarch Bay, feeding 20m from the embankment. Two Slavonian Grebes were distant, on the far side of the channel. Fourteen Scaup were on the Inland Sea, and 20+ Goldeneye. Singles of Long-tailed Duck and Black-necked Grebe are here too, but I didnt see either.

A Glaucous Gull has been a regular at Holyhead harbour for a while. I had no luck with this, but found a Black Guillemot and three Red-breasted Merganser in the fish harbour.

I walked along the shore north of the Alaw at high tide: 500+ Dunlin, 50+ Grey Plover, a Golden Plover, 30+ Ringed Plover and 10 Turnstones were among the waders on the rocky islets. I scoped the Alaw from the sand dunes and noted four Med Gulls in the channel (there were probably more), along with two recently-returned Lesser Black-backed Gulls. There were five Pintail in the distance.








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World's End

10.00amish

Despite late arrival in site, active and very vocal Black Grouse lek still in full swing. 7 males . A further solitary cock much closer to road. A female distantly perched up on a tree.
Single male Red Grouse also seen very close to road; calling.


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A trip around much of the coast gave me a few highlights on Wednesday;

Glaucous Gull - 1w was at Holyhead Harbour, ringed 'CLD', it is around 7 months old from Svalbard.

Black Guillemot - 3 in Holyhead Harbour

Snow Bunting - 3 still on the west shore of Llandudno

Brent Goose - 66 Pale-bellied and 8 Dark-bellied at Caernarfon

Rock Pipit - plenty showing well at Caernarfon

Common Scoter - 5000+ off Old Colwyn

Red-throated Diver - 10+ off Old Colwyn

 

Lauren



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