I would tend to agree with the posts prior to this, North Wales is the best area for results during the winter when seawatching. If you are travelling down the coast it is worth stopping at Kinmel Bay, where there is a viewing platform of some description, which can be handy to prop on to watch out to sea for Velvet and Common Scoter, Red-throated Diver, Eider, Fulmar and the odd Gannet, but early morning is best, when birds are moving about lots and divers will be flying north and south almost constantly. The beach there also has a few wintering Snow Bunting, Sanderling, Dunlin and a couple of Med Gulls have been there this week.
Further on a bit you can also get good results seawatching a Pensarn, not far from Kinmel Bay, most of the above, but not the Snow Bunts. If you do go as far as Llanfairfechan you can park up there on the front and watch from the pavement, with a greasy spoon to retreat into if it starts raining . You are more likely to get Great Northern Diver and Slavonian Grebe from Llanfairfechan, but less likely to get Velvet Scoter, as there are not as many Scoter offshore there, but more auks. Llanfairfechan has a large area of saltmarsh to the south, which you can walk to along the coastal path too, an open reserve where you may pick up Greenshank in the pools, plenty of other waders and the chance of Twite too.
I'm off over to Anglesey my self this weekend, so hope to stop at a few old haunts on my way there and see what's about. There has been a Bonaparte's Gull wintering over there too!?
Good luck whatever you choose to do, North Wales has some cracking sites and if you need more info you should log on to the North Wales Bird Forum: http://www.northwalesbirding.co.uk/forum/
Llanfairfechan is probably your best bet this time of year - you should see RT Diver, Scaup, RB Merganser, Common and Velvet Scoter, Black Scoter if it's a calm day and you've a sooper-dooper telescope, Slav Grebe is possible. Also Fulmars should be returning to the cliffs shortly
Check out http://www.northwalesbirding.co.uk/forum/ for sightings which is the equivalent of the Manchester Forum
Not much cop seawatching at this time of year David, unless you're interested in seaduck or divers, in which case try north Wales for the best close-ish area. If it's true seabirds you're really after (petrels/shearwaters) in the north-west too, then you've the long wait until autumn I'm afraid
As for gulls, you're letting yourself into a world of pain there
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Monday 21st of February 2011 05:28:54 PM
So, in around 30 years of birdwatching I've never yet tried watching for off the coast (by which I mean sitting on land, looking out to sea for gulls, petrels, shearwaters, etc).
I've got three days off coming up and was thinking of spending one day doing this (or half a day, with another half on a reserve). I was hoping some on here may have ideas about good sites in the northwest, any tips for success etc.
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My (beginner) bird photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/davec1977
. You are more likely to get Great Northern Diver and Slavonian Grebe from Llanfairfechan, but less likely to get Velvet Scoter, as there are not as many Scoter offshore there, but more auks. Llanfairfechan has a large area of saltmarsh to the south, which you can walk to along the coastal path too, an open reserve where you may pick up Greenshank in the pools, plenty of other waders and the chance of Twite too.
