On Sunday Alan had a full day guiding three birders across North Wales. Alan met Ralph, Niall and Tony at the RSPB Conwy reserve car-park at 8am and they were soon seeing birds. A quick look from the first hide on the reserve gave a great selection of birds. A flock of Black-tailed Godwits were roosting in the shallow water and wildfowl included Gadwall, Teal, Goldeneye and of course loads of Canada Geese, in fact 88 of them! Back in the car, they were soon heading south down the Conwy valley and a quick stop near Tal-y-cafn bridge paid off with the discovery of a Red-throated Diver on the Conwy River. First record of this species here! Presumably the same bird that had been seen a few days earlier off Conwy RSPB. Further south an emergency stop and bail out had the guys watching a superb Red Kite. This beautiful raptor was quartering low over a sheep field showing all its colours off, surely one of the best raptors in the world? Thrilled with that sighting it was on to Clocaenog Forest, via a pair of Red-legged Partridge, and into the conifers to search for the wintering Great Grey Shrike. A short steep walk brought them to a hilltop with a commanding view across the forest. Only a few minutes later and up popped the Great Grey Shrike! Very lucky indeed.  This bird can be very elusive and birders often go away without a sighting after hours of searching. A bitter cold wind was blowing so after enjoying prolonged views of the shrike they back down the hill and into shelter.
North through to Snowdonia and Alan knew just where to look for Ring Ouzels but they are seldom seen. The car had not even stopped when Alan shouted “male Ring Ouzel” amazing, right by the road; it was hopping about on the short grass. This mountain thrush showed off and was heard calling its distinctive “chack, chack” call. A male Stonechat sang from a fence wire and nearby three Northern Wheatears bounced around looking for food in the chill wind, bet they wished they stayed in Africa. Onto Anglesey and first stop was Beddmanarch Bay where a nice flock of Pale-bellied Brent Geese fed in the shallows. Scanning the low water channel produced Great Crested Grebe and Goldeneye but no sign of the hoped-for Slavonian Grebe. Holyhead Harbour next and instant success with two Black Guillemots in fine breeding plumage were close to the quay wall, great birds. On again to South Stack RSPB but the wind was very strong so few birds. The cliffs held three Fulmars but only one Common Guillemot sat on the sea below. The resident Hooded Crow was sitting near her nesting tree and will hopefully stay to breed again this spring. Further down the road one of her previous hybrid young was feeding with a Carrion Crow, perhaps the father? Two Chough swept across the road but showed no signs of landing. A quick look at the Inland Sea and more Pale-bellied Brent Geese and a flock of Knot. Back to Beddmanarch Bay again but still no Slavonian Grebes though a big flock of Bar-tailed Godwits and a gang of Red-breasted Merganser showed well as a Chiffchaff sang in the bushes behind.
Back to the mainland and a quick look at Aber Ogwen but the tide was so far out the birds were much dispersed but two Greenshank showed in the river channel and plenty of Wigeon loafed on the bank.Time for just one more stop, Llanfairfechan Promenade.  The choppy seas did not look good. Careful scanning did produce some birds: a gang of restless Common Scoter and six adult Gannets cruised past, two Red-throated Divers were buffeted by the waves. Time to go; hang on one more bird, a Great Northern Diver was riding the seas in front of Puffin Island. A bit distant but through the scopes on x60 pretty good views were possible. At one point the diver stood up in the water and flapped its long wings, very nice.Back to RSPB Conwy just in time before the gates were locked! A great day out and Alan really enjoyed birding with Ralph, Niall and Tony and hopes to see them again soon.If you would like to birding with The Biggest Twitch see details below of the bird-filled trips we can offer.Want to hear all about our adventures on The Biggest Twitch?  We are giving a talk on our Big Year at RSPB Conwy on 16th April at 7pm.  Once again a donation to the reserve will be made, do come along to share in the adventure and support this great reserve at the same time. Tickets available at the reserve, please call 01492 584091 for details.Would you like to come birding with The Biggest Twitch? Well now you can!
We are putting together a package of birding tours here in the UK, Europe and further afield using our huge experience to share our enthusiasm for birds, wildlife and wild places with you. We are offering the following trips as set departure tours:Galapagos Islands and Ecuador: April 2010 – there’s been a lot of interest already!India, Tigers and the north: November 2010We offer custom tours to the following countries with dates to suit you for an individual tour, or you can join a group of like-minded people:Spain, visiting Extremadura and/or the Coto de Doñana
Eastern Turkey for wonderful birds and mountain scenery
Finland and Norway with the very best guides for all the owls and woodpeckersWe also offer custom tours throughout the year in North Wales, day trips or longer to see all the special birds, dates to suit you. Highlights could include Red-billed Chough, Black and Red Grouse, Dipper, Red Kite, Hen Harrier, Goshawk, Atlantic Puffin, Ring Ouzel.  Expect to see over 100 species on a two-day tour!If you would like more details of any of these, please email us at info@thebiggesttwitch.com.  We would love you to join us for wonderful birds and much more!