With news of a Glossy Ibis showing well just twenty miles away at Aber Ogwen Alan was dying to get there. Just one problem the news of this exciting rarity was not circulated until way after dark. Local birders, and us, were gutted! After several fly-over and briefly seen birds in North Wales recently it was very frustrating to know that at last a Glossy Ibis had been showing off right in front of a hide but just the person watching it knew!
Early next morning and Alan was heading for Aber Ogwen, it was only just light but a message from Chris Jones told no Glossy Ibis this morning. Dam! With Chris at the site Alan decided to check other sites in the area. At Morfa Madryn Nature Reserve, west of Llanfairfechan there are shallow pools, ideal for an ibis? No ibis sadly but two Pale-bellied Brent Geese were on the foreshore and a drake Scaup was loafing asleep just off-shore. Both Spotted Redshank and Greenshank roosted on the pools, all good stuff, but no ibis.
On to Aber Ogwen Alan then walked east along the shore to Aber checking the wet fields behind the beach, some lovely habitat for an ibis just the ibis missing. Plenty of birds along this stretch with an adult Mediterranean Gull the best. The same two Brent Geese flew west along the beach, waders included both Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits.
Back in the hide at Aber Ogwen a gang of birders were still hoping the ibis might drop in, 45 Little Egrets and seven Greenshank were on the estuary and two fine drake Common Eider bobbed about on the Menai Straits beyond.
Time to admit defeat, the ibis had moved on.The two Long-billed Dowitchers continue to show at Inner Marsh Farm RSPB on the Flintshire/Cheshire border, check out Steve Round's photo above, nice!We have just taken delivery of some copies of Alan’s book “Best Birdwatching Sites in North Wales” so if anyone out there still has not got their signed copy of this indispensable guide get in touch quick, we only have limited stock!!
30 September 2009