Good birds in North Wales
Good birds in North Wales despite the rain
It was time to get out for a day of birding and the rain was not going to stop us! Early morning and we were at RSPB Conwy where plenty of birds were up and about. Lesser Redpolls and Siskins were feeding the alders and on the lagoon a great selection of waders and wildfowl.
This little gem, a Firecrest, stole the show at Conwy, wow!
Along the coast, west, and we were soon at Aber Ogwen where the road was flooded and the water rising! We had a quick look from the beach car park picking out a lovely Greenshank and a Bar-tailed Godwit in the field behind the beach. Lucky we left when we did: the water had risen dramatically in the short time we had stopped and we only just got through!
Onto Anglesey next and first stop was Beddmanarch Bay where we picked out two Slavonian Grebes out in the bay along with Red-breasted Mergansers, Goldeneye and Shags.
As the tide dropped we were treated to a wonderful spectacle as a large flock of Pale-bellied Brent Geese swept in and landed right in front us!
Pale-bellied Brent Geese, all the way from Canada, here on Anglesey
The views through our Leica telescopes were just stunning and we picked out four Dark-bellied Brent Geese amongst the pale birds, rare on Anglesey. We also noticed one of the Pale-bellied birds was colour-ringed and we made a note of the combination and hope to trace this individual bird's travels.
Pale-bellied Brent Geese, looking even smarter in the sunshine
Next round to Holyhead where we were soon watching five Black Guillemots and were surprised to see one bird in full breeding plumage! Early or late? A Razorbill was fishing close inshore along with Cormorants and Shags. Then we picked out a Great Northern Diver, a wonderful bird to see in the harbour.
Breeding plumaged Black Guillemot dives for fish at Holyhead
On the Inland Sea we enjoyed a second Great Northern Diver and even rarer, the sun came out! Not far away we watched a female Long-tailed Duck feeding with Goldeneye and Shoveler as the sun dipped towards the west.
A great day's birding and very few miles traveled, do come and join us for great birdwatching soon!
Ruth tries out the arty button on the camera, Alan goes back in time in sepia!
Contact us on
info@thebiggesttwitch.com for details of all our day trips and tours. We still have space on our amazing March trip to Spain to see displaying Great Bustards and much more. Go on, you know you're tempted!