Another lovely Spring day here in North Wales, if a little cool with a NE breeze. The limestone headland of the Great Orme towers above our house and on mornings like this can't be ignorned! The headland is a great place to search for migrant birds and each visit brings that hope of something a little different.At first it was pretty bird less in the cold of early morning but slowly birds began to move. Lesser Redpolls, or were they Commons?, flew over calling but none landed to be grilled. A few Goldfinch, Greenfinch and Chaffinch also headed over north. A Skylark struck up his wonderful song to lift the spirit. But migrants were few, half a dozen Wheatears were the best. Then a dark thrush flew low across the path and dived behind a gorse bush, perhaps a Ring Ouzel? No just a Blackbird, what was he doing out here, migrant?Then reaching the corner of the stonewall that borders the fields and limestone pavement area, another dark thrush, this one with a harsher chack-chack call, a real Ring Ouzel and a fine male! Luckily this mountain thrush landed on the wall and showed off in the sun and was joined by second before flying a short distance to another wall. Further out on the pavement a third male Ring Ouzel hopped around a patch of low gorse, brilliant.Sadly time had slipped by quickly and it was back down the hill to do some work but what a great start to the day!This Saturday at Pensychnant, just outside Conwy, there will be an optics demonstration 10am to 4pm by Cambrian Photography and Leica Sports Optics.  Do come along (free entry for all, no booking needed) and join us for tea/coffee and cake/biscuits to talk all things optics, cameras and birding in an informal setting.  There’s an excellent chance of adding Pied Flycatcher and Common Redstart for your year-list amongst many other bird species at this beautiful location.
The address for Pensychnant is:Pensychnant Nature Conservation Centre
Sychnant Pass Road
Conwy
LL32 8BJ
01492 592 595
www.pensychnant.co.uk
Grid ref: SH 752 770If you are travelling westwards on the A55:
• Turn off at junction 18 and follow directions for Conwy. 
• Continue straight on at the mini roundabout.
• At the main roundabout, take the A547 left into Conwy town.
• Keeping the castle on your left, follow the one-way system into the town, passing the railway station.
• Immediately after you have gone through the archway in the walls, turn left into Mount Pleasant continuing uphill.
• Turn right at T junction into Sychnant Pass Road and continue on this out into open countryside, going over a cattle grid.
• At a junction, keep right to stay on the Sychnant Pass Road.
• The driveway to Pensychnant Nature Conservation Centre is signposted shortly after this on your right.  Please take care over the potholes in this rough track! 
• Upon reaching Pensychnant Nature Conservation, please park carefully in the car park on the left, and walk the short distance to the main entrance to the building.If you are travelling eastwards on the A55:
• Turn off at Junction 17 and take the A547 Bangor Road towards Conwy town.
• Immediately before you reach the town walls and the one way system, turn right into Mount Pleasant and follow the instructions as above.For more information about any of these events, please contact us on info@thebiggesttwitch.com or call Alan on 07778 677141.  We look forward to seeing you there!