Ouzels of fun

We met Stephen, Peter, Victoria and Beth at RSPB Conwy in the lovely spring sunshine, though still a real chill in the air. Peter, Victoria and Beth were relatively new to birding so they were very excited to be joining us for a birdwatching day. We were really looking forward to enthusing them with our passion for birds and birdwatching.

We enjoyed a lovely walk down to the Tal-y-Fan Hide overlooking the two lagoons. Birds came thick and fast including beautiful Great Crested Grebes, a posing male Reed Bunting, stunning male Lapwing and a pair of very obliging Bullfinches. But perhaps best of all was an immaculate male Wheatear feeding on the grass bank just below us. Wonderful to see this migrant finding plenty of food despite the chilly temperature.

We headed off south into Snowdonia where we enjoyed great views of Hawfinches both feeding on the ground and perched in the surrounding trees. Very lucky to have such prolonged views of these bull-necked finches. A Red Kite soared overhead showing off its exquisite colours in the sunshine. Three Stonechats and two more Wheatears were enjoyed as a Peregrine cruised the blue sky above us.

Lunch beckoned and our group today had requested a hot lunch so we called in at one of our favourite eating places, The Princes Arms in Trefriw. As always we had a very warm welcome from Lindsay Gordon and we were soon tucking in to a delicious lunch.

Full of great food we were soon back on the road and headed deep into Snowdonia. Here we were back into the grip of winter with thick snow and ice all round. The mountain scenery was just stunning, even the top of Snowdon was standing clear against the blue sky.



Not so many birds though so we dropped down a little and soon found what we were looking for: a handsome male Ring Ouzel feeding on a snow-free patch of grass in the sunshine. The Leica scope allowed everyone to enjoy this white-bibbed mountain blackbird. We were very fortunate indeed to see this returning migrant given the almost Arctic conditions in the mountains.



We headed back down to the coast where we added lots more new species to our considerable day list. Amongst the highlights here was an amazing view of a Common Snipe right out in the open in full sunshine, and very close indeed. Of course, the camera was out of reach at the critical moment. A White Wagtail shared the same ditch as the Snipe, another newly-arrived migrant. Next up, Chiffchaff really showed off in the afternoon sun by the side of the pool.



We finished our day back at RSPB Conwy just before 5pm with the sun still shining. What a great day, some wonderful birds and such a lovely enthusiastic group of people. Let's hope they are well on their way to fledging as committed birdwatchers! We really hope they are all able to join us again soon for more great birds.

To book your birdwatching day out with us, simply contact us on info@thebiggesttwitch.com. We look forward to hearing from you!