Dragons and damsels

Called in at the Glascoed Nature Reserve on St Asaph Industrial Park this afternoon. The reserve has 14 ponds primarily put there as mitigation work to save great crested newts but has obviously attracted many odonata species. However, the low rainfall count this season has dried up many of the ponds and the only species seen were emperor (pictured) and common hawker, common red darter and blue tailed damselfly. Birds seen included blackcap, whhitethroat, chiffchaff and bullfinch while meadow brown and gatekeeper butterflies were evident in good numbers.

Waders on the move - Rhos Point

The first real sign of waders on the move at Rhos Point today. 2 Whimbrel on the point with another in the sizble Curlew flock at Penrhyn Bay. 15+ superb summer plumaged Turnstone present with 3 Sanderling amongst them. An Arctic Tern was amongst the 50+ Sandwich Tern in the roost while a Common Tern fished offshore. Autumn's around the corner.....

More Conwy RSPB bits and bobs - July 26th

Plenty of birds over the high tide this morning, highlights being a smart 2nd summer Med gull (poor pic above), a Greenshank, 3 Common Sandpiper, 15 Black tailed Godwit, a fine juv Little Ringed Plover (pic above)AND 15+ Little Egrets. Passerines were rpresented by 2 Redstarts, a Lesser Whitethroat and many warblers flitting about, including the cool Reed warbler above.

Conwy bits and bobs

Both emperor dragonfly and broad bodied chaser have been seen at Conwy RSPB in the last few days as well as common blue damselfly. Birds seen this afternoon inlcuded 2 redstarts, 14 godwits and 2 common sands.

A quail found unharmed in a Deganwy garden was released on the reserve this morning.

Broad bodied chaser

Little Orme - feathererd and non-feathered friends

Seawatching off the Little Orme this last week has produced one or two birds - a lone Balearic shearwater flew west last Tuesday along with Manxies (120 per hour), while short seawatches this week has seen small numbers of Manx Shearwater, Fulmars, Gannet, Common Scoters, Sandwich Terns and 2 Arctic Tern. Fulwars are still on the ledges too, giving superb views in the quarry.

Butterlies here include many Graylings (pic above) in the limestone areas as well as a few Silver-studded Blue

Aber foreshore and Madryn

Numbers building up nicely with 4+ Med Gulls there this morning - 2 adult birds, 1 2nd year and 1 1st year. The 'leucistic' Common Gull was also there along with 350+ Sandwich Terns. 3 young Redstarts were in bushes along the coast with a good number of young phyllosc warblers. 8 Little Egrets and a lone Whimbrel were the best of the wading birds.

Traeth Dulas

Bird numbers building up.  Tonight - 16 Little Egrets, 3 Common Sand and single Dunlin.