August Update

I was lucky enough to go on a mid-summer trip to the Russian Far East for Two weeks. We saw some fantastic wildlife including Steller's Sea Eagle, Aleutian Tern, 15 species of Auk including Tufted and Horned Puffin, Red legged Kittiwake, Siberian Rubythroats, Brown Bears, Walruses, Arctic Fox, Sea-Otters, Sperm Whale and the highlight Spoon billed Sandpiper in breeding plumage, but to name a few. It really was the trip of a lifetime and hopefully I'll post a report on here when I get round to it! So consequently since I've been back I've been spending a lot of time with the family doing family things like Rock-pooling, Moth-trapping, playing footy and having days out to the Zoo or Anglesey show for example. I did manage to squeeze in some birds, although it wasn't exactly birding in the conventional sense. Here's a few pics from the summer, but the recent bird-news is at the end of this post. Autumn's imminent so let the birding begin!

                                          Tufted Puffin (Kamchatka)

                                          Chestnut backed Thrush (Chester Zoo)

                                          Terry Large and his 15/16th Gyr Falcon

                                                       Anglesey Show bird.

                                          I tried to get back into birding on the Wirral last week
                                          but I had an Ice cream instead!

                                          Well-hard Med Gull at Penrhos CP today.

                                          2 adults were there today.

                                            Collared Dove in Cemaes today.
                                            Leucism or Xanthochroism?

I did some birding today with highlights being a Kingfisher in Cemaes Valley, 2 juvy Peregrines at Amlwch Port, 1 over Cemaes and Seawatching from Amlwch produced 3 Common Scoters and Manxies passing at 686 per hour! The lone Male Ruddy is still at Valley lakes on Llyn Penrhyn with a female Marsh Harrier, and the GW Egret has been at Bala Lake for 2 weeks. A Green Woodpecker was a good bird for Conwy RSPB today. Yesterday Norman was at the Llanfachraeth end of the Alaw estuary and either side of the new bridge there were 3 Curlew Sands, 1 Little Stint and 4 Greenshank. I had a Swift in Amlwch on the 29th and 1 over Cemaes on the 27th. A Yellow Wagtail was at Cors Erddreiniog on the 28th (Richard Birch) and Chris Lane had one on the river at Rhosneigr on the 6th. An Osprey was around the Alaw estuary/Beddmanarch Bay on the 27th so it may be worth checking the Inland Sea.On the 24th at Cemlyn Mogs had 3 Ruffs at Cemlyn on the lagoon and a Green Sand on the flooded fields off South Stack road. On the 20th a pale phase Gyr type falcon was at Bardsey for a day or two after moving up from South Wales (jesses and all), but the Honey Buzzard there on the 19th was 100% wild! On the 13th there was a Balearic Shearwater off Point Lynas and another was off Bardsey. Again on Bardsey there was a juvy Citrine Wagtail from the 8th - 12th . An Osprey was at Malltraeth on the 11th and a Curlew Sand was there on the Cob pool on the 10th. September is almost here so good luck birding, sea-watching or what-ever you get upto!