Regular visitors will know that we have had a great white egret at Conwy since mid-July. There was just one previous record here, and although two were seen together in September, nothing prepared us for this week, when Alan Davies counted 6 on the estuary on Thursday 6th. With another six at Burton Mere Wetlands and a couple more in Anglesey, these have - in two days - doubled the number of great white egrets seen in North Wales since records began. Thanks to Simon Knight for the photo, posted on Twitter.
The great whites are spending most of their time on the estuary, where the tide is still bringing large numbers of small fish in each day, along with hundreds of gulls and a new site record count of little egrets: 132 this morning!
Several birds are clearly loving their stay at Conwy that they don't want to leave: a garganey remains with teal on the shallow lagoon; a female-type scaup is with tufted ducks on the deep lagoon (though a male that had been with it in late September seems to have gone); and there are still several chiffchaffs singing and blackcaps feeding in the scrub.
And wader migration isn't done yet: curlew sandpiper and two jack snipe have been here the last couple of days, a little stint was on the estuary yesterday (7th), ringed plover and bar-tailed godwit on Wednesday (5th), grey plover, knot and spotted redshank on Monday (3rd).
For more bird info, plus news of two new species to the reserve seen in the last couple of weeks, some advance notice of management work, and details of a special Celebrate the Night event, please visit the reserve blog.
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