Anglesey and beyond: Early July update

Anglesey and beyond: Early July update

As we go into July a Quail has been heard singing on the 1^st and 2^nd near Cemlyn at Hen Borth in the Wheat fields. One of the first signs of Autumn is the first wave of waders that breed in the high Arctic starting to head back South. On the first of July between the Inland Sea and the Alaw Estuary there were 4 Common Sandpipers, 3 Greenshanks, 5 Bar tailed Godwits, 6 Black tailed Godwits and 26 Mediterranean Gulls near the Anchorage. A Cuckoo was seen in Trearddur Bay on the 1^st July. A Hobby flew in off the Sea at Cemlyn on the 30^th June which is a great record for this site.
Spring and Summer is a great time for wildlife locally. After a slow start at Cemlyn the Sandwich terns started to settle and although numbers are down on previous years there were still over 300 pairs nesting which appear to have risen to over 1200 birds as we've gone into July, plus Common and Arctic terns so there's still plenty to see and photograph. Roseate's have been seen on several occasions with 2 on the 26^th June and a single the following day. Also, if you pop onto the ridge the Wardens Tim and Tarik will give you the latest up-to-date information. Two fine breeding plumaged Ruffs were a welcome sight on the lagoon at the start of June. Further afield 2 Hooded Crows were between South Stack and the Range and a single bird was at Carmel Head throughout May.
In June there was a few dozen Eiders around Puffin Island with the peak count being 32 on the 17^th June. The female King Eider that over wintered at Aberdyfi was a bit further north on the 19^th June. It had been photographed at Criccieth in early June. However it was also reported on the Alaw estuary on the North Anglesey coast on the 10^th June by a visiting birder. It. couldn't be relocated that day or the next, but a female Common Scoter was an unusual record at the Alaw Estuary on the 11^th June

This year there was quite an influx of Rose coloured Starlings into the UK.
One was at the Plantation at South Stack on the 4^th June, another was at Aberffraw on the 2^nd June and a pair were at Trearddur bay on the 27^th May.
A Honey Buzzard drifted over Cemlyn on the 30^th May, it then headed over to Wylfa before drifting over Cemaes windmill and football pitch before following the pylons to Rhogoch and away.
Other less scarce Raptors seen moving through the area included Red Kites passing over Llanerchymedd on the 5^th May, over Llangefni then Benllech on the 19^th May, 1 Bryngwran 4^th June,1 Cors Goch 18^th June, 4 Alaw estuary 24^th June, 1 Cemaes 24^th June, 2 Inland Sea 24^th June, 2 Cemlyn Jam Factory, 26^th June, 2 Benllech 25^th June and 1 was over Llanfechell on the 27^th June. An Osprey was photographed on the estuary at Malltraeth on the Newborough forest side on the 17^th June

Photo by Daniel Owen

However on Anglesey, bird of the month was surely the female Snowy Owl that appeared along the coastal footpath between Amlwch Port and Point Lynas on the 15^th June. It showed well all afternoon but was last seen that evening flying North towards Bull bay Golf course. It is thought to be the same bird that was in Pembrokeshire and the Isles of Scilly earlier on in the year.
This followed on from another exceptional record, 2 Orcas lingered off South Stack for two hours, the previous weekend on the 9^th June. What an amazing sight for the lucky observers who were at South Stack that day!


On the 28^th May A Marsh warbler , a rare relative of the Reed Warbler from further East in Europe popped into the marshy field near Cemlyn at Cafnan. It's probably best know for its song as it is great at mimicking other birds. We heard it copy the calls of Quail and Rosefinch, birds commoner in Eastern Europe during it's brief stay. Although there was a Rosefinch seen at Soldier's Point Holyhead briefly on the 15^th May.

Wading birds of note included 2 Curlew Sandpipers at Dulas at the end of May, a Little Stint was on the Alaw estuary on the 26^th May, a Wood Sandpiper was at Malltraeth RSPB on the 23^rd but the most striking waders we had visiting our area this Spring were Dotterel.
There was a very confiding beautiful bird on the 10^th May on the Range at South Stack and a further 3 birds had previously passed through that site on the 30^th April. They nest on the mountain tops in Scotland and Scandinavia and spend the winter in the Atlas mountains of North Africa.
Offshore a pair of Pomarine Skuas passed the Range on the 16^th May.

Yellow wagtails of various races passed through the Cemlyn area in May. A male Grey headed Yellow Wagtail from Scandinavia was seen on the 18^th May after a fine male Black headed Yellow Wagtail had visited Hen Borth Briefly on the 6^th May. The chap who spotted this bird from Eastern Europe also had an Arctic Iceland Gull from Greenland nearby on the same day. I saw the Iceland gull again on the 8^th May flying over Cemaes Bay out to sea.

If you have any interesting sightings post them on twitter on the  Anglesey bird news twitter page @AngBirdNews, alternatively email me at SteCul10@aol.com or phone  01407 710542 ,  all the best Steve Culley.