Popped up the Great Orme today, shame I just missed you and Alan, Marc. Also missed the Snow Bunting by just 5 minutes but the Lapland Buntings gave stunning views. As Marc says in his earlier post with a bit of patience they will show fantastically well, nearly creeping across our feet at times. Photographers were backing off as the birds were getting too close for the long lenses to focus, a problem I also had with digiscoping. Most of the time all I could get was head & shoulder shots!! Two of us also had a high flyover Twite, calling distinctively, whilst we were having lunch at the picnic tables in warm sunshine by the car park.

Cemaes Area Update

Last week Mike Smith had a few Jays in the Cemaes area. I had one in Llanrhuddlad on Friday and Tony had one at Wylfa today, possibly immigrants? Yesterday Reg was at Carmel head. He had27 Bramblings, 2 Snow Bunts and 2 Crossbills, plus a Ruff at Cemlyn. Highlight however was 3 Bewick's Swans flying offshore, a very good bird for Anglesey nowerdays! I had an hour on Wylfa this morning before I had to go to a Christening in Runcorn.There wasn't a lot on the headland, but that may have been due to the male Peregrine, and the male and female Merlins! The female headed over to Llanbadrig and was seen by the observer who had the Richard's Pipit and Lap bunt there. Any ideas who that was? Vis mig was light but included a few Redpolls and Siskins plus a Brambling and a Crossbill. Tony White also had 2 Lap bunts fly out of Tregele Stubble, and I had 2 Great tits fly high north over Wylfa head!

Bunting Beauties - It's a hatrick! Anyone up for the 'hibernicus' challenge?

A first for me this morning - Lapland, Snow and Reed Bunting in the same scope view - hatrick! A lovely morning weather wise on the Great Orme was livened up by a few good birds. A few early morning migrants were immediately evident - a Brambling and 10 Great Tits on show at the north end before sunsise. The Lapland Buntings soon gave themselves up in the usual place, with at least three birds present. While watching them with Alan Davies, a Richard's Pipit announced its presence with its loud 'shreeep' calls. Unfortunately, despite being heard a few times again, it didn't give itself up. Later in the morning a fine male Snow Bunting appeared alongside the Laplands; surely just in. Two Redwings were in the gorse, 5+ Goldcrest, 12 Great Tit, 2 Lesser Redpoll, 20+ Brambling, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 19 Skylarks and a good passage of 25+ Coal Tits during the morning. Chris had a Ring Ouzel above Llys Helyg drive too.

This fine male Snow Bunting appeared mid morning alongside the Lapland Buntings. At one point they flew into the air calling and were joined by a Reed Bunting; a nice hatrick of Great Orme buntings.

The Lapland Buntings are drawing good numbers of visitors from across the North West. With a little patience they give good views. Up to seven have been seen during the past week, with three birds staying faithful to a small area just south of the northern cairn on the limestones.

There has been an excellent movement of Coal Tits on the Orme over the past fortnight with sometimes upwards of 60 birds moving through. All I have seen so far have had lovely white cheek patches, like this one above taken this morning at the most northern gorse bush on the head land. Surely there is an outside chance of a 'hibernicus' Coal Tit from Ireland joining up with them. The Isles of Scilly have recorded birds that recall 'hibernicus' already thsi autumn. However, I'm not aware of any proven records in Wales. The bird below was on the Mullet, County Mayo and the buffy / off white cheek patches can clearly be seen. Now there's a challenge for any west coast vis-migger.

Coal Tit - coutersy of Dave Sudderby, Mullet, County Mayo, October 2012. Follow him on twitter @davesudds62

Four Surf Scoters and a strange Redshank

The three drake Surf Scoters showed well in the late afternoon sun from Station Road, Llanddulas and as I was watching them it became apparent that they were paying rather a lot of attention to a female type bird. As the shimmer disappeared and the sun came out, the triangular shaped head of a female Surf Scoter materialised with the bird diving with the tell tale leap and open wings. The group then split with one drake following the female and the male 'pair' melting into the flock. 4 Velvet Scoter also present today as well as 20+ red throated Divers, 5 red breasted Mergansers and 12 Great Crested Grebes.

The worst picture ever of 2 drake Surf scoters at a miles range!

Below is a picture of a strange looking Redshank that is hanging around Morfa Madryn and Lavan Sands at the moment. A 'leucistic' buffy type bird.

Surfs up.

With one thing or another my first trip out for a while had me heading out Llanddulas after a tip off that the scoters were showing. My new baby daughters first birding outing. Many more to come. Amongst the thousands of common scoter 2 drake surfs and a single drake velvet eventually revealed themselves. The White on the surfs nape shining nicely in the sunshine. 20 plus red throats, plenty of Guillimots and 2 razorbill were the best of the rest.

Point of Ayr

Went for the big high tide at Point of Ayr today and checked out the new three-sided shelter that at long last has been built on the site of the old hide. Nice firm structure although it'll be open to the elements in poor weather, but it's better than nothing at all and at least prevents you from disturbing the roosting birds on the saltmarsh. Bird of the morning was a cracking merlin that roosted in a bush close to the shelter. Big tide didn't flush anything unusual out but good numbers of mixed waders with mainly knot, dulin, redshank, barwits, and oycs. Pintail and wigeon on view and good numbers of shelduck. Eight birders present today so hopefully the new shelter will start to attract birders to an area that has always had great potential, especially if you bird the warren area as well.

RB Fly in Holyhead BWCP

I managed to sneak in a quick RBF for my lunch. Ken found it this morning in the Breakwater Country Park. It has been hanging around in the large stand of trees at the back of the Car Park at the end of the road. It has been in the alders/ash trees by the picnic bench in the trees by the pool at the cliff face (not the boating lake). It also moves into the adjacent tall pines. I got some brief but good views down to 8 meters. Cute little bird, flashing it's white at me as it flitted from one perch to another.