A cracking days birding on North Anglesey!

I knew I could smell something in the air yesterday! I had a great day birding locally today with some top birds and enjoyed bumping into many locals and having a good chat. It was mainly based around Cemlyn but with the early morning trip to The Range with Tony White.(South Stack birding spot, not the Bangor shop!). The only decent birds we missed were the 6 Barnacle Geese that were at Cemlyn briefly and otherwise, Richard Birch had a note-worthy Turtle Dove near Amlwch that flew towards Parys mountain. Here's some of the photos I got today. The only downside is I wished I posted it before watching the footy as I now feel as down as Derek Evans did after spending a day driving round Anglesey dipping most of these birds! At least you have something to smile about now Derek, doh!

Female Dotterel and Spring Squill at the Range for starters.

                                            David Wright found this cracking Golden Oriole!

                                                A bright female or first year male @ Cemlyn.

                                                  The Iceland and Glaucous gulls at Cemlyn.

                                                                   
                                                                The 2nd year Glaucous Gull

                                                                         Glauc in flight.

                                                The only shot I got of the Iceland on the deck.
                                            The primaries look all white here but it's the only shot.
                                                                     

                                          Looking at these flight shots the primary pattern looks
                                           more typical for Kumlien's, any comments welcome.

                                          There were between 3 and 5 Yellow wags at Cemlyn.

                                             The Cattle field at Tyn Llan is the place to look.

                                         Wagtail spotting through the Sheep c.25+ White wags.

                                                               The Blue headed Wagtail.

                                                           Presumed same bird, different field.

                       
                                                                 End of day baby Hare.

I also had a Tree Pipit near Tyn Llan and a White winged gull flew past Wylfa head towards Cemaes in the evening.

Anglesey and area Update - (Star Wars Day).

Whimbrels are piling through the region at the mo. On tuesday the 29th April I had groups of 20, 17 and 9 at Cemlyn. On Friday the 2nd May I had great views of Garden Warbler and a Swift at Llyn Cefni. On Saturday the 3rd May I had a walk around Wylfa head but it was pretty quiet. Elsewhere Martin Jones had a calling Quail at Llyn Rhos Ddu, Newborough, but a late afternoon twitch bore no fruit! A subadult Golden Eagle was also at Worlds end today! What is it with that place and Eagles?

Saturday at Cemlyn produced a Yellow Wag and RT Diver in winter plumage from David Wright. Richard Birch had a late Redwing at Cors Bodeillio on Saturday. A week before he had a Yellow browed Warbler at Holyhead prom near Soldier's Point but an attempt by Ken to relocate it was unsuccessful. Today, Sunday May the Fourth be with you. Martin had a Whooper Swan at Pont Croeso (good for Ospreys and Mandarins) and Ken found a Dotterel on the Range at South Stack with a further 7 on Foel Fras in the Carneddau. Today, Cemlyn has been bustling with migrants. A Roseatte tern, still there to roost was a highlight. There's also 1000 Sandwich terns, 300 Arctics and 50 Commons. I had two flocks of Whimbrel numbering 29 and 33. There was a swarm of Hirundines  on the Tyn Llan Road including 300 Swallow, 40 Sand Martins and 3 Swifts. There were about 10 Common Sands around including a flock of 6. There were at least 17 Med Gulls of which 7 were 1 year old birds. 4 Blackwits, 1 Barwit, 25 White Wags, 20 Wheatear, 1 Whinchat, 1 Lesser Whitethroat and 3 Stock Doves. A Whimbrel over the house was only a second for my house list. Lots of birds today, but I smell tomorrow will also be good for birds, good luck!

                                          Spot the Rosy. Hiding with Sandwich terns as they
                                          stick out like a white sore thumb when they are with
                                                                 Arctics and Commons.

                                                  Lots of Swallows and a few Sand Martins

                                                            White wags on Tyn Llan road

Garganey and Swift at Llyn Maelog

There was a swift at Llyn Maelog yesterday (30th April) and a fine Drake Garganey was an added bonus! To see the Garganey stand near where I'm pointing to and look between where it says you are here and the inlet/stream to the left. It was hugging the shoreline at 12.30 yesterday.

The Ugly House : Good birds and good food!

If your birding in Snowdonia the Ugly House is a great place to stop for a bite to eat and a bit of birding. It's a house with fantastic charachter set in a wonderful garden on the fringe of the Gwydir forest. Just walking around the garden you can get great views of Pied Flycatchers, Wood Warblers, Siskins at point blank range plus Nuthatches and Treecreepers. The garden's also good for flowers, butterflies and bees as well. There's often Dipper in the adjacent river and I could also hear a Redstart nearby. It's on the A5 between Bethesda and Betws y Coed, just before you get to Swallow Falls. It's definately worth a stop if passing! Here's a few photos I took when I went there with the family on Saturday. 

Garganey (pair) off south stack road

Managed to catch up with the pair of Garganey off south stack road this evening.   Birds still present at ~ 7.15pm.  Couple of record shots of the drake.

Plus a shot of the GWT at the same site a few weeks back:

Great Orme migrant update

After a quiet start to the spring with just a couple of Dotterel, a few Ouzels and an Osprey the only things to blog about during the first few weeks of April, things suddenly have sprung to life over the past few days. A cracking male Ring Ouzel was in the cemetery yesterday while a Firecrest was near the Copper mines (per Pete Alderson). Yellow Wagtails have been much in evidence with at least four birds seen most mornings amongst a number of White Wags. Several Redstarts have appeared while 3 Whinchat were present yesterday. Tree Pipts have been seen in good numbers with between 7 and 11 seen on each of the past three days. Redpolls and Siskins have been moving through in better numbers and include the odd mixed up individuals as the one seen below - no way is this a bog standard Welsh Lesser Redpoll, but isn't the classic Mealy either. Good numbers of hirundines have been seen each day while Wheatear numbers have increased but no real big falls yet this year.

Cemlyn and Cefni 24th April

I had my first Garden Warbler of the year at Llyn Cefni today singing its head off in willows near the first bridge crossing the river at the Bodfordd end of the lake. David Wright had a Whinchat at Cemlyn in a ploughed field west of Ffronddu (on the Hen borth Road). He also had 2 Dark bellied brents on the island on the lagoon.