Bee-eaters

2 Bee-eaters were over the Great Orme this morning at 8.20 am and then these or another 2 birds were over Mariandyrys near Llandonna at 3pm (per Robin Sandham, Twitter).

A good time to visit South Stack and Porth Diana

As spring migration has finished the breeding season is in full swing and it's also a good time for flowers at the moment. The endemic South Stack Spatulate fleawort is showing well near Ellen's tower and so are the nationally rare and highly localised Spotted Rockrose. For the Rockrose Porth Diana near Trearddur Bay is a good spot to see it, but parking can be a bit of a challenge so it may be easier to walk to the site from the nearest public car-park. The two maps at the end of this post show where Porth Diana is and where the best spot to look for them at South Stack is. Silver studded blues are also out at present. Below are some of the photos I took last weekend from that neck of the woods.

South Stack Spatulate Fleawort

The Peregrine chicks have now fledged. This one landed very close
 to us allowing the kids naked eye views which was nice.

Spotted Rockrose

South Stack

Walking up the lighthouse.

Close views of Razorbill on the bridge to SS Island

Watching a gull egg hatch

Hatching Lesser black backed Gull

Rock rose at South Stack

NWWT Porth Diana Rockrose reserve

Anglesey Nightjars?

There was a report from a visiting birder this time last year of a churing Nightjar in Newborough forest, from a camp-site on the East of the forest. If any birders or moth-ers are in the area at the mo, any news either way would be appreciated.

Quail on Anglesey

News has just come in from a visiting birder who had a calling Quail at Llandaniel Fab last week. The bird was reported from Tyn y Coed and the grid reference for that area is SH 488 697. It could still be there?

RSPB Conwy sightings board

Autumn migration is just starting to pick up here, with green sandpiper daily this week, a growing number of redshanks, and an avocet reported on the estuary, upstream of the reserve yesterday.

Lots of young birds around, including several broods of tufted ducks and a brood of common sandpipers.  Read more about what's around on the Conwy reserve blog.

The Bardsey Cretzschmar's Bunting

Last Wednesday Elfyn Lewis found Wales's first Cretzschmars Bunting on Bardsey. After initially giving everyone the run-around it finally localised to the Lighthouse compound and is now regularly coming to seed. I went over to this great little Island last week on Friday after work. However a no-show followed by another reappearance on Sunday meant a second trip in one weekend was needed to finally nail this mega! Apparently Lee Evans is now organising the bookings for anyone hoping to twitch this bird, on behalf of Bardsey Bird Obs and Colin the boatman. What a lovely little Island. Thanks to all the Obs staff and Colin the Star-boatman :-)

The Bardsey Bunting

One I prepared earlier (Lesbos 2014)

SHR

The Twitch

Bunt n Thrift digiscope videograb

400mm

The Lighthouse

Eddie Urbanski

Mid-summer Fieldfare at South Stack!

Ken had a Fieldfare at South Stack today. Not quite what he expected in June!