Overslept after an evening of quite unnecessary excess revolving round a chiminea, wine, tuna steaks, beer, stuffed peppers and bubbly, but managed to pick up Bazzo by 8.20am and we were on Hesketh Road ten minutes later.
Walked the coastal path up to Marshside Road - plenty of singing Whitethroats, three singing male Blackcaps, Sedgies and a single Reed Warbler in the SSSI ditch, a calling Siskin heading north high and invisble in the blue, and a steady, but light passage of Swifts.
Set up the 'scopes on the platform on Hesketh Road only to discover a big fat bloke sunbathing bollocko in Wheatear Corner - I know I've always wanted to see Lesser 'Pecker at Marshside, but this isn't quite what I had in mind....
It was enough to put you off your brekky.
Up to the Sandplant where there were at least three Sedge Warbler singing around the junction with Marshside Road (and more Whitethroats).
Tony Baker was leading a group round the peninsula, and when we caught up, they were admiring a fine pair of Wheatears - the male was big and bright enough to be a Greenland.
Otherwise the outer marsh was pretty quiet - no egrets, but several hundred Pinkies visible from the top of Mount Baker (presumably non-breeding birds).
At least 4 Sandwich Terns out in the heat haze on the incoming tide.
The two Avocets were still sitting in front of the Sandgrounders Hide, and there was a White Wag around Polly's Creek. The Ruddy Ducks were still steaming about the Sandplant lagoons, and about 14 Avocets were loafing around the shingle island.
A few well grown pulllus Lapwing about.
Walked down to Nels, pausing to admire a female House Sparrow - a rare bird on the seaward side of the reserve, as it busied itself flycatching along the bank.
We couldn't help noticing that despite there being squillions of Avocets about, only a few were on nests - are the majority young birds, pre-breeding age I wonder?
If they're not, they'll have to get their skates on, as the water levels are falling rapidly.
A handful of gorgeous summer plumage Golden Plover in front of Nels, and two Little Stints, with at least 50 Dunlin on the southern end of the marsh.
Shelducks were scrapping and copping off, while two more White Wags dropped in as the Blackwits dozed on....
Apparently the Green Winged Teal was seen again yesterday...mutant hybrid ducklings loom....
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies.....
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GARY wrote...
NORTH WALES AND ANGLESEY
SET OFF WED MORNING FIRST STOP CONWAY RSPB UNFORUNATELY A FORCE 5 GALE BLOWING DOWN THE VALLEY QUICK LOOK THROUGH TWO OF THE HIDES ONLY SHELDUCK AND CANADAS VISIBLE AND ONE COMMON SAND HIDING UNDER A BANKING.NEXT STOP WAS LLANFAIRFECHAN 200 OYSTER CATCHERS ON TIDE LINE ,6 COMMON TERN,1 LITTLE EGRET ,4 CURLEW . SEVERAL GREAT C/GREBE AND 2 MERGANSERS SURFING ON THE 5FT WAVES SEEMED TO BE HAVING FUN.FURTHER OUT TO SEA GANNET DIVING AMAZING TO WATCH.ARRIVED AT RED WARF BAY MID AFTERNOON AND WAS SURPISED BY 11 PAIR OF FULMARS ON THE ROCK CLIFF.IN THE BAY WERE 4 SANDWICH TERNS,1 LITTLE EGRET,8 GREAT C/G,12 CURLEW,50 OYSTERS,2 MERGANSERS AND ON THE ROCKS 4 PIED WAGS,4 MEADOW PIPS AND 4 WHEATEARS.
NEXT DAY THURS VERY SUNNY WENT TO SEE THE OSPREYS AT PRENTEG AND WASNT DISSAPOINTED.WATCHED THE FEMALE TIDYING THE NEST NO MEAN FEAT CONSIDRING ITS 6FT ACROSS.THE RSPB HAVE TWO CAMS ON THE NEST GIVING SUPERB VIEWS.A WALK DOWN THE GLASSLYN RIVER AND AN ICECREAM WAS JUST WHAT THE DR ORDERED SPOTTED 2 GREY WAGS ,2CHIFFYS,2 WILLOW WARBLER.IN THE EVENING WENT TO THE SPINNIES RESERVE NEAR BANGOR 2 GREENSHANK,15 RED SHANK,4 GREAT CRESTED GREBE,12 MUTE SWAN AND10 SHELDUCK.
FRI SUNNY WENT TO SOUTH STACK, 2 WHEATEAR,MALE AND FEMALE CHOUGH THE MALE WAS FEEDING THE FEMALE SO SHES PROBABLE SITTING,300+ GUILLIMOTS,RAZORBILLS,11 PUFFINS,FULMARS AND A FEW KITTIWAKES.IVE BEEN HERE BEFORE BUT THIS WAS A FIRST FOR ME 3+PORPOISES FEEDING IN THE ROUGH WATER AT THE TIP OF THE LIGHTHOUSE ISLAND.
ON THE WAY BACK TO RED WHARF STOPPED AT CEMLYN BAY THIS IS A SANDWICH TERN COLONY NUMBERS WERE UP TO 200 BUT IM TOLD BY JUNE THERE WILL BE 2000.ALSO 1 LITTLE TERN AMONGST THEM.1 LITTLE EGRET ON THE POOL.NEXT STOP MOELFRA NOT SURE ON SPELLING4 BLACK GUILLIMOTS IN THE HARBOUR ,4 WHEATEARS AND 4 MEADOW PIPS NEAR THE LIFE BOAT STATION.
SATURDAY SUNNY, TIME TO SET OFF FOR HOME DECIDED TO STOP AT CONWAY RESERVE AGAIN WELL WORTH A VISIT GOOD FACILITIES AND MORE BIRDS ABOUT THIS TIME.6 WHEATEAR,2 REED WARBLERS , 2 WHITETHROTE , ONE RINGED TEAL (POS ESCAPEE) .
NEXT STOP AND SAVED BEST TILL LAST AT INNER MARSH FARM,2 BLACK TERN,200 BLACK TAILED GODWITS,4 AVOCETS,2 COMMON TERN, 2 CURLEW,20 SHELLDUCK,2 R___Y DUCKS,8 SPOTTED REDSHANK,25 TEAL,4 SHOVELER ,4 GADWALL,1 LITTLE EGRET,4 RUFF,1 GREENSHANK,1 WILLOW WARBLER ,1 WHITETHROTE.
TRULY GREAT BREAK AND LOTS MORE PLACES TO VISIT IN WALES.HOPE YOU MANAGED TO READ TILL THE END BEFORE FALLING ASLEEP.
Posted by: GARY | April 29, 2007 8:48 PM