Indian Summer

A great walk around Newborough today with a whole host of wildlife enjoying a lovely warm October’s day.

A prowling fox was my first encounter, although on seeing me it soon fled to the sanctuary of the dunes. A cracking pair of Chough greeted my arrival at Abermenai and on the strait a couple of Red-breasted Mergansers showed very well preening close in to the shore.

The shingle bank encircling the point looked prime habitat for an over-wintering Snow Bunting, but an extensive search of the area only revealed an astonishing amount of litter including a huge pile of bin bags. Given that the nearest road is about three miles away this garbage must have been dumped from a boat.

The long walk to the promontory of Ynys Llandywn produced plenty of Oystercatchers and Cormorants roosting along the tide line and several of Ravens were patrolling the skies.

When I reached the island, the sea had calmed revealing large numbers of Great Crested Grebes, Shags and smaller numbers of Guillemots and Red-breasted Mergansers prospecting in the bay.

On the rocks, a small flock of Turnstones fed actively around a trio of Grey Seals enjoying a lunchtime siesta. Above them, a line of Cormorants were drying their wings in the breeze readying themselves for another fishing expedition.

The final part of my walk took me through the soon to be felled section of the forest. It was superb for insects: I counted eleven Red Admirals and five Common Darters, but the star of the day was a cracking Small Copper – only the second one I have seen – bathing in the sunshine.

A host of notices seem have to been put up since my last visit detailing local resistance to the proposed felling of forty percent of the forest. The natives seem a little restless at the prospect of the Countryside Council for Wales’ plan to return the wood to its original dune habitat.

In broad conservation terms the decision seems eminently sensible given that dune systems are more threatened and therefore more important than a plantation of non-native conifers. However, about three Red Squirrels and the fact that Demi Moore once filmed here seems to have blinded the locals to this somewhat.

Until later.

Walkabout/Naturism In The Raw

The recent spell of clement weather has lured me back over Offa’s Dyke and in to enemy territory over the last few days.

On Friday I undertook a near marathon length walk around Llyn Brenig and Alwen Reservoir that was surprisingly quiet on the birding front. A couple of Red Grouse in the reserve area to the north of Brenig was nice to see – both birds made me jump out of my skin, flying up and calling loudly after I had practically trod on them.

The water level of both lakes in fairly low at the moment, and the exposed shoreline was brimming with a swarm of pipits and wagtails feeding on insects. The lake itself was largely devoid of action save a few Cormorants. Great Crested Grebes seem to have disappeared from this site entirely, although they do occupy adjacent smaller water bodies.

Saturday was spent ambling around Newborough Warren on Anglesey, and this location was slow for birds too. Ynys Llandwyn was the most productive area hosting small flocks of Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Turnstone and some gloriously plumaged Sanderlings. The rocks around the promontory were busy too with plenty of Cormorants, Shags and Herring Gulls – the snooty Cormorants occupying a single outcrop to themselves.

Out on the glass like sea there was no evidence that any of the winter visitors had taken up residence. I find this area can be excellent for grebes and divers come late autumn, but until the temperature dips, the bays are a playground for boats rather than birds.

The only other sighting was a rather unwelcome one: a pair of least-clothed nudists (starkus bareallicus) lounging on the beach.

Until later.

They Seek Him Here, They Seek Him There

I’m back from a failed mission this evening. The Baird’s Sandpiper at Traeth Dulas failed to put in an appearance today, although there were a couple of sketchy reports from early this morning and a later one of a reported sighting in flight after noon.

There was compensation though in the form of up to seven juvenile Curlew Sandpipers and a winter-plumaged Med Gull. The bijou estuary also held good numbers of commoner waders such as Dunlin, Ringed Plover and Curlew and other birds of note included a handful of Little Egret and a few flyover Ravens.

It’s a cracking, picturesque little bay really, and I confess that had this wader not been found then I would never have given the place a second glance on the map. There seem to be so many excellent birding areas in Anglesey – one can only imagine the number of rarities that pass through undetected at this chronically under-watched island.

One bird that didn’t go unnoticed was a cracking Bonxie I watched lumbering past Point Lynas this afternoon after I had given up on the elusive yankee shorebird and gone seawatching. To be truthful, passage was very light, but a spectacular feeding frenzy just off shore included hundreds of Auks, Gannets, Terns and Manxies.

It was a little surprising that no more Skuas were attracted to the melee, or indeed Porpoise. Just as I was about to pack up, I caught a gull flying in front of a massive oil tanker anchored offshore. It looked distinctly like a Sabine’s gull, but irritatingly the bird flew away from me at an angle that meant I could not get a good look at the wings. It will just have to go down in that increasingly long list of probables…

Until later.

I Don't Know Why I Did That, I Just Did.

No need for any vitamin D supplements today, the sun has got his hat on he's coming out to play.

I’m back at Cemlyn Lagoon tern colony with a friend, Rob, on one of his regular sojourns back up north.

The main island is busy with nesting Sandwich, Common and Arctic Terns and in the middle of the mêlée, melange, or call it what you will – after all, that is your right – is a first summer Mediterranean Gull and a handful of Dunlin.

The birds appear to be bringing back plenty of fish still, so fingers crossed for a successful breeding season - Peregrines, bruising Gulls and raiding Corvids notwithstanding.

Apparently, two Roseate Terns were present yesterday (28th), so I decide to have a quick scan through the birds. Heat haze aside, this is a tricky business as the terns are constantly ‘dreading’, the seemingly pointless and periodical taking to the air of the entire colony for no reason whatsoever! Why?

After an agreeable lunch at the sun-drenched Holyhead harbour we head for South Stack. The cliffs are covered in fog drifting in from the Irish Sea – Anglesey’s capricious weather strikes again!

The ledges are not visible, but some passing Chough provide temporary entertainment. Our patience is eventually rewarded when the mist begins to lift and the densely auk-packed ledges are again viewable. If anything, there appear to be even more Guillemot than two weeks ago with the Razorbills having been pushed even further to the periphery of the colony.

Until later.

A Force Of Nature

Praise the Lord, for the A55. As a child trips to Anglesey used to involve an interminable crawl along the North Wales coastal road, broken by occasional forays into second gear. How times have changed. Nowadays, in a little over an hour you are on Mon tarmac.

I've come to Anglesey on my annual pilgrimage to see the breeding terns at Cemlyn Bay lagoon and the seabird colony at South Stack.

I begin at Cemlyn. I am welcomed at the car park by a laggard in the shape of a female Greenland Wheatear. Also bringing up the rear are 3 Whimbrel flying noisily overhead. My first glimpse of the islands behind the shingle beach is encouraging - there is plenty of activity both on the islands and out to sea. There are some waders on the beach too; a small flock of Dunlin, a single Turnstone and at least twenty Ringed Plover, although given their near invisibility against a background of small stones it is impossible to tell how many for certain.

I set up my scope near the islands and begin to scan through the birds. Sandwich Terns are most numerous and making the most noise too. There are also good numbers of both Common and Arctic Terns - about equal numbers of each. I still struggle to separate these two species in flight, but when roosting, the darker, shorter and more down curved bill of the Arctic Tern is very distinctive, not to mention their stumpy legs.

Fighting the prevailing wind, many birds are bouncing back from fishing trips. Virtually all are returning with prey; sand eels mostly, with one Sandwich Tern managing to carry four fish in the fashion of a Puffin! Skating the shore is another ocean wanderer - the Fulmar. As I go to leave, the warden turns up complete with butterfly net! He confirms that there are good numbers of Terns this year: up to 800 Sandwich Terns and circa 400 Commic Terns. Fantastic, but no blushing Roseates yet!

In high spirits I set off to South Stack. The car park is jam-packed, pray the cliffs are too! I am not disappointed. Thousands of Guillemots are thronging the ledges; the rock face is dripping with birds. Razorbill too, although much fewer in number. Kittiwakes and Fulmars also, all demonstrating their absolute mastery of the art of flight - the Fulmars in particular: one minute hanging as if suspended by wires, the next minutes changing altitude and direction with minimum effort and maximum control - I could watch these birds for hours. No slouches as aviators either, a pair of Chough whizz by with a Raven in hot pursuit.

To try and find the star attraction at South Stack requires a little more effort. Halfway down the steep steps to the lighthouse is a good area to find this bird: the Puffin. One of Allah's most endearing creations and fortunately five birds are present today.

A cracking day. No rareties, just nature in all its abundance and vigour.

Until later.