Sunday 23 July 2017

Wood Sandpiper - Goldcliff - 23/07/2017

Given that I was still tired after last week's stag, I wasn't really game for an early start - but with the weather inclement after around 10am, and a wood sandpiper at Goldcliff I made the effort and got up at 7am. On arrival I popped my head in at the first hide, but with not much on offer I headed down to the new screen and was very quickly on to the wood sand, tucked down in the bottom left from the screen.


Digiscoping is getting much easier with this new phone, and I'm getting better results.

After the sandpiper dropped out of view I  got speaking to the fella who came in, and he was doing a WEBS count. I had a good scan around for knot, but there were hundreds of dunlin, a few godwit, common sandpiper, and a little ringed plover with a chick. I decided to head off for yellow wagtail, and along the way bumped into Darryl where we saw 3 redstart in the hedge. At the hide the weather took a turn for the worse and the rain came in, but I managed to find two yellow wags, one male and one female present. I headed off as the rain came in quite hard, but it was worth the trip.

Saturday 22 July 2017

Get the bunting out.. Leighterton - 22/07/2018

After a bit of a birding drought (not including a world-list booted eagle in Marbella), I managed to get a lifer in the bag today at Leighterton after Nick did some research online into recent sightings. Tara, Jon, Nick and I headed down after a later start than intended due to my new Galaxy S8!! We spotted a yellowhammer before we got out of the car so we knew we were well and truly in bunting country. There were loads of birds around, including juvi green woodpecker, whitethroat, and lots of hirundines.

After a short walk down the public footpath across a field (keeping an eye out for little owl all the while) Tara cottoned onto a singing corn bunting which I hadn't quite fully realised was what I was hearing in the hedge ahead of us.

Shortly after watching it out on the wall singing, I managed to scope a second -


With no sound of the reported quail, and the weather turning against us, we headed home via Wentlooge, also dipping on little owl there unfortunately - so that one's turning into a difficult one this year!

Sunday 9 July 2017

North Wales birding - 5&6th July 2017


An early start from Guto's allowed me chance to go and visit Cemlyn lagoons to see the tern colony.. I was hoping to see arctic terns, but no such luck. After some confusion, I managed to find out that they've had a catastrophic failure this year and I only saw two sarnie terns in total. They think an otter has been going in and the colony has failed. I was thrown by a juvenile redshank though! A nice learning experience, and another top place to have visited. One to try again in the future.

Before my meeting at SS, I popped to Holyhead harbour hoping to see black guillimot, and I failed there too after a promising start. The gilly I spotted in the harbour turned out to be common, and it was just as well I managed to clinch the confirmation. There were also some commic terns, but couldn't clinch those either.



At SS, I saw the colony for the first time. However on the way home I couldn't resistgoing via Ynys-las for the king (queen!) eider. After parking at the side of the road by a boat club I followed a muddy backlane down to the beach and saltmarsh area. I followed a path that soon disappeared on the slippery salt marsh, and my shoes took a battering. However I spied someone with a scope, and made my way over to him. The eider was feeding out in the channel near a great crested grebe, and I had great views of her feeding for a while before the tide started coming in and I had to hit the road again. I also had a close encounter with some dunlin, nervously feeding in a narrow channel nearby.