A Quick catch up with our recent bird sightings….
A Northern Wheatear was a real surprise from the window!
19 September 2025 – With Ruth’s health improving we visited RSPB Conwy to coincide with the mid-morning hide tide, it was windy but very mild. A flock of waders were roosting close to the Tal-y-Fan hide – mostly Common Redshank, along with the “resident” Spotted Redshank, two Red Knot one of which still had some red plumage. Also here Little Egret, Grey Heron, Little Grebes. We then moved to the Carneddau Hide where Ruth picked out a smart juvenile Curlew Sandpiper and unusually for the lagoon a Common Ringed Plover. A flock of Eurasian Curlew were roosting on one of the islands and amongst them a very high count, for Conwy, of eleven Bar-tailed Godwits. In the distance we could see three Great Egrets on the adjacent Conwy Estuary. A Peregrine swept over the lagoon and flushed many of the birds. We then headed to nearby Snowdonia Nursery for lunch.
After lunch we headed east to the River Clwyd north of Rhuddland to look for a Pectoral Sandpiper found a few days earlier by our friend Alex Jones. It was a bit of a hike north along the east bank of the river and reahing the area Alex had descibed no sign of the bird. Bar and Black-tailed Godwits, Common Redshank, a Common Sandpiper, and two Dunlin were all feeding here. Time was ticking by but then a movemnet away from the waters edge at the top of the bank and there was the juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper feeding close to the grass. A lovely looking well marked bird and a great bird to see here in North Wales.
17 September 2025 – Llandudno, Conwy – Totally unexpected addition to “birds seen from our window” list just now – Northern Wheatear!! Just flew past at window height bonkers. First seen here in 25 years not a species you expect to see from a fourth floor flat window in the town!
17 September 2025 – quick look from the Great Orme but no seabirds passing. Wet morning in North Wales. Quick visit to RSPB Conwy – 4 Great Egrets, 2 Common Sandpiper, 2 Pochard, best. Lots of management work been done, so few birds but much better views of lagoons now.
16 September 2025 Great Orme Wales 06.45 – 08.45 – Adult Sabine’s Gull, Juv Long-tailed Skua, 36 Arctic Skua, 7 Red-throated Diver, 3 Eurasian Wigeon, 2 Ruddy Turnstone. Many Manx Shearwater, Gannets, Common Scoter, terns, Kittiwakes – fantastic passage!
15 September 2025 – Great Orme Conwy Wales 15.45 – 17.00 Long-tailed Skua one juvenile bird, Arctic Skua 26, Little Gull one first winter, Black Guillemot 1, Fulmar 1, Manx Shearwater 43. Huge numbers of Sandwich & Commic Terns. Hundreds of Kittiwakes and 2 Red-throated Diver all moving west past the headland.