A Custom Day An Introduction To Bird Watching 20 November 2021
A Custom Day An Introduction To Bird Watching 20 November 2021
Watching birds in your garden or from your window can be a great introduction to this amazing interest.
Nicky and Mike, like many people, had started taking more interest in birds during lockdown and were now keen to take their new interest a little further and find out more. So far their watching birds had been mostly in the garden where feeders had enticed a great selection of birds close enough to really enjoy. A Robin hopping about in your garden, like the one above, could open an amazing world of pleasure there for all of us.
We are so lucky to have a high tide roost of Ruddy Turnstones just a few minutes walk from home.
Nicky contacted us and asked if could arrange a gentle day looking at birds – nice easy pace taking time to enjoy and get to know the species we encountered and of course we loved the idea. Sharing our passion for birds is just what we really love to do. A 10am start was agreed and we picked up Nicky and Mike from their Llandudno B&B. Minutes later we were at the seafront looking at our first birds and what lovely birds to start with – a flock a Ruddy Turnstones. These were perfect birds for the day, really close just a few yards away, staying put at their hide roost, really interesting behaviour to talk about and long distance migrants for the extra wow factor! Nicky and Mike loved the Turnstones and really enjoyed such close views and we were treated to four Common Redshank amongst them. We also watched some interesting Herring Gull behaviour with a juvenile begging an adult for food which duly obliged – very late to be feeding a youngster in November?
Northern Fulmars are such wonderful birds and so good to see them up close.
Just around the corner on the Great Orme we watched Northern Fulmars whizz back and forth above us and it was great to chat about the differences and similarities between these true seabirds and the rather look alike gulls. On the sea just below us a Red-throated Diver surfaced and we could not believe our luck to see this lovely bird so close and to be looking down on it an exceptional view. We could even see its legs and huge webbed feet, right at the back of the body, and every feather detail a real wow moment. The diver stayed in view for a long time and at one point a Common Guillemot surfaced nearby and we had both species in the same binocular view not often we can do that. A pair of Peregrine Falcons tore across the sky above us and it was easy to believe these are the fastest creatures on the planet, breath-taking! One of the falcons landed on the cliffs and we enjoyed good, if distant views through the scopes.
Male Stonechat on the Great Orme, Llandudno another wonderful bird to show folks just getting into birds.
We then had a walk on the limestone pavement area on the top of the Great Orme but we could barely stand up the wind was so strong! The views of course were breath-taking too and Raven rode the gale right above us these huge corvids fly for fun we are sure. Moving away from the cliff edge it was slightly more sheltered and we did find a beautiful pair of Stonechats and a handful of Meadow Pipits.
We then headed for lunch and having enjoyed a lovely meal we visited nearby RSPB Conwy. The reserve provides great views of many of the birds so ideal as an introduction to birds and bird watching. We really took our time enjoying super views of species through the Leica telescopes and comparing similar species such as Gadwall and Mallard, Teal and Wigeon. Nicky and Mick really enjoyed watching a Common Snipe close to one of the hides and marvelled at the beautiful plumage and that crazy long beak. We ended the day with a look at the adjacent Conwy Estuary where we were able to compare three Great Egrets with Little Egrets and Grey Herons, all three side by side. Three Red-breasted Mergansers were a nice bonus here and we enjoyed super close looks at Curlew – such amazing birds.
It had been a really lovely, fun day and we are pretty sure Nicky and Mike really enjoyed it and fired up their enthusiasum for birds. We do hope we can enjoy more birds with them both in the future.
We would love to put together a custom Birdwatching Trips tour perfect for you please just drop us a line and we can do the rest…
info@birdwatchingtrips.co.ukWe look forward to enjoying great birds and wildlife with you soon.