A Fantastic Day On The Isle Of Anglesey Birdwatching Trips 28 January 2023

Black-tailed Godwits were just one of the 82 species enjoyed on Anglesey!

Alan picked up a lovely family of four at Llandudno West Shore at 8.30am on the 29th January 2023 for their custom day Birdwatching Trips tour of Anglesey. The roads were weirdly empty so good time was made and the first stop was near Valley, on Anglesey. Here a flooded field provided great views of Black-tailed Godwits along with Common Redshank, Oystercatchers, Eurasian Wigeon and Shoveler.

Next it was Beddmanarch Bay where the tide was a long way out, exposing a huge mudflat that was teaming with birds. Pale-bellied Brent Geese were feeding here along with huge numbers of waders including Bar-tailed Godwits, Grey Plover, Knot and Dunlin. In the low water channel three Slavonian Grebes dived for fish.

Pale-bellied Brent Geese are such beautiful birds and long distance migrants.

Just to the west Holyhead Harbour provided birds and a welcome hot drink, it was cold out there! A Great Northern Diver lurked by one of the jetties and Black Guillemots were in the same area, great views of Shags here too, one so close we could see it swimming under water.

Heading for South Stack a quick stop by a small reservoir produced Gadwall and Tufted Duck and a real surprise a Hooded Crow! Great spotting to see this rare corvid a good distance away, good views were enjoyed in the telescopes. Up at South Stack a Red-billed Chough circled over the road but only a brief view. At the viewpoint, overlooking the spectacular cliffs and lighthouse, hundreds of Common Guillemots were on the cliff ledges. What a wonderful sight and one of the many highlights of the day. Again, frame filling views of these dapper seabirds were enjoyed through the scopes. A Peregrine Falcon was picked out on a rocky outcrop and this awesome bird took to the air – wow! Back at the car we were treated to a flying display by a pair of Chough overhead and heard their wonderful “cheeow” calls.

Red-billed Chough are masters of the air, and we love to watch them swooping over the cliffs.

A short drive to Treaddur Bay and we were very lucky to see a Purple Sandpiper, the tide was low so lots of habitat for these cryptic birds to hide in. Just down the road a stop overlooking the Inland Sea boosted the day list with Mediterranean Gull, lots of Common Shelduck and handsome Goldeneye. A lovely lunch was at enjoyed at Catch 22 in Valley.

After lunch we headed down the west coast of Anglesey stopping to watch not one but two Little Owls! Such wonderful birds and a real treat to watch two together. A Fieldfare and a Redwing sharing the same hawthorn bush was a nice sight too.

A nearby lake added beautiful drake Goosanders to the impressive list and our first Canada Geese of the day. As we drove towards Malltraeth we witnessed a fantastic sight of thousands of Golden Plover against the sky, wow, what a jaw-dropping sight! At Malltraeth beautiful Pintail were on the estuary and a huge flock of Lapwings were in the fields with just one Golden Plover amongst them.

Time had flown by and the family wanted to be back at Llandudno by 4pm so we headed back after a bird filled day. An amazing 82 species of birds enjoyed and some top quality species seen in beautiful landscapes, oh and a lovely lunch!

We run our Birdwatching Trips throughout the year a mix of set departure tours and custom-made trips perfect for you! To book your custom tour or any of our set departure trips please email us here….

info@birdwatchingtrips.co.uk

We can then make all the arrangements for your perfect Birdwatching Trips tour.