A Three Day Best Of North Wales Custom Tour For Four 20 21 And 22 August 2021

North Wales offers a fantastic variety of birds in stunning scenery - come and see.

Following our very popular “Tours for Two” we were asked if we could put together a “Tour for Four” and after a flurry of emails and some compromises we had a great sounding plan. Robin and Vivien and Don and Margie booked into the Princes Arms Hotel in the Conwy Valley and we met them there early on the 20th August – a lovely fine morning – and then set off for Anglesey. We had agreed that we would us two cars as a minibus is very expensive for a group of four, Ruth driving one, the girls car, and Robin driving along with Don and Alan, this worked out very well over the trip and reduced the costs remarkably – we are very flexible and always open to suggestions. First stop was at Llanfairfechan a quick leg stretch and loo stop with added birds of course. Sandwich Terns were roosting on the beach along with four species of gulls and Great Crested Grebes were offshore. Then over onto the Isle of Anglesey and RSPB South Stack where the beautiful scenery was matched by the wonderful birds it really is a must visit destination on the island. Red-billed Chough showed off and we were lucky to see the Hooded Crow, a rare bird in Wales, that been hanging out here recently. Gannets and Kittiwakes were enjoyed here too in lovely weather and the heather on gorse on the heathland looked magnificent.

Red-billed Chough are always a delight to see and we enjoyed them on all three days of the tour.

At nearby Holyhead Harbour we enjoyed watching Black Guillemots and then round to Beddmanarch Bay to admire Mediterranean Gulls and waders which included a newly arrived Red Knot – all the way from their Arctic Canada breeding grounds. Time for a quick look at the Inland Sea before we headed for Treaddur Bay where we enjoyed a lovely lunch at The Sea Shanty - great company, great birds and great food always a winning combination. After the rather late lunch we headed for RSPB Valley Wetlands and then RSPB Cors Ddyga before taking the scenic route home through the mountains of Snowdonia.

On the 21st of August we all met at Llandudno Pier as we would be birding in this area today and saved time driving down and back up the Conwy Valley. We immediately enjoyed wonderful views of Ruddy Turnstones including adults still in their beautiful breeding plumage. Then a very short drive and we watched Northern Fulmars on the cliffs along with fantastic views of a pair of Peregrine Falcons – the female came in with prey and began to feed then the male joined her but she was not sharing her breakfast. Further around the Great Orme we distant views of two Arctic Skuas offshore and lots of Black-legged Kittiwakes were on the sea.

Then we headed down to RSPB Conwy where there was plenty to see and almost at once we got very lucky with a sighting of a Water Rail creeping through the reeds. A Reed Warbler also showed here and further along we saw a Lesser Whitethroat in the willows with some Chiffchaffs. On the lagoons a good selection of waders and ducks were enjoyed and distant views of a Great Egret on the adjacent estuary. The weather had rather closed in so we headed for Aber Falls Distillery where we enjoyed a lovely lunch. Next stop was Aber Ogwen where we really boosted the day and trip list, Common Eider, Goosander, Bar-tailed Godwit and Greenshank amongst the many species enjoyed here.

A short drive took us to Church Island on the Menai Straits a lovely scenic spot between the two bridges that connect the island of Anglesey with the mainland. It has to be said birds were rather thin on the ground almost certainly due to the large number of people, boats and dogs here. But we did enjoy watching Greenshank, Common Redshank, Little Grebe, Shags and Little Egrets as we admired the views.

In the evening we joined Robin and Vivien and Don and Margie for a delicious meal and lots of laughs at the Princes Arms Hotel in Trefriw.

On the 22nd we all met at the hotel in Trefriw and stopped in the village where we were lucky to see a Dipper at once – great start to our third and final day. Driving into Snowdonia the scenery was superb with cloud rolling off the ridges and the sun breaking through. At an area of screes slopes we stopped and scanned the area and were rewarded with super views of eight Red-billed Chough and two beautiful Northern Wheatears.

Next we crossed on to the Island of Anglesey and headed to the priory at Penmon where the woods produced nice views of Great spotted Woodpecker and Long-tailed Tits. A few minutes’ drive took us to Penmon Point where it was heaving with people so we opted for a mid-morning coffee at the café where we saw Common Scoter, Sandwich Terns, Razorbill and Gannets as we enjoyed our drinks. On a small pool west of Penmon we stopped to admire a large flock of Eurasian Curlew and picked out a single Black-tailed Godwit amongst them.

We had super views of Common Sandpiper as we enjoyed our picnic lunch.

Today we had decided to have a picnic lunch as everywhere was so busy and we knew it would take ages to have an indoor lunch. Traeth Dulas was the perfect spot for a picnic with lovely views over the estuary and birds! We enjoyed super views of Red-breasted Mergansers, Common Sandpiper and two Mediterranean Gulls as we tucked into lunch.

At Cemlyn Lagoon again it was very busy with people and boats but we enjoyed a walk out to the beach and scanned the sea. Ruddy Turnstones and Ringed Plover were on the rocks and offshore Manx Shearwaters and Gannets passed and we picked out three Common Terns feeding.

One last stop on the east side of Beddmanarch Bay but again so many people about – North Wales has been well and truly discovered post lockdown! We did see Oystercatchers and Curlew roosting on the shingle beach and amongst them a single Bar-tailed Godwit. We decided to end the day enjoying tea and cake at a nearby café and it was lovely sitting out in the warm sunshine reliving the three day trip. An adult Mediterranean Gull circled over us as we chatted so the birding never stopped!

A really wonderful three days with super company, lots of birds and great food just how we like all our custom tour to be.

Of course a wonderful way to see more birds is to join one of our Birdwatching Trips and learn a lot about the birds you are enjoying too. We have tours suitable for all from beginners to experienced birders that are seeking particular species. Just drop us a line here and we can arrange a perfect custom tour for you!

info@birdwatchingtrips.co.uk

We look forward to enjoying wonderful birds with you soon.