Local Birds For Local People Checking Out Nearby Sites 30 January 2022
Local Birds For Local People Checking Out Nearby Sites 30 January 2022
Certainly did not expect to see a Snow Bunting today - especially so close to home.
We are getting ready for our next five day Best of North Wales Tour with Iolo Williams that starts tomorrow 31st January. Part of that preparation meant Alan checking a few sites near the hotel we use in the Conwy Valley. He was thrilled to enjoy super views of Hawfinch only a mile or two from the hotel in lovely sunshine. These hard to find big finches are wonderful birds and we have had a good run of finding them this month and hope it continues into February. It was was great to see signs of Spring – a Great Spotted Woodpecker drummed from a dead tree and a Song Thrush sang loudly from the top of a nearby oak tree. A Goosander showed off so close every feather detail could be enjoyed. In the nearby woodland a gang of Siskins showed off along with a pair of Nuthatches as Ravens and a Red Kite soared overhead.
So wonderful to see signs of Spring including a Song Thrush in full song - library photo.
Back in Llandudno a friend of ours young birder Levi found a Snow Bunting on the Great Orme here at Llandudno. A super bird for Levi to find and the only one about in the area at the moment so a must see bird. We headed up onto the limestone pavement area where the bird had been seen in the morning but what a contrast in the weather to this morning! Gone was the blue sky, warm sunshine and spring like feel it was now cold, grey and very windy indeed. We walked up the hill towards where Levi had seen the Snow Bunting thinking we would have little chance of seeing it in this wind. We checked the area of rocks near the area where Levi had seen the bird but no sign of it, we checked the area nearer the stone wall and bingo there was the lovely Snow Bunting scurrying about near three Rock Pipits. We enjoyed wonderful close views of this delightful visitor from the Arctic before it was chased off by a dog – and this on a nature reserve. We pointed out the fact that the dog had chased off the bird to the owners and were meet with vile abuse - shame some people have no interest in or respect for nature and why resort to abuse? Surely a simple “oh sorry we didn’t know it was there” would suffice? Hopefully the Snow Bunting didn’t fly away too far and others will be able to enjoy this beautiful bird.
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