Wader Gives Us The Run Around North Wales 26 August 2025
We arrived at RSPB Conwy at 9am hoping to see a Wood Sandpiper that was on the reserve the previous day, while on route to Anglesey. At the Carneddau Hide we had a good view over the lagoon but sadly no sign of the sandpiper. Three Common Sandpipers and six Black-tailed Godwits were nice to see but disappointing the Wood Sandpiper was not about.
We headed over to Anglesey, driving through some rain, first for ages, and arrived at Malltraeth where the sun was back but it was very windy. Our stop at Conwy meant we were later than planned and the tide was already high and rising fast with a strong wind behind it. Out on the Cefni Estuary very few waders were visible – a few Curlews, Oystercatchers, and Redshanks. A look inland up the river channel produced two Greenshanks, a Black-tailed Godwit, and a Little Egret. With the tide rushing in we headed along the Cob embankment hoping to reach the pool before the tide filled it and covered the mud.
We just about beat the tide but there weren’t many waders on show. Two Ruff were great to see and allowed frame filling scope views, six Black-tailed Godwits strode through the shallows, and two juvenile Knot flew in. The strong wind made birding pretty tough so we headed back towards the car. We then got a message telling us the Wood Sandpiper was showing at Conwy. We had planned to spend most of the day on Anglesey but with such a strong wind we decided to head back to Conwy. But we made time for an early lunch at Holland Arms garden centre before we headed back east.
Juvenile Wood Sandpiper at RSPB Conwy.
At RSPB Conwy it was still windy but no as bad as on Anglesey. Back at the Carneddau hide the Wood Sandpiper was feeding on the shoreline below the hide, as close as it could be! Whew! Would have been very frustrating to miss it again. The light was tricky looking into the sun but Ruth managed to take some good digiscope photos of this lovely, elegant wader. The patterning on the upperparts showed the bird to be a juvenile, perhaps from Scandinavia or Russia? What a wonderful bird to see so close to home. A Whimbrel was amongst a flock of Curlew, and two Great Egrets were roosting on one of the islands. Autumn is a wonderful time to be out looking for birds, so many birds are on the move, anything can turn up.
If you would like to join one of our Birdwatching Trips please drop us a line and we can make all the arrangements. Email us here…
We arrange day trips, longer tours, custom made tours, and overseas tours, please ask for details. Fantastic birds, small groups, lots of fun. Any questions please do fire away we are here to help.