RSPB Blacktoft Sands

 

Field trip with RSPB York Local Group.

17 members met outside reception at 10am, and as there were more of us than could fit in a hide, we split into two groups. Masha led one and I took the other. Our group decided to start at Townend hide. Singleton hide is currently closed and a digger was busy clearing out the main water ditch. 

Only a small amount of water remains on the lagoon, just enough to attract a lapwing, several pied wagtails  and a single yellow wagtail. First hide lagoon has no water at all so we went to reception,

Dunlin, green sandpiper and ruff were busy probing the mud for food.

After lunch we walked down to Ousefleet hide. The other group had seen yellow wagtails in the field where the konic ponies are, but we were unable to find any. We went to the hide from where we could see lots of greylag geese and Catherine noticed some yellow wagtails among the vegetation.

Marshland lagoon has water thanks to the efforts of the team last weekend when there was a high tide.

A young spoonbill was on one of the islands along with lots of mallard ducks. Ruff, dunlin, redshank, spotted redshank, lapwing, snipe, black-tailed godwit, green sandpiper and ringed plover were on thr other small islands.

Catherine spotted a blue butterfly.

Reedling was the last hide we visited where we added little tinged plover to our day list and saw several bearded tits.

Choughs on Great Orme.

 

Spent a couple of hours at the summit of the Great Orme. Not as busy as on my previous visit, which allowed me to watch the choughs.

other birds I saw included herring gull, pied wagtail, jackdaw, meadow pipit and raven,

RSPB Conwy again!

 

My 3rd and probably last visit to this reserve today. High tide so lots of birds on the reserve. However not many photos due to hide facing the sun.

Large numbers of redshank on the edge of the water, plus a grey heron preening.

A grey heron trying to cool down in the mid day heat. Lots of little egrets on the same island.

Great Orme

 

A visit to this part of North Wales today.

The whole area is showing the effect of hot weather and no rain.

Hazy pictures of ravens and house martins. Saw a family of choughs in the distance, lots of stonechats.

Eclipse tonight.

RSPB South Stack

 

A visit to this RSPB reserve on Anglesey. Lots of visitors, but we managed to find a window seat in the cafe. After a cup of tea and a currant slice, we went for a walk hoping to see choughs. We walked to the Tower, just in time to see a peregrine fly past. After a chat in the tower with a volunteer we left and as soon as we were outside we heard then saw 14 choughs noisely circling over the Tower.

We continued along the path and came across a family of stonechats.

We walked as far as a seat, where we sat for a while looking out to sea. Another volunteer joined us and he told us about the birds in the area. Having seen no choughs along the path we headed back in the other direction. A kestrel was perched on a rock.

Lots of people about, so not surprisingly we did not see choughs again. We called in at Cemaes Bay on the way back to LLandudno.

RSPB Conwy

 

In North Wales for a week and hoping to add to my year list. 0620 this morning I drove to RSPB Conwy and parked just outside the reserve. I walked along the River Conwy and saw several waders.

A lot of young birds in the bushes. Long-tailed tits, chiffchaffs and willow warblers.

Smew and garganey

 A trip to RSPB Saltholme today. Phil Stead hide first in the hope of finding the garganey. I had just sat down when Carolyn told me where the bird was. Lots of teal about which did not help.

I think that I took a photgraph of the correct bird!

A great white egret was also present

This individual was ringed at Ham Wall, 3 of the many snipe

This young lapwing was managing to find food.

Saltholme Pools hide next.

I found the smew fairly quickly, which was lucky as later on I could not find it for other visitors.

Curlew, dunlin, avocet, black-tailed godwits, little and great egrets and spoonbills in the distance.