Saturday 25th July - Friday 31st July 2020

Intro:

The NW winds at the beginning of the week had a few observers heading to various coastal headlands, so I’ll start with seabirds this week.

Seabirds:

Late July can often produce small numbers of Arctic Skuas lingering off the coast, harassing Kittiwakes and Terns for an easy meal.  This again proved to be the case, with a sighting of one Arctic Skua off Cemlyn (28^th & 29^th) and another off Point Lynas (27^th).  There was a good movement of Manx Shearwater with 1500 per hour past Point Lynas (27^th) and 3600 over 2 hours past South Stack (28^th).  5 Puffins were seen off Cemlyn - Hen Borth (25^th) and 1 off South Stack during a sea-watch (28^th).

Waders:

The 2 summer plumaged Purple Sandpipers were reported again from the tip of the Trwyn, Cemlyn (28^th).  Sanderling were reported from 2 sites, with 4 birds at Cemlyn (27^th) and 1 on the Alaw estuary (30^th).  Turnstone numbers have increased markedly, with 50 at Cemlyn (28^th) and there were 85 Dunlin on the Inland Sea (31^st).  The Alaw estuary continues to hold good numbers of Greenshank with the highest count being 14 (31^st).  Common Sandpipers were reported from the Alaw estuary where the highest count was 7 (26^th) and at the Inland Sea where the highest count was 6 (28^th).  There were 2 Whimbrel on the Alaw estuary (26^th & 30^th) and 1 on the Inland Sea (30^th).  The flooded field off Gorad road, Valley is fast becoming one of the most easily accessible and regular sites for Black-tailed Godwit; 2 birds were present (25^th-26^th).

Gulls and Terns:

A Roseate Tern was seen at Cemlyn (25^th, 26^th, 27^th), whilst the number of Mediterranean Gulls on the Alaw estuary breached the 100 mark with 109 birds being reported (26^th).  Up to 5 Mediterranean Gulls were off Penrhos Costal Park (27^th).  127 Kittiwake past South Stack in a 2 hour sea-watch (28^th).

Passerines:

Following the June record of an adult Rose-coloured Starling at Cemaes, another was seen feeding in the cheery trees adjacent to the public car park (behind village hall) and down towards Traeth Bach (29th - 31st).  

Photo of Rose-coloured Starling (aka Rosy Starling) by Steve Culley - 29/07/20.

Directions by Steve Culley - 29/07/20 - bird seen in bush with Common Starlings at point indicated by arrow.  X marks area bird seen flying towards.

Also present among the Starling flock (30th) was a juvenile Common Starling with a yellow darvic ring on its left leg which has been traced back to a ringing scheme in Norfolk.  The bird was ringed in Thetford, Norfolk on the 18/6/20.   2 Crossbills flew over Carmel Head (26^th) and a Reed Warbler was heard singing briefly and carrying food at Hen Borth – a probable indication of breeding at this site (25^th).  Sand Martins were seen to be still entering nest holes on a beach north of Aberffraw and were observed removing a faecal sac, which seems like evidence of late rearing of young (31^st).  There have been good numbers of Chough, with sightings of 5 birds on the Inland Sea (28^th) and almost constant sightings of birds in groups of 2s and 3s, with one larger group of 5.  Please keep an eye out for colour ringed birds and report sightings to Adriennestratford@gmail.com.

Herons, Egrets and allies:

A Great Egret was at RSPB Cors Ddyga (29^th).

Swans, Geese & Ducks:

A Common Eider in eclipse plumage was seen at Hen Borth (25^th -26^th) and 4 Common Scoter flew past South Stack in a 2 hour sea-watch (28^th).  A Wigeon was on the Inland Sea (31^st).

Divers & Grebes: 

A Red-throated Diver was in the bay at Cemlyn (26^th).

Raptors:

Nothing of particular note. 

Other:

News emerged just after last week’s update that there had been a Green Woodpecker at Pentraeth on the 23^rd July. It was feeding by the Community Hall, flew in to an ash tree behind the Hall and then departed south, yaffling.

Species – year to date:

The addition of Green Woodpecker takes the Anglesey 2020 year list up by 1 to 199.

The forthcoming week 1^st August – 7^th August?

This has been a good week for rare terns, with Whiskered Tern at Llyn Maelog (3^rd) in 2002, Caspian Tern at Cemlyn (5^th) in 1988 and White-winged Black Tern (6^th) at Ynys Feurig, Rhosneigr (6^th) in 1977.  Cory’s Shearwater has featured twice, with both birds being off South Stack and both on the 6^th – one in 1981 and one in 1987.  There was a Spotted Crake at Malltraeth (7^th) in 2001 and a Rose-coloured Starling at Llanfachraeth (7^th) in 2003.