Saturday 18th July – Friday 24th July 2020

Intro:

To butcher a parliamentary idiom; Waders to the right, Seabirds to the left – the waders have it – but just by a small margin.  So that is where I'll start.

Waders:

The headline bird in terms of scarcity was a Red-necked Phalarope seen at Cemlyn (21^st).  Seen by a single observer, the bird failed to do the decent thing and wait until later in the morning when news broke and a number of hopeful birders arrived.  The same applied to a Little Ringed Plover that was also seen at Cemlyn (21^st).  Small compensation, but a good sighting nonetheless, was that of 2 summer plumaged Purple Sandpipers off the tip of the Trwyn, Cemlyn (21^st).  There were good numbers of both scarcer and more common waders across the week.  On the scarcer end of the spectrum, a Green Sandpiper was seen on the Alaw estuary (19^th).  4 Knot were in Beddmanarch Bay (23^rd), with 4 Sanderling (23^rd) and 46 Dunlin (23^rd).  2 Turnstones were on the rocks off the Range, South Stack (20^th).  2 Whimbrel were at Cemlyn (19^th), with 2 on the Alaw Estuary (19^th, 22^nd, 24^th) and 1 at Traeth Dulas (19^th).  There were up to 12 Greenshank on the Alaw estuary (12 on the 19^th & 22^nd) and 4 at Traeth Dulas (19^th).  8 Bar-tailed Godwits were at Beddmanarch Bay (23^rd), with 1 Black-tailed Godwit on the Alaw estuary (21^st) and 1 in Beddmanarch Bay (23^rd).  Up to 8 Common Sandpiper were seen on the Alaw estuary (8 on the 19^th).  There was an impressive count of 210 Oystercatchers at Beddmanarch Bay (23^rd) together with 125 Curlew (23^rd).  Lapwing numbers south of Llyn Trafwll have built up to c. 40 birds (19^th).

Seabirds:

It won’t be long until the ‘Skua season’ gets into full swing.  Following on from the recent sightings of Great Skuas, it was the turn of Arctic Skuas with 4 seen off Cemlyn (19^th), with another off the same site (22^nd).  There seems to have been some good, an early, numbers of Long-tailed Skua elsewhere in the UK and there must be a good chance of one off the Anglesey coast in coming weeks.  It seems that the auks are leaving the cliffs at South Stack following the conclusion of their breeding season.  Whilst there were 12 Puffins earlier in the week (20^th), numbers had fallen to just 2 (24^th).  Common Guillemot numbers had fallen drastically to just 5 birds (24^th).  8 Black Guillemot were at Holyhead Fish Quay (18^th) and 7 off Trwyn y Penrhyn, near Penmon (18^th). 

Gulls and Terns:

A Roseate Tern was at Cemlyn (18^th & 19^th); the bird seems to favour the stony beach area on the main island that can be viewed from the approach road.  Following the sighting of a Sooty Tern at Cemlyn earlier in the year, there have been subsequent sightings in Suffolk and this week off the Ayrshire coast (23^rd); let’s hope it is on its way back down the Irish Sea and drops into the Cemlyn tern colony for an extended stay.  Mediterranean Gulls are still being seen in very good numbers with 93 on the Alaw estuary (24^th), 51 on the Alaw estuary (22^nd), 14 on the Alaw Estuary (19^th), 9 + in Beddmanarch Bay (23^rd), 1 over Cemaes (21^st) and 1 at Traeth Dulas (19^th).  There are still some 200 Kittiwake at South Stack (24^th).

Passerines:

2 pairs of Yellowhammer were at Llandyfrydog (18^th), with 2 Northern Wheatear at Cemlyn (19^th) & 1 at Cemlyn - Carmel Head (24^th), a Lesser Whitethroat at Llyn Trafwll (19^th) and a juvenile Common Cuckoo at Porth y Mor, near Traeth Lligwy (21^st).

Herons, Egrets and allies:

A Great Egret flew over Llyn Dinam (19^th) and 10 Little Egrets were at Traeth Dulas (19^th).  A Quail was heard calling near Llandyfrydog (21^st) and may be the same bird as heard back on the 16^th May.

Swans, Geese & Ducks:

8 Common Eider were off Trwyn y Penrhyn, near Penmon (18^th).  A single Wigeon was at RSPB Cors Ddyga (19^th).

Divers & Grebes: 

An early juvenile Red-throated Diver was in the mouth of the Menai Strait, off Trwyn y Penrhyn, near Penmon (18^th).

Raptors:

A Little Owl was at Cemlyn (19^th).  There was a male Marsh Harrier at Llyn Penrhyn (19^th) and a juvenile Marsh Harrier was seen hunting coastal fields east of Borthwen, Rhoscolyn (24^th). 

Other:

A Kingfisher was on the Alaw estuary (19^th & 22^nd).

Species – year to date:

The addition of Red-necked Phalarope takes the Anglesey 2020 year list up by 1 to 198.

The forthcoming week 25^th July – 31^st July?:

The quiet period for scarce and rare birds on Anglesey continues, with just three records of note; a well watched Rose-coloured Starling at Moelfre (26^th) in 1994, a Spotted Crake at Malltraeth (30^th) in 2014 and a Black Stork on the Alaw Estuary (31^st) in 2007.