Saturday 5th September – Friday 11th September 2020

Intro:

Waders wrestle back control of where this blog starts.

Waders:

The star bird for the week was a Pectoral Sandpiper found in the marshy field between the lane to Tyn Llan farm and the coast (9^th).  Unfortunately, it stayed just the one day.  The surrounding area looks extremely inviting following some improvements to the farmland including 2 wet enclosures that are screaming out for a rare wader.  

Photo: Pectoral Sandpiper at Cemlyn by Steve Culley

Curlew Sandpipers were still showing well on the Alaw estuary with 1 bird was present (5^th – 6^th), followed by what were considered to be 2 new birds (7^th & 8^th), then 3 birds (10^th).  Up to 5 Green Sandpiper were on the Alaw estuary (5 on 6^th, 3 on 7^th), with 1 Common Sandpiper on the Alaw estuary (5^th) and 1 Purple Sandpiper at Cemlyn (5^th).  There were 10 Golden Plover on the Alaw estuary (6^th), 8 Golden Plover at Cemlyn (6^th) and 1 Ruff at RSPB Cors Ddyga (6^th).  Knot included a count of 60 birds at Beddmanarch Bay (6^th) and 32 on the Alaw estuary (6^th), whilst the highest reported count of Dunlin was of 45 at Beddmanarch Bay (6^th).  Bar-tailed Godwit sightings included up to 4 at Beddmanarch Bay (3 on 6^th, 4 on 8^th), 2 at the Alaw estuary (6^th) and 1 at Cemlyn (6^th).  There were up to 16 Black-tailed Godwit at Cors Ddyga (14 on 5^th, 16 on 6^th), 8 at Beddmanarch Bay (8^th) and 1 Whimbrel on the Alaw estuary (6^th – 7^th).

Passerines:

A gap in the year list that was surprising not filled in the first part of the year has now been attended to by the sightings of a Lapland Bunting that flew over Cemlyn (5^th).  A Whinchat was also at Cemlyn (5th) and a Yellow Wagtail flew over Mynydd Bodafon (6th). Up to 2 Hooded Crows were still being seen on The Range (1 on 5^th, 2 on 9^th) and an adult Rose-coloured Starling was at Bull Bay (6^th – 10^th).  The Rose-coloured Starling can range widely, but overhead electricity cables behind the now closed Bull Bay hotel on the headland does seem to be a favoured spot.  

Photo: Rose-coloured  (aka Rosy) Starling at Bull Bay by Martin Jones

Warblers are still providing some interest with a Lesser Whitethroat at Carmel Head (6^th), 2 Common Whitethroat at Cemlyn (6^th), a Blackcap at RSPB Cors Ddyga (6^th) and 6 Cetti’s Warbler at the south end of RSPB Cors Ddyga (9^th).  110 Goldfinch were counted in one feeding flock at the start of the causeway path by the car park at RSPB Cors Ddyga (5^th).

Seabirds:

Those who may have been hoping for Leach’s Petrel following sightings past Blackpool on the Friday were lucky enough to see 5 Leach’s Petrel past Cemlyn (5^th), 1 past Bull Bay(5^th) and 1 past Cemlyn (6^th).  I’ll touch on the gulls later, but other notable seabird sightings included a Balearic Seawater past Point Lynas (5th) – with presumably the same seen past Bull Bay and Cemlyn.  Skua numbers were again back up following last week’s lull.  There were 9 Arctic Skua past Point Lynas (5^th), 6 Arctic Skua past Bull Bay (5^th), 15 Arctic Skua past Cemlyn (5th) and 2 past South Stack (5^th) – though some of the birds will have been logged at multiple sites.  The following day, it was somewhat quieter but there were still 4 Arctic Skua past Cemlyn (6th).  There were fewer sightings of Great Skua, with 2 seen past Point Lynas (5^th), 2 past Cemlyn (5^th) and 1 past Bull Bay (9^th).

Aside from our scarcer species, Razorbills put on a show when c. 12 were seen on the afternoon of the 7^th foraging for whitebait only 1-4 metre from the shore in water <20cm depth off Benllech beach on the receding tide. The observer commented that they were plainly visible swimming submerged, in penguin-like fashion, at speed for the whitebait and making several kills. The experienced observer commented further that he had never seen Razorbill foraging so close to a shallow sandy shore as this. They took no notice of people on the shoreline.

Gulls and Terns:

Alongside the seabirds mentioned above, there were 4 adult Sabine’s Gulls past Point Lynas (5^th) with further sightings of presumably some of the same birds at Bull Bay and Cemlyn.  In addition to the adults, there was a juvenile past Bull Bay (5^th) and another past South Stack (5^th).  The following day, there was another juvenile past Cemlyn (6th).  2 Black Terns were seen off Bull Bay (7^th).

Herons, Egrets and allies:

A Purple Heron was flushed at RSPB Cors Ddyga and flew in the direction of Malltraeth (6^th).  Also at RSPB Cors Ddyga, there was up to 2 Great White Egrets (1 on 6^th, 2 on 10^th) and up to 6 Water Rail were heard calling.

Swans, Geese & Ducks:

An immature/female Garganey was at the mitigation pool, Inland Sea (5^th – 9^th ).  Pale-bellied Brent Geese are starting to reclaim their wintering grounds around Beddmanarch Bay with 5 at Beddmanarch Bay (6^th) and 10 on the Alaw estuary (6^th).  The first returning Pintail involved 3 birds on the Alaw estuary (5^th), whilst 4 Goosander were on the Alaw estuary (6^th).  RSPB Cors Ddyga had 11 Gadwall (9^th).

Divers & Grebes: 

A Great Northern Diver was seen to fly past Point Lynas (5^h) and Cemlyn (5^h), whilst sightings of Red-throated Divers included 1 past Point Lynas (5^h), 2 past South Stack (5^h) and 2 past Bull Bay (9^th).

Raptors:

An Osprey was seen to fly over RSPB Cors Ddyga (6^th) and a ring-tailed Hen Harrier was seen to fly towards Llyn Cefni (9^th).  There were several sightings of Barn Owl during the week at RSPB Cors Ddyga.

Other:

A Common Kingfisher was seen at Llanfachraeth end of the Alaw estuary (6^th, 7^th, 10^th).

 

Species – year to date:

Leach’s Petrel, Lapland Bunting, Purple Heron, Black Tern and Pectoral Sandpiper were all new for the year, taking the Anglesey 2020 year list to 213.

 

The forthcoming week 12^th September – 18^th September?

Rare seabirds included two records of Barolo Shearwater with 4 birds past South Stack (12^th) in 1987 and then 2 past South Stack (15^th) in 1987.  A Cory’s Shearwater was also seen of North Stack (17^th) in 1983.

A particularly good period for Ortolan Bunting with birds at Holyhead Breakwater County Park (13^th) in 2003, Soldier’s Point (15^th) in 2008 and two older records of birds at Brynsiencyn (18^th) in 1968 and at South Stack (18^th) in 1968.  Other scarce passerines included a Red-breasted Flycatcher (13^th) in 2013 and a Barred Warbler at Soldier’s Point, Holyhead (14^th) in 2010/

Scarce waders include a Pectoral Sandpiper at Llyn Alaw (12^th) in 2003, a Biuff-breasted Sandpiper (14^th) in 2011, a Baird’s Sandpiper at Rhosneigr (14^th) in 1992 and another Baird’s Sandpiper at the Alaw estuary (15^th) in 2009.

Completing the records, there was a Purple Heron on the Inland Sea (15^th) in 2007 and a Glossy Ibis (17^th) in 2009.

Of the more commonly seen species, there haven’t been any reports of either Dotterel or Pied Flycatcher this year, which must still be a possibility with The Range being the prime location for the former and the plantation at South Stack, Holyhead Breakwater Country Park and Carmel Head all being potential locations for the latter.