Saturday 10th October - Friday 16th October 2020

Intro:

The harbingers of winter arrive en-masse.

Passerines:

The arrival of our winter thrushes is a sure sign of shortening daylight hours and a gathering of pace towards winter.  This week has seen large numbers of Redwings and Fieldfare arrive, together with good counts of Blackbird, Mistle Thrush and Song Thrush.  Counts of Redwing include c. 200 between Tregele and Henborth (14^th) and 300+ Fieldfare over South Stack (16^th).  There have also been some weighty flocks of Common Starling with 5000-6000 birds at Henborth (14^th) and 300+ at Gadfa (16^th).

There have been few reports of warblers, but there was some quality in the form of Anglesey’s 4^th Yellow-browed Warbler for the year that was seen at Holyhead Breakwater Country Park (12^th).  A Cetti’s Warbler that was heard from the cycle track between Llangefni and RSPB Cors Ddyga (10^th & 11^th).  The only report of Chiffchaff, was of a bird in the Rhoscolyn area (16^th).

There are still a few summer migrants loitering, but they will surely soon be off.  Northern Wheatear were reported from Talgwyn, Red Wharf Bay (14^th) and 2 at South Stack (16^th).  There are a few Swallows remaining with birds reported from Llangefni (10^th), South Stack (13^th) and Rhoscolyn (15^th). 

Finches have included 4 Common Crossbill at South Stack (13^th), 6 Bullfinch at South Stack (14^th), 3 Brambling at South Stack (15^th), 9 Siskin at South Stack (13^th), 2 Lesser Redpoll seen from cycle track between Llangefni and RSPB Cors Ddyga (11^th) and a further 2 Lesser Redpoll over South Stack (13^th).  Great-spotted Woodpeckers have been both noticeable and present at a few unexpected sites.  A Water Pipit flew and called over Cemlyn (10^th).  Hooded Crows continue to be seen in the Holyhead area, with birds reported at Soldier’s Point, Holyhead (10^th) and at The Range, South Stack (13^th).  An impressive count of 30 Magpie going to roost in scrub near the water treatment plant at Llangefni (10^th) was noteworthy.

Seabirds:

Last weekend had a NW-N direction to the wind and whilst not particularly strong it still produced a few good seabirds.  The best was a Leach’s Petrel that flew past Bull Bay (11^th), whilst the same winds brought a few Skua sightings with an Arctic Skua past Point Lynas (10^th), a Great Skua past Point Lynas (10^th) and 5 Arctic Skua past Cemlyn (10^th).  There are still a few shearwaters about, with 5 Manx Shearwater seen to fly past Cemlyn (10^th).  4 Razorbill were on the Inland Sea (16^th).

Divers & Grebes: 

5 Red-throated Divers flew past Cemlyn (10^th), with 1 Red-throated Diver past Bull Bay (10^th).  A Great Northern Diver was seen to fly past The Range, South Stack (13^th).  13 Little Grebe were on the Inland Sea (13^th).

Swans, Geese & Ducks:

Another sure sign of the approaching winter was the return of 8 Whooper Swans to the fields east of the Llangefni – Llanerchymedd (16^th).  The Barnacle Goose remained at Cemlyn (10^th, 13^th) and a pair of Common Eider flew past Llam Carw (11^th).  There were 64 Pale-bellied Brent Geese on the Inland Sea (16^th) and 407 Wigeon (16^th).

Herons, Egrets and allies:

Great White Egret used to be somewhat scarce on Anglesey, been all that seems to have changed over the past few years.  1 was seen east of the Llangefni water treatment plant from the cycle track between Llangefni and RSPB Cors Ddyga (10^th, 11^th), 1 was on the Cefni estuary (15^th) and 2 birds were seen briefly at Traeth Dulas (15^th).  16 Little Egrets were on the Inland Sea (16^th).  2 Water Rail were heard from the cycle track between Llangefni and RSPB Cors Ddyga (10^th).

Waders:

A Jack Snipe was seen at The Range, South Stack (13^th), whilst 8 Jack Snipe were at Red-Wharf Bay (16^th) together with c. 250 Common Sniipe (16^th).  75 Golden Plover were seen between Aberffraw and Porth Cwyfan (11^th), with 200 birds at Cemlyn (10^th).  Up to 7 Greenshank are being seen at the mouth of the Afon Nodwydd, Red Wharf Bay (7 on 14^th, 6 on 15^th), with up to 3 Greenshank at Traeth Dulas (3 on 10^th).  Bar-tailed Godwit were seen at Cemlyn (10^th) and the Inland Sea (13^th), with 2 Black-tailed Godwit also at the Inland Sea (16^th).  Three late / wintering Whimbrel were reported, with birds at Bull Bay (10^th), Talgwyn, Red Wharf Bay (15^th) and Cemlyn (16^th).  On the Inland Sea, 119 Curlew were counted (16^th) and 190+ Redshank (13^th).

Gulls and Terns:

5 Mediterranean Gulls were on the Inland Sea (13^th).  Circa 600 Kittiwake were seen in just over an hour’s sea-watch off Point Lynas (10^th), as was 1 ‘Comic’ Tern past Point Lynas (10^th) – ‘Comic’ refers to either an Arctic or Common where identification down to species wasn’t possible.

Raptors:

2 Merlin at The Range, South Stack (13^th), with another bird at Porth Llydan / Silver Bay.  Barn Owls were seen at dusk near the Llangefni end of Cefni cycle track (10^th, 16^th) and near Talwrn (11^th).  A Short-eared Owl was photographed on a trailcam on the Cefni estuary (14^th), whilst others have been seen in the Aberffraw / Llyn Coron area.

Other:

2 Common Kingfisher seen from the bridge over the Cefni at Malltraeth (15^th).

 

Species – year to date:

The cumulative Anglesey year list for 2020 remains static at 216.  Following the arrival of a number of Pallas’s Warblers on the East coast of the UK, will this be the 217^th species?

 

The forthcoming week 17^th October – 23^rd October?

Last week’s update included a Foster’s Tern at Penmon (15^th) in 1988, which had been seen at Penmon in this week during the preceding 2 years (17^th) in 1987 and (22nd) in 1986.  It has now been some years since we had a bird either around Anglesey or close by in Bangor harbour and I’m sure another would be very much welcomed.  This has been a good week for Red-breasted Flycatcher with birds at Holyhead Breakwater Country Park (17^th) in 2012, at South Stack (18^th) in 1987 and at Soldier’s Point, Holyhead (20^th) in 2007.  Other rare or scarce passerines have included a Penduline Tit at Llyn Rhos Ddu, Newborough (21^st) in 1992, a Melodious Warbler at South Stack (23^rd) in 1988 and a Pallas’s Warbler at South Stack (23^rd) in 1988.  Scarce waders have included a Red-necked Phalarope at Valley (17^th) in 1929 and more recently a Lesser Yellowlegs on the Alaw estuary (22^nd) in 2011.  Finally, not so long ago a 1^st for Anglesey was found in this week in the form of Lesser Scaup at Llyn Llygerain (20^th) in 2018 which stayed for an extended period before disappointing year listers by doing a bunk before New Year’s Day 2019.