Friday 25 December 2020

Saturday 19th December– Friday 25th December 2020.

Intro:

Nadolig Llawen, Merry Christmas.  9 Snow Bunting add to the festive feel.

Passerines:

Snow Bunting were seen at 3 different locations, with 3 birds on the shingle ridge, Cemlyn (20th, 22nd, 25th), up to 4 birds at Soldier’s Point, Holyhead on the rough ground at the start of the breakwater (4 on 25th) and 2 birds at the east end of Red Wharf Bay (20th).  Likewise, Black Redstart were reported from 3 locations with birds at the former Octel factory site (20th), Cadnant Court, Beaumaris (25th) and near the memorial bench on the headland at Moelfre (25th).  The adult Rose-coloured Starling continues to be seen in a private garden at Amlwch Port (19th – 25th), whilst nearby there was a Water Pipit at the Octel water treatment plant, Amlwch (20th).  A Hooded Crow was near the Roadchef, Holyhead (22nd) and c. 30 Fieldfare were at a marsh 1km NE of RSPB Cors Ddyga (20th).

Waders:

28 Black-tailed Godwit were on the flooded field off Gorad Road, Valley (24th), whilst at least 1 Green Sandpiper was still on the flooded field between the Valley Cemetery and the A55.  2 Jack Snipe were at the east end of Red Wharf Bay (20th), with c. 40 Common Snipe at the east end of Red Wharf Bay (20th) and c. 40 Common Snipe at a marsh 1km NE of RSPB Cors Ddyga (20th).  A Woodcock flew over a field off Gorad Road, Valley (20th), with another at Rhosgoch (25th).  Cemlyn held an assortment of common waders (25th) with 17 Grey Plover, 11 Dunlin, 7 Turnstone and 4 Common Ringed Plover.

Swans, Geese & Ducks:

The Long-tailed Duck was seen again on the Inland Sea, with between 5 and 7 Up to 7 Greater Scaup being viewed from the Anchorage Inn (7 on 19th).

Divers & Grebes: 

Great Northern Diver were seen at several locations including 2 birds on the Inland Sea (2 on the 20th & 25th), 1 in Holyhead Bay (21st) and 1 in Beddmanarch Bay (21st).  Up to 3 Slavonian Grebe were seen on the Inland Sea (3 on the 20th), with 4 Slavonian Grebe at Beddmanarch Bay (4 on 21st).

Herons, Egrets and allies:

A Great Egret flew over the east end of Cors Goch (19th).  2 Water Rail were on a marsh 1km NE of RSPB Cors Ddyga (20th).

Raptors:

The upper Cefni valley, 1km NE of RSPB Cors Ddyga produced a good haul of raptors (20th) which included up to 2 male Marsh Harriers, 1 ring-tailed Hen Harrier, 1 Merlin, up to 2 Kestrel and a Common Buzzard.  A Merlin was seen on the Inland Sea (25th).  

Gulls and Terns:

Sightings of Mediterranean Gull included up to 7 birds on the Inland Sea (7 on 25th) and 1 on the flooded field off Gorad Road, Valley (19th).

Seabirds:

The Inland Sea continues to hold a number of Razorbill with 3 birds seen (21st)

Other:

A Common Kingfisher was on the Inland Sea (21st).

 

Species – year to date:

The 2020 Cumulative year remains on 220.

 

The forthcoming week 26th December – 1st January?

The discovery of a Killdeer at Holyhead (30th) in 1993 illustrates just how rare birds can turn up just when we might think that the birding year has run its course.

My personal records show that I was contacted on the evening of the 30th by Alan Davies of birdwatching trips who at that time was one of the owners and operators of Birdline Wales and Birdline NorthWest.  There had been a report of a Killdeer having been seen on the small beach to the North of the Holyhead breakwater.  There wasnt much in way of details about the sighting at a time which clearly pre-dated the immediacy that now comes with social media and digital photography.  I agreed to join in with a few local birders to search for the bird the following morning, but initial efforts around the breakwater area came to nothing.  After a few hours of searching, on what was a cold December morning, news broke of the bird having been relocated on some sheltered fields alongside the approach road to South Stack.  I arrived to successfully see the bird and watched it for all of a minute or so before it was flushed by a Sparrowhawk.  A search of suitable habitat across Holy Island then followed, but the bird eventually returned to the same area this time in a field just beyond that on which it was initially seen that morning.  The bird became more settled and I enjoyed a second view between 3.30pm to 4pm approx.  Whilst most of the local birders paid a further visit to see the bird on the 1st January for their 1994 year list, I bravely opted instead to pick my wife up from her night shift as a nurse and travel up to see a Kentish Plover at Fleetwood.  Nonetheless, the Kildeer did the decent thing and stayed allowing me to catch up with the bird for my 94 year list on the 2nd January the last day of its brief stay.

 

For those who didnt see the Killdeer, or for those who want a trip down memory lane, there is a short video of the Killdeer which I have recently found on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_qt-dJMpRc

 

Going back a little further in time, there is a record of a Cirl Bunting at Moelfre (31st) in 1968.  I guess that for those of us who have the Killdeer safely tucked away on our Anglesey life list, a Cirl Bunting might be even more welcome than another Kildeer. Albeit that Killdeer is still a very rare bird in the UK, there is probably more chance of another one than a Cirl Bunting on Anglesey.  Having put that out there, I look forward to being proved wrong.

 

2020 Annual Report of Bird Sightings

It is said that the ‘Devil makes work for Idle Hands’ so some spare hours during lockdown provided the opportunity to consider the idea of producing an annual report from the details of the weekly reports that might then be published at the start of the subsequent year.  It is not looking to replace established reports and I know that it will be used by Anglesey’s County recorder as part of wider submission material.

As you might imagine, pulling a report together has taken a reasonable amount of time and work.  I’m appreciative of all those that have shared details of their sightings and those who have shared their photographs and images to be included within the report.  It would be good if a worthy cause were to get something out of this and I will, therefore, be asking those who receive a copy of the report to consider making a minimum donation of £4 to the Bangor Bird Group’s Just Giving Page to support their programme of talks.  The Just Giving Page can be found at:

https://justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bangorbirdgroup

The Bangor Bird Group is the UK’s longest running University Bird Group which for 75 years has offered, to both the University and general public alike a wide range of talks, primarily on birds but also covering other wildlife and many topics of conservation interest.  Meetings are held on a weekly basis between October and March.

During the restrictions resulting from the Covid 19 pandemic, talks have been held over Zoom with recordings posted to a Bangor Bird Group YouTube channel at:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs5-z7CNbNSbeQdvJMv1ENA

If you are interested in a copy of the annual report, please e-mail angleseybirdnews@gmail.com and a PDF copy of the report will be sent to you on or after the 1st January 2021.  Perhaps the most-timely annual bird report in the World?

 

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