Saturday 11th December - Friday 17th December 2021

Intro:

… Oh where, oh where, are the Spoonies hiding?  ….

Herons, Egrets and allies: 

Spoonbill is a scarce migrant to Anglesey with 1 or 2 records in most years.  There were just the 2 reports in 2020, a bird at Valley on the 16^th May and then the same or another at Plas Bog, near Bryngwran on the 24^th June.  2021 has been somewhat of a bumper year with sightings of 15 birds albeit that some duplication is possible or indeed likely.  This year’s sightings started off with 2 seen over RSPB Cors Ddyga on the 29^th April which then appeared to land near Llangaffo.  There was then a sighting of just 1 bird at RSPB Cors Ddyga on the 7^th May and 1 at the same site on the 24^th May.  2 were then seen at 4-mile bridge on the 30^th May, then 3 in flight over RSPB Cors Ddyga on the 23^rd June, with 1 seen over Holyhead Bay and then Beddmanarch Bay on the 23^rd August.  An immature bird was then seen on the 16th October, firstly on the mitigation pool, Inland Sea before moving on to the shores of the Inland Sea itself as viewed from the Anchorage Hotel.  Returning to RSPB Cors Ddyga, 3 were seen in flight on the 8^th November then this week 1 was seen there in flight on the 15^th December.  All of which begs the question, have there been birds on the island since the spring and if so, where have they been hiding?

There is perhaps a danger of becoming a little blasé about sightings of Great Egrets; it wasn’t so long ago that they were a major rarity on the island, but now they might be expected when starting off a new year list on New Year’s day!  This week, birds were seen at RSPB Cors Ddyga (2 on 11^th & 17^th, 1 on 13^th&15^th), 1 in a field north of the B5111 between Llannerchymedd and Rhosybol (12^th) and 1 in a field near Llyn Llywenan (15^th).

Swans, Geese & Ducks:

Sightings of Whooper Swans included up to 4 birds at RSPB Cors Ddyga (4 on 13^th & 17^th, 2 on 11^th) and 6 near Trewan Common (15^th).  A coordinated low water count by 6 individuals of the Inland Sea/Beddmanarch Bay/Holyhead Bay areas (14^th) produced 445 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 110 Shelduck, 642 Wigeon, 125 Teal, 196 Pintail, 25 Goldeneye and 27 Red-breasted Mergansers.  Elsewhere, 3 White-fronted Geese – presumably of the Greenland sub-species – flew over Coedana (15^th).  There was some 200+ Northern Shoveler at RSPB Cors Ddyga (17^th), 13 Goldeneye at Llyn Maelog (13^th) and 3 drake Goldeneye at Beddmanarch Bay (16^th).  Sightings of Goosander included 1 at Llyn Maelog (13^th) and 9 - 5 males and 4 females - at Llyn Coron (15^th).  8 Red-breasted Mergansers were seen in Beddmanarch Bay (16^th).

Waders:

400+ Black-tailed Godwits were at RSPB Cors Ddyga (400+ on 11^th, 250+ on 17^th).  5 Purple Sandpipers were on the rocks off the slipway at Trearddur Bay (15^th), a Green Sandpiper was seen near Trewan Common (15^th) and a Ruff was at RSPB Cors Ddyga (13^th).  69 Bar-tailed Godwits were at the Alaw estuary (16^th), 200 Lapwing were on the fields with electrified fencing at RSPB Cors Ddyga (11^th), while 2 Woodcock, 3 Jack Snipe and 75 Common Snipe were at Talwrn (17^th).  The aforementioned coordinated low water count of the Inland Sea/Beddmanarch Bay/Holyhead Bay areas (14^th) produced 64 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 31 Grey Plover, 2 Ringed Plover, 5 Snipe, 8 Greenshank, 553 Redshank, 814 Dunlin, 333 Curlew and 637 Lapwing.

Divers & Grebes:

Sightings of Great Northern Diver included 1 in Holyhead Harbour (12^th), 1 at Beddmanarch Bay (15^th-16^th) and 1 at the Inland Sea (14^th-16^th).  A Red-throated Diver was seen in Holyhead harbour (17^th).  Up to 2 Slavonian Grebes were seen at Beddmanarch Bay (2 on 16^th, 1 on 15^th), with 1 on the Inland Sea (14^th, 15^th).  4 Little Grebes and 13 Great crested Grebes were in the Inland Sea/Beddmanarch Bay/Holyhead Bay areas (14^th).

Passerines and others:

A slow week, but last week’s Snow Bunting remained in the vicinity of Holyhead Harbour (11^th-12^th), while Hooded Crows were seen at South Stack (13^th) and the Alaw estuary (16^th).  c. 200,000 Starlings were seen early morning to leave their roost at RSPB Cors Ddyga (11^th).

Seabirds:

Sightings of Black Guillemot included 7 at Holyhead Harbour (12^th), 4 off the green at Beaumaris (12^th) and 1 off Benllech seafront (13^th).  Whilst Common Guillemots and Razorbill are a common sight off the Anglesey coastline, records this week included 1 at the Inland Sea (15^th) and 1 in the harbour at Amlwch Port (17^th).

 

Photo: Common Guillemot, Amlwch Port harbour, 17^th December – Martin Jones.

Gulls and Terns:

The aforementioned coordinated count of the Inland Sea/Beddmanarch Bay/Holyhead Bay areas (14^th) produced 2 Little Gulls, 3 Mediterranean Gulls, 158 Black-headed Gulls, 87 Common Gulls, 391 Herring Gulls and 18 Great Black-backed Gulls.  10 Mediterranean Gulls were seen at the Alaw estuary (16^th).

Raptors:

3 Marsh Harriers were at RSPB Cors Ddyga (4 on 11^th, 3 on 13^th, 2 on 15^th), with a male at Trewan Common (15^th).  A ring-tailed Hen Harrier was seen over Mynydd Bodafon (14^th), while sightings of Red Kites included birds over Mynydd Bodafon (14^th), at Dolmeinir (14^th) and south-west of Llanbedrgoch (15^th).  Merlins were seen at RSPB Cors Ddyga (13^th) and at Henborth, South Stack (13^th).  A Short-eared Owl was at RSPB Cors Ddyga (15^th), a Little Owl was at the Range, South Stack (13^th) and a Barn Owl was at Talwrn (17^th).

Forthcoming week – 18^th December – 24^th December?

Their have been no records of any rare or scarce birds being found in this week; an opportunity to make some local birding history!