Saturday 5th February – Friday 11th February 2022

Intro:

… Firecrests …

Passerines and others:

Firecrest is a jewel of a bird that will brighten up most birding days.  Prior to this week, it had been a quiet year for them with just the 1 sighting of a bird at Traeth Bychan.  This week it was all change, with 1 found among a roving Tit flock at Penrhos Coastal Park (7^th) and the subsequent sighting of 3 birds at the same site (11^th). 

 

 Archive Photo: Firecrest, Amlwch Port, 2017 – Martin Jones. 

The unseasonal sighting of Swallows continues, with a bird seen at Bodorgan (9^th, 11^th).  The wintering Chiffchaff at Llyn Coron was seen again (9^th) and a Kingfisher was at Aberffraw (9^th).  Hooded Crows were seen at South Stack (6^th, 11^th), at Hen Borth (8^th, 10^th) and on the Alaw estuary (11^th).

Swans, Geese & Ducks:

In last week’s update, I rather conservatively set out that the 197 Pink-footed Geese seen at RSPB Cors Ddyga (3^rd) was the highest number on the island for the past 10 years or more.   Whilst I personally hadn’t recalled a higher number in the past 30 years, I had hedged my bet a little as I hadn’t had the opportunity to speak to Ken Croft whose records are both meticulous and go back either further.  I received a message from Ken early this week to say that he had dug through his records and that he had to go back to the winter of 1982 to find larger numbers on Anglesey. In that year numbers increased at Llyn Alaw from 120 on 1st January, to 203 on 27th January, 450 on 30th January, then peaking at 500 on 15th & 26th February with only 52 remaining by 4th March. 

Returning to this week’s bird sightings, 4 Whooper Swans were at RSPB Cors Ddyga (6^th-9^th) with 10 birds on fields near Rhosgoch (8^th).  91 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, together with 1 Dark-bellied Brent Goose, were at Penmon Pool (5^th).  The drake Long-tailed Duck was seen again off Benllech seafront (6^th), where there was also a drake Eider (6^th).

Herons, Egrets and allies:

The Cattle Egret continued its stay in the field north of the B5109 Llanynhhenedl to Bodedern road (5^th, 8^th, 9^th, 11^th), with a sighting of a Cattle Egret – presumably the same bird – in a cattle field to the north-west of Llyn Trafwll (9^th).  2 Great Egrets were at Llyn Llywenan (6^th, 10^th), with 1 reported at RSPB Cors Ddyga (9^th). 

Waders:

The first report of wintering Whimbrel this year involved 1, possibly 2, birds at Porth-y-Pistyll, Wylfa (10^th).  The wintering Common Sandpiper was seen again at the freshwater outfall at Soldier’s Point, Holyhead (9^th), while the wintering Green Sandpiper was seen again on the Alaw estuary (11^th).  Sightings of Purple Sandpiper included 5 birds at Trearddur Bay (5^th) and 1 at Cemlyn (5^th&7^th).  Up to 2 Ruff were at RSPB Cors Ddyga (2 on 9^th, 1 on 10^th) and they can often be found among the 200+ Black-tailed Godwits which are still on the flooded field on the right of the path as you walk down to the Afon Cefni (6^th, 10^th).  Sightings of Greenshank included single birds at Traeth Dulas (6^th), Penrhos Coastal Park (7^th), Aberffraw (9^th) and Malltraeth (9^th), with 6 birds on the Alaw estuary (11^th).  2000+ Golden Plover were on fields off the minor road from Aberffraw – Bordorgan (9^th), while 200+ Lapwing were at RSPB Cors Ddyga (6^th).  A Jack Snipe was at Llyn Coron (9^th).

Divers & Grebes:

A Great Northern Diver was off Trwyn y Penrhyn, Penmon (5^th).  2 Slavonian Grebes were at Beddmanarch Bay (5^th).

Raptors:

Sightings of ring-tailed Hen Harrier included a bird at RSPB Cors Ddyga (7^th) and the same / or another over the saltmarsh at Malltraeth (8^th).  Marsh Harriers were seen at RSPB Cors Ddyga (6^th) and at Llyn Coron (8^th-9^th).  A Red Kite was seen over Carmel Head (9^th).  Sightings of Peregrine included 1 at RSPB Cors Ddyga (6^th) and 2 at South Stack (11^th).  A Short-eared Owl was seen at Aberffraw dunes (9^th). 

Seabirds:

Back in the day, the prime site for Black Guillemots was Fedw Fawr.  As birds have spread particularly around the north and east coasts, most reports come from more accessible sites such as this week’s sightings of 2 in Beddmanarch Bay (5^th) and 4 in Holyhead Harbour (8^th).  The sighting of 17 birds at Fedw Fawr (11^th) perhaps acts as a reminder of the site’s history of being the best, if not the only, site to see them at one time.  450 Guillemots and 15 Razorbill were at South Stack (11^th).  Sightings of Lesser Black-backed Gull included 1 at Llyn Llywenan (6^th) and 14 back on the lighthouse island, South Stack (9^th).