Saturday 11th June – Friday 17th June 2022.

Intro:

A 5-tern day …

Seabirds & gulls:

Marsh terns have always been scarce on Anglesey, so news of an adult summer plumaged Black Tern at Cemlyn (15th&16th) was most welcome.  A Roseate Tern was at Cemlyn (16th) providing some observers with a ‘5 tern’ day.  Clutch counts at both Cemlyn and the Skerries have firmed up the estimates of tern numbers.  c. 4000 Sandwich Terns are at Cemlyn, c. 7000 Arctic Terns are on the Skerries with c.560 at Cemlyn, while c. 700 Common Terns are on the Skerries and c. 360 at Cemlyn.  The highest daily count of Roseate Terns on the Skerries has been 5.  There has been a heightened sense of concern about the risk of Avian flu given the terrible news of losses in the tern colonies in the Netherlands.  Darvic ring readings at Cemlyn and along the North Wales coast over recent years has shown how Sandwich Terns in particular can move between colonies with Dutch ringed birds being seen at Cemlyn during July last year.  Wardens are closely monitoring the situation and everyone is hoping that the Anglesey colonies escape this dreadful disease.

A 1hr seawatch from North Stack (12th) produced 138 Manx Shearwaters, 5 Gannets, 10 Kittiwakes, 5 Fulmars and 71 Sandwich Terns all of which were moving west.  The next day, a 2hr seawatch off South Stack (13th) produced 584 Manx Shearwaters, 21 Gannets, 151 Kittiwake, 15 Sandwich Terns and 14 Puffins.  Puffins numbered into double digits from a boat trip to Puffin Island (13th).  A single Common Tern was seen feeding over Llyn Maelog (15th).

Passerines and others:

Following on from last week’s Rose-coloured Starling at Llanfechell and Llanfairynghornwy, another - believed to have been a different bird - was seen at Cemaes (15th).  Whinchat is usually a spring passage migrant during May, so a mid- June sighting of 1 at RSPB South Stack (15th) was notable.  Grasshopper Warblers continue to sing at Cors Efail Newydd (11th-15th) and Cors Erddreniog (14th).  2 singing Cetti’s Warblers were at Llyn Maelog (15th), with 1 at Llyn Llywenan (16th).  A Spotted Flycatcher was at Soldier’s Point, Holyhead (14th&15th), with a Northern Wheatear at the same site (14th).  A Hooded Crow was seen on fields between South Stack and The Range (13th).

Waders:

2 adult Little Ringed Plovers were seen at RSPB Cors Ddyga (15th&16th) and 2 Ringed Plover were on the Alaw estuary (17th).  Staff at RSPB Cors Ddyga advise that the numbers of breeding pairs of Lapwing are again down on previous years, which they had anticipated due to reduced food on site following the kill off of soil invertebrates by the winter floods. Numbers have declined from a high of 76 pairs a few years ago to 42 pairs this year.  However, a benign spring has meant that those that have bred are doing well.  Staff have already recorded 46 fledged young from those 42 pairs and there are more to come.  Modelling has shown that 0.7 young per breeding pair are needed to maintain a stable population, so this year’s figure of more than one is excellent, and shows the Lapwing are ready to increase if the flooding issues can be resolved.

Sightings of Greenshank included 1 on the Alaw estuary (11th&17th) and 2 summer plumaged birds at Llyn Llywenan (16th).  8 Black-tailed Godwits were at the Cefni estuary (14th), with 1 Bar-tailed Godwit on the Alaw estuary (11th).  A Common Sandpiper was at Malltraeth (14th) and 6 Dunlin were at the Alaw estuary (17th).  Counts of Oystercatchers included up to 232 on the Alaw estuary (232 on the 17th, 154 on the 11th) and 30 at the Cefni estuary (14th).  45 Curlew were at the Alaw estuary (17th) and 10 were at the Cefni estuary (12th).

Raptors:

Up to 2 male Ospreys were at the Cefni estuary (2 on 17th,1 on 14th).  Sightings of male Marsh Harriers included 1 over the Cefni estuary (14th) and 1 at RSPB Cors Ddyga (15th).  16 Red Kites were over a field that was being cut for silage at Pig-y-Rhos, near Rhoscoch (15th) and is quite possibly the highest concentration of Red Kites known for the island.   Elsewhere, 5 Red Kites were over fields at Tregele (16th), 1 was over Tregaian (16th), 2 over the Llangefni junction of the A55 (16th), 1 over RSPB Cors Ddyga (16th) and 1 over Penysarn (17th).

Swans, Geese & Ducks:

A drake Pintail at Malltraeth (14th) was an unusual record for June.  Goosander have started to be reported with a pair seen at Malltraeth (14th) and a pair at Cemlyn (15th).

Divers & Grebes:

No sightings of note.

Herons, Egrets and allies:

A booming Bittern was heard at RSPB Cors Ddyga (15th).

Thanks:

A big thanks to all those who continue to contribute news of their sightings and in particular this week to the wardens of the various Anglesey reserves for sharing their insight into the number of breeding terns and lapwing.

 

2022 Year List:

Black Tern was new for the year and takes the Anglesey year list up to 198.