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North Wales in April, where would you go..? (1 Viewer)

2520years

2520years

Lurking in the bushes is wrong.
All

You were all a great help last time I when on a two-day trip (to the Lake District) so I thought I'd ask your advice again.

In early April I'm being let loose for two days. I live in Warrington (twix Liverpool and Manchester) and have booked a hotel room in Bangor (just before the Menai bridge to Anglesey).

My loose plan is:

Day 1
a) Early to Point of Air, Dee Estuary.
b) Anglesey, i.e. South Stack Cliffs-> Valley Wetlands -> Cemlyn Lagoon -> Red Wharf Bay (if time!)

Day 2
a) Early to The Spinnies, Aber ogwen near Bangor.
b) RSPB Lake Vyrmrny and Ynys Hir seem too far away to get back to Warrington on the same day. There must be other places worth going to that are closer.
c) Conwy RSPB on the way home.

I haven't been to any of those places before except Point of Air. Can anyone help? I'll appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

Andy.
 
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Depends what you want to see. I'd be inclined to skip Point of Air (unless there's something specific you want to see there) and spend the full day on Angelsey, maybe starting up at Carmel Head looking for migrants. This would reduce the amount of driving you'd need to do, and if you called in to Malltraeth then you should pick up a good variety of water birds (what with Conway RSPB on the way home too) to replace what you'd miss at Point of Air. Other sites on Angelsey worth a look are a quick scan of Holyhead Harbour for Grebes, Divers etc (it may be getting a bit late in the year, but you may as well, as you're passing it anyway), Beddmanarch Bay (between Holy Island & Angelsey itself) for waders etc., & Fedw Fawr or Penmon Point for Black Guillemots. Llanfairfechan Promenade could be well worth a look - the Black Scoter has lingered into April before, and there's always a chance of some Grebes & Divers. Little Orme Head can be good for arriving Ring Ouzels in early April. Llanbedr-y-cennin in the Conway valley is a well known Hawfinch site (check the trees & hedges around the Churchyard) and on your way down there the bridge over the river at Tal-y-Cafn can be good for Common Sandpiper & Goosander.
As for a replacement for Ynys Hir/Vyrnwy, I don't know. It may be worth concentrating just on Angelsey & Conway area for the two days this time round, and doing a seperate trip later in the year to mid Wales when there'll be a much better chance of Redstart, Wood Warbler Pied Flycatcher etc.
Any more questions, just post, or PM me.

James
 
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llanfairfechan, morfa madryn, foryd bay (spoonbill poss). caerhun/ llanberder -y-cerin (sp?) (hawfinches/ goshawk poss at the latter).

make sure you go to Conwy first. Reserve manager Alan davies/ assistant manager mike duckham (depending which one is about) should be able to give the best recommendations. Also, you could ask on www.northwalesbirding.co.uk.
 
Wow, there's plenty to see! I'll have to re-think my plan (I'm glad I asked). Since I've been looking into North Wales I've realised Anglesey is a hot-spot for birds, so I'll have to spend most of the time there. I'll check that forum too near the time to see what's about.

Diolch ti (excuse my bad Welsh)
 
It seems that these sites are close to each other:

1) Beddmanarch Bay, Holyhead Harbour, South Stack, North Stack, Valley Wetlands
2) Carmel Head, Cemlyn
3) Dulas Estuary, Red Wharf Bay
4) Malltraeth, Foryd Bay
5) Llanfairfechan, Morfa Madryn
6) Little Orme Head, Conwy
7) Llanbedr-y-cennin, Tal-y-cafn, Caerhun

(I can't find Fedw Fawr, Penmon Point or Point Lynas.)

So now I need to decide which clusters to visit to make best use of my time. I think I'll focus on Anglesey having travelled that far. This means the first three clusters (above) are looking favourites. I'm not sure if doing much more than that in two days will do my visits justice!

Thanks for you help.

Andrew
 
Also from Warrington I go to Anglesey regularly.
There are a number of very good spots-depending on whether you are carrying lots of gear i.e. scope or big lense?
Holyhead Harbour is good and gives you a beautiful walk. I was there on Sunday-we saw a merganzer, Shags & Cormorants, Great Northern Diver, Black Guilimott. The harbour wall is a nice easy 3 1/2 mile walk (1 3/4 mile each way) with views in to the harbour and out to sea. You should also see a seal or 2.
April gets better when the sea birds are in-especially at South Stack where you will see Puffins. Choughs are there all the time.
Near Holyhead is Phenros coastal walk with plenty to see.
Over near Cemlyn is a lovely 'reserve' (open to the public) with lagoons. Last year we saw lots of Terns, a Little Egret & a Heron (close up).
I must ask (if I may) why 2520. It must connect with 607/539/1914?? Do you know this is the ONLY number which is divisble by any other number.
 
Hi 2520,

Penmon Point is the point of Anglesey directly opposite Llanfairfechan, just to the left of Puffin Island as you look from the promenade at Llan. At Penmon there's normally a few Black Guillys around, which saves you the trip to Fedw Fawr, and I always seem to fail there anyway.

South Stack is a v. good place to go, personally i'd skip Valley Lakes (never much there) and spend more time at the Stacks. Hooded Crow, Chough, and returning auks should all be in the area. Behind Llanfairfechan are the Aber Falls, where there is a large Chough roost and Goshawks can be seen displaying on clear days.

A couple of other points to check are Rhos Point in Rhos on Sea for Purple Sand, and the Kinmel Industrial Park, for SEOwls. Also, Common Sands winter near the Tal-y-cafn bridge, and there is a Long Billed Dowitcher currently in residence on Inland Sea (the bit between Holyheads island and Anglesey I think. Just a final thought, the beach at Pensarn can often be good for Snow Bunts, particularly in the area near the car park, though these could of departed by then....as JWN says, sack Point of Ayr off, I never find it much use.

HTH

D
 
Holyhead Harbour and South Stack are now "definites".


Q1) I'm staying overnight close to The Spinnies near Bangor - can anyone tell me what I could see there?

Q2) What about North Stack and Beddmanarch Bay, am I likely to see anything different compared to South Stack and Holyhead Harbour?

Q3) Are Cemlyn Bay, Carmel Head and Wylfa Head just for terns, little egret and heron?


Thanks for your continued help.
 
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Q1) Spinnies is a nice little reserve, but I've not been for a while. Always used to be good (practically guaranteed) for Kingfisher, and usually Greenshank, Little Egret, Goosander, occasional Firecrest. Don't know haw much of this may have changed since I was last there, a good few years ago now.

Q2) Unless you're really keen on looking for migrants (with the possibility of not actually finding any) don't bother with North Stack. Beddmanarch may be worth ten minutes or so, as it doesn't take you far out of your way. Slavonian Grebes winter there - don't know whether they linger into early April though.

3) Carmel head may hold migrants, but perhaps not many, it being early in the season. (If I was to go anywhere looking for migrants at this time of year it'd ne Little Orme, because of my previous successes there in early April looking for Ring Ouzel after a tip off from another birder).

Another idea might be to spend a bit of time seawatching off South Stack if the wind is from the west.

Totally agree with Ant that it's well worth seeking up to date info at Conway RSPB - very welcoming place.

Penmon Point is a lot easier to find than Fedw Fawr, and if Dan's missed Black Guillemots at FF in the past then PP's probably your best bet (I just must have been lucky on my visits).

Happy hunting!

James
 
When I was at South Stack in March (years ago), I found a group of Choughs just south of it at a place called Pen-y-Bonc, so it may pay to wander around a bit.
I also found some lost Americans who were looking for the boat to Ireland!
 
Xenospiza said:
When I was at South Stack in March (years ago), I found a group of Choughs just south of it at a place called Pen-y-Bonc, so it may pay to wander around a bit.
I also found some lost Americans who were looking for the boat to Ireland!
Click to expand...

I'll bet they were chough-ed to see you.
:D
 
2520years said:
All

You were all a great help last time I when on a two-day trip (to the Lake District) so I thought I'd ask your advice again.

In early April I'm being let loose for two days. I live in Warrington (twix Liverpool and Manchester) and have booked a hotel room in Bangor (just before the Menai bridge to Anglesey).

My loose plan is:

Day 1
a) Early to Point of Air, Dee Estuary.
b) Anglesey, i.e. South Stack Cliffs-> Valley Wetlands -> Cemlyn Lagoon -> Red Wharf Bay (if time!)

Day 2
a) Early to The Spinnies, Aber ogwen near Bangor.
b) RSPB Lake Vyrmrny and Ynys Hir seem too far away to get back to Warrington on the same day. There must be other places worth going to that are closer.
c) Conwy RSPB on the way home.

I haven't been to any of those places before except Point of Air. Can anyone help? I'll appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

Andy.
Click to expand...

Looks like you're going to be busy! I totally agree about Lake Vrynwy it's not easy from Anglesey - I tried it last year staying at a Forestry Commision campsite in Beddgelert overnight (good for cuckoos and bats). On the drive back over the mountains to Porthmadog we came across a classic car rally travelling in the other direction. With the single track roads and a 500 ft drop it was a bit hairy especially when some prat with a Pontiac expected us to pull over. I imagine Porthmadog - very impressive estuary could be quite rewarding also in April they'll be the Glaslyn Ospreys. On day 2 it might be worth checking out Clocaenog forest for Black Grouse, Goshawks etc... please pm me if you want more details.

Ian
 
JWN Andrewes said:
Penmon Point is a lot easier to find than Fedw Fawr, and if Dan's missed Black Guillemots at FF in the past then PP's probably your best bet (I just must have been lucky on my visits).

Happy hunting!

James
Click to expand...

I possibly wasn't looking in the right place, though I still always find Penmon easier to get at than FF...

In terms of seawatching, will there really be that much about in April apart from a few Manxies? I would say Point Lynas or Wylfa Head near Cemlyn are by far the best bets, but if I were you i'd give seawatching a miss because it can be a lot of effort and time for very little.

At South Stack you'll have no trouble with the Choughs, they swoop about in big swirling flocks, their 'chack' calls are also really distinctive, park on the car park by the tea room and view out from there, the Hooded Crow is very often behind them on the bankside or in the fields on the opposite side of the road.

Someone's just mentioned the Cloacenog Forest; perhaps they know exact sites but again that's a massive area and could be potentially a lot of effort and time for very little. The Firecrests were at the sewage works near the Spinnies last year, though they can't be easy to see as they're rarely reported.

HTH

D
 
I suppose my next question is:

If I do Beddmanarch Bay, Holyhead Harbour, South Stack on one day, where would I be best going, in the Anglesey area, on the second day? I'm thinking of starting at the Spinnies as it's near my hotel, but then going into Anglesey after that. (Then the long drive home.) Where would you go?
 
If you've done those places on Anglesey on the first day, and your hotel is back near the Spinnies, it would be easy enough to stop at Penmon Point en-route. After that, you could easily spend the 2nd day doing the N Wales coast, because you should of seen most of the stuff on Anglesey. You could start with the Spinnies, looking for waders, the massive Little Egret roost (100+) etc, and then move on to the wooded slope behind, where I imagine there'll be Pied Fly etc, and possibly displaying Goshawk if the weathers right.

After that perhaps check out the promenade at Llanfairfechan, the Black Scoter may still be about (it was last April), but also there should still be divers off there (all 3 sp can be seen in a day), as well as Slavonian Grebe.

Next why not move on to the Llandudno area, and do Conwy RSPB or Tal-y-cafn/Caerhun for Hawfinch. To finish off either a walk around the Little Orme, or a call in at Rhos Point, in Rhos on Sea, where you should get Purple Sand. If you've got the time, and it's just turning dusk, the Kinmel Industrial Estate SEOwls will be hunting, so could be the perfect way to finish your day.

Just some ideas there....

D
 
That sounds pretty good Dan, thanks. I've not seen any of those birds (except the little egret) before, so it would certainly be time well spent.

So it's probably:
Day 1) Beddmanarch Bay, Holyhead Harbour, South Stack and Penmon Point
Day 2) Spinnies, Llanfairfechan, Conwy

After that I'll be shattered! Sounds like I'll see plenty of quality wildlife though.

Thanks again.

Andrew.
 
JWN Andrewes said:
Totally endorse Dan's itinerary. In fact, I'm tempted to do a pootle round that way myself sometime this spring!

James
Click to expand...

I'm doing it next weekend hopefully, just will cut a few of the sites out so I can do it in a day! :hippy:
 
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