JWN Andrewes
Poor Judge of Pasta.
April 15th
Not feeling at all well enough to contemplate a nine plus hour round trip for American Bittern instead a potter round Anglesey was today’s agenda. Beddmanarch Bay was pretty much devoid of life on our way on to Holy Island, and Holyhead Harbour looked, for a while, like it was going to follow suit. Arch spotted a couple of Wheatear up on a roof, but the water seemed deserted until eventually I managed to find a super distant Black Guillemot. That done we continued on up to South Stack, where things were beginning to swing. Apparently the Auks had been pretty hit and miss of late, quite a lot present the previous morning but all gone by the afternoon for example, but now they seemed back in earnest, and the RSPB guys reckoned this was it, they were back to stay. Guillemots & Razorbills were everywhere on the cliffs and sea, the latter new for the year, but best of all the usual technique here of going to the top of the cliff and looking straight down gave us a couple of Puffins bobbing in the swell. Linnets and Rock Pipits in the heather and rocks were also new for the year, as were a few passing Gannets, but we didn’t get Chough until we were heading back down the road towards Holyhead, with a couple of birds flying by.
We next stopped off at Soldier’s Point for a hoof about for migrants, but apart from a fly by House Martin it was pretty quiet, as was Beddmanarch Bay as when we stopped again for another look. Next up there’s a large flooded field by the road in Valley which looks made for newly arriving Yellow Wags, but alas nothing today, so we headed on up to Cemlyn, where the marshy pools on the fields by the car park were similarly deserted, but we picked up a couple of new in Sandwich Terns. Last stop of the day was Conwy RSPB, where a Willow Warbler singing by the play area was the day’s last year tick. Far from a classic Anglesey trip, but a nice day out for all that.
Not feeling at all well enough to contemplate a nine plus hour round trip for American Bittern instead a potter round Anglesey was today’s agenda. Beddmanarch Bay was pretty much devoid of life on our way on to Holy Island, and Holyhead Harbour looked, for a while, like it was going to follow suit. Arch spotted a couple of Wheatear up on a roof, but the water seemed deserted until eventually I managed to find a super distant Black Guillemot. That done we continued on up to South Stack, where things were beginning to swing. Apparently the Auks had been pretty hit and miss of late, quite a lot present the previous morning but all gone by the afternoon for example, but now they seemed back in earnest, and the RSPB guys reckoned this was it, they were back to stay. Guillemots & Razorbills were everywhere on the cliffs and sea, the latter new for the year, but best of all the usual technique here of going to the top of the cliff and looking straight down gave us a couple of Puffins bobbing in the swell. Linnets and Rock Pipits in the heather and rocks were also new for the year, as were a few passing Gannets, but we didn’t get Chough until we were heading back down the road towards Holyhead, with a couple of birds flying by.
We next stopped off at Soldier’s Point for a hoof about for migrants, but apart from a fly by House Martin it was pretty quiet, as was Beddmanarch Bay as when we stopped again for another look. Next up there’s a large flooded field by the road in Valley which looks made for newly arriving Yellow Wags, but alas nothing today, so we headed on up to Cemlyn, where the marshy pools on the fields by the car park were similarly deserted, but we picked up a couple of new in Sandwich Terns. Last stop of the day was Conwy RSPB, where a Willow Warbler singing by the play area was the day’s last year tick. Far from a classic Anglesey trip, but a nice day out for all that.