Stockport Birdwatching Society trip to North Wales
We arrived at the WWTW at Morfa Madryn and walked through onto the reserve. With high tide at its peak the spit was full of waders, with the saltmarsh holding lots of ducks. Main wader numbers were Redshank, Dunlin and Curlew, with some Bar-tailed Godwit, Turnstone, Sanderling, Knot and 4 Greenshank dotted in. The ducks were mainly Wigeon and Teal. Some members picked up Red-throated Diver on the sea from here, most connected with Skylark and Rock Pipit, but the best bird was a juvenile Chough feeding on the short grass of the footpaths, we could easily have overlooked it but a brilliant record for the site.
From the seafront at Llanfairfechan there were Red-throated Divers and we added Common Scoter for the day along with more Mergansers and Eiders. The usual Dippers and Grey Wagtails were on the stream. With the weather closing in we headed for Conwy
The Society is always looking for new members so if you're interested have a look at the website: https://stockportbirders.blogspot.com/
Stopped for a driving break from the North Wales run and walked from Morfa Aber to Morfa Madryn yesterday.
Most spectacular by far was the thousands and thousands of Starlings heading west along the coast, some groups you heard approaching from wingbeats, some you felt the air move as they went overhead. Spoke to an RSPB warden later in the day and he thought they are going to the early winter roosts at either Corys Dgya or Parys Mountain. Second only to the starlings was a male Peregrine which eventually in the air took out a Redshank from a group. Never seen a "live" kill before, powerful, gruesome and humbling in the same breath.
Seven Red-breasted Mergansers were a nice tick for the second half of they year over the bay, with thousands of Oystercatchers and hundreds of Pintails, Wigeons, smaller numbers of Teals, Curlew, two Bar-tailed Godwits and Shelduck a plenty. Lots of Gulls everywhere but no time for guys yesterday. At lunch a Slavonian Grebe was flitting between the main pool at MM and the channels in front of the East hide as the tide started to run ashore. Firecrest in the wood by the sewage plant over the railway ended the days highlights.
What a great spot, never seems to fail to deliver the goods (though I was a bit late with mine due to Firecrest distraction!!!!).
Walked from Llanfairfechan to Morfa Madryn. Nice range of species to add to the year list including Greenshank, Bar-tailed Godwit and a couple of flyover Scaup plus the usual expected species.
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after the little orme I decided to try my luck with the firecrest, but no joy. I was stood on the path just after the level crossing looking in the trees just behind the sewage works, other birds around...
No Yellow-browed Warbler for me. 1 Buzzard 1 Kestrel Goldcrest (heard only) in scrub between picnic area and 1st hide Plus usuals... Robin, Wren, Dunnock, Blue Tit
A quick walk around the pools where the Grey Phalarope was some weeks back produced... 1 Little Egret A small flock of Linnet A few Redshank dotted around Mallard and Teal in the channels
Saturday visit from 1pm after a trip to RSPB Conwy. While there, and one of the other birders present mentioned that he had found a Yellow-Browed Warbler at Morfa Madryn - that was too tempting to resist, so cut short my visit to try for it.
Sure enough, having walked down from Llanfairfechan, I got onto the bird in the scrub behind the first hide. It was pretty mobile among the trees but allowed a couple of 3-4 second good views which secured the positive ID. A second lifer of the day for me.
Also at the site plenty of waders - Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Redshank, Greenshank, Dunlin and Curlew - a few Little Egret and plenty of Mallard, Wigeon and Teal.
Arriving back at Llanfairfechan for high tide brought another lifer - Red Throated Diver, of which there were several. There were possibly some Great Northern Diver also, but too far out for tired eyes in fading light to ID. Also Red-Breasted Merganser, Great Crested Grebe, Slavonian Grebe and a few Razorbill, and a single Grey Seal close in provided some good entertainment.
It was me you spoke to Andrew - glad you found it! Apparently there were two Firecrests around the car park there yesterday too. Lots of small passerines around, well worth a visit at the moment. We had four Slavonian grebes at Llanfairfechan, lots of Red-throated divers but no Great Northerns - though I had one there last week. The tide was at it's lowest point however, so not ideal for divers as they tend to drift out on the tide.
Saturday visit from 1pm after a trip to RSPB Conwy. While there, and one of the other birders present mentioned that he had found a Yellow-Browed Warbler at Morfa Madryn - that was too tempting to resist, so cut short my visit to try for it.
Sure enough, having walked down from Llanfairfechan, I got onto the bird in the scrub behind the first hide. It was pretty mobile among the trees but allowed a couple of 3-4 second good views which secured the positive ID. A second lifer of the day for me.
Also at the site plenty of waders - Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Redshank, Greenshank, Dunlin and Curlew - a few Little Egret and plenty of Mallard, Wigeon and Teal.
Arriving back at Llanfairfechan for high tide brought another lifer - Red Throated Diver, of which there were several. There were possibly some Great Northern Diver also, but too far out for tired eyes in fading light to ID. Also Red-Breasted Merganser, Great Crested Grebe, Slavonian Grebe and a few Razorbill, and a single Grey Seal close in provided some good entertainment.
Yep the signs relate to the presence of methane and other such flammable gases always present around sewage treatment plants, watch out when lighting up your cigar in celebration of the phalarope
I managed to get at the side of the verge near the power plant gates maybe 100yds from the railway line.
Ironic you mention Curlew Sandpiper...I totally forgot in my post, at Morfa a birder told me he had a Curlew Sandpiper a bit earlier, then over at RSPB Conwy another birder told me he'd just taken a shot of a Curlew Sandpiper at the Carneddau hide. He showed me the photo but unfortunately it was a Ruff. I don't doubt there was one though as one was on the sightings board.
And many thanks for your help the other day Doc-B, well worth the journey Cheers Rob
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Sunday 5th of October 2014 06:59:58 PM
No problems, Rob, really chuffed that you got the Grey Phal, and had a great day all round (read all your N.Wales posts in other threads too ).
The parking at the sewage works end of the small lane is tight, 3-4 spaces as John rightly says, not so bad in the week but it is still used by dogwalkers as well as birders. Llanfairfechen prom car park IS the best bet for a guaranteed space and the walk can add lots of birds to the daylist As I wrote before a couple of small cars could get on the verge at the top of the lane but this is by no meansd ideal, just a thought if you are on a really tight time scale (work lunch hour etc!!
Over the weekend the pager had a Curlew Sand reported in the same vicinity too
Hi John, Yeah I know it's a good spot for them on that particular part of the coast, they often come in at Conwy a few minutes down the road where I also visited today but none present whilst I was there. It was the circumstances in which the birds were reported to me, infront of Hide 3, not in the best of condition (the birds not the hide), then the 2 birders who I asked if they'd seen the R-b Mergansers and they're reply was they'd had none today but there were a few Goosanders infront of the 3rd Hide so it just all seemed to fit in this instance. Sent you PM
And many thanks for your help the other day Doc-B, well worth the journey Cheers Rob
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Sunday 5th of October 2014 06:59:58 PM
Anyone going for the Phalarope please note that there are only 3 car parking spaces at the site,and its probably better to park at Llanferfechan prom and walk the half a mile or so to the reserve.
Rob Red breasted Mergansers are quite regular on the pools in those reserves in that area, and probably more common than Goosanders there.
Grey Phalarope (Lifer) showing to within feet of me and still here now.
Flies off to the other creek for a while then comes back and picks off virtually every insect that flows out of the pipe. A fantastic little bird and a bit special considering the Red-necked Phalarope was also a Lifer the other week, 2 different Phalaropes in a short space of time.
1- Grey Plover (juv) in it's Golden Plover lookalike plumage (another Lifer) maybe a couple of 100yds away on the mud flats.
Other birds: Oystercatcher -(vast) Redshank -(vast) Dunlin - uncountable Lapwing - few hundred Curlew - large number Greenshank - 2 Ringed Plover - not sure of numbers but knocking around here and there Shelduck Wigeon Teal Mallard Little Egret - lost count over 60, more appeared, everywhere Linnet - flocks everywhere of 50+ birds Meadow Pipit - 50 to 100 Wheatear - approx 7 Skylark - 2 in full song above the dunes Carrion Crow - lots about Jay - 1 Merlin -1 came flying over from the hides over the mud flats and put everything up in the air. Kestrel - 2 Buzzard - 3 3 Red-breasted Merganser reported over by Hide 3, I had it on good authority though that they were Goosander. Went to confirm it for myself and as suspected they were Goosander
Gulls - literally 1000's, probably vast majority were Black-headed and Herring, although there were a few Great Black-backed's in there too, at one area round the coast, it was a sea of white there was that many.
Met some nice birders this morning and thanks to the guy that told me to look out for the Grey Plover and Greenshank, and to the 2 birders that confirmed the Grey Plover when I eventually located it, but there was one woman who was quite rude to people including me, after I'd put her onto the Phalarope aswell when it flew off!
Grey Phalarope showing down to 3 feet this afternoon ,and quite a lot of the time there was just me there,The Phalarope flew off a few times ,once disturbed by a dog ,but returned to the outflow pipe within 30 minites each time. When I left at 5pm it had just flown towards the near distant shore behind some reeds :) beltin afternoon .
Decided on a pop to Morfa Madryn yesterday after hearing that the long-staying Grey Phalarope there was showing well. The closest parking spot at the end of the road next to the sewage works was full but there is room on the verge at the top of that lane for a couple of small cars on the verge. Otherwise it's a walk from Llanfairfechan Prom which is no hardship with birds along the way.
The bird was present as I arrived straight out from the path over the railway line at where the stream emerges from where it is culverted through a pipe. Showing down to literally a metre for one photographer laid on the grass, I had to move backwards to get a decent distance for digiscoping!! The bird favoured feeding at the mouth of the culvert pipe, even heading into the pipe frequently picking off lots of flies and feeding well. It had occasional sorties away from the pipe and walked about on the gravel in the shallows, allowing much better pictures than when it was dizzily spinning around feeding. At one point the bird flew over to another creek but later returned to it's favoured feeding point.
Most forum members will have seen a Grey Phalarope before but if you haven't or even if you want to go and see one at mega close quarters and get pictures, this bird is perfect to go and take a look at. For those that have walking difficulties, the walk from the nearest parking point must be about 100m at the most, but over gently, undulating ground.
Of interest over the high tide today, besides usual waders, etc. were three Curlew Sandpipers, a passing Black Tern and my first Pintail of the autumn.
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