Photos
Shags, Pintails and Grey Phalarope, Malltraeth
13th September
At last a chance for birding and early morning saw me heading for Point Lynas. Again this is a relative term – I arrived at 7am and by this time Jonathan has usually birded for half a day! Anyway after arriving there and walking down the lane I picked up both Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler singing, the latter admittedly a little half-heartedly. I followed the path off to the left and found a very sheltered gully on the hillside on the opposite side of the cove to the lighthouse. Despite clearly blowing a gale out to sea, there wasn’t a breath of air where I was. Visibility was superb.
I started scanning the sea and it soon became apparent that there were major seabird movements underway, with virtually everything heading approximately west i.e. anticlockwise around the island. The clear highlights were the skuas. In total I saw 7 Arctic Skuas (6 dark morph), 2 Bonxies and a pale morph Pomarine Skua. It was noticeable that by 8am the movement had slowed dramatically with just odd flurries of activity for the next hour or so. The Pom turned up during one of these.
All of the skuas except the sole pale morph Arctic came past close in, though the two Bonxies were virtually the only seabirds seen to fly in the opposite direction. Two dark morph Arctic Skuas ganged up on one unfortunate tern and the first of the Bonxies also savaged a tern. Trying to count the seabirds going past was virtually impossible – I would estimate that in the two hours I watched at least 2200+ commic terns (mostly Arctic) went past with nearly 200 Sandwich Terns, 400+ Gannets and at least 1400 Kittiwakes. Along with this lot were 25 Manx Shearwaters, plenty of auks and Shags and a single Common Scoter. I didn’t see any goodies like a Sab’s or a Leach’s, however I didn’t care – I just thoroughly enjoyed watching all these birds go past! Oh and not to forget the almost mandatory Raven.
Early afternoon I wandered over to Malltraeth – about 2 hours after high tide. An odd name for this place – it literally means blasted or desolate beach. Every time I have been there I have always had plenty to see. A few Shags were fishing where the Afon (River) Cefni flows under the road (it is a canal at this stage) and I watched these for half an our or so (after enduring a brief hail storm). I also noted Redshanks flying down the canal to the shore in groups of 4 and 5 – I stood on the bridge and watched them flying towards me and then at the last second up and over the top to land on the beach behind. At least 120 birds appeared in this fashion.
Next I started heading off along the cob (dyke). The remnants of Hurricane Katia were still in effect and the wind blowing along the cob was horrendous. I reached the first bench and decided to stop, sit down and just watch the waders. Good call – one of the first birds I saw was a Grey Phalarope!!! I spent the next hour or so watching this bird (a moulting juvenile I think) – like the Rock Pipits at Trearddur it also had a foraging circuit. It would start on its own right in the middle of a mud flat (very difficult to pick up here), work its way towards the shore line, follow this for 30 yards or so and then fly back to the start point. It must have followed this circuit a dozen times. Also here were Dunlin, Little Egrets and Bar-tailed Godwits while four Pintail floated around on the cob pools.
I reported the Grey Phalarope and waited until local birders turned up and got I got them onto it, then I headed off to a small reserve a mile or so down the road called Llyn Parc Mawr. Last time I was here there was a hide overlooking a small pool and as it was now raining I was looking for some shelter. Unfortunately the hide no longer exists! A Little Grebe and a few Teal were all the birds on the pool and a Nuthatch coming to the feeders. The rain didn’t stop so I called it quits for the day.
At last a chance for birding and early morning saw me heading for Point Lynas. Again this is a relative term – I arrived at 7am and by this time Jonathan has usually birded for half a day! Anyway after arriving there and walking down the lane I picked up both Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler singing, the latter admittedly a little half-heartedly. I followed the path off to the left and found a very sheltered gully on the hillside on the opposite side of the cove to the lighthouse. Despite clearly blowing a gale out to sea, there wasn’t a breath of air where I was. Visibility was superb.
I started scanning the sea and it soon became apparent that there were major seabird movements underway, with virtually everything heading approximately west i.e. anticlockwise around the island. The clear highlights were the skuas. In total I saw 7 Arctic Skuas (6 dark morph), 2 Bonxies and a pale morph Pomarine Skua. It was noticeable that by 8am the movement had slowed dramatically with just odd flurries of activity for the next hour or so. The Pom turned up during one of these.
All of the skuas except the sole pale morph Arctic came past close in, though the two Bonxies were virtually the only seabirds seen to fly in the opposite direction. Two dark morph Arctic Skuas ganged up on one unfortunate tern and the first of the Bonxies also savaged a tern. Trying to count the seabirds going past was virtually impossible – I would estimate that in the two hours I watched at least 2200+ commic terns (mostly Arctic) went past with nearly 200 Sandwich Terns, 400+ Gannets and at least 1400 Kittiwakes. Along with this lot were 25 Manx Shearwaters, plenty of auks and Shags and a single Common Scoter. I didn’t see any goodies like a Sab’s or a Leach’s, however I didn’t care – I just thoroughly enjoyed watching all these birds go past! Oh and not to forget the almost mandatory Raven.
Early afternoon I wandered over to Malltraeth – about 2 hours after high tide. An odd name for this place – it literally means blasted or desolate beach. Every time I have been there I have always had plenty to see. A few Shags were fishing where the Afon (River) Cefni flows under the road (it is a canal at this stage) and I watched these for half an our or so (after enduring a brief hail storm). I also noted Redshanks flying down the canal to the shore in groups of 4 and 5 – I stood on the bridge and watched them flying towards me and then at the last second up and over the top to land on the beach behind. At least 120 birds appeared in this fashion.
Next I started heading off along the cob (dyke). The remnants of Hurricane Katia were still in effect and the wind blowing along the cob was horrendous. I reached the first bench and decided to stop, sit down and just watch the waders. Good call – one of the first birds I saw was a Grey Phalarope!!! I spent the next hour or so watching this bird (a moulting juvenile I think) – like the Rock Pipits at Trearddur it also had a foraging circuit. It would start on its own right in the middle of a mud flat (very difficult to pick up here), work its way towards the shore line, follow this for 30 yards or so and then fly back to the start point. It must have followed this circuit a dozen times. Also here were Dunlin, Little Egrets and Bar-tailed Godwits while four Pintail floated around on the cob pools.
I reported the Grey Phalarope and waited until local birders turned up and got I got them onto it, then I headed off to a small reserve a mile or so down the road called Llyn Parc Mawr. Last time I was here there was a hide overlooking a small pool and as it was now raining I was looking for some shelter. Unfortunately the hide no longer exists! A Little Grebe and a few Teal were all the birds on the pool and a Nuthatch coming to the feeders. The rain didn’t stop so I called it quits for the day.
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