Birding Group RSPB Conwy and Little Orme 3rd March 2020

A slight improvement to the recent, poor, weather saw the birding group reschedule the previously cancelled visit to RSPB Conwy. We also wanted to try for Hawfinches at Llanbedr-y-cennin and go on to Little Orme to look for Chough. As it happens, we didn’t see Hawfinches or Choughs but we did have a good day and got some nice year ticks.

The drive over to RSPB Conwy was pretty bad with traffic james making the drive nearer two hours than an hour and a half. Although it was a bit wet on the way over, by the time we got to Conwy the sun was out and that is how it remained all day – a welcome change from the recent heavy rains.

The water levels were very high at the reserve and the water around the boardwalks was almost up to the top – a most unusual sight at RSPB Conwy. The deep water had meant that there were good numbers of ducks viewable from in front of the cafe, where we all congregated. There were large numbers of Gadwall but also good numbers of Shoveler, Tufted Duck and Wigeon.

As we walked around the first few hides we also got Black-tailed Godwit and Little Grebe. At the feeder we got the usual tits, Dunnocks and Robins – the latter very plentiful and quite tame. On the bridge we got Goldcrest, Bullfinch and Treecreeper which was very satisfactory.

We didn’t go all the way around because we didn’t really have enough time and it was supposed to be very muddy further round. We left the reserve and stopped briefly at the public car park where we added a few Redshank to our day list and then we headed off to Llanbedr-y-Cennin. We decided to take the “other” route there which involved us getting back on the freeway in the homeward direction and coming off at the very next junction which took us up the A470 to the bridge at Tal-y-Cafn where we turned left on to the B5106 which took us past Tal-y-Bont and then we turned right at Y Bedol pub. This took us up to Ye Olde Bull Inn where we turned right and parked.

We did run into a couple of people who told us that four Hawfinches had been seen earlier (mainly up the hill, just past the little hemispherical lay-by where there is a y junction and a holly bush) but we didn’t manage to see any. We did get a rather late-staying Redwing there and we had very frustrating views of a small flock of birds that could easily have been Hawfinches but they were up and away before we could get our bins on them properly!

After a while, some of the group got a bit tired of wating and, as the day was wearing on, we decided to head off for Little Orme. The weather continued to hold out and we had a pleasant walk around there. There were Fulmars already paired up and looking to be nesting. I was a little surprised to get a couple of Guillemots on the water – perhaps because it doesn’t feel like Spring at the moment – although technically it is and the birds agree. Atop a bush we got a rather moulty looking Stonechat singing but not very well yet. Down on the beach at Angel Bay there were a couple of dozen seals sleeping on the beach. We didn’t see any Puffins but we were informed a couple had been seen earlier in the day. No Choughs were to be seen, though.

We were quite happy with our day but time was getting ona nd so we headed back home. There were still delays just before Frodsham which made for a long drive home. We noted again the extraordinary scenes of fields flooded around Frodsham which, at one point, looked like a huge lake.

Bird Sightings RSPB Conwy 3rd March 2020

Bird Sightings Llanbedr-y-cennin 3rd March 2020

Bird Sightings Little Orme 3rd March 2020