LOCAL PRE-BREAKFAST WALK - BETWS-Y-COED RIVER WALK - UGLY HOUSE WOODLAND - RSPB CONWY RESERVE
WEATHER: wet and windy for most of the day, sunshine late afternoon
We woke up to a windy day with a sky full of rain clouds, we braved a walk before breakfast hoping to stay dry. Some of us had seen 6 Gossanders from our bedroom windows, they had come floating down the river stopping to feed around the pebble bank, a great start to our biridng list for the day.
the view of the river Conwy from my room, taken late this afternoon today
We watched the feeders in the hotel garden for a while, a very confiding Jay came down and frigtened off alll the Sparrows and finches. Our walk was wasn't very productive we did see the Gossanders again but they were far off down the river, The wind was keeping most species down.
five of the six Gossanders, we think it was a family party, without daddy
both pictures were phone-scoped from my room
We saw nothing on the river and the stream but we did find a male Common Redstart, it was singing from various song posts, quite distant and in bad light. Our walk took us into the village we came out at the bridge near the Woollen Mill, we just made it back to the hotel when the skies opened up.
a Pied Wagtail fledgling
After a superb breakfast we drove into Betws-y-Coed and parked by the river and within two minutes we found a Dipper, it was the only one during the walk too! For the next hour or so we walked through a mature mixed deciduous and pine woods, arriving at an open area a couple of hundred meters later. There we found a pair of Common Redstarts, they were feeding young in a hole in one of the mature oaks. They showed very well.
Dipper in Betws-y-Coed
male above and female below, Common Redstarts
We also logged Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Grey Wagtails and few common species. The walk back was more productive we bumped into a mixed feeding flock of Tits, we saw Blue, Great and Coal Tits, a family party of Goldcrests and a Eurasian Nuthatch.
The rain was falling in short sharp showers until we got to the Woodland at The Ugly House, then a heavy shower came down. We sat in the car for a while then when it eased we braved a walk. We got a bit of a saoking and we saw very little, Eurasian Treecreeper was about the best with fleeting views of two Pied Flycatchers. We etreated to cafe and drank a lovely warm hot chocolate.
Scarlet Tiger Moth found by Debbie on the path this morning
We abandoned our woodland walk and headed for the coast at Conwy, we went to the RSPB Reserve alongside the River Conwy. We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting all the hides and taking the all the trails but only after a lunch in the cafe.
Marsh Orchid at RSPB Conwy
No rare or unsual species were seen but we added about 20 species to the trip list, mainly wildfoul and waders although we did see Reed and sedge Warblers, a Common Whitethroat and we heard Cetti's Warbler. We added Tufted Duck and Gadwall, Shelduck, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Lapwing and a couple of Gulls. It was a very pleasant walk, the sun came out, we even saw a buttefly, a Common Blue!
Sedge Warbler
Back at the hotel at b5pm we discovered that the electricity supple had been cut-off due to a fault somewhere, it came on just before dinner and saved the day.