NE Wales birdingwatching (1 Viewer)

[Peugeot]

As you travel from Sandycroft towards Chester on the B5129, turn left at the roundabout by Airbus, and the field that is immediately on your left, before the farm, is the one they were feeding/resting in.....this is before you get to the railway bridge.....

 

[bartolli]

Ok, got it thanks!

 

[Peugeot]

As you travel from Sandycroft towards Chester on the B5129, turn left at the roundabout by Airbus, and the field that is immediately on your left, before the farm, is the one they were feeding/resting in.....this is before you get to the railway bridge.....

Ooops!....

My directions were totally wrong,....what I should have said was....

As you travel from Sandycroft towards Chester on the B5129, turn left at the roundabout by Airbus, and continue OVER THE RAILWAY BRIDGE, until you reach the field that is on your left, just before the farm entrance, that is on your right, before the bend, that leads onto the long straight.

 

[Peugeot]

A couple of hours around Shotwick Boating Lake this morning.....produced the usual mix of swans, which included Mute, Whooper, and Bewick, and also the solitary Black Swan was still in evidence, and these were joined this morning by an impressive count of around 2000 Pink Foots, and a Snow Goose/White Goose, which was too distant, to confidently clinch, whether it was a genuine/escaped bird.

Woodpigeon c200
Buzzard 3
Meadow Pipit 12
Stonechat
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Curlew 2
Sparrowhawk
Skylark 2
Reed Bunting 8

and on the lake itself....

Tufted Duck c50
Wigeon c30
Coot c100
Shoveler c10
Little Grebe c10
Gadwall c20
Goldeneye 3 (all females)

 

[bartolli]

Thankjs for the correction Peugeot!

No black necked grebes at Shotwick?

My compilation vid from the high tide at Oakenholt Marsh:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VLnTlywZgU

 

[Peugeot]

No....the 3 Black necked Grebe, were replaced by 3 returning Goldeneye.

 

[bartolli]

Pleasant couple of hours today in a sunny but cold alyn waters country park. Bird highlights were 3 buzzards, 1 dipper + a kingfisher on the river, then a flock of abt 12 redwing in amongst the silver birch.

 

[Huwgo]

A lot of Whoopers and Bewicks in a field right next to the A548 between the 1st and 2nd roundabout (heading east) giving good close up views today . I think they've moved away from the boating lake now.

 

[bartolli]

Excellent meal in the cornmill at Llangollen last night, added bonus of watching 2 dippers in the river dee below as we ate!

 

[bartolli]

A skein of about 100 geese (think they were Canada) flew over our house in saltney this morning abt 8.30, heading SE, I don't know where they go but we regularly get flocks flying over am then back pm. I reckon if they kept on that heading they would pass slightly to the East of Wrexham, maybe heading to fields around the Dee at Holt/farndon way?

Coming back along Saltney Ferry road as usual at abt 9am, one little egret was in the field directly opposite where Saltney Ferry Rd meets Chester St, by the end of those silly ongoing roadworks.

 

[bartolli]

This morning little egret again in the field opposite Saltney Ferry Rd by the cycle lane roundworks.

Hugely enjoyable 9m walk around Llanferres yesterday: Heron in the R Alyn below Plymmogg farm with 2 buzzards over; a flock of c100 redwings feeding in the trees at the edge of the wood just after crossing the river; 2 dippers on the Alyn at Cascade Wood nr maeshafn.

There was a lot of bird poo on virtually all the rocks in the river through cascade wood, so reckon the dippers may be starting to get busy.

Also found an outcrop of Scarlet Elf Cup fungus and some Balwen Welsh Mountain Sheep!

 

[Peugeot]

Kept up my regular visits, to the Boating Lake at Shotwick again this morning, ........

Pink Footed Goose c4000
Reed Bunting 6
Pied Wagtail 6
Linnet c50
Kestrel
Buzzard
and the usual mix of Mute, Bewick, and Whooper Swan, with the Black Swan still keeping them company.

and on the lake.....

Coot c20
Tufted Duck c30
Little Grebe c30
Gadwall c40
Shoveler c40
Goldeneye 3
Black Necked Grebe 2

There was still no sign of the good number's of Pochard, that have been reported recently on the lake, and I think that those birds, have probably been misidentified by someone.

On the way home, I didn't manage to connect with the Little Egret at Saltney Ferry,.... which is a shame.

 

[Peugeot]

I went in search of 1 or 2 slightly more unusual geese, that have been reported to be 'hanging out' with the Pink Foots, out on Shotwick Fields this morning, but apart from a couple of birds, that were sporting a white rim at the base of their bills, which may have suggested that they were White Fronts, ( but all other features suggested that they were also Pink Foots), there was nothing out of the ordinary to be found.

The Boating Lake, held good number's of wildfowl as usual, with my first returning Pochard being found.

Pink Footed Goose c2000
Linnet 7
Stonechat
Skylark 9
Bewick Swan
Whooper Swan
Mute Swan
Black Swan

and on the lake

Little Egret 3 (roosting on bank)
Tufted Duck c20
Little Grebe c20
Great Crested Grebe
Wigeon
Pochard 2
Goldeneye 4
Black Necked Grebe 3
Pintail 16
Gadwall c40

 

[Huwgo]

Called at Rhos on Sea on the way to Llandudno today and there were 10 Great Crested Grebes, c100 Oystercatchers, c20 Redshank, c20 Curlew and lots of Turnstone scattered around. No sign of any Purple Sandpipers though.

On the way back I called at Pensarn and saw the nice juvenile Iceland Gull, a lifer for me!

 

[Peugeot]

2 Snipe,.... 'Drumming' over the banks of the Dee near Saltney on Wednesday afternoon....the first time that I've seen this happen for a few years now.

 

[Peugeot]

A couple of hours, viewing Shotwick Boating Lake and the adjacent fields today, (which were flooded on the section that was nearest to the lake), and thus attracted a greater variety of birds than of late, which included all of the common gull species, plus a few Black tailed Godwit, Oystercatcher, plenty of Lapwing, and a solitary male Pintail.

Unfortunately, I didn't scan the geese, until later on in the day, so managed to miss the reported White fronted Geese and Bean's, which had departed by the afternoon.

Panoramic views of Burton Mere Wetlands from the lake, often provides the odd bonus bird, and a Hen Harrier cruising over the reeds mid morning, was today's winner of the prize.

Pink footed Goose c2000
Black tailed Godwit 5
Pintail
Skylark 2
Oystercatcher 2
Lapwing c100
Black Swan
Mute Swan
Whooper Swan
Bewick Swan
Fieldfare c50
Kestrel
Buzzard

on the lake......

Black necked Grebe
Coot c80
Tufted Duck c35
Wigeon 3
Pintail 3
Goldeneye 4
Shoveler 3
Gadwall c40
Little Grebe c20

 

[the black fox]

sounds a good area to go to ,will have to give it a go sometimes ,i don't see that much mention of raptors are there any peregrines to be found in that area 8-P

 

[Huwgo]

Called at Connahs Quay today where there were at least 30 Twite, 3 Spotted Redshanks, 2 Greenshank, 5 Snipe, 1 Little Egret, a Kingfisher and large numbers of Redshank, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Mallard, Teal, Shelduck, Wigeon. In the distance there was a spectacular sight of thousands of Pink Footed Geese flying down the estuary (presumably from Shotwick Fields.)

I later called at Shotwick, and despite no sign of the geese it was good to see the swans and they were much closer than I've seen them before.

A couple of hours, viewing Shotwick Boating Lake and the adjacent fields today, (which were flooded on the section that was nearest to the lake), and thus attracted a greater variety of birds than of late, which included all of the common gull species, plus a few Black tailed Godwit, Oystercatcher, plenty of Lapwing, and a solitary male Pintail.

Unfortunately, I didn't scan the geese, until later on in the day, so managed to miss the reported White fronted Geese and Bean's, which had departed by the afternoon.

I don't suppose it was you we bumped into at Shotwick Fields at 3:30/4?

 

[Huwgo]

sounds a good area to go to ,will have to give it a go sometimes ,i don't see that much mention of raptors are there any peregrines to be found in that area 8-P

Quite often see Peregrines at Burton Mere flying across flushing everything in sight. They have also nested at Connahs Quay Nature Reserve on the pylons the last few years. I sometimes see them at Mostyn by the old funship hunting the Feral Pigeons too.

 

[Peugeot]

Called at Connahs Quay today where there were at least 30 Twite, 3 Spotted Redshanks, 2 Greenshank, 5 Snipe, 1 Little Egret, a Kingfisher and large numbers of Redshank, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Mallard, Teal, Shelduck, Wigeon. In the distance there was a spectacular sight of thousands of Pink Footed Geese flying down the estuary (presumably from Shotwick Fields.)

I later called at Shotwick, and despite no sign of the geese it was good to see the swans and they were much closer than I've seen them before.



I don't suppose it was you we bumped into at Shotwick Fields at 3:30/4?

No....wasn't me....I was heading for home at around 1pm, but hopefully, we'll bump into each other on another occasion in the near future.

and also....

You were right, about the swarms of Pink feet flying over Shotwick fields, I enjoyed them as well, whilst I was stood by the lake,....spectacular!