Tuesday 24 May 2016

Visit to Rhyl part two of four (RSPB Conwy)

On Monday I had the day to myself and after seeing that Bullfinches were being regularly spotted at RSPB Conwy (thanks for the tip off Dennis McCann), I made my way over there by bus and train. Within ten minutes of being on site I had seen six males and managed to grab the photo below...
 
 
It was a bit overcast and windy first thing so I popped to the cafĂ© at 10am for toasted teacake and some very tasty coffee, then when the clouds cleared a bit I went back to see if I could get some better photos of the Bullfinches. My friends know this is one of my 'bogey birds', I have seen them before but I rarely get the chance to grab a photo. On Monday my luck changed.....





 
I would have preferred photos of the robust finches on anything BUT a feeder, but I'm not complaining really. It was great to see them in such good numbers.
 
There were plenty of Robins around, many singing.....
 
 
I saw my first juvenile House Sparrow of the year....

 
and my first newly fledged Long-tailed Tits of the year.....

 
I walked the entire circular walk and went in to every hide and view point....
 
There was an island almost completely full of Shelducks.....
 
 
and another that had loads of Oyster Catchers on it......

 
A Mute Swan was proudly escorting her four cygnets across the water....

 
and I got a distant glimpse of my first Great Crested Grebe chicks of the year, comfortably sitting on their parent's back....

 
From one of the hides I got good views of a fishing Little Egret....
 
 
The weather didn't really warm up much, although the sun did come out eventually. The only butterflies I saw was a male Orange Tip which refused to settle, and this lovely Speckled Wood.....

 
But there were quite a few Nettle Tap micro moths flitting about.....

 
It was a lovely visit but I think I would have seen more had the chilly wind dropped and the sun came out earlier rather than later. Other birds seen but not photographed were Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Blackcap, Common Whitethroat and Cettis Warbler.
 
 
 

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