RECENT FIELD TRIP REPORTS

Field Trip trip Anglesey on Sunday 22nd June 2008 .

A Severe gale forecast for the West coast did not deter 12 members from making this field trip the best turn out of the year so far – destination Anglesey and a tour around the island. The first task of the day was removal of a fallen branch from the main road outside the car park, an ominous sign!

Our first port of call was Fedw Fawr with Andy demonstrating his navigation skills (not!) – well, we only got lost twice! He redeemed himself by finding our prime target bird here, Black Guillemot, with no less than seven on view! There were Cormorant, Shag and various Gulls on the rocks, Gannets seen out to sea plus Stonechat, Linnet and Rock Pipit on the cliff tops.

Point Lynas was interesting given that the local landowner was busy with his digger restricting access as we arrived! So, be warned that a bit of a trek is now in prospect for this westernmost UK site. An impromptu taxi service, courtesy of Brian saved the day however. We managed to find a sheltered spot in the lee of the Lighthouse, the wind was now howling!! There were plenty of Auks, Manx Shearwater and Gannets seen out to sea with a lone Swift (which we sadly couldn’t turn into a Petrel!)

We drove North for lunch at Cemlyn bay. A walk along the shingle beach to view the Tern colony was somewhat disappointing with numbers well down on previous years. Predation and the violent storms during the 2007 breeding season have taken their toll! There were still reasonable numbers of Arctic , Common and Sandwich Terns present however.  A stroll to the seawatch point yielded a few waders: Dunlin, Ringed Plover and Turnstone. A conveniently situated bench and drystone wall meant we could sea watch in sheltered comfort!! We then had a feast in store - Manx Shearwaters in large numbers, driven close to shore by the gales. These are normally ‘scoped shapes’ seen well out to sea but the prevailing winds had brought them close inshore here, counts of over 50 birds passing within binocular range in front of us were made!

Our final destination was South Stack which duly obliged with the usual range of seabirds on the cliffs and sea. There were vast numbers of Razorbill and Guillemot plus Kittiwake, Fulmar, Shag and the commoner gulls. A solitary Puffin was seen briefly on the sea! This is a haven for corvids and whilst we didn’t see Hooded Crow, there were plenty of Jackdaws, Ravens and of course Chough which were active overhead.

We called it a day late afternoon, the rain had stayed away and we all had an ice cream in the café to celebrate the end of an exhilarating day – and no-one got blown away!

Jim Almond

Field Trip to Ynys Hir on 17th May 2008

After an early start on a very unpromising morning with mist and drizzle, eight of us met at Ynys Hir RSPB Reserve for a day’s birding in the woodland and along the estuary.  We spent the morning with Dick Squires who was the RSPB warden at Ynys Hir for many years, and were treated to a great lesson in improving our ID skills – now there’s a man who really can tell the difference between singing blackcap and garden warbler every time!

The weather improved slightly and the sky cleared as we set off on our walk  just to show that it doesn’t always rain in Wales ! As we left the car park for the Marian Mawr hide we saw and heard many of the typical birds of the area, including Pied and Spotted Flycatcher, Redstart, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch and Treecreeper, plus plenty of Song Thrushes, Blackcaps, Garden Warblers and Common Whitethroats.  There were lots of Swifts and hirundines around, Red Kite was added to the list soon after we set off on our walk and we were all pleased to have heard a Cuckoo, a rare commodity for us in Shropshire this year.  On reaching the hide we looked out over the Dyfi estuary and could see Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Shelduck and Little Egret, and learned that the path to the Domen Las hide was closed because Little Egrets and Grey Herons were nesting close to the path.  A walk back through the woodland produced more Spotted Flycatchers and Warblers, including another speciality of Welsh oakwoods, Wood Warbler, but unfortunately no Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.

After a quick lunch stop we all set-off on a self-guided walk with the help of the reserve leaflet, down towards the open grassland and marshes closer to the estuary.   Ravens cronked overhead and we saw another Red Kite, plus plenty of waders and ducks on a large water body close to the railway, including Dunlin, Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Curlew, Ringed Plover, Shelduck, Shoveler and Teal.  Stonechat and Skylark were added to the list as we passed the farm, and both Reed and Sedge Warbler were heard in the reedbeds.  We again walked back to the car park through the woodland, stopping in the Ynys Hir hide, which gives good views into the oak canopy, but again no Lesser Spots.

We all enjoyed a great day’s birding, seeing most of the speciality birds of the reserve, and the list for the day was 74 species. 

Helen Griffiths

Field Trip to  Cefn Coch/Old Racecourse on Saturday 22nd March 2008.  

The Easter Saturday field trip was blighted by some very difficult weather and this no doubt put a number of people off attending - as it was, five members braved the cold weather, biting wind and forecast of possible snow!  Cefn Coch is a wooded area north-west of Oswestry and almost in Wales .  Although it is private there is access and paths through the area.  Many of the fir type trees had been cut down recently but plenty were still standing.  The area is known for Crossbill and a possible one was seen early on but it disappeared into the trees and declined to come out again - one could not blame it.  As it was, the wind kept most of the birds firmly out of view.  When we got to the far side overlooking a beautiful quiet valley with a small stream running through it, we were able to spot Curlew, a passing Saprrowhawk, pair of Buzzards, Great Spotted Woodpecker at rest in a tree, Carrion Crow and Lesser Black-backed Gull.  Within the woods we saw Coal Tit, Robin and Goldcrest and heard various finches but could not see them in view.  After lunch we intended to walk around the old racecourse but after a short while the snow came down, well, across really, and we decided to call it a day.

Leader Allan Dawes. Reporter Richard Camp.

Field Trip to RSPB Marshside on Sunday February 11th 2008.

Wending our way through some fairly thick fog we arrived at Marshside in glorious sunshine. One new member had already arrived and three more joined us making a select group of six. The tide was out and the sands and salt marsh were feeding grounds for Shelduck, Curlew, swirls of Knot along the tideline, several singing Skylarks, Linnets, Reed Bunting and one Little Egret.

Green-winged Teal was showing well from the Sandgrounders Hide with good numbers of Black-tailed Godwit, Lapwing, Golden Plover, Snipe and the usual assortment of waterfowl. Interestingly, no Gadwall or Great Crested Grebe were seen and the three Avocet seen the day before never showed.

A walk along the shore road afforded good views of Merlin, Kestrel, Peregrine and a distant view of female Hen Harrier.

We ended at Nel’s hide where water levels were high. A number of Pink-footed Geese drifted across and two resident Hares cuddled up on the far bank.

Other non-avian species: Honey Bee and Peacock butterfly.

It was a very enjoyable day.

Brian & Estelle Hughes

SOS trip to Parkgate, 25 November 2007.

The final field trip for 2007 featured the Wirral area of the Dee estuary as our destination, Parkgate was the starting point and a dozen members gathered in the early morning chill. It was also the last trip to be led by Andy Latham (for a while anyway?), a well deserved rest from duties beckoned…..

This area is a haven for raptors and we had close views of Common Buzzard and Kestrel from the car park on arrival. 

Despite a nine metre plus high tide, the rest of the day was spent eyes glued to scopes, as there was insufficient water to flood the marsh and drive the birds nearer to view. Nevertheless, the panoramic spectacle of hunting raptors was just as satisfying and the local Peregrines did their best to entertain us. For them, long periods of inactivity, usually spent sat on a post or log, were interspersed with a chase for prey. Every now and then the Pigeon, Starling or Lapwing flocks would rise up panic stricken as one of their number became a potential meal.

(spot the Peregrine in this picture)

We had to wait longer for Merlin but saw at least two. There were plenty of smaller birds around; Linnet, Skylark etc and the ‘nearly’ bird of the day for most of the group was a Water Pipit, which strayed off the marsh into a horse paddock behind the car park. Andy found it but the best the group could manage was a fleeting view of its’ rump as it flew, circling overhead before disappearing back onto the marsh and out of view! Distant waders included a large flock of Knot and Oystercatcher, a few Black tailed Godwit, Curlew, Dunlin and Common Snipe were also seen. Pintail were present in good numbers, as were Shelduck and Teal. The Little Egret count for the area continued to be ever upward, there were plenty present!

We moved over to Burton Marsh for lunch and the walk down the access track offered up more Kestrels, Stonechat and Reed Bunting. We were still in need of an additional raptor or two however and they did not disappoint us here. Our first target bird was soon realised – Short eared Owl. We eventually found two and then also right on cue, a female Hen Harrier! With the light failing we made our way back to the cars for some more entertainment. It’s not every day a fella gets given flowers (and to be fair these were for Jan) but the look on Andy’s face as he received a bouquet plus a few cards and mementos from us all was well worth waiting for.

There was just one more surprise in store however – an Owl box in the roadside field, offered up the occupant and we were treated to a few minutes of hunting display by a Barn Owl – a cracking end to a great days birding.

Jim Almond (for more pictures visit Jim's blog at shropshirebirder.blogspot.com )

SOS trip to Point of Ayre, 27 October 2007.

About 20 members turned up at 10am in the Talacre car park at the Point of Ayre in North-East Wales for the October Society field trip - many hoping to see something good as bird watching in Shropshire had not been too good recently!  The long walk was made to the RSPB hide to the south, with a few birds such as Little Egret being seen on the way.  The tide was out and large numbers of waders were sitting on the mudflats and shingle banks stretching in front of the hide towards the sea.  Even without a 'scope or bins, one could see that most of them were Oystercatchers, with their pink tights and orange bills, and Curlew with their long curved bills.  The Oystercatchers were there in very large numbers so that some on the edge of the group were actually sitting in the water.  Among the Oystercatchers was one almost totally albino version, which, apart from its colour, did not seem out of place.  There were also quite a few Redshank and Andy soon picked out just a few Spotted Redshank amongst them.  Other waders included Knot, Dunlin and Black-tailed Godwit.

 Ducks included:  Mallard, Shelduck, Wigeon, Teal, Pintail and a few Red-breasted Mergansers.  There were the inevitable Canada Geese and Cormorants plus Black-headed, Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls and a few other birds.  Interest was sparked by a pair of Peregrines which made several passes.  One was even seen sitting on the shingle.  Eventually one caught something which we could not make out and flew over the hide and behind the oil refinery to eat its meal.  Interest was further sparked by a Short-eared Owl which flew in from over the sea and seemed in no hurry to make land.  One is simply not used to see owls flying over the sea!  Rob then spotted a Merlin sitting on a stump on the shingle bank.

 After lunch we walked back to the car park and then on to the beach near the lighthouse.  On our way there we saw another (or probably the same) Short-eared Owl soaring high above the beach.  It was so unusual it was mistaken by some as a Buzzard! There was not much passing by at sea as the wind was light and in the wrong direction.  However,  we did see a few Common Scoter, juvenile Artic Terns and Common Gulls.  Two Grey Plover and four Sanderling were on the beach.

 Other birds seen included:  Grey Heron, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Starling, Meadow Pipits, Linnet, Raven, Skylark and Wheatear.  Makling about 40 birds altogether.  The best days birding for many for sometime.  Thanks to Andy for organising and leading the trip.

 Richard Camp.