Birding Group Visit to Wales 28th May 2012 : Cemlyn Bay

Birding Group Visit to Wales 28th May 2012 : Cemlyn Bay

From Spinnies Abergowen we drove to Cemlyn Bay on Anglesey. On our way there we saw both Buzzard and Kestrel (and sometimes Buzzards hovering just like Kestrels – most unusual). We parked at the Bryn Aber end of the bay (which is sometimes cut off by the high tide) where we straight away saw six Ringed Plovers and a couple of Oystercatchers and Black-headed Gulls on the small lagoon. We walked along the shingle towards the middle of the bay and on the lagoon the first thing we saw was a Red-breasted Merganser. A we reached the middle of the larger of the islands we could see that there were many fewer birds than we expected and certainly fewer than we saw the last time we visited this site. Both islands had large numbers of Black-headed Gulls nesting but it was also clear that – by and large – the Sandwich Terns all nested on the larger of the two islands and the Common and Arctic Terns all nested predominantly on the smaller of the two islands.

Also  on and around the islands were a fair number of Dunlin, all in their summer plumage and looking very smart. I did scour the Black-headed Gulls for a stray Med Gull but to no effect. There had also been a Roseate Tern there a few days previously but we had no luck with that either. Normally we have more or less concentrated on the lagoon and the bay facing the lagoon but this time we took the path from the Bryn Aber car park and walked up to the headland where amongst the rocks we saw Turnstones and Knot and had further – and better – views of the Red-breasted Merganser. Again, more time would have been better but the day was getting on and we had to check into our hotel and get cleaned up before going to dinner and ready for an early-ish start the next day at South Stack.

Bird Sightings : RSPB South Stack