We decided to have a few days in North Wales taking in RSPB Conwy, Llanferfechan, Holyhead Fish Docks, Cemlyn Bay, RSPB South Stack, Bodnant Gardens and Gronant Dunes. As luck would have it, we managed to get three days of really sunny, wind-free weather – a rarity for north Wales. We managed to get forty-seven species and eight year ticks over the three days.
The birding group went to Burton Mere Wetlands on 11 June. It was a cold morning but gradually warmed up. The highlight of the morning was the sight of 120 Bar-tailed Godwits on the main scrape – a very unusual event.
After our visit of the previous day to RSPB Bempton Cliffs, we chose to stay overnight at The Pine Marten hotel right next door to RHA Harlow Carr gardens. The idea wasn’t to be birding but the gardens were such a fantastic habitat for birds that we notched up twenty-three species including a year-tick Spotted Flycatcher.
Day 2 of the Birding Group Overnighter to Yorkshire: Bempton Cliffs on 4 June 2024. All the cliff birds – Gannets, Kittiwakes, Fulmars, Puffins, Guillemots and Razorbills. Bempton never disappoints.
Day 1 of the Birding Group Overnighter to Yorkshire : RSPB Blacktoft Sands and North Cave Nature Reserve.
May 2024 Summary including visits to Wigan Flashes, Burton Mere Wetlands, Leighton Moss, Brockholes and Upper Goyt Valley. Twenty-Six new year ticks and a total, so far, of 114 species for the year. Plus what’s happened in the garden in May.
I always look forward to our visits to the Upper Goyt Valley and Danebower Quarry as we often get some special birds. This time we didn’t get any of the Flycatchers or Redstarts that we often get but we still managed to get six year-ticks.
On the 15th May we left Ye Old Fighting Cocks pub and drove down to RSPB Leighton Moss. We were hoping for another sighting of the Osprey but we were out of luck. The Bitterns were all booming away and it was quite a dry hour or so we spent there.
The birding group had arranged to go to RSPB Leighton Moss on 14 May but a bad weather report put everyone off. We had already booked a room at Ye Old Fighting Cocks in Silverdale (don’t say here again) and it was too late to cancel, so we decided to go ahead on our own while the birding group went to Burton Mere Wetlands.
Our idea for this lovely sunny and wind-free day was to stop off at Burton Mere Wetlands briefly before going on to Hoylake for the high tide which was due to be 9.7 metres at 13:39hrs. We felt that, with no wind, we didn’t have to get there too early to catch the tide. How wrong we were.
