Trip reports

Conwy and South Stack 17th May 2009

Friday, 22 May 2009

The forecast of heavy rain showers prompted a change of venue for this trip. A morning visit to the RSPB reserve at Conwy (with its several hides) was substituted for the planned visit to Cemlyn Bay (a location lacking shelter) and this was combined with an afternoon visit to South Stack on Anglesey. The change in plan proved fortuitous as the day before our trip a spoonbill arrived at Conwy and was still present on our arrival, albeit on the adjacent estuary rather than the reserve itself. Most of the party got good views of this bird, at first in heavy rain then, once the rain stopped, in bright sunshine. Warblers were the other highlight with grasshopper, reed and sedge warblers all present. In contrast , seabirds were the main interest at South Stack, though this time the weather altered from fair to heavy rain over the course of the visit. Despite this we were able to see guillemot, razorbill, kittiwake and fulmar on the cliffs along with a couple of puffins that were visible from the lighthouse stairway. Out to sea gannets were spotted and a large movement of manx shearwater, often in parties of three or four but sometimes up to a dozen or more. As a bonus some porpoises swam past the lighthouse rock, regularly breaching the water to show their fins. On land crows were well represented with sightings of chough, raven, hooded crow and jackdaw. Near the coach stonechat and wheatear made a colourful end to the day.