Not really a birding trip, our family holiday in Snowdonia this week, but the garden list - including Peregrine, Raven and Redstart - offered quality over quantity, and I did manage a couple of excursions to see local specialities, and even a couple of photo year-ticks.
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| Black Grouse in the Denbighshire hills - a stronghold of this species. Not in its finest plumage, but good to see a male nonetheless (#204) |
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| The brown and white blob on top of the nest is an Osprey, seen from the Glaslyn watchpoint. Good enough for a photo year tick? Well, yes, it's getting desperate (#205) |
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| We took the Welsh Highland railway from Pont Croesor to Beddgelert, which goes much closer to the Osprey nest. Unfortunately, the female which was on the nest just before we left and just after was not there when we passed either way on the train! As is traditional for British nesting Osprey, breeding birds take care to erect high-res nest cameras to keep a video record of their offspring as they grow. |
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| A very distant Goshawk over Beddgelert was a bonus |
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| Nuthatches at the Glaslyn watchpoint feeders were a bit closer |
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| George tries birding at Great Orme's Head. It's behind you, George. |
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| Chough, Great Orme's Head |
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| Painted Lady, Great Orme's Head |
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| Small Heath, Great Orme's Head |
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| Male Stonechat, Great Orme's Head |
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| And finally, Redstart in the garden of our holiday home |
Missed the choughs on Great Orme (err, didn't know they were there), gutted. Saw first ever Redstart in Conwy reserve car park, made up. Keep blogging, you are an inspiration as similar age, family and work profile!
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