Citrine Wagtail and Broad Billed Sandpiper

Putting revision to one side yesterday, I made it down to Conwy RSPB after reports of a stunning male Citrine Wagtail was showing well at the coffee shop. It took a good 45 mins to track it down, and got decent enough views of the bird after. I saw the previous bird at Conwy RSPB back in 2008 which also was a male.

Citrine Wagtail taken by Rob Sandham

After driving back home to get some much needed revision done, Rob Sandham offered a lift to the Broad Billed Sandpiper that was showing very well at Hoylake, The Wirral. Battling against the strong winds when we got there we picked out the star bird amongst 15,000 + Dunlin and Ringed Plover. Fab bird to get and one . After seeing the bird we decided to try for the Buff Breasted Sandpiper at Frodsham, sadly our luck had ran out and the bird was hiding somewhere, well, it must have been because it was reported again this morning!!


Broad Billed Sandpiper taken by Rob Sandham



Temmincks Stint at Conwy RSPB

From not having many chances to go out birding lately, I made the extra effort to get up early and travel down to Conwy RSPB for 8am! It was a nice morning, although the chilly eastilities were still insisting and made me regret going out in shorts and T-Shirt. Swifts had returned in their numbers and screaming overhead and Reed warblers were chatting away in the surrounding reed beds. I approached the first screen and caught sight of 2 Little Ringed Plovers, a Wood Sanpiper and 2 Bar-Tailed Godwits. 3 Little Egrets were nice to see and a Water Rail crept by quietly. I then locked on to a Yellow Wagtail that couldn't be missed on the nearest island to the screen. They're a scace bird at Conwy and usually pass through during May each year. A stunning bird to see nevertheless!

Yellow Wagtail

A nice suprise approached as there had been a collection of unconfirmed reports of an Eastern race Wagtail knocking about during that morning, eventually I saw the bird known as a Grey Headed Wagtail (thumbegi). It didn't appear to be a full race and as you know, Continental Yellow Wagtails can be hard to id (race wise) but a full race Grey Headed Wagtail wouldn't quite show so much supercilium as this bird did. But a very nice bird anyway!

A bigger suprise followed when I noticed this small wader walking along a second island across from the boardwalk. I viewed it through the scope and immediately said Temminck's Stint! I was very unfamiliar with these birds but when you just know it couldn't really be anything else (especially after knowing its different from a Little Stint). The shape, movement and posture were good id features and struck me straight away when viewing it. The bird was very elusive while I was there and seemed to favour the backside of nearest island keeping it out of view. Excellent bird to find making it a fantastic day! A couple of heavily cropped shots of the Temminck's Stint:



Temminck's Stint





Temminck's Stint

Also, I dipped the Montagu's Harrier at South Stack Cliffs, Anglesey over the last two days, so I decided to run over to the cliffs to catch sight of a Puffin. Guillemots and Razorbills were well within their thousands and great to see! Black Guillemots still at Holyhead Harbour!

Puffin