Black Redstarts draw admirers, but listen out for Hawfinches too

Black Redstart (Mike Pollard)

No more than a couple of dozen Black Redstarts winter in Wales, presumably from the Baltic or Low Countries, although there are so few ringing recoveries that their origins remain a mystery. A male is overwintering at Great Orme’s Copper Mine, another in Aberdaron, but one at Kinmel Bay seems to have moved on.

Hawfinches remain around Caerhun church, with nine in Clocaenog Forest and a couple at Anglesey’s Plas Newydd at the weekend. Hawfinches go under the radar easily, their soft call often un-noticed. After last autumn’s mass arrival across Britain, there may be more in North Wales as they make the journey back to Scandinavia. For the breeding population in the Mawddach valley, a radio-tracking study published last week shows the foraging range of nesting birds is highly variable, probably depending on availability of favoured tree species. For their conservation, the study urges woodland planners to think at a landscape scale, with Beech, Cherry and Rowan allowed to reach maturity and these species to be included in new plantings.

At least two Surf Scoters remain off Old Colwyn, Red-necked Grebe at RSPB Valley Wetlands and Firecrest at Llanfairfechan sewage works. Green-winged Teals are at RSPB Conwy and Glan-y-Môr Elias, 20 Twite feed in saltmarsh below Flint Castle and Anglesey’s Inland Sea hosts a couple of Scaup and Black-necked Grebes. Four Slavonian Grebes are in neighbouring Beddmanarch Bay and others in the Menai Strait and off Borth-y-gest, where a White-tailed Eagle was reported last week. A Black-necked Grebe on Llyn Mwyngil, near Abergynolwyn, is a great record from an under-watched part of the region, with a Long-tailed Duck also in Meirionnydd, at Aberdysynni.

The prospects of a southerly airflow this week may bring an early Sand Martin or Ring Ouzel. There are February records of both summer migrants in North Wales in the last decade.

The winter storms, as well as remodelling extensive areas of woodland and sand dune in North Wales, demolished the shelter used to monitor passage seabirds and dolphins at the north end of Ynys Enlli. Bardsey Bird Observatory has raised 30% of the costs to replace it and are seeking support if donors through gofundme.com/f/repair-our-hide.