Dee estuary remains a Top 5 UK wetland

Little Egret (Bob Garrett)

The results of last year’s Wetland Bird Survey show that the Dee estuary remains the fourth most important site in Britain for waterbirds, with at least 158,000 birds. Of course, with numbers turning over rapidly during migration, the real total is far higher. As a volunteer surveyor at one of 3,325 sites monitored, it’s valuable to see how my counts on the Conwy estuary contribute to the national picture.

It also shows that numbers of 21 species in Wales have increased over the last 25 years, including Canadian Pale-bellied Brent Geese, Little Egrets and Black-tailed Godwit. For the last species, with warming temperatures more juveniles from Iceland are wintering in Britain rather than Iberia. However, 18 species have decreased including Scaup (-89%), Pochard (-88%) and Goldeneye (-58%). Along with Bewick’s Swan, which is now too rare to monitor in Wales through the scheme, all have a European distribution that has shifted northeast with climate change. You can read more about the results on the BTO website.

A Wood Sandpiper was found at Cemlyn on Monday, where 150 Black-headed Gull nests are occupied and counts of Sandwich and Common Terns are increasing. Other migrants include the first region’s first Garganey this spring at RSPB Cors Ddyga and Burton Mere Wetlands’ Border Pool, and Spotted Flycatchers at Talacre’s Warren Farm on Sunday. Hobbies were in Mynydd Hiraethog and at RSPB South Stack, where three Hooded Crows were seen on Monday. Whinchats paused for a few days at Gronant, and a good number were already on moorland territories during a Black Grouse survey in the Migneint last week.

Wood Warblers started to arrive at the weekend, although I heard only one above Trefriw on Sunday. Aberffraw’s Purple Heron was seen until Saturday, but two White Storks over Shotwick didn’t stick around and a Bee-eater near Bodorgan station remained for only one evening last week. A Cattle Egret was on the Clwyd estuary, while Bardsey recorded a Siberian Chiffchaff and a Waxwing there was only the eighth island record.