Rare heron lands in Rhyl

Black-crowned Night-heron (Gareth Wynne-Williams)

Black-crowned Night-heron (Gareth Wynne-Williams)

There has been mixed news from tern colonies in North Wales. High tides in late May washed out many of the nests at Wales’ only established Little Tern colony at Gronant, and the few that remained were unable to defend their nests from predation by Carrion Crows. Denbighshire Council wardens, helped by volunteers from the North Wales Little Tern group, report that many of the adults remain on the beach, and it is hoped that there will be renewed breeding attempts as the weather becomes more settled. Meanwhile, North Wales Wildlife Trust reports that Sandwich Terns at Cemlyn, in north Anglesey, are close to record breeding numbers and up to 10 Roseate Terns attended the colony last week.

A juvenile Black-crowned Night-heron, found in trees at Brickfield Pond nature reserve on the outskirts of Rhyl, was a surprise on Monday - and a Lesser Emperor dragonfly found later the same day is almost as rare in Wales. In Europe, Night-herons (which only have a black crown when they reach adulthood) nest mostly south of a line east from the Loire Valley to Ukraine, but some breed as far north as The Netherlands. It’s a rare visitor to North Wales, with little over a dozen records, and this is the first in northeast Wales since one at Caerwys in 1993.

Bardsey scored its second Blyth’s Reed Warbler in 10 days while other scarce visitors to the region at the weekend were a Little Gull on Anglesey’s Inland Sea, and a Curlew Sandpiper and Spotted Redshank at RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands’ Border Pool. A Quail called near Pengroeslon last week and another was reported near Glan Conwy.

Finally, many people associate birdsong with positive mental health, and now Bangor University, in partnership with the British Trust for Ornithology, is recruiting participants (including those with expertise in identifying bird song) to study the effects of avian soundscapes on human wellbeing. Participation involves a one-hour in-person session in Bangor, during which you will experience a simulated visual and auditory environment and its impact on simple measures of your wellbeing will be assessed. All participants will receive a £10 gift card for their time. If you are 18 years or over, sign up at https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/bangor/avian-soundscapes-screening or contact [email protected] with questions.

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