Shrike surprise BY the Menai Strait

Great Grey Shrike (Freddy Skinner)

As North Wales tidied up after Storm Darragh at the weekend, birdwatchers looked to the north coast to see whether the forceful northerlies had brought any unusual seabirds. Thousands of gulls feasted on clams and starfish washed up by the huge waves along Colwyn Bay and Llandudno’s shoreline and a displaced Gannet was spotted over Bangor retail park in Caernarfon Road on Monday. Point Lynas recorded Black-throated, Red-throated and Great Northern Diver on Sunday morning, and 14 Black Guillemots, unusual here in winter. Many hoped that some Little Auks would be seen, as occurred in number on North Sea coasts but it was not to be. This diminutive seabird, half the size of a Puffin, breeds in the high Arctic no closer than Svalbard, but has become such a rare visitor to Wales that future sightings will require verification by the Welsh Birds Rarities Committee.

While some birdwatchers were facing into the teeth of the prolonged gale, those sitting comfortably in the observation hide at The Spinnies North Wales Wildlife Trust reserve found the bird of the weekend, a Great Grey Shrike. It is the first in the region this winter and caused the smaller birds on the feeders to flee, but eventually a group of embolded Chaffinches saw it off. The Shrike is another visitor that has proven hard to find in recent years, although one or two are seen around felled forestry in Mynydd Hiraethog each winter.

Other sightings over the weekend included a handful of Hawfinches in Llanrwst, Water Pipit at RSPB Cors Ddyga and a Black Redstart in Aberdaron. Four Snow Buntings are on the Great Orme and another at Kinmel Bay’s Horton’s Nose. A Firecrest continues to overwinter in the old Llanbedrog quarry and a Whimbrel, which should be in west Africa, was on the Clwyd estuary.