What do birders miss in the mountains?

Shorelark (Ben Porter)

I’ll raise my hand as a keen birdwatcher who rarely goes high into Eryri in autumn or winter. I tell myself this is because there are few birds on the higher slopes outside the breeding season (which is true), but it reflects my laziness that I spend the shorter days on the coast and at wetlands, which are more productive in terms of bird per mile. Upland species such as Meadow Pipit, Stonechat and Hen Harrier move downhill in winter, where there is more to eat and the weather is better.

Those who explore the hills can find some special birds. Snow Buntings, for example, are found on Welsh mountains each year, often by hardy walkers who have snapped them on a smartphone. Birds that breed in the Arctic Circle have encountered few humans so can be surprisingly tame, happy to approach hikers who stop for a sandwich. Two Snow Buntings, and even more unusually, a Shorelark were unexpected for birder Ben Porter on Sunday, trekking through the snow in the Glyderau. Only a handful of Shorelarks have been seen inland in Wales, most being coastal such as one on the Great Orme for its fourth week.

On my comparatively easy walk through the dunes at Gronant, I watched a Marsh Harrier quarter over the saltmarsh and a pair of Snow Buntings present for several weeks. A couple of Whooper Swans were an odd sight among 5000 Common Scoters in waves rolling ashore at Pensarn and Llanddulas, where others reported a Surf Scoter and eight Velvet Scoters. Five Scaup remain on Anglesey’s Llyn Llygeirian and a Red-necked Grebe in Holyhead harbour, while new finds included a Wood Sandpiper on Llanengan floods and a Black Redstart near Point Lynas. A Water Pipit was at Pontllyfni last week, a Common Scoter on Llyn Tegid and four Slavonian Grebes in Beddmanarch Bay. A Swallow was at Gronant on November’s last day.

Blatant bit of advertising now... I do go into the mountains in the summer, and one of the most enjoyable days is a Birds in the Mountains course that I run with outdoor and environmental trainer Mike Raine. We have an enjoyable time walking through a wooded valley and up into Crimpiau, learning to identify a typical range of species by sight and sound, usually including Pied Flycatchers, Redstart and Wheatear, and sometimes more unusual birds too. The course is designed for Mountain Leaders, but is open to anyone and assumes no prior knowledge. The next one is on Friday 22 May 2026, and there are places available for booking now. Visit Mike's website for details - and have a look at the wide range of other events that he organises.