4th Aug - sunny periods, light - steady NW, 19C

An early rise and walk along the river  Dee in Llangollen was worthwhile.  I soon spotted Mandarin duck, at least 14 along with about 20 Mallard.  A Kingfisher dashed up and down stream, with a family of Grey Wagtails.  I then found a Dipper and had very good views of it feeding in the river, fascinating how they can go against the flow.  Overhead a single Swift flew past and several House Martins were feeding, presumably these nest in the town somewhere.

Next off to Holyhead harbour on Anglesey to see the Black Guillemot.  The onshore wind was making it a bit uncomfortable, but a wall offered shelter. Scanning around the sea just off the harbour I find three breeding plumed Black Guilemots  and two 1st winter plumed birds, they were floating on the sea and occasionally fishing..   On the large harbour marker, just off the harbour, several Cormorant and Shag sat preening or resting.

A distant Black Guillemot, 1st winter 

Next off to the RSPB South Stack reserve, the wind was directly onshore here, not brilliant for the small birds, but the (red-billed) Chough loved it and spent a lot of time flying and hanging in it.  All the nesting Auks had left their cliff sites and now out at sea.  However, several Kittewakes were on the cliffs behind the lighthouse and off shore Gannet and Manx Shearwater could be seen skimming the waves.

 South Stack Lighthouse

 Cliff top in bloom

As things were fairly quite here I decided to visit a new site I've not been to before about 30 mins away.  Cemlyn is a nature reserve that consists of a lagoon behind a stony shingle beach.  It is famous for nesting terns, although nesting has finished and few terns remain.  I did see a couple of Sandwich Tern and single terns sat on posts by the lagoon, these were an Arctic and Common Terns.  There were several Little Egret and Grey Heron around the lagoon.   The commoner duck were present and a flock on GreyLag geese were on the field edge, about 20 Curlew were with them roosting.  On the Lagoon mud a single Dunlin, Greenshank and Curlew Sandpiper fed, as usual there were plenty of Oystercatchers too. Two waders then flew in and settled together, one initially looked like a Little Stint, the other I did not recognize.  They both immediately sat in the vegetation and put their head under wing to roost - giving no views, then somethings must have spooked them as they were off in a flash.  So, tantalizing, but not identifiable today.