Our first stop was at Conwy RSPB to year tick the Grey Phalarope which had been present for the last couple of days. I wasn't hoping for any great photos as they are tiny little birds, very active and often quite distant. We found it quickly at the first screen without any problems, but our views were straight into the sun and the bird was distant as expected.
So after a couple of record shots, we decided to move on to the main target, which was a Ring-necked Duck on Llyn Bran, near Llyn Brenig. There had been a lot of rain over the last couple of days and the morning news had shown extensive flooding in the Conwy Valley, so I asked a couple of people about the best route there, as the police had been turning people back to clear strewn braches and even abandoned cars. As it happens, the most direct route from Conwy to Llyn Brenig though Llanwrst was fine, although many of the fields on either side of the road were still flooded and it wouldn't have taken much for the water to overflow on to the road in some places.
On arriving at Llyn Bran, another birder was present and he kindly put me on to the Ring-necked Duck and allowed me to use his scope - it was so distant on the far side of the lake that I couldn't really make out the difference between it and the Tufted Ducks with which it was associating. I'd need to get nearer for even a record shot. I moved the car up the road and tried the other side and as I did so, Alan and Ruth Davies were just pulling up with some other birders, and a little later Tony Pope arrived hobbling as he had just recently broken his toe, again!
We had a chat about what they'd seen in the area whilst viewing the Duck, all the while hoping it would come closer, but it never really did. So I'll just have to be happy with these records shots for now.
Sarah and I then went on to the Llyn Brenig Visitor Centre for a late lunch consisting of 'Bacon and Brie Paninis' and a hot drink. We finished off the day by spending some time at the Brenig feeders where I got some shots of this lovely male Brambling, male and female Siskins, a Goldfinch, a Coal Tit and male and female Chaffinches,
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment by typing your message in the text box, selecting 'Anonymous' from the 'Comment as' drop down menu and then finally clicking the 'Publish' button. It would be nice to see your name in the text if possible - thanks.