North Wales Holiday, March 2017

I have just got back from a birding holiday in North Wales. The cottage was within half a mile of an estuary, and a stream ran literally past the front door. The stream had some very nice birds, including Dipper and Grey Wagtail, and occasionally the odd Grey Heron flew up stream. Lower down, near the estuary, the stream held a pair of Goosander. I went for a day trip to Lake Vyrynwy RSPB, and found a Great Tit's nest in a sand bank. Also, out of the Capel Coed hide, on the feeders, I saw large numbers of Siskins, as well as a handful of Chaffinches, and a male Pheasant, plus numerous squirrels feeding on the ground. Back on the estuary, I saw Little Egret, Oystercatchers aplenty, and at least five Red-breasted Mergansers, many Mallards, and similar numbers of Canada Geese, without anything of interest among them. Also in the way of ducks, there were several Shelduck, and even a surprise Pintail. Whilst on holiday, I saw my 100th bird of 2017 - Treecreeper in the trees near the cottage. It was a little surprising to have such a common species as my 100th, but all the same a nice little bird, and later on I found three plus in the same area.