Wales 2026 Day 5

 By now the illness that I had been bravely struggling with all week was getting worse, but still managed to drag myself around RSPB Ynys-Hir for 6 hours!! Lots of warblers singing, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Sedge Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler and Garden Warbler all heard, sadly Wood Warblers no longer seem to be at the reserve.  Highlights though were the Pied Flycatchers saw and heard several. A singing Common Redstart and Swallows nesting in a hide were also of note! Loads of Bluebells in the woods as well! 

Oaks

Bluebells, difficult to capture the overall beauty of the reserve

Pied Flycatcher, this one was a right little poser!

Lots of these in the sunny bits!

Little Egret, everything a bit distant from the hide

Dunlin

Lapwing

Marsh Harrier

Blackcap

Song Thrush, smashing up a snail

Jay

Common Redstart, miles up in a tree!

Trees

Grey Heron

Swallow

They posed really well in front of the hide!!!

House Martin, didn't pose as well as the Swallows 

Eventually, came into the hide, nesting in the rafters!

Gathering Mud

Marsh Harrier working the Salt Marsh, think it's a first year male, was joined by a female when it was further away!

After six hours I could take no more we headed back to base where I continued my world record Snot production attempt!!! 

Failed to Spot

 Yesterday was a bit of a failure all round, first I had a Seawatch down at Splash Point, Seaford from 5.15 (yes in the morning)  til just before 8. Have hardly done any Seawatching this year, every time I've been off work the winds have been wrong or I've been somewhere else! Already a bit late in the season, was very slow, joined by Simon L we saw about 20 Gannets, 9 Sandwich Terns, a few Scoter, 6 Auk SP at least one of which was a Razorbill, a couple of Whimbrel, two small flocks of Sanderling and 3 Swallows "in off"! It looks like I'm not going to see a Skua at all this season! 😢Which is entirely my own fault, although from what I can gather it's been very poor fare this year all round, whether due to the lack of the right wind or simply less birds who knows! 

Newhaven at sunrise

A local Gull

Pied Wagtail

Great Black-backed Gull

Gannet

Flock of Oystercatcher

Common Scoter

Gannet

Sandwich terns

Shag seem to have become a fixture down at Splash

Whimbrel

Giving up I decided to head to Southease to try for the Spotted Sandpipers, that have been there all week, unsurprisingly they seemed to have buggered off!! Though there were about 15 common Sandpipers, to keep me on my toes and nice to have close views of  seven Whimbrel as well. Even more annoying was the report of a Pom Skua at Birling Gap three quarters of an hour after I left, would've have flown right past Splash!! Grrrr! Still wasn't all bad news, the Sun was shining,  I was serenaded for the whole walk by Skylarks, Reed Buntings and Reed Warblers, I also bumped into Paolo O amongst the others present who I hadn't seen for ages! As far as I can tell the Birds weren't reported so likely have gone! So failure not down to my incompetence which is always good! 😁A few pics of the birds I did manage to see below!

Kestrel

Common Sandpipers

Whimbrel

Nice posy Meadow Pipit

Nice with the Blossom

Common Sandpiper

Reed Bunting

Grey Heron, there has been a Purple Heron reported further up the valley but I only saw 3 Grey Heron and a Little Egret

Reed Bunting having a scratch

Linnet

Little Egret, vertical Take-Off

Whimbrel

Couple of Whimbrel

Common Sandpiper

Whimbrel

Newhaven

Painted Lady

Whimbrel

I don't mind dipping, in such a picturesque place, they weren't Lifers and you can't win them all!!!!