Conwy

Cowslips beside the shallow lagoon in early spring (Jonni Price)

It’s been a while since the last sightings blog post for the reserve was published, and a lot has certainly happened over the last three months with seasons changing, migrant birds coming and going, and the reserve coming to life in its full glory as we approach mid-summer. With the lack of visitors and only a small number of staff working there may…

On 14 April 1995, after years of initial development, RSPB Conwy nature reserve opened it's gates to the public. Throughout April, we want to commemorate this milestone, and celebrate our 25th anniversary with you! As part of this celebration, we will be sharing what RSPB Conwy means to the people at the heart of the reserve - our fantastic staff (both past and present), and our amazing volunteers. Each blog has been…

On 14 April 1995, after years of initial development, RSPB Conwy nature reserve opened it's gates to the public. Throughout April, we want to commemorate this milestone, and celebrate our 25th anniversary with you! As part of this celebration, we will be sharing what RSPB Conwy means to the people at the heart of the reserve - our fantastic staff (both past and present), and our amazing volunteers. Each blog has been…

On 14 April 1995, after years of initial development, RSPB Conwy nature reserve opened it's gates to the public. Throughout April, we want to commemorate this milestone, and celebrate our 25th anniversary with you! As part of this celebration, we will be sharing what RSPB Conwy means to the people at the heart of the reserve - our fantastic staff (both past and present), and our amazing volunteers. Each blog has been…

On 14 April 1995, after years of initial development, RSPB Conwy nature reserve opened it's gates to the public. Throughout April, we want to commemorate this milestone, and celebrate our 25th anniversary with you! As part of this celebration, we will be sharing what RSPB Conwy means to the people at the heart of the reserve - our fantastic staff (both past and present), and our amazing volunteers. Each blog has been…

On 14 April 1995, after years of initial development, RSPB Conwy nature reserve opened it's gates to the public. Throughout April, we want to commemorate this milestone, and celebrate our 25th anniversary with you! As part of this celebration, we will be sharing what RSPB Conwy means to the people at the heart of the reserve - our fantastic staff (both past and present), and our amazing volunteers. Each blog has been…

On 14 April 1995, after years of initial development, RSPB Conwy nature reserve opened it's gates to the public. Throughout April, we want to commemorate this milestone, and celebrate our 25th anniversary with you! As part of this celebration, we will be sharing what RSPB Conwy means to the people at the heart of the reserve - our fantastic staff (both past and present), and our amazing volunteers. Each blog has been…

On 14 April 1995, after years of initial development, RSPB Conwy nature reserve opened it's gates to the public. Throughout April, we want to commemorate this milestone, and celebrate our 25th anniversary with you! As part of this celebration, we will be sharing what RSPB Conwy means to the people at the heart of the reserve - our fantastic staff (both past and present), and our amazing volunteers. Each blog has been…

On 14 April 1995, after years of initial development, RSPB Conwy nature reserve opened it's gates to the public. Throughout April, we want to commemorate this milestone, and celebrate our 25th anniversary with you! As part of this celebration, we will be sharing what RSPB Conwy means to the people at the heart of the reserve - our fantastic staff (both past and present), and our amazing volunteers. Each blog has been…

On 14 April 1995, after years of initial development, RSPB Conwy nature reserve opened it's gates to the public. Throughout April, we want to commemorate this milestone, and celebrate our 25th anniversary with you! As part of this celebration, we will be sharing what RSPB Conwy means to the people at the heart of the reserve - our fantastic staff (both past and present), and our amazing volunteers. Each blog has been…

On 14 April 1995, after years of initial development, RSPB Conwy nature reserve opened it's gates to the public. Throughout April, we want to commemorate this milestone, and celebrate our 25th anniversary with you! As part of this celebration, we will be sharing what RSPB Conwy means to the people at the heart of the reserve - our fantastic staff (both past and present), and our amazing volunteers. Each blog has been…

On 14 April 1995, after years of initial development, RSPB Conwy nature reserve opened it's gates to the public. Throughout April, we want to commemorate this milestone, and celebrate our 25th anniversary with you! As part of this celebration, we will be sharing what RSPB Conwy means to the people at the heart of the reserve - our fantastic staff (both past and present), and our amazing volunteers. Each blog has been…

Along with the recent warmer weather, longer daylight hours and new leaves emerging on the trees, the sound of chiffchaffs singing around the reserve (photo by John Bridges, RSPB images) is a clear indication that spring has begun. These are one of our earliest migrants to arrive from Africa with the first one heard on 13/3. Another early arrival as usual has been sand martins with the first ones seen on 14/3. Reed Bunti…

The last few weeks have seen several notable things happening on the reserve. Around the end of January and into early February we were enjoying spectacular aerial displays from up to 60,000 starlings as they came in to roost in the reedbeds in the evenings (photo by Jonni Price).

The first week of February saw extensive habitat management work successfully completed with many large areas of mature bramble scrub removed…

Plans are underway for some large scale habitat management work on the reserve during the first week of February. This will see mature bramble scrub cleared from various areas in order to maintain a more diverse range of habitats as well as improving some of the views from the trails. 

The areas opened up will help to create a patchwork of different habitat types and structures, with increased edge features. These chan…

Having arrived in mid-Novemeber, Firecrests have continued to be the star attraction on the reserve over the past month, with daily sightings of at least three birds putting on a good show for visitors who've travelled to see them. The birds have been frequenting various locations along the discovery trail, usually up as far as the Bridge pond and Tal y Fan hides, with occasional sightings close to the visitor centre…

With the summer migrants long gone and autumn migration drawing to an end, the variety of birdlife around the reserve is now typical of the winter season. One of the latest arrivals was the first firecrest of the winter reported near the Bridge Pond on 16/11, one of our most sought after birds on the reserve during this time of year (photo of a bird seen previously by Bob Garrett).

Wildfowl species have been nicely building…

The arrival of birds for the winter season is now well under way, with further increases in wildfowl, winter waders and other species typical of this time of year. 

Numbers of wigeon and teal (photo by Steve Knell, RSPB images) have steadily built up around the estuary and lagoons and these have been joined by other wintering wildfowl including a female pintail on 26/9 to 27/9, up to two pochard, five shoveler and several…

With autumn now only just around the corner, we have seen a further increase in the variety of wading birds passing through the reserve, along with the first arrivals of some of our winter species. 

Wader highlights over the past month have included ruff on 20/8, spotted redshank on 24/8 and 14/9 (photo of a bird seen previously by Bob Garrett), and curlew sandpiper and little stint on 1/9. Small numbers of whimbrel continue…

As we move further through the summer months towards autumn, numbers of wading birds around the lagoons and estuary continue to increase, with a greater variety of species present. Some of the highlights from the past month have included wood sandpiper (pictured) with sightings on 26/7 to 28/7 and again on 5/8, green sandpiper on 13/8, a summer plumaged knot present from 17/7 to 20/7, and a single turnstone (a scarce…

It's barely mid July but the increasing presence of wading birds around the reserve over the past few weeks is a sign that autumn migration is already well underway.

The first black-tailed godwits appeared particularly early with three on 11/6, most likely birds returning from Iceland which had failed to breed, then increasing numbers from the end of June with a peak so far of 21 on 9/7. Curlew and redshank numbers…

The star birds of this year's spring migration were undoubtedly two superb summer plumaged black terns which were present over the lagoons on 8/5 to 9/5 along with hundreds of hirundines when calm, damp and mild conditions were evidently favorable for masses of insects for them to feed on (photo of one of the birds by Marc Hughes). 

Osprey sightings continued with reports of birds over the reserve on 9/5, 15/5 and 26…

There's never a dull moment at this time of year as each day brings new arrivals back to the reserve from their wintering grounds, or passage migrants stopping off to feed or roost before continuing their journey north. This constant arrival and passage of migratory birds has produced numerous highlights over the past few weeks, with the most sought-after bird being a wood sandpiper which was present on the lagoons from…

With numerous birds coming and going as we head further into the spring, the arrival of a grey phalarope on 14/3 was undoubtedly the biggest surprise of the past month, and of the year so far (photo of a bird seen previously by Marc Hughes). Most UK sightings of these small wading birds occur in autumn, with only three previous records on the reserve. This bird will most likely have spent the winter in tropical waters off west…

A week of warm southerly winds at the end of February saw the earliest recorded arrival dates of some of our summer migrants.

A whimbrel was seen on 26/2 and three sand martin were over the lagoons on 28/2, having both arrived from their wintering grounds in Africa. Two singing chiffchaff seen on 27/2 were also thought to be new arrivals from Africa, although we do have small numbers over-wintering locally, with regular sightings…