A rare sighting at Conwy

This week has seen the return of a rare and elusive spectacle at Conwy.......water in front of the Coffee Shop! After torrential rain last night, we were finally able to see an increase in the water levels on the reserve after months of the water continuously receding. I suspected that struggling to get our small water pump up and running to move water from one lagoon to the other would tempt the fates - must remember that for the next drought! I know it doesn't look like much but it's a start, and hopefully it'll have percolated far enough down to keep all the bugs and beasties that will have buried deep down in the mud alive until the lagoon floods properly again.

Birdwise, autumn is definitely in the air, with wader numbers increasing every day. Redshank and curlew numbers are in the hundreds, and we had a count of 46 dunlin today. A greenshank has been seen daily, a single bar-tailed godwit was spotted on 18 July, one or two whimbrel have been putting in a regular appearance on the saltmarsh, and there have been small numbers of superbly rusty-red black-tailed godwits most days.

Less usual sightings this week were a 2nd summer Mediterranean gull on 17 July and a crossbill flew over the reserve on 19 July. Our common sandpiper chicks are still running around on the mud at an amazing rate for such small specks of fluff, and the great crested grebe chicks seem to grow visibly bigger daily. The young bearded tits have also been showing well most days.

On the reserve, we're gearing up for our Summer Fair this weekend, a fun-filled weekend full of activities and stalls for all the family, with special guided walks around the reserve with The One Show's David Lindo. Come and see us and join in the fun!