You can't have failed to notice that the bushes are weighed down with berries this year. The good spring, followed by a warm and damp (but not soaking) summer created prime conditions, and the blackberries are especially abundant. Some days have brought lots of blackbirds to feast on them, whereas this morning, the robins were dominant. These aren't all resident birds on the reserve, but how far have they come? We can't really know, but sightings of redwings and fieldfares elsewhere in the Conwy Valley this week indicate that at least some of our blackberry-munchers have come from Scandinavia. Thanks to Alun Williams for the fine photo.
(By the way, you're welcome to collect blackberries from the reserve, but do stick to the paths and leave some for the thrushes!)
On the lagoons, the many weeks of dry weather (just 4mm of rain in September) mean that water levels are low. It doesn't bother the teal, though, and there's been a garganey on the Shallow Lagoon since 11th, although it seems to favour early mornings and evenings. Wigeon numbers have increased to several hundred, and a female scaup has been feeding intermittently on the Deep Lagoon.
We've had plenty of waders visiting the lagoons this week: sanderling on several dates (a scarce bird here), up to nine greenshanks, knot, ruff, curlew sandpiper and spotted redshank. Over 40 black-tailed godwits are feeding on the muddy Deep Lagoon as the water levels fall. A kingfisher has been seen regularly, and jays are almost daily - there has been a big influx from the continent in the last couple of weeks, with thousands in eastern England.
A merlin was reported a couple of times this week, another autumn/winter visitor. By contrast, most of the summer visitors have left. Chiffchaffs and a few blackcaps still sing in the extended summer weather, a reed warbler was heard on Monday (22nd), and house martins have been seen a few times this week.
The fine weather has been fantastic for insects, with lots of common darter dragonflies sunning themselves on the handrail over the Bridge Pond, a few migrant hawkers seeking muddy pond edges in which to lay their eggs, speckled wood and red admiral butterflies are still on the wing, and we've spotted several tree bumblebees too, a species that is a fairly recent colonist to North Wales. This settled weather won't last forever, so come and enjoy it while you can.
Julian HughesSite Manager, Conwy