Does this scoter know this isn't Scotland?

The male common scoter that has been here since 21 April seems in no hurry to leave.  Initially, we were concerned he wasn't well, but this week he's been swimming, preening and feeding as though being on the lagoons at Conwy is perfectly normal.  He should soon be making his way north to a loch in Scotland or an Icelandic lake to find a female.  It favours the island nearest the Carneddau Hide, but if it's out of view from there, try from Benarth Hide.

Similarly present have been two little ringed plovers, which we hope won't be moving on anytime soon.  When the reserve was first created, little ringed plovers bred on the bare earth.  Time and vegetation made it less suitable, but the new islands that we created last autumn have proved attractive, and they've been standing and mating on the top of them.  Fingers crossed they stay, but that also we get some rain soon so that the islands remain islands.  With no proper rain for six weeks, the lagoons are starting to shrink for the second successive spring.

Other highlights this week include red kite (four days out of the last seven), osprey hovering over the lagoon (Friday 29th), grey plover and Sandwich terns (also Friday) and gannet (Thursday 28th).  Whimbrels and white wagtails have been here almost every day, with other summer migrants becoming more abundant: several whitethroats and lesser whitethroats are now on territory, and there were the biggest groups yet of swift and house martin this morning.

The first brood of Canada goslings were seen yesterday, and several broods of mallard and one of gadwall have been splashing madly after their respective Mums this week.  Several visitors have been delighted to see water rail from the Benarth Hide during the week, a tough bird to see in the springtime.  Single black-tailed and bar-tailed godwits have been here this week, but as yet we haven't seen any groups of Icelandic black-tails that normally stay for a couple of weeks before moving north,

With orange tips, speckled woods and red admiral butterflies on the wing, it's hard to remember that winter was here but a weeks ago, though a smart male goldeneye (displaying to the tufted ducks out of desperation or confusion) and siskins on the feeders remind us that for northern birds, like the scoter, their time for nesting has yet to come.