Blwyddyn newydd dda! Happy new year! The calendar may have changed but the weather has not and it’s been a frustrating week for those who hoped to get outside during the Christmas break. The wind and rain has made it hard work to find small birds in the bushes, but the mild temperatures and the lack of frost means there is plenty of natural food.
With no very cold weather in Britain, mid-winter is a time when there is little movement of birds, so we don’t see too many changes in the birdlife here. Duck numbers remain more or less constant, though as the water levels rise on the shallow lagoon, it becomes less suitable for teal to feed. However, these higher water levels are exactly what the lagoon needs if we are to give our nesting waders the best chance on the islands next spring, and to create muddy conditions that migrating waders will love next autumn. Some of our teal have headed elsewhere into the Conwy Valley, where there are plenty of flooded fields.
Our three scaup are still here, now in their seventh week, and the small groups of goldeneyes and pochards continue to feed in the deep lagoon, while shovelers and gadwall tend to favour the shallow lagoon. The single male pintail that has been here for many weeks is quickly gaining its smart brown and white breeding plumage. Up to 20 black-tailed godwits and 40 dunlins roost and feed on the lagoon shoreline at high tide, and there are more lapwings (around 80) than usual and plenty of snipe feeding around the edges of the reeds.
The bird feeders are busy with blue tits, robins and sparrows, and those in the wildlife garden are getting regular visits from beautiful bullfinches (up to four at a time) and reed buntings. A couple of siskins are in the same area, again their low numbers indicating that there is plenty of food available elsewhere. Small numbers of redwings roost here most nights, but only a handful of starlings.
On the estuary, a couple of shags were an unusual addition to our monthly Wetland Bird Survey. They brought the number of bird species seen at the reserve this year to 148, a fairly typical tally, though higher than in 2012. No we reset the clock to zero and wonder what 2014 will bring us.
Just before Christmas, 13 year old Niamh Stewart visited us. She first came to the reserve last summer, and our work inspired her to raise funds for The RSPB. The weekend before her visit, she had taken part in The Color Run, billed as “the happiest 5k on the planet”. Niamh has raised £265 so far, which is a fantastic effort, so a huge thanks from us to her and those who sponsored her.
While we’re thanking people, we’d also like to thank volunteer Julia Hamilton who works so hard throughout the year, running the second-hand book stall in the Coffee Shop. In 2013, she raised £7637, thanks to all those who donated or bought books during the year. Why not have a browse next time you’re here?