One swan doesn't make a winter

Although it feels more wintry feeling around the reserve today. with no frost (yet!) a few summer flowers continue to bloom, and there are still midges and wasps around. A flock of around 20 siskins are regular in the alders near the Tal-y-fan Hide, and a smart lesser redpoll was busily feeding on the seeds on the seeds of traveller's joy (old man's beard) outside the Benarth Hide this morning. Signs of colder temperatures elsewhere in Europe come with a few more pochards (seven this morning), a couple of goldeneyes and at least three pintails on the Deep Lagoon. A couple of coal tits have been regularly on the feeders, and male brambling was seen there on Sunday 8th, but not since.

A great crested grebe has been on the estuary all week, along with red-breasted mergansers, but the surprise of last weekend's Wetland Bird Survey was this smart whooper swan, which stayed just for a few hours on Monday afternoon. Thanks to Alison Cocks for the photograph. Whoopers are scarce in the Conwy Valley, but a small number winter on the Afon Glaslyn near Porthmadog, so perhaps this one had been disoriented by Sunday's gales and has now hopefully rejoined its brethren.

The wind and rain has made it hard to find firecrests this week. One was seen yesterday (19th), and there may still be others here. With leaves still clinging to some of the trees, it can still be a challenge to find these little birds. Water rails are being heard and seen in several places around the reserve, most frequently in front of The LookOut and Coffee Shop. A couple of choughs are seen most mornings, but they don't stop, heading south into the hills to feed for the day. Likewise, a few skylarks have been spotted overhead - sadly all too rare locally.

A colour-ringed Mediterranean gull was in front of Benarth Hide last Thursday (12th), which was the last day that chiffchaffs were heard singing on the reserve; there had been several around up to then.  Kingfishers have been seen sporadically over the last couple of weeks, no doubt enjoying the higher water levels.  We have had around 15cm of rain in the last four weeks, but it'll take another 70cm of rain to refill the Shallow Lagoon, so we have some way to go yet.

The stoats are much harder to see in the winter, but a real surprise was a polecat seen from the Coffee Shop last Sunday (15th).