Our week in pictures

We've had some wonderful wildlife on the reserve this week, including a few local rarities. And our visitors have taken some wonderful pictures, so rather than writing a long blog, we thought we'd showcase some of the best we've seen.

A blue-headed wagtail (the continental race of yellow wagtail) stayed from 27th April to last Wednesday (4 May), sometimes showing very well. Sometimes it wanted a better view of the reserve, so perched on the wooden lapwing sculptures on the causeway. Thanks to Robin Freckles for sharing this photo on Facebook.

A pair of garganeys showed up on the shallow lagoon on Bank Holiday Monday, and stayed until Wednesday (4th). There was no sign on Thursday, but the male appeared again this morning (Friday 6th). This is our only summer migrant duck, and also our smallest (along with teal). Having spent the winter in sub-Saharan Africa, this pair will hopefully breed somewhere in northern Europe. Thanks to Dave Williams for the lovely photo.

With more than 240 bird species already recorded at Conwy, it's hard to find a first. The wood warbler that fed hungrily by the Bridge Pond on Thursday (6th) was one of the most likely 'missing' species to turn up, as it's a classic breeding bird in Welsh woodlands, though none very close to the reserve. The bird was constantly on the move, so well done to Henry Cooke for getting this shot.

In other news: all of our resident summer visitors are now here, with a handful of lesser whitethroats and a couple of garden warblers singing this week. Last Wednesday, sightings included two whinchats, spotted flycatcher, a redstart and 20 wheatears, while earlier in the week a flock of Sandwich tern peaked at 20 birds, a tree pipit was at the south end and two grasshopper warblers were 'reeling' in the reedbeds.  Small numbers of white wagtails have been on the estuary, heading for Iceland, as are whimbrels, here in greater numbers than usual - counts of over 40 have been regular, with a record 57 last Saturday (30 April).

A 'mixed singer' warbler has been a bit of a puzzle this week. It looks like a willow warbler, but sings "chiff-chaff" in descending notes, just like a willow warbler. This sometimes happens when a chick of these closely-related species can hear the male of the other species from the nest.

Speckled wood, brimstone, orange-tip, green-veined white and small tortoiseshell butterflies have been enjoying the sunny weather - but we've seen no dragonflies yet. Look out for cuckoo flowers in bloom around the reserve, and common dog-violets along the estuary bank. This is probably the last weekend to see the cowslips at their best too. We've received lots of reports of weasels this week, more than usual, so keep a look out as you're around the trails.

Please do keep sharing your photos with us on Twitter, Facebook and Flickr - and don't forget to tag us.  We love to see them, and they show how brilliant the reserve is at the moment.