The water rails have been the stars of Conwy in recent weeks, with up to four on show at any one time, and the total number on the reserve must be in double-figures. In Welsh, these are rhegen y dŵr, literally 'runner on the water', an appropriate title for a bird that you often only see legging it across a gap in the reeds.
But they've been feeding in the open here, and photographers have been getting some great images, such as this early morning shot by Mel Hughes. The Coffee Shop and The LookOut are, as always, good places to see them, but if you want to try for a photo, we'd recommend walking quietly along the boardwalk and they may be feeding around the margins of the areas that we've recently cut. We'll be doing our annual midwinter survey of water rails in January.
Our outdoor team, with the help of warden and volunteers from our Cors Ddyga nature reserve, have also given a good haircut to the islands in the Shallow Lagoon, and so it's much easier to get good views of the waterbirds using the area. We've had up to seven shovelers on here, while the Deep Lagoon hosts a scaup (usually with the small flock of pochards) and red-breasted mergansers.
We've noticed a lot of bullfinches around the reserve in recent weeks, and this morning I counted 28 while I was opening the hides - and there may well have been more. Interestingly, users of BirdTrack have also been reporting bullfinches more frequently throughout 2017, so it looks like good news for this stunning little bird. Talking of little birds, at least one firecrest and a few goldcrests remain here, usually around the Bridge Pond, but also near the railway line. A little patience needed for these, though - listen for the high-pitched calls.
Other sightings this week include two rock pipits (Saturday 9th), lesser redpoll on the wildlife garden feeders (Friday 8th), stonechat and goldeneye (most recently on Tuesday 5th), Cetti's warbler (most recently on Monday 4th) and treecreeper (on Sunday 3rd). The overwintering great white egret was seen again on Monday 4th, when three twite were reported from the Carneddau Hide.
The weekend's cold snap may bring birds from the east and north - who knows what tomorrow will deliver?
To answer this month's most frequently asked question: no, we don't have murmurating starlings yet. If they come, and it's always an if, it tends to be in January or February, but we'll keep you posted on Twitter and Facebook if it starts to happen.
Finally, a plug for two job vacancies we have at Conwy nature reserve. If you're great at inspiring people about nature, especially young people, and have experience managing volunteers, you might be our ideal candidate for either Learning Officer or Visitor Experience Officer. Click on the links to visit our website, where you will find all the details. The closing date for both roles is the first half of January, so don't forget about it over the Christmas break.