Every month the team at Ynys-hir do a WEBS (Wetland Bird Survey) on the reserve on one of the high tides.
On Monday moring the team wrapped up and headed out, after a visit on Saturday from Iolo Williams confirming that the smew was still around, this time on the pools at Marian Mawr, they were keen to see what would be about.
On the "Visitor" part of the reserve we had, barnacle geese, greylag goose, shelduck, mallard, teal, gadwall, red-breasted merganser, cormorant, little grebe, coot, moothen, great-crested grebe, lapwing, curlew, oystercatcher, redshank, spotted redshank(1), green sandpier, bart tailed godwit, dunlin, common gull, herring gull, great black backed gull, and kingfisher. In the last week other sightings have included marsh harrier, prergrine, red kite. Staff and visitors alike enjoyed watching otter swimming and coming a shore in front of the Domenlas hide for a good 15 mins on the live camera, plus on Monday a seal had swam up the river also spotted from the hide at Domenlas. The weather has definitely been a little wintery and seasonal with a sprinkling of snow on the hills at the weekend.