An early start for a seawatch from the Ynyslas brickhouse was an uneventful one.
A quick look over Ynys Tachwedd fields produced 15 or so Whimbrel, but no
Egrets. On to Foel Fawr, where I saw my first Cuckoo of the year as well as a
calling Lesser Spot on the way back onto the main road. Cwm Clettwr produced my
first Wood Warblers of the year, at least 4 singing males.
On the way home I
thought I'd check on Tachwedd fields again, and the six Cattle Egrets had
arrived, it seems they turn up on that field around 9am. Thought I may as well
as check the ploughed field while I was there, as a good few gulls had arrived
since I last checked it.
A quick scan through produced a 1st summer Ring-billed
Gull feeding on its own on the nearside of the field. Managed
to get a few massively overexposed phonescoped shots before it flew with the
rest of the gulls. I believe the bird settled onto the Leri for a few seconds
before flying down the estuary towards the pillbox, I wasn't sure it was the
bird but it seemed to be a good fit. Just as I walking back to the road a Yellow
Wagtail flew east over the Leri Boatyard calling as it went.
Edward O'Connor