Friday, 21 June 2019

Spoonbill at Ynys-hir

Paul Bennett and I visited Ynys-hir this morning and from the  Ynys Feurig hide I was working my way through at least 2000 Canada Geese out on the saltmarsh/sandbanks when I picked out a large white bird among them.  Paul and I and the other occupant agreed that it looked like a Spoonbill, but due to distance and heat haze we were delighted  to see it eventually fly to be 100% certain of the i.d. It didn't fly far, but landed where the heat haze was even worse.
Pick of the other birds was a Tree Pipit on Covert Coch, a Grasshopper Warbler heard by Paul and 16 Goosanders on the river (including seven seen from the Glandyfi layby, where we started).
Also at Glandyfi was a Common Sandpiper.

P.S.  Forgot to mention.  A quick look at the sea at Aberystwyth before setting off revealed a distant feeding flock of  several hundred Manx Shearwaters.