Sunday 13 October 2019

Llanrhystud and Llansantffraed

Popped to Llanrhystud yesterday afternoon and was surprised to see so much water in the field behind the beach. There were a few hundred gulls on the far side of the floodwater, mainly black headed gulls but a fair number of Mediterranean gulls plus a smattering of herring gulls and great black backed gulls. It looked perfect for waders but I only saw a single oystercatcher on it; the beach itself was devoid of waders altogether. A few kites and a buzzard were on fence posts but there was no sign of the merlin. Some rock pipits and a pied wagtail put in a brief appearance but other than that it was quiet.
A move to Llansantffraed was more productive with approx. 30 red kites feeding on chicken pieces that someone had put out on top of their garage roof! The usual gulls were present on the beach along with 6 oystercatchers, a pair of herons, 15-20 ringed plover, a single redshank, a single turnstone and a very nice bar tailed godwit.




Shane Jones