Choughed to bits

For the last few weeks I'd be been pondering a trip to North Wales to visit friends who do volunteer work at RSPB Conwy. Being far more skilled birders than I, that would surely be a simple way of boosting my tally. After getting in touch and mentioning that Akira was planning a trip to the Isle of May, it was suggested that I book on a boat trip to Puffin Island where I ought to be able to pick up lots of coastal ticks.

So setting off early in glorious sunshine, here's what I saw:

6th July (Beaumaris / Puffin Island, off Anglesey)

Curlew
Sandwich tern
Eider
Razorbill
Shag
Great black-backed gull
Guillemot
Kittiwake
Gannet
Fulmar
Puffin

 

Spot the puffin

After the boat I had a couple of hours available to try and boost the list further, and had a couple of options: head into Snowdonia and try for a long-distance osprey perhaps? look for waders at Conwy? or travel across Anglesey where I'd be almost guaranteed to see choughs? Having only ever seen choughs once (briefly, in Cornwall a couple of years ago) the decision was obvious. Despite getting lost a couple of times, I made it to South Stack where I added three more species:


South Stack (Anglesey):
Raven
Chough
Stonechat


20th July (Huddersfield Narrow Canal, Stalybridge)
Mandarin duck


All of which takes me well past the century and onto 109 species. Many thanks to Rose and the rest of the boat team for pointing everything out and providing a great day. Without further trips afield my list is unlikely to get much longer so we'll see whether I manage to add to it in August.