A Visit to the North

I went up to North Wales yesterday wearing my Welsh Ornithological Society hat to have a meeting with staff of the BTO.  Not much time for birding but I did scan an enormous Common Scoter gathering off Colwyn but alas they were too distant to make out Velvets or indeed the Surf Scoters which had been seen recently.





Red Grouse - photo by Brian Brown

 This morning I did spend a couple of enjoyable hours (except for hearing England lose the Test Match against Sri Lanka) at Worlds End high up on the Denbigh moors.  This is a splendid place for grouse species and I was not to be disappointed.  A male Black Grouse flew across the road and three Red Grouse performed admirably.  I also found my first Wheatear, Lesser Redpoll, Yellowhammer and Sand Martin of the year and most surprisingly a rather distant Great Grey Shrike.