Grey Plovers

Another day of high pressure - the morning started sunny, with blue skies and a bone-chilling south-easterly.

I called in at Aberdesach at lunchtime and was relieved to find the wind had eased off and conditions for scoping the sea were near perfect. A single Great Northern Diver was munching crabs as usual with 5 Red-throated Divers, 33 Wigeon and 23 Red-breasted Mergansers. A flock of 15 Grey Plovers were a nice surprise as this is quite an uncommon, localised species in Gwynedd.

Pwllheli harbour played host to a similar selection of birds as of late including; 14 Shelduck, 9 Wigeon, 2 Little Egrets, a Water Rail, 59 Oystercatcher, 41 Ringed Plover, 6 Knot, 171 Dunlin, 2 Turnstone, 4 Bar-tailed Godwit, 59 Curlew and 27 Redshank.

Various gulls dropped in to wash, preen and loaf around, prior to flying off to roost at sea; 179 Black-headed', 70 Common Gull, a Lesser Black-backed', 92 Herring' and a Great Black-backed'.

Also, there was a 2w Med Gull at the west end of Porth Neigwl yesterday afternoon with 225 Common Gulls.