Duel at Dawn!

Duel at Dawn!

We arrived at a moorland site in North Wales at around 5:30am. Our target was Black Grouse, and we were hoping to see them lek. We parked in a layby at dawn, and waited for it to get lighter. We could just make out their white tails in the dark. After around 20 minutes, we were finally able to see the lekking Black Grouse clearly. Their blood red "eyes" stood out at first, as well as their iconic shape created by their fan tail as they lek front-on. 

While the Black Grouse were lekking, they made an amazing and iconic bubbling sound. They would also occasionally call. We could also hear a singing Cuckoo distantly, but we were unable to locate it.

We then continued along the moorland, spotting multiple Red Grouse as they flew across the road and landed right besides our car. Happy with our morning, we set off to try and find my bogey bird, and a bird I've wanted for 3+ years!

We arrived at Pensychnant Conservation Centre at around 8:30am in hopes of seeing Cuckoo. As soon as we arrived at the site, we met a friendly birder who directed us on where to see the Cuckoos. He mentioned that he had them yesterday for the first time this year. He also pointed out a singing Redstart which we were unable to locate. We followed the man's directions, spotting a pair of Blackcaps along the way. Once we were at the right place, we immediately heard a Cuckoo. We waited for a while, hearing them often, but unable to track them down. I then spotted a small bird on top of a pine tree. To my surprise it was a Crossbill! We were later pleased to find out that this was an unusual bird for the area. 

After waiting for a while, I heard a Cuckoo singing again. I scanned in the direction it was singing in when a small, falcon-like bird appeared in the scope. I waited for it to land in order to confirm it. It was a Cuckoo! It perched on top of a pine tree and started singing. Although it wasn't a lifer, it was the first proper view I had gotten of one, after seeing one briefly and distantly at RSPB Pulborough Brooks. It then flew off. Satisfied with our sighting, we made our way to RSPB Conwy.

We arrived at RSPB Conwy at around 10:20am in hopes of seeing some interesting birds. As soon as we arrived, we made our way along the estuary track, spotting loads of Tawny Mining Bees as well as one or two Ashy Mining Bees & Yellow-legged Mining Bees on the dandelions. We also spotted a few Wheatears and White Wagtails on the estuary. Once we had arrived at Benarth Hide, we met Zack Spaull who then kindly toured us around the rest of the reserve. He pointed out a summer plumage Spotted Redshank, as well as my first Common Sandpipers of the year. We also heard plenty of Sedge Warblers and Reed Warblers. After going around the entire reserve, we were unsuccessful in seeing our target Lesser Whitethroats. Zak then agreed to show us round a secret site on his patch with the aim of seeing all of our target birds. Excited, we immediately made our way to there with our knowledgeable guide.

Once we had arrived at the secret site, we spotted loads of Wheatear and Meadow Pipits. We also spotted a Raven. We then did a 16km round trip to try and find Ring Ouzels, yet to now avail. We did however spot a pair of Stonechats, a Reed Bunting and a Grey Heron flying over, which was unusual as we were in the hills. We then made our way back to the car park, and decided to try and look for Pied Flycatchers and Redstarts.

Once we had arrived in the woodland, we were delighted by multiple singing Pied Flycatchers. After doing a short loop through the woodland, we spotted around 7-8 Pied Flycatchers, which was amazing to see in such a small area of woodland. With the light fading, we decided to call it a day and head home. We are hoping to do a repeat trip in June to try and get some of the targets we failed to see today, as well as a few rare damselflies.

Overall, a great trip with good views of my bogey bird (Cuckoo) and plenty of interesting birds (and bees) seen!