Thursday, August 21, 2008

Sea watching & stuff

Hello all from Sunny (at last) North Wales. I am posting to ask for a little help. As most will know I am only a part time novice birder but as I have moved to an area which it is suggested should turn up some nice migrants and seabirds I thought I better brush up on tecniques. Can anyone recommend a good book or website with some tips on watching for seabirds ? I have never done much seabird watching apart from the seabird colonies at St Abbs Head in the Scottish borders where its simply a case of setting up the scope and wading (pardon the pun) your way through hundreds of birds to try and spot something different. I have no idea how one goes about watching seabirds apart from wader spotting whilst walking the beaches around here. Does one simply set up the scope in a suitable spot and keep watch ?

Not bothered with the Glaslyn osprey project which is nearby as I have been told its not very good for views unless one is very lucky on the day. But seen lots of other birds of prey and found at least two Buzzard nests with young. Buzzards are very common here and seem to escape persecution despite some areas having Gamekeepers. Its hard to believe just how rich and varied the bird life here is compared to Calderdale. Merlin's can be seen on most coastal or hill walks and one does not have to go far to spot Peregrines All the hedgerows are absolutely stuffed full of birds as its all small scale farms with small fields here so the hedges are left in place with just a trim in August. I have never seen so many House Sparrows in all my life, its hard to believe they are in decline in other parts of the country.We usually wake up to the sound of Ravens cronking around the site...and rain this month, we also get the occasional Chough passing overhead from their stronghold on the Pen Llyn. We had a Wrens nest around 6 feet from our front door earlier in the year and a pair of Robins nested around 6 feet away from my office window and managed to fledge 5 young in early July. If anyone fancies a trip down to North Wales you are welcome to call in. We don't have enough space to put people up but we do know some good reasonably priced local B&Bs and we are happy to supply some grub and booze should you require it :-))

2 comments:

Nick Carter said...

Whilst watching seabirds can take many forms, from visiting a breeding colony to checking sewage outfalls, harbours for gulls etc “seawatching” is a specific form of watching seabirds and usually takes place during migration times (now is ideal). The general plan is to visit a significantly protruding headland, position yourself with a clear and full view of the sea, preferably from a slightly elevated position (opinions differ on how high) and be prepared for a long stay. Scan the sea for passing seabirds using binoculars and a tripod mounted telescope. At migration times seabirds are on the move like many other birds and many will skirt the coasts on their journeys, a strong wind may help to bring these passing birds closer and make it possible to experience some brilliant birding. Identification is a skill developed with experience as the birds are often distant and not always in constant view due to high waves etc Often specific plumage features are hard to discern and ID is assisted by other features such as flight action etc. the only way become a skilled seawatcher is to do lots of it! There are several birders I can think of who are addicted to this specific form of birding and rarely do anything else!

Popular seawatching locations on the east coast of Yorkshire are Filey, Spurn and the mecca for many Yorkshire seawatchers at Flamborough where dedicated individuals spend whole days at a time recording seabird passage. I’m not sure where would be good in your area but I expect anywhere off the end of the Llyn peninsular would be worth a look, Bardsey Island has a bird observatory where seawatching will be a regular activity.

Goldon Gordon said...

Hi Nick
Thanks for the tips mate. I will let you know how I get on.