Colwyn Bay at Easter! 25th-28th March 2016.

 It was a very windy, rainy and cold Colwyn Bay and surrounding areas over the 'Easter' weekend however one good point...Good Friday was good with sunshine and a gentle breeze until later in the day when the  wind was strong enough to blow you over and was decidedly cold!! Easter Saturday was literally a washout and a windy washout at that! Sunday faired slightly better, less rain but still heavy when it arrived and the strong winds prevailed all day!

Thankfully RSPB Conwy was visited on Good Friday and the perimeter walk was enjoyed in sunshine albeit a little chilly! The walk takes you alongside the estuary saltmarsh. Wigeon were to be the only species seen on the estuary. Conwy Castle can be viewed on the walk though distant.

Highlight species seen during the visit were: Little Egret, Shelduck , Oystercather and  Curlew aplenty, Redshank, Pochard,   Red-breasted Mergansers (lovely to see these sawbills), Snipe (distant but I believe a Common Snipe), Wigeon and Little Grebe.
The Starling Roost was great to see though the numbers had diminished from previous weeks as the good numbers of the birds had started to move on back to the Continent to their breeding grounds.

A few images taken over the weekend.

 

 

 

Conwy Castle.

 

Curlew Island! 

 

Oystercatcher Island!

 

Trying to ignore each other!

 

The Carneddau group of mountains were visible from many areas of the reserve, as you can imagine with them being mountains.;-) It was lovely to see the snow on them, brrrr....it might be Spring but only just!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carneddau 

 

 

 

 

 The Starlings were amazing to see, as I mentioned previously not in great numbers but still in good enough numbers as numerous waves of Starlings made for a splendid murmuration! A Peregrine Falcon flew through them a few times but left the scene with empty talons.

 

 

South Stack, Anglesey. 

A picture paints a thousand words...just one word needed here...gloomy!

 

 

Colwyn Bay on a dull, wet, windy and cold Easter Saturday.

 

 

 

 

 

A soggy looking Turnstone was as good as it got! Lovely to see all the same.

 

 

 

 

Me taking a photo of me taking a photo. Hey ho!

 

 

 

 

 

Great Orme, Easter Sunday.

 

Summit Complex

 

Pitch and Putt with great views!

These images are deceiving, it was very, very windy and I had to lean against a fence to keep upright to take the photo's....I kid you not!

 

Statue of a Kasmiri Goat.

https://www.llandudno.com/goats.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the way down to Llandudno by car or Vintage Tram.

 

 

 

Thankfully the sun was still shining after arriving at Morfa Madryn N R though again the winds were very strong still.

 

 

 

A couple of Ringed Plovers were a treat to see as they fed on the insects!

 

I was unaware that during the breeding season adult Cormorants have a white patch on their thigh!

 

 

One of several 'shell' Molehills

 

 

 

 

Somewhere over the rainbow...there is a pot of gold!!

 

 

 

It was good to 'get away' for the Easter weekend despite the at times atrocious weather!