Snowdonia and Anglesey Wildlife

We meet at our hotel, where Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Goosander and Common Sandpipercan be seen on the river over the road. The woodland walks close by may yield Treecreeper, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jay, Nuthatch and assorted tits.

We start on Anglesey. The RSPB’s South Stack Reserve offers views of the seabird colonies, with masses of Guillemots and Razorbills and a few Puffins, as well as Fulmar, Peregrines, Ravens and sought-after Chough. Adders are also a possibility here, as we enjoy the coastal flowers such as Thrift, Sea Campion and Spring Squill.

At Cemlyn Bay we’ll enjoy the the tern colonies, busy with Sandwich, Common and Arctic Terns. We’ll visit Cefni estuary, looking for Whimbrel and Black-tailed Godwits and at Newborough Warren we hope to see Red Squirrels.

One day will be spent on the Dee Estuary, busy with Avocet, Lapwing and Redshank, plus wildfowl such as Shoveler, Teal and Gadwall. In May we’ve been lucky with Garganey, Spoonbill and Wood Sandpiper and Great Egrets. We’ll also visit Gronant beach, the site of Wales’ only Little Tern colony.

We’ll start early when we drive to Ruabon Moors to watch Black Grouse at their lek. These and other moors such as Migneint, also support populations of Red Grouse, Curlew, Skylark, Wheatear, Stonechat and Merlin.​

The slopes of the Ogwen valley and Aber Falls are home to Ring Ouzels, as well as rare Twite and at the Conwy estuary, there are wetland birds to be found; Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Shelduck and Red-breasted Merganser.

The headland of the Great Orme is worth a visit for its resident Choughs and feral goats.

We’ll have a long day to the southern perimeter of Snowdonia and the Dyfi estuary. The RSPB’s Ynys-hir Reserve has a mix of woodland and saltmarsh, with birds such as Pied Flycatcher, Wood Warbler and Redstart, as well as waders and wildfowl including Little Egret, Lapwing, Snipe, Redshank and Teal. Ospreys now breed nearby too, a wonderful adding to the birds of prey, that includes Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and for many people the most Welsh of birds, the Red Kite.