The spring so far - March and April.

Welcome to my Orme blog - detailing birds seen on the Great Orme and the surrounding area. Please feel free to contribute any sightings to make it as complete as possible.

The spring has been a mixed bag with a couple of decent birds, a steady trickly of migrants and some very quiet days!

Below are a list of first dates and highlights so far this spring:-

Corncrake - one on April 22nd (the first seen in the UK this year!)
Blue headed Wagtail (below) - one on April 24th
Common Redpoll - one on April 24th
Firecrest - one on April 29th

Wheatear - March 17th with 7 birds. Steady passage with maximum of 40 on April 24th
Ring Ouzel - male on March 27th follwoed by 14 birds (ringed bird left (Rob Sandham)
Willow warbler - 7 on April 10th with steady passage until now - max of 25+ on April 25th
Tree Pipit - 2 on April 11th, max of 15 on April 24th
Redstart - 3 males - April 11th, 24th and 25th.
Yellow wagtail - four birds so far - April 11th, 24th and 2 on 28th
Grasshopper Warbler - first on April 11th with 12 records so far
Swift - 2 on April 23rd
Swallow - first on April 10th
House Martin - first 2 on April 24th
Sand Martin - 2 on April 10th
Whinchat - one on April 25th and 2 on May 2nd
Garden Warbler - first 2 on April 25th
Whitethroat - first 2 on April 25th
Black cap - first 12 on April 25th
Cuckoo - one on April 29th
Sedge Warbler - first on April 29th

Six Golden Plover have been seen over the past few weeks, while many hundreds of Lesser Redpolls have been on the move with a maximum count of 65 on April 10th.
Offshore highlights include 10 Eider on May 3rd and 52 Sandwhicj Tern on May 2nd.

This Sparrowhawk has been terrorizing the migrants on the limestones! Chough, Peregrines, Stonechats, Skylark and Auks can all be seen with ease at the moment.