Mor Elias

Glan y Mor Elias is a coastal nature reserve which - despite good intentions - we haven’t visited for some time. On Monday, before our venture into Snowdonia, my sister and I made a brief visit following a longish walk from the next village. Today, G and I return, and there’s a veritable bird bonanza.

It starts as we are looking out into the millpond sea and spot a brownish bird bobbing along. I quickly realise it’s a female Eider - the first I’ve seen this year, and then, to our  and other birders’ great excitement, realise that just further out there us the male! I know that for blippers further north, this would not be a rarity , but here it’s our first sight of this magnificent bird. Sadly, he’s too far out for a decent shot, but still, he’s there - and though the pair head off to sea, there’s always the promise of a return visit. 

Walking on across the salt marsh coastal path, we’re blessed with flocks of grazing wigeon, some grooming in the streams, wading redshank - and I think this is the rarer spotted variety which winters here - and battling egrets.  Further out on the marshes are lapwing and curlew, and on the narrow beaches are dense crops of oyster catchers, waiting for the tide to turn. Suddenly, the flocks rise up, forming an oystercatcher murmuration across the Menai Straits. 

Sadly we don’t see the star of my previous day’s visit - a red breasted merganser pair, who’ve strutted their stuff along the water, rich colours glowing in the brilliant sunlight, but I’ve included yesterday’s shots in extras. 

Today’s main is the Mor Elias salt marsh, with assorted birds in extras! Apologies for the very late posting, but a night entertaining my sister’s friends left little time last night!