Curlew Connections and More: Highlights from Bangor University's Visit

On 30th and 31st October, Julieanne and Katie from the Curlew Connections project were joined by Bangor University Zoology students to conduct the university local field course. With 21 students on day one and 22 on day two, it was a great opportunity to show the students the species and habitats right on their doorstep.

Beginning the day at RSPB Conwy, an introductory talk from Helen the site manager gave the students the history of the site and what to expect to see. With this knowledge we set out on the site to find the bird hides and see what species they could identify.

Using visual aids we introduced them to aspects of different birds, this guided the use of binoculars as they were able to look for the defining features to identify particular species. At RSPB Conwy the students were able to identify curlew, dunlin, lapwing and little egret, to name a few.

The second site we visited was Llanfairfechan, we had an introductory talk by Lesley the countryside warden and Steve a local bird ringer about the management and monitoring that is conducted throughout the year to support a wide range of species on the site.

As we walked along the coast line the tide was going out revealing the outstanding mudflats and bringing out many wading species to feed on them. This was a great opportunity to talk about the Curlew Connections Project, curlew ecology and hear their call as a flock of around 300 landed in front of us. Some other species that the students spotted included; a short eared owl, wigeon, oystercatcher, dunlin, redshank and mallard.

Our final stop took us to Spinnies Aberogwen, where we had a talk by Steve the volunteer warden about the management he does on the site himself. Seeing the bird hides and the habitats they overlook one side being the mud flats with many waders and the other side being the lagoons with species such as kingfishers, water rail and mute swans.

An excellent two days with some keen interest from lots of the students. Additionally, great for the team to get out and see some curlew prior to the breeding season.