WESTERN REEF HERON, THRIFT CLEARWING AND BEAVERS

Plans had been made at the beginning of the week for Jenna and me to head to North Wales to try and see the Thrift Clearwing near Aberystwyth, a species I hadn't seen before and the smallest UK clearwing moth. We also planned to visit a Beaver site on the way home so Jenna could see her first wild Beavers. However, all those plans went out of the window just as we were about to leave. News broke on the North Wales bird WhatsApp group of a probable Western Reef Heron at Foryd Bay, Caernarfon. The report came with a photo attached and the words that every birder dreams of hearing – a possible first for Britain!

After what has been an abysmal spring for me birding-wise, the chance of a new bird was something I wasn't expecting. We set off with surprisingly little traffic on the A55 for a Saturday and arrived on site to find the bird roosting alongside two Little Egrets. After a while, it wandered around a bit before settling back down to preen.

(c)Dan Pointon

What a bird!

(c)Marc Hughes

Previous reports of this species in Britain have come under scrutiny due to possible hybridisation with the Little Egret. This is a  species more commonly found along the coasts of West Africa and parts of southern Asia. In recent years, however, records have increased in southern Europe, with birds appearing in Spain, France and Italy.

This bird was found by local birder Simon Hugheston Roberts and has undoubtedly made the year for many birders, myself included. Finding a bird like this on your local patch is something most birders can only dream about.

With more and more birders arriving, we decided to leave before the crowds built up and continue with our original plans. A few hours later, we arrived at Pen Dinas Nature Reserve near Aberystwyth.

Armed with our Thrift Clearwing pheromone lures, we headed down the coastal path in search of suitable habitat. 

There was plenty of Thrift growing along the coastal path, so we put the lures out and waited.

Thankfully, we didn't have to wait long. Before long, a tiny moth came buzzing in and landed right by the lure. Our first-ever Thrift Clearwing!

Thrift Clearwing

At last, Jenna and I had tried for this species at South Stack and Cemlyn Bay on Anglesey last year without any success, so we were absolutely made up to finally connect with one.

The Thrift Clearwing (Pyropteron muscaeformis) is a rare day-flying moth; it is mainly found along rocky coastlines and sea cliffs where its foodplant, Thrift, grows. The species flies during June and July and can often be attracted using pheromone lures.

After enjoying good views of the moth, we headed into Aberystwyth for a celebratory meal. It had already been a cracking day, but there was still one final target left.

As evening approached, we made our way to the Beaver site near Machynlleth. Arriving at the bridge, it was immediately obvious that the Beavers had been busy, with a substantial dam built beneath it.

We stood and waited. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait long before our first Beaver surfaced and swam towards the bank. It climbed out and sat feeding for several minutes before returning to the water and swimming slowly along the edge of the river towards us.

These wild Beavers first came to wider attention after BBC wildlife presenter Iolo Williams encountered one while filming near the site. Beavers became extinct in Wales around 400 years ago due to hunting, and disappeared from Britain altogether by the end of the 16th century. It was nice to see them back in the Welsh countryside. For Jenna, these were her first wild UK Beavers, and it rounded off a perfect day for both of us. When we set off this morning, neither of us expected the day to include a potential first for Britain, a long-awaited Thrift Clearwing and wild Beavers. Somehow, we managed all three.

Days like this don't come around very often. What a day!