Pretty in pink

We headed along north Wales coast again this morning; first stop was at Rhos-on-Sea where a Rose-coloured Starling had been found yesterday. It didn't take long before the bird showed itself, feeding on feeders in front gardens.

The pink was bright and clean (though note all these photos are with my iPhone, thus the pink has become rather over-exposed), lacking any of the brown tones that would be expected on a 2cy bird. Further supporting the idea that this bird is a 3+cy adult is the very long crest; indeed, the crest is so long that it can only belong to an adult male. The rather extensive black bill base and glossy black plumage adds further weight to the bird being a male, as does the fact it was occasionally singing.



In flight the bird appeared longer winged than Common Starling and with a more floppy flight — it reminded me of a Golden Oriole.

We left the starling and headed with Alex Jones to the Little Orme. It was pretty quiet, though we enjoyed nice views of the breeding Fulmars.

At Conwy RSPB we added a few waders to the list: Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, and Little Ringed Plover.

Fabian gets a new in-hand species

We finished the day with a drive down the Conwy valley and across the Denbighshire moors, though sadly failing to find either of our target species (Red Kite and Red Grouse) in the process.