The Dee and Thereabouts

Tag: loggerheads-country-park

Dippers at Loggerheads

(Sunday 27^th September, 2026)

Over to Denbighshire this morning to Loggerheads Country Park. There were a few drops of rain as we arrived but, luckily, the shower quickly passed. The temperature was a reasonably mild 17°C, but the sun was determined to stay away, so it was quite gloomy.

    Before we entered the woods we thought we’d take a quick look from the wooden bridge opposite the visitor shop, just on the off-chance that we might spot something. We were in luck: a White-throated dipper (Cinclus cinclus) was just a few metres downstream from us. Perched on a rock mid-river, the Dipper bobbed up and down in its characteristic fashion as it surveyed the fast-flowing water for food.

White-throated Dipper

    As we watched, a Grey wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) flew upstream and very close over the Dipper’s head before landing on the stones nearby. I’m sure that this ‘buzzing’ was done playfully – certainly the Dipper was unperturbed and carried on searching for food as if nothing had happened. Both species of bird share the same habitats – fast-flowing water through rocky or stoney terrain – although their differing feeding habits mean that they don’t have to compete with each other for food. The Dipper feeds on caddisfly larvae and other invertebrates like freshwater shrimps, which it retrieves from underwater, whereas the Grey wagtail feeds on insects that it finds on rocks and stones or by plucking flying insects from the air. We often see both bird species along this stretch of the River Alyn.

Dipper searching underwater for food

    The wagtail quickly departed downstream again so no photographs today. We did register that it was a male – the last time we saw them, there were three altogether, which we think were two adult birds and one juvenile. The juvenile has obviously fledged and will have established its own territory elsewhere along the river and it looks like the female parent has also gone. Outside of the breeding season, the Grey wagtail is quite solitary.

    The Dipper, on the other hand, will stay with its mate. We can’t be sure if the bird we saw today was male or female, as both sexes are very similar, but there’s a very good chance that its partner is still around!

The clear water of the River Alyn at Loggerheads

    The presence of Dippers and Grey wagtails is always a good indication of the water quality of the rivers or streams which they inhabit. If the water is of poor quality due to agricultural run-off or some other form of pollution, then the food chain on which both species’ depend will be affected, which will in turn affect the birds’ ability to feed and ultimately to breed. So, this stretch of the River Alyn is in reassuringly good condition. However, both White-throated dippers and Grey wagtails are currently on the Amber list of Birds of Conservation Concern, so we need to remain vigilant.

    We carried on into the woods where we saw a pair of Robins (Erithacus rubecula) hopping on and around an old, rotting log. I suppose that we’re so used to seeing Robins in the United Kingdom that we almost take them for granted, but they’re bold, cheerful little birds that sing throughout the year and it’s always a pleasure to encounter them when we’re out and about.

Robin

    Despite North Wales still being officially in drought status, there has been some recent rainfall here as confirmed by the little bursts of mushrooms at the base of trees and on decaying logs. The mushrooms in the photographs are Hypholoma fasciculare, commonly known as sulphur tuft. You can see that they are a pale creamy colour on the outer edge, then go from yellow to orange-red in the centre, creating a sort of sunburst effect. They are quite lovely, though highly poisonous, and they certainly stood out in the gloom of the woods. [Incidentally, while we’re reasonably good on birds and wildflowers, I must point out that neither of us has suddenly become an expert mycologist – we cheated by consulting an app!]

Sulphur tuft mushrooms

    As we made our way back, the Dipper turned up again for a second photocall – we really were honoured today!

The important stuff

To The Mill House café (Tŷ’r Felin) for a cappuccino each, accompanied with a Caramel Biscoff (Stu) and a Vegan Cookie (Col). Scrumptious!

01.10.2026
Jay at Loggerheads

(Sunday, 7^th June 2026)

Over to Loggerheads Country Park in Denbighshire today. The wind (SSW) was quite blowy on occasion but you barely noticed it here as the woods are so sheltered. Although overcast the morning remained dry and the temperature didn’t rise above 15°C.

    The ditch between the car park and the buildings had been drained and cleaned up, prior to relining it. While we were examining this work, we noticed a Grey heron standing motionless in the pond just beyond the sluice gate. We carried on down the path for a better view and stood watching as the bird stealthily stalked the pond in search of prey, although it loos like its collecting nest material in the photograph below.

Grey heron with leaves in its beak

    As we came to the stone bridge that crosses the River Alyn to join the Leete path, we saw a plant with bright, white, four-petalled flowers. This is Dame’s rocket which more commonly flowers as a purple or lilac colour. The white petals on this version seemed to hold their own light and certainly stood out against the predominantly green foliage in the background.

Dame’s rocket

    Surprisingly, the wild garlic flowers that had carpeted the woods only weeks before had all but gone, with just the occasional earthy whiff reaching us. A reminder of how quickly time marches on, I suppose.

The River Alyn’s waters often disappear underground, leaving the bed dry

    A short way along the river we were reassured to see the White-throated dipper once again: we hadn’t seen any Dippers since they had (presumably) abandoned their nest further downstream after the Alyn’s water had receded, a not uncommon occurrence here at Loggerheads which we’ve covered elsewhere on the blog.[1] Good to see, although it was just the one Dipper that made a fleeting appearance this morning.

White-throated dipper photographed mid-blink

    Nature doesn’t always provide us with pleasantness, it has to be said, and shortly after our Dipper had disappeared upstream, there was a raucous commotion in the trees on the opposite bank. We looked over to see a Eurasian jay with a small bird in its beak, while another small bird had the Jay’s tail in its beak.

Eurasian jay devouring prey

    The two smaller birds were Great tits and, though it was difficult to be absolutely sure, it looked like the Jay had taken an adult Great tit and that this poor bird’s mate was valiantly trying to rescue it. The second bird flew off as the Jay turned on it, tentatively returning a little while later, by which time the Jay had finished off its partner.

Jay with remnants of Great tit on branch

    The Jay is probably the most secretive of our corvids in the United Kingdom and you don’t often see them, though you do occasionally here their cacophonous screeching, which is hard to miss really. The Jay’s diet is varied and it will eat fruits, berries, acorns, and insects, but will also eat small rodents, young birds, and eggs. Occasionally – as in this case – it will also take adult birds. With its pinkish plumage, black and white flashes on its wings, and the distinctive sky-blue and black patch on its upper wing, the Jay is arguably our most colourful corvid but seeing our first Jay in two or three years behaving in this brutal way was obviously not the best way to witness it’s reappearance. However, it is what birds – and other animals – do, and we should treat such behaviour as dispassionately as we can.

    We saw two adult Grey wagtails and one fledgling all flying low along the course of the river to forage around the stones on which they alighted. It looked like the juvenile was still being fed by one or both of the adults for the most part. Much paler than its parents underneath, with barely any yellow, this youngster did seem to be learning about habitat and food sources from its parents. These are skills it will need when it becomes fully fledged, which cannot be that far off now.

The adult Grey wagtail (top picture) is much more yellow underneath than the juvenile (middle and bottom pictures)

     We caught sight of a Chaffinch as it flew from our side of the river to the trees over on the far bank. As we followed this colourful male’s progress, we almost missed the female with her more muted colouring, which enabled her to blend in with the branch on which she was perched.

Male Blackbird

    Whenever we’re here at Loggerheads Country Park, we seem to hear but rarely see Wrens. Today, we could hear one singing from the trees behind us and being answered – or competing with – one whose call was coming from across the river. As we were a little further downstream now, where the waters have receded, Stu was able to walk across the riverbed and get a photograph of this lovely little bird.

The Wren delivered a fine solo performance for us

The important stuff

Over to The Mill House café (Tŷ’r Felin) for our well-earned refreshments. Cappuccinos, unsurprisingly, with a Lemon muffin with gooey lemon curd in the middle for Col, and a Chocolate mini-egg pie (or something) for Stu. Very nice and very healthy!

[1] See Along the Leete 14^th April, 2024; and The River Vanishes 27^th July, 2025

13.06.2026
Wagtails along the Alyn

Sunday 17^th May

Back to Loggerheads Country Park in Denbighshire this morning. The temperature was 12°C and there was a very gentle wind (WSW), although the odd cold gust blew through the woods. Overcast when we first arrived, the sun shone through from mid-morning onwards.

    We were greeted by lots of lovely pale, pink flowers on long stems with large leaves at their base – the common bistort certainly catches the eye.

Common bistort

    A pair of House martins have constructed a nest up in the eaves of the gift shop once again and we watched as both parents shared feeding duties, each darting in with insects caught on the wing. We saw two chicks that briefly revealed themselves, although there may be more.

House martin entering nest and (below)about to emerge in search of more insects for its chicks

    The woods are thriving now, with lush green grasses and leaves sprouting everywhere and with the chorusing of birds and the liquid sound of running water. Apart from the bistorts, there are occasional little bursts of buttercups, herb robert, red campion, dog violets, and Welsh poppies too. Our nostrils detected the pungent aroma of wild garlic which was being gently wafted by the light wind. Pure vitality fills the senses.

    To the sound of two Song thrushes singing across the woods to each other – they may have been throwing out challenges or merely chatting loudly – we carried on along the Leete path.

    Nuthatches and Great tits fed from the impromptu ‘feeding table’ at the water’s edge – these two species seem to tolerate one another probably because they’re roughly the same size. However, we did see a Nuthatch shooing away a Blue tit which is smaller in size. The bully!

Great tit and Nuthatch tolerating one another

   Disappointingly, the Dippers seem to have abandoned their nest to move elsewhere and we were unable to locate them this time.

The recently abandoned Dipper nest, beneath which the river has clearly receded

We had noticed today that the Alyn was a little lower than it was a fortnight ago, resulting in the waterflow vanishing from below their nest. As Dipper chicks dive straight into the water directly beneath once they’re ready to fledge, this seems to be the obvious reason for the nest being abandoned. However, as Dippers are early nesters, it’s quite possible that any young might have already fledged, in which case the nest would be abandoned naturally. Hard to say.

    Still, we were encouraged to see that the Grey wagtails have bred successfully and we saw the proud father, with the distinctive black bib of its breeding plumage, shadowing two fledglings as they all flew up and down the River Alyn. (The mother came out later, too!). After they leave the nest, Grey wagtail fledglings are still dependant on their parents for food for a further week or two.

The two fledglings have very little yellow on them…

    I’m not sure that the male was feeding his offspring today, though. Rather, he appeared to be simply accompanying them up and down the river, gathering together on rocks mid-stream before flying off again. Perhaps he was familiarising the two fledglings to their surroundings although, quite soon, these two youngsters will have to leave their parents’ territory and find places of their own. Their parents might then go on to produce one or two more broods.

…unlike their mother!

    It’s reassuring that the water is clean enough for the Grey wagtails to find food in and to have produced at least this one brood, anyway. We’ll keep a look-out for any future Grey wagtail fledglings and also remain vigilant in our search to locate any Dippers once again. But that’s for another time!

The important stuff

As is customary, we finished off our outing at The Mill House café (Tŷ’r Felin), where we each had a very welcome cappuccino accompanied by a slice of Millionaire’s shortbread (Stu) and a Mars bar krispi (Col). Lovely!

22.05.2026