Llyn Alaw

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 53.3521, -4.4152

Also within

Gwynedd County

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

SpeciesSeason
curlew Breeding
golden plover Breeding
goldeneye Breeding
goldeneye Wintering
great crested grebe Breeding
great crested grebe Wintering
lapwing Breeding
mallard Breeding
mallard Wintering
pink-footed goose Breeding
pink-footed goose Wintering
pochard Breeding
pochard Wintering
ruddy duck Breeding
ruddy duck Wintering
shoveler Breeding
shoveler Wintering
teal Breeding
teal Wintering
tufted duck Breeding
tufted duck Wintering
wigeon Breeding
wigeon Wintering

Description

Description Llyn Alaw is the largest mesotrophic open water in West Gwynedd. It has considerable ornithological interest especially for overwintering wildfowl and the number of teal, shoveler and whooper swans at times are around 1% of the British population. Other wifdfowl species which occur, include mallard, wigeon, goldeneye, pochard and tufted duck and more recently ruddy duck and sometimes pink-footed goose. Common terns and black-headed gulls nest on islands in the reservoir while tufted duck, great crested grebe and coot also nest. In autumn large flocks of waders, in particular curlew, lapwing and golden plover, visit the exposed mud areas. The uncommon slender spike-rush Eleocharis acicularis occurs in the reservoir margins.

Species mentioned

English name
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Latin name
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IUCN / Red List Type Family
teal Anas crecca LC (NonBreeding), LC (Breeding) bird-duck anatidae
mallard Anas platyrhynchos NT (NonBreeding), LC (Breeding) bird-duck anatidae
pochard Aythya ferina EN (NonBreeding), EN (Breeding) bird-duck anatidae
tufted duck Aythya fuligula LC (NonBreeding), LC (Breeding) bird-duck anatidae
goldeneye Bucephala clangula VU (NonBreeding), VU (Breeding) bird-duck anatidae
wigeon Mareca penelope LC (NonBreeding), NT (Breeding) bird-duck anatidae
ruddy duck Oxyura jamaicensis Not listed in GB list bird-duck anatidae
shoveler Spatula clypeata LC (NonBreeding), LC (Breeding) bird-duck anatidae
coot Fulica atra NT (NonBreeding), NT (Breeding) bird-gallinule rallidae
pink-footed goose Anser brachyrhynchus LC (NonBreeding) bird-goose anatidae
great crested grebe Podiceps cristatus LC (NonBreeding), VU (Breeding) bird-grebe podicipedidae
curlew Numenius arquata EN (Breeding) bird-wader scolopacidae
golden plover Pluvialis apricaria LC (NonBreeding), LC (Breeding) bird-wader charadriidae
lapwing Vanellus vanellus VU (NonBreeding), EN (Breeding) bird-wader charadriidae
needle spike rush Eleocharis acicularis VU rush juncaceae