Denbighshire nature reserve flies in strong support for feathered friends

A Rhyl nature reserve is providing a haven for all varieties of birds according to an experienced local birdwatcher.

For well over a decade, Alex Humphreys Jones, originally from St Asaph, has been tracking the comings and goings of bird species at Brickfield Pond Nature Reserve. Managed by Denbighshire’s Countryside Service, Alex has found the site to be a haven for over 100 different species during his visits the reserve.

County Voice sat down with Alex to find out his visits to Brickfield and how work by countryside rangers and volunteers has helped create a great environment for some notable feathered guests.

Is birdwatching one of your hobbies, if so what do you enjoy about it?

Birdwatching is a huge passion of mine and it plays a part in my life every day. I enjoy birdwatching on a local, national and worldwide scale. This is a hobby that has taken me across the country and around the world. Birdwatching comes with its various levels of difficulty from identifying a species to finding your own rarity and I enjoy all aspects.  

How many years and how often do you come down to Brickfield Pond?

I have been coming down to the Brickfield Pond since 2013 after identifying the site as a thriving area for birds and wildlife. It's also an easy site to access and fits around my work commitments where I can incidentally come down and walk around all within 30 minutes. I aim to get down at least a couple of times a week but this can vary on season. 

Have you noticed an increase in species numbers, if so from when?

I use an online bird recording app called BirdTrack which is a free platform for birdwatchers in Britain to log their sightings. BirdTrack helps form a list and produces tables and graphs with my bird data. Since visiting the Brickfield ponds, I have recorded 112 different bird species with 4 new species seen in 2025 (the first new species for me since 2022).

How many have you recorded for 2025 and what's the most notable ones you have seen at the site?

This year (2025), I have recorded 78 species at the Brickfield Pond with Goshawk, Woodcock, Spotted Flycatcher and Red Kite being notable for the site. Back in June, the Brickfield Pond hosted a Black-crowned Night Heron which proved to be the first record of this species in North Wales since 1993. 

The Brickfield Pond is essential for many waterbird species such as Great Crested Grebe, Kingfisher, Goosander and Tufted Duck, however it is just as important for migrant birds on passage. It has been known to be one of the first sites to record Sand Martin in North Wales in Spring and remarkably record 4 Yellow-browed Warblers (a scarce North Wales vagrant) from Siberia over the last 10 years in autumn. Cetti's Warbler use to be absent from North Wales, however the Brickfield Pond was one of the first sites to record one in Denbighshire and in recent years, it is believed that they have colonised and bred. 

Over the years, I have found some notable records locally such as Firecrest (Dec 2015), Waxwings (Dec 2016), Slavonian Grebe (Nov 2018), 3 Yellow-browed Warblers (2016, 2018, 2019) and a long-staying Iceland Gull (Jan-Apr 2021). 

Lastly – what’s your favourite bird species?

This is a really difficult question as there are so many species to choose from however, I particularly like a group of birds otherwise known as hirundines/swifts. In Britain, we know them as Swallows, House Martins and Swifts - all known for their vast migrations and their powerful, acrobatic flight. 

Countryside ranger Vitor Evora, who helps manage Brickfield Pond, said: “It’s great to know that people like Alex are getting so much enjoyment out of the reserve and even better to see that the site is really giving a helping hand to all kinds of bird species through the seasons.

“We’ve worked hard to develop the site both for visitors and wildlife, and we hope that bird numbers will continue to be strong, providing a great place for birdwatchers young and old to visit.”