Hawfinches, Fforest Ganol 15/12/2013

It was a horrible, foggy, grey and wet Sunday morning but I had to go and see if the flurry of hawfinch activity at Fforest Ganol was still going to be there today so I got up early before we ventured to the cinema to see The Hobbit 2, and managed to get some terrible records snaps of a group of Hawfinches feeding high in the trees near the path. A GSW was in the trees over the carpark and this will definately be worth a return visit on a nicer day.

 

The Penduline swings - 09/11/2013

The autumn migration period is pretty much over for another year, but Thursday afternoon at work brightened up considerably with the news of a male Penduline Tit at Newport Wetlands, and 5 of us (including 3 members of Wales Management Team mind you) bundled into a car to see it. Unfortunately then weather wasn't exactly onside and fiftenn minutes before we arrived it emptied down and the bird went to ground in the rush beds immediately outside the center, of all places! I kept an eye on the forums yesterday and eagerly again this morning before making a quick exit for round two.

When I arrived it was where it had been two days previously and he was busy feeding on seeds. He had practically gone up inside a rush, the seeds floating away in the breeze. Another one of the rarest birds I've seen to date in the latter half of 2013!

Starlings - 20/10/2013

A weekend trip to Surrey went by without much in the way of a wildlife visit, although we did pop into NWP for a quick stroll on the way down. At the services in Reading on the way back there were lots of starlings in the trees calling noisily, and I couldn't resist a few shots, especially because the sun was bringing out a spectrum of colours on their feathers.

Yankee Doodle - Rhaslas Pond - 13/10/2013

News of a Long Billed Dowitcher up at Rhaslas while I was away down Pembroke last week, (wondering whether I could risk my meeting times to fit a trip to see an Isabelline wheaear in - sadly not to be) and some amazing shots online made me consider an early morning trip up to Rhaslas to see the bird in question, especially so when I read news of it being very approachable and still around yesterday. I hadn't been up there before, and after a rubbish night of weather I half expected it to have cleared off, but it was there, and I located it quite quickly (follow the trail of birders) The early morning light and general gloom meant that it was hard to get amazing shots, but I reasonably happy with some of them. There were photographers camoed up on the shore waiting for it to make it's way down to them, and that would have to be the next move for better results in future.

There was also some quite a lot of wildfowl up there in good numbers, so it will bear another trip over the winter, especially if I can cobble together money for a scope. It isn't the most glamorous of places but it certainly attracts good species in amongst the fly-tipping!

Sniper in the grass - Forest Farm, 28/09/2013

It was fairly quiet on this afternoon's walk with Jess, although we did see our first jay of the autumn foraging in the meadow and some long tailed tits in amongst the usuals. There was a cracking little snipe in front of the Llyn-y-Gamlas hide, bobbing almost  jack-like while going about it's feeding. I spent some time shooting in manual and managed to get this image, although it was difficult with it being quite an overcast day to get the lighting right.

 

Jynxed - 01/09/2013

Reports of a wryneck at Newport Wetlands near Saltmarsh Lane when we returned from Ramsey yesterday were too tempting to pass up so I took a quick trip down with James this morning. We weren't there long but we had some decent views of it looking for insects but it wasn't quite close enough for a decent shot. Very happy to have seen it.

Ramnesia - 30th and 31st of August 2013

We had weekend trip to The Welsh Wildlife centre in Cilgerran and Ramsey Island, and had a great couple of days. A trip to the kingfisher hide on Friday brought me down to earth with a hard bump. What I had thought was a kingfisher's alarm call turned out to be a stupidly similar sounding squeaky wheel from a bike or pushchair going behind the hide. Budding naturalist? Back to the drawing board.

Jess was very keen eyed, and saw this weird Ichneumon wasp, and also a Magpie moth!

This giant badger (as well as allegedly spreading TB) was also photobombing our shots -

After a stunning meal in the Bishops (a pint or two, including one called Ramnesia which knocked my head off) and a sunset visit to the Cathedral in St Davids, we woke up nice and early in the B+B and made our way to St Justinians to the boat station. While waiting for the boat I saw a peregrine fly by just beyond the shore. 

Landing we saw a grey seal mother and pup in the small bay by the landing, and met Greg and Lisa on the way up onto the Island.

 We were soon off exploring and we saw plenty of chough, probably the most I've ever seen in one go, lots more seals, mippits and rippits, wheatear, warbler, 'sprawk, buzzard, fulmar, stone chats. We left feeling slightly sun burnt, tired, but very happy.

Curse of the Yellow Legs - 12/08/2013

Well this turned out to be much harder than I thought. We took a trip down to Llanelli WWT on the off chance it would be there, it was, and I've got a few digiscoped shots thanks to the kindly gent who let me borrow his scope. However they're mostly of what I think now is a greenshank. The only shot I've got is a back view obscured by Godwits, given away only by the spotty plumage.

Sarnies - 22/07/2013

A few days leave meant that we were off down to Exeter for a few days, and among beach visits we also went to Dawlish Warren for the first time. We didn't quite get through the nature reserve area as perhaps we might have liked but we did see some Sandwich Terns carrying what appear to be sand eels, and a Great Black Backed Gull on the beach near where it curves around into Exmouth with the hordes of Herrings and Black Headed Gulls. 

On the way home we popped into Greylake reserve, and had a bit of bad luck in that there was work going on, and the areas from the hide, probably consequently, were quite quiet.

The Sparrows are still coming to the garden regularly, including the one legged male.

A Midsummer Forest Farm - 15/07/2013

The summer quiet is upon us, and a refreshingly shady and cool walk around Forest Farm was a relatively quiet one, though there were much higher levels of fish in the canal, a moorhen nesting inconspicuously in the middle of the canal, and two passing ladies pointed out this Common Spotted Orchid along the main canal path -

James and I headed up to Llanwonno last week to see the Nightjars and had some great views, with churring and wing clapping all thrown in to boot. Didn't quite enjoy the midges so much though, has to be said!! 

We also had a pair of Bullfinches in the garden which was a nice surprise, and the sparrows are regular everyday now. 

Do you even lift bra - 08/07/2013

Toil for working on the Tesco Roadshow at Culverhouse Cross on Sunday meant I was free for the day, so after getting the front room light fixture fixed, it only took a year, I took myself off down to Goldcliff. It was a planned trip anyway, but the report of a Pectoral Sandpiper meant it had to be done. It was on the lagoon opposite the first hide after some looking, amongst red and greenshanks, and the long staying spoonbill.


Terrible shots, terrible heat haze and long distance -

Pec vs Shank

Small Tortoiseshell

Young Pied Wagger

After Goldcliff I took a stroll down Saltmarsh Lane and found a group of fledgling Long Tailed Tits, a Reed Bunting, a female Blackcap eating berries, and on leaving hundreds of Sand Martins on the telegraph wires near the houses, which was an amazing sight.

If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it - 05/07/2013

A stunning forecast for the next week or so meant that I could not resist taking a day off to give Craig Cerrig-gleisiad another go for the ring ouzels. I set off fairly early before Jess had left for work and on arrival I decided to take the steep path up the left side of the valley. The area was alive with Pipits displaying and hunting for food.

The climb was hard going in the heat, but near the top my heart leaped because a pair of ouzels flew up over the cliff side and onto fence posts about  twenty or so metres away. Before I could get the camera up they flew on into the farmers fields, as shocked to see me as I was them. They didn't go too far though, and then busied themselves by feeding and gathering worms in the short grass. They were back and fore down the cliff side and back up to the fields often, so perhaps they were feeding a second brood. 

Goldcliff and Magor Marsh - 30/06/2013

It was a stunning morning and we had to get out and enjoy the sunshine and a first trip to Magor was on the cards. We decided to go via Goldcliff along the coast, and there was some great birds on show when we popped in. A Spoonbill was feeding on the first lagoon, (the first for us within Wales) and there were also Dunlin, Blacktailed Godwits in summer plumage, barnacle goose, along with the usual Redshanks and Shelduck etc. There was also a juvenile black headed gull which looked smart and unusual.

Unfortunately Jess was suffering with hayfever so there was a quick dash for some anti-histamines at Magor town, before heading on to the marsh. It was really stunning and we walked the entire reserve. We checked in at the hide and there was a great summer plumage Little Grebe diving, along with some Moorhens, juvenile Grey Heron and some Mallards.

Small Tortoiseshell








The top results were a water vole in the first reen, and a swimming grass snake in the last. We also found some eggs in one of the nest boxes.

The one that got away!!!!

Fledgling Sunday - 16/06/2013

A lazy Sunday saw a total of nine Sparrows come to the garden today, the most by far we've had in at any one time sine we've been here. Several of them were new fledglings still begging for their parents to feed them whilst taking shelter in the bird house from the drizzle.

The second time they came in they were joined by a family of Blue Tit fledglings too, and for a few minutes the garden was a flurry of feathers, and the feeders saw the most attention they've had for months. A short walk around Forest Farm in the late afternoon was very quiet in comparison.

Plovers! Werfa 08/06/2013

I was up and out early for the second visit of my BBS 2013 today and (sigh of relief & triumphant whoop) again saw Golden Plover at Werfa Mountain, and potentially confirmed breeding for this year. It's the first incidence of them even occurring here since records began for the BBS scheme in the area in 1999.

Garth Mountain - 04/06/2013

I had a stunning walk up the Garth Mountain today on my day off. The weather was fantastic, and at the start of the walk a Blackcap singing near the end of the plantation was swiftly followed by two Redstarts and a Spotted Flycatcher which appeared to be nesting in a tree hole, in the tree line of the field behind Coed Y Bedw. From there I found a pair of Stone Chat and a nesting pair of Swallows in the farm building at the top. There were good numbers of Skylark at the top, along with lots of Jackdaws which were busy gathering hair from the hairy cows at the top.

Green Tiger Beetle sexy times.

It was so nice up there I had to get back up this evening with Jess.

Bank Holiday Monday - Coed Y Bedw - 27/05/2013

With the forecast for rain in the afternoon I took a quick walk around Coed Y Bedw in the morning, and the bluebells were out in force. Luckily for me, I also saw two spotted flycatchers, and a singing male wood warbler. It's brilliant when you get these sorts of birds barely a ten minute drive from home.










Yesterday Jess and I went to Porthkerry, initially to look for adders basking in the good weather, but we failed on that front. We saw a few types of woodland flowers, mainly herb robert, and germander speedwell, and there were also plenty of butterflies around, including brimstone, speckled wood, cabbage white and this green veined white -

Woodchat Shrike - KNNR 25/05/2013

Went down at early doors for the shrike, and got some decent views, though nothing photographic beyond passable record shots:

Crashed into this hare on the way back too:

Cracking morning out.

Bank Holiday visits - 06/05/2013

Sunday saw us travel up to mid Wales to the Gwernffrwd-Dinas reserve with my family. For a grey day it was a nice afternoon, although a bit brief, I could probably have spent a few hours there easily. Pied Flycatcher was abundant, as were the Kites and Buzzards, and we also saw Redstart, my first Wood Warbler, Great Spotted Woodie, and a Marsh/Willow Tit which shall probably remain a toss-up, as well as some Treecreepers in close.

On Monday the weather was absolutely stunning so a trip that was originally targeted towards Southerndown was redirected to Kenfig due to extreme traffic tailbacks. In fact, a twenty five minute trip to Kenfig took us two hours. When we got there we had our picnic on the dunes and then continued on to the beach, where we saw some summer plumage Sanderling in a group which also had a Ringed Plover in tow.

No sign of Purple Ronnie on our end, though we checked a few of the pools on the way all the same.

Nelson Wern revisited - 12/04/2013

I fancied a quick trip back to the Wern this morning even though it was pretty grim out, but I'm glad that I went. The rain held off and there was a good selection of species around, including tit species of most kinds, with long-tailed, blue, great, coal and willow, but also goldcrest, greater spotted woodpecker, treecreeper, male blackcap and a pair of nuthatch, whilst a buzzard soared above the canopy and I caught glimpses of hirundines which appeared to be moving north. 

I'm especially happy with this nuthatch photo as it was shot in manual mode, of which I managed to get plenty of practice in with the light being so dim! I was shooting wide open at up to ISO 1000 at times, and with re-adjusted white balance. This version has had a few tweaks in photoshop, but the original was quite good even against the white sky. 

Nelson Wern - 08/04/2013

As it was a day off we took a trip to Nelson Wern in order to see some Willow Tit, and my tip off from Alex turned up trumps as they were right where she said they would be. Unfortunately they were a bit shy and I could have done with my 500mm to get some better shots, but managed some record shots regardless. Treecreepers were hunting up and down the nearby trees, and a woodpecker was drumming loudly somewhere very nearby, though we didn't get to see it.

Note to self - take some seed next time! 

Easter Eggs - 29/03/2013

Easter holidays down Exeter means one thing - a chance to get out and about in some of my favorite places! Friday was cloudy and grey, just as it has been for a while, and our visit to Bowling Green Marsh and Topsham was fairly brief.

The usual species were about in small numbers, such as this cracking male Teal -

We also managed to see a Little Ringed Plover -

He was wading in the shallows, stiring up the mud with his feet.

The next day I jumped out of bed to head down to Darts Farm to see the American Wigeon that had reappeared that morning -

This is probably the rarest bird I've seen to date!! The BTO website says that only about 5 visit the UK every year.

A small flock of linnet were in the trees at Darts Farm too; nice to see a red list species there too.

In the afternoon we went to Powderham Marsh to see the Spoonbills, and I jumped straight out of the car on arrival with the cam for the third new species of the weekend -

The other good news was that the Blue Tit couple are back using the box again!