Only a short photography session today having spent most of the day surveying a site that may be victim to yet another development. This one however, we'll feel all around the valleys. I'll blog about this on a feature date once I've accumulated enough concrete information. For now, enjoy the Meadow Pipit and Yellowhammer that I bumped into on my travels.
Every year, Llandegfedd has spring and autumn visitors of all kinds, but by far the most exciting visitor for me is the Ospreys. You have to be very lucky to catch one here, or spend a lot of time during peak periods to see one. I seem to be very lucky because I've seen Ospreys on Llandegfedd for the last 4 years straight. I've also manage to get photographs, if only ID shots, but all of them are proving to be important in finding out how many Ospreys use this route on their Migration. So far I've managed to photograph 2 individuals with rings on their legs and this year was no exception but with light fading, I couldn't quite work out what the ring said. I've sent the photographs off so I'm hoping that they may be able to find out by the wing markings instead. This information is very important as these birds may want to stay to breed one year (if I can get the Osprey Platform repaired.. hint hint WW).
The picture is a heavy crop so excuse the quality but this is Llandegfedd this April 2016. We may even get more turning up so keep your eyes pealed!
Today I had the rare chance of having a birding trip with my Brother, not something we get the chance to do often but usually ends well! I think 'sharp eyes' runs in the family and spotting things that move comes natural to my Brother. I seem to name a Bird and 2 seconds later my brother would spot one. It was a good combination!: as it lead to me seeing 2 birds that I've never seen before. Not brilliant images but that's not what Birding is about.. I know I'll always take the opportunity to get a better picture if I can do so without disturbing the animal but that isn't what birding is about and that's the joy of birding. It's something that pure wildlife photographers will miss out on because for them, it's all about getting the best shot. Either way, here are 2 birds, 1 which was quite far away called a Glossy Ibis and the other which was hanging out with some Tufted Ducks which is called a Ring-necked Duck.
Other birds from today trip to Hamm Wall were the first years Swallow, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Cetti's Warbler, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Bittern (Heard but not seen), Great White Egret, Little Egret, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Lapwing, Gadwall, Marsh Harrier, Kestrel and many more of the typicals
I seem to be surrounded by development lately.. with South Sebastopol well on its way and further destruction in our upland habitats from 4x4 vehicles, I'm starting to see a lack of appreciation for our local habitat in general. With the comforts of modern society and everything we've come to cocoon ourselves in our day to day lives, who needs a variety of habitats? When people do want their wild fix, they prefer to watch nature from a distance, rather than getting their hands dirty and appreciating the ground they step on. Habitat is so underrated and it's down to lack of knowledge and understanding. We should all know the basics about the world we live in, it should be drilled into us from birth how important habitat is to our wildlife and ourselves: How industry has effected our landscape but also how nature is fighting back and using some of our darkest hours to their advantage. We paid a heavy price in the valleys to industry but it's not like we've turned a new cheek! We still neglect our land, our environment and every delicate treasure we have on our doorstep. Below are two species that are quite delicate in their daily needs, both are a lover of Gorse Bushes and due to cultivation and pressure in the farming industry, many of our upland farmers are cutting this down to maximise growth of grassland for their live stock. (This is what ecologists mean by habitat loss). I approached one of the 4x4 drivers about them driving on the moorland and their response was 'it's just grass'... This goes to show how un-educated people really are because it's far from just grass! It's a very complex ecosystem made up of thousands of specialist plant species and you need only look closer to work that out. I didn't get mad at that person though because it isn't their fault, it starts with the Government and with parental teachings, it starts with the foundations of living in Wales and something needs to change for people to start appreciating the land we live on. A spark is needed and I hope I live long enough to see it happen, otherwise, it's going to be a very sad story for generations to come and whats worse is, they won't even know what they're missing.
Seen a lot of lovely photographs come out of Cosmeston Lakes in Cardiff lately so arranged a short trip with the other half today and it is a lovely little spot. Another classic example of a public place that is also good for wildlife. I feel they've struck the right balance there with 1 lake for public and the other set back for nature. It's a balance that many other locations (like Llandegfedd) are yet to achieve. Here are some of my favourite pictures.
If you find yourself short for time and like me, have to grab whatever time you can between other activities, you'll likely want to make that time as productive as possible. With the help of the Sun shining, I set out to do just that for an hour after work. In that short hour, I had such a great time!
My local moorland is by far the nicest place to get away from the busy, loud, fast flow of general day to day life. I came back from the mountain refreshed and ready for another day and with a few photographs of Meadow Pipit and Skylark that i'm quite happy with. Was really nice to see a Male Wheatear back on territory having migrated from central Africa. Also saw my first House Martin today in the Tranch.
Despite the bad weather this easter weekend, spring migrants have still been turning up. Chiffchaff being my first this year followed by a Swallow and Sand Martin. Llandegfedd is yet to pull up an Osprey though and with some already arriving in their breeding grounds up North, we may not get one at all this spring. I hardly took any photographs today as I spent most of my time at Llandegfedd helping general public navigate their way around the Res. Till this day, I really don't condone the actions of Welsh Water to open the site to Public. I feel that a lot has been rushed and therefor neglected since the opening of the new visitors centre. Our wildlife conservation has since been forgotten. The only comfort I have at the moment about securing the future of Llandegfedds Wildlife is the fact that I'm well connected with staff onsite. I hope that my contacts and influence will have an effect on decisions made for this SSSI site. My patience is wearing thin however so alternative solutions are being considered.
Saw my first Dartford Warbler this weekend in a rather unexpected location! At first I thought it was a Dunnock but upon review and hard cropping, this beauty showed. Being Scheduled 1 and coming up to the breeding season, I wasn't able to stay for a closer picture but nice to see them in that area.
Everything is falling into natural order with regard to flowers so far this spring. April showers came early this weekend though and I really got drenched! Things you do just to be outdoors.
Eagerly awaiting the first spring arrivals! Spring hasn't truly began for me until the Swallows have returned. Not only do we get birds arriving in the Uk but we also have a lot of birds leaving the country to return to their breeding grounds. With so much movement going on, this is by far my favourite time of year as you're likely to see anything from early arrivals to late departures. This is why I generally I turn my focus to upland. Our upland habitat is vitally important and greatly un-appreciated by most. Our mountains create updrafts that birds use to migrate and navigate the land so you're likely to see migration fairly high up. Our coastline is another great place to witness this migration and if you wait long enough, you may just be able to get a close encounter with a bird that will appear very tired after the long flight. This happened to me last year as a Wheatear pair landed on the coastal wall and was so exhausted they couldn't even fly away from me. Good photo opportunity but not so great for the bird if predators are lurking.
