Notable Recent Sightings

05/03 Firecrest 1, Lake Vyrnwy
05/03 Short-eared Owl 1, Lake Vyrnwy
14/01 Pink-footed Goose 1, Dolydd Hafren
03/01 Waxwing 20, Meifod; also 5 Welshpool by canal on 01/01. Last: 6 Bwlch-y-Garreg 17/03
23/12 Waxwing Newtown College, first arrivals 04/12, 47 on 23/12, 67 on 01/01, 30 on 04/02
09/12 Cattle Egret 1 roosting with 8 Great Egrets and some Little Egrets, Llyn Coed-y-Dinas
02/12 Waxwing 21 Guilsfield, 12 Montgomery, 1 Welshpool, and 1 on 01/12 Llanfyllin
16/11 Dotterel 3, just west of Dyfnant Forest on RSPB land
16/11 Great Grey Shrike 1, on edge of Dyfnant Forest on RSPB land, last reported 19/01
15/11 Waxwing 25 or 30, just west of Lake Vyrnwy along the Dinas Mawddwy road
08/11 Great Northern Diver A juvenile was found near Anchor, rescued and released
30/10 Black Redstart 1 in garden at Hendomen, near Montgomery
06/10 Hawfinch 5 in treetops at Powis Castle, by main car-park
04/10 Cattle Egret Dolydd Hafren, a flock of c.30
29/09 Red-flanked Bluetail Dyfnant Forest: a county first
23/09 Manx Shearwater 1st year bird grounded in Llanfyllin; released at coast
03/09 Cattle Egret 10 at Cors Dyfi, rising to 32 on 05/09
01/06 Turnstone 1 at Caersws with Little Ringed Plovers
03/05 Wood Sandpiper 1 at Dolydd Hafren
18/04 BLACK-WINGED KITE 1 video-ed at Glan Mule, near Kerry: a likely FIRST for UK
07/04 Black Redstart Female on Carno roof
07/04 Little Ringed Plover Llandinam Gravels
25/03 Osprey Female 5F 'Seren' arrived back at Llyn Clywedog
25/03 Pied Flycatcher An early migrant near Llanfechain
22/03 Hen Harrier Female in flight near Berriew
15/03 Sand Martin 5, Dolydd Hafren
15/03 Golden Plover c.50, Heldre Hill, Long Mountain, nr Welshpool
05/03 Whooper Swan 1, between Caerhowel (Montgomery) and The Gaer, with Mute Swans
05/03 Pink-footed Goose 1, Caersws, with Canada Goose flock
05/03 Jack Snipe 2, Caersws
05/03 Hawfinch 24, Powis Castle, feeding behind orchard
28/02 Pink-footed Goose c.25, flying north over Welshpool
26/02 Merlin 1 male, chasing Meadow Pipit, Long Mountain near Welshpool
26/02 Pintail 3, Llyn Coed-y-Dinas, 1 since 14 Feb
14/02 Hawfinch 1, Powis Castle car-park, very vocal
23/01 Jack Snipe 1, Moel-y-Garth near Guilsfield
17/01 Brambling 80, in beeches at Pen-y-Waen near Cefn Coch with Chaffinches
07/01 Hawfinch 2, bathing in puddle, Cwm Lane, Castle Caereinion
   
See Sightings Archive for older records

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Pied Flycatcher etc;

A male Pied Flycatcher arrived in my garden on the 19th April about 8 to 9 days later than normal and no doubt helped along from it's African wintering grounds by a strong 'tail wind'. Then after arriving, as is the norm, a battle royal took place between it and the Nuthatch which has occupied the Schwegler 'woodcrete' nestbox fixed on a tree close to my house. There were aerial chases and much vocal exchange between them. They are evenly matched birds, the Nuthatch may possess a sharp dagger like bill which could potentially cause serious harm but his fiesty black and white opponent has agility on his side. This intrepid crusader has not trekked all the way from a West African temperate rainforest in order to be outdone by this cantankerous little 'Brit'! So far the Nuthatch is still in charge. He is shoring up his defences by adding mud around the entrance hole and exposed cracks around the removable front panel which effectively stops the unwanted attentions of this 'primate' as well! The Nuthatch occupied this 'des-rez' last year too. The Pied has a dozen other boxes affixed on trees around my garden and adjoining field edge to choose from.
 
I'm still feeding my garden birds with peanuts, sunflower hearts and Nyjer seed in my new BTO approved feeders and damned good they are too. They are constructed of robust metal and stood up well to those blasting winds earlier this week. Unfortunately it seems that that the 'stealth bomber' of the bird World, a Sparrowhawk, has claimed some victims amongst the avian gathering as I have found feathers of Blackbird and Chaffinch around the place.
When I was walking on the road up the valley last week I found the distinct feathers of a Dipper just yards from the river. Was the culprit a Sparrowhawk? Perhaps it was a mustelid that claimed it's life like a Weasel, Polecat, Stoat, or God forbid, a Mink. They have been seen on our river in the past. Dippers are early nesters and if one of these fearsome predators came across a sitting bird in it's domed nest on a riverbank then I wouldn't rate its chances of surviving such an encounter.

Do you reckon male chaffinches have seen the Harry Potter films? When I hear the male call it sounds just like 'Quidditch'! I swear it, listen to it and tell me what you think.

A Tawny Owl is occupying my owl box again (actually it's meant for Goosanders but what the hell an owl will do!). I bought and set up a 'Minox' wildlife cam and have caught the owl a few times at night on the infra-red sensor. It came back with a mouse one time. I haven't looked in the box yet as I don't want to disturb them or even risk loosing an eye! (Some of you will know what I mean). I'm going to set it up for the otters on the river next. There is some spraint on the usual rock mid-river below my house. I'll 'get you' eventually you little critter!

David Evans living in Forge near Machynlleth tells me that recently he has been getting visits from a Marsh Tit at his garden feeding station. This is a real rarity in this area and I don't believe I have ever seen one since I have been living around here. When I was growing up in Newtown we regularly had them on our nut feeders at home. Referring to that classic work 'Birds in Wales' (Lovegrove, Williams, Williams) it says this about the Marsh Tit, I quote -

"A resident species, strongly sedentary, widespread but patchily distributed in the eastern half of Wales and in Pembrokeshire. Scare or absent in other western and northern areas."

I guess that about sums it up.

Happy birding.

Dr. Doolittle.

1 comment:

  1. Cracking post Elfyn - a real honour having the Pied Fly in the garden!

    ReplyDelete