Breidden Hill - 30th June

1 Grasshopper Warbler reeling at 9pm. Also 1 Tree Pipit this evening.

Dyfi Osprey Project

He's back!! Our male from last year has returned. He was back on the nest this morning at 10.41am bringing back nest material and nest building. Where have you been??

I guess it's good news that he's not been stewed up in a pot in Africa somewhere (it does happen) but please, a bit earlier than June 29th next year. Good to see two ospreys on the nest again - I hope they pair bond well over the rest of the summer for next year.

Hen Harrier

A bit late but there was a male Hen Harrier over Glaslyn/Bwlch y Tarren on 20th

Crossbill @ New Mills

I was very please to hear and then see a female Crossbill fly low over the house around 8 o'clock this evening, other birds of interest included several Swifts, House Martins and a singing Chiffchaff.

Dyfi Osprey Project

After being single for most of the summer to date, it looks as if our female has found a mate. Or two!. For the past four days we have seen the Dyfi female with two other ospreys - it seems too early yet to attempt any kind of who's with who analysis but picture is looking good. We've been able to see two/three ospreys regularly from the hide and pick them up on the live cameras perching on various posts on the Dyfi. Good views have also been enjoyed from the Marian Mawr hide at Ynys Hir.
Other birds of note this week - Nightjars still churring, good views of cuckoos, lots of fledgings around including many Lesser Redpolls and a Kite mobbing an osprey over the reserve. Who'd have thought that a few years ago!

Whitetroat @ Garthmyl

1 singing on the hedgerow along the canal today, also a family of Mute Swans on the canal and a Sparrowhawk over.

Crossbill @ Welshpool

1 flew over Powys Castle this morning, heading north. Other birds of interest included, Stock Dove, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Treecreeper and very good number of Marsh Tit!

Pwll Penarth

A short walk around Pwll Penarth with Leafie this afternoon revealed several Reed Warblers, Sedge Warbler, Garden Warbler (h), Kingfisher as well as numerous dragonflies, butterflies and moths including a broad bodied chaser, speckled wood and cinnabar moth.

Waders @ LCyD

I was surprised to see 8 Oystercatchers (one of which had a bto ring on its right leg) together at the lake today, along with 31 Lapwings and 4 Little Ringed Plovers. A Little Grebe was also a note worthy bird!

Mandarin @ Pwll Penarth

Female viewed from the 1st hide earlier today.

LCyD

The 1st summer Med Gull was present at the lake again today (around 13:00), the only other birds of note were 3 Oystercatchers and 1 Little Ringed Plover.

Yesterday this Oystercatcher put on a very good show, little esle around!



On Monday there were 4 Little Ringed Plovers putting on a good display, 2 adult males trying very hard to impress a female and another lone bird (I assume a 1st summer male).

Llangynog early morning...

A visit up to Llangynog early this morning proved to be very rewarding, despite it wet and misty! Birds of interest included 2 pairs of Whinchat, 1 Pair of Wheatear, 2 Pairs of Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Kingfisher, 2 Tree Pipits, 1 Treecreeper, 1 Nuthatch, 1 Blackcap, 2 Jays, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 1 Peregrine and good numbers of Redstart, Pied Flycatcher, Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Pied Wagtail, Siskin and Yellowhammer.

Med Gull at L. CYD.

This 1st Summer Med Gull was present about 5pm today, together with 1 Little Egret, 2 LRP's, 2 Common Sandpiper, the long-staying male Wigeon, 1 Greylag, and the usual good views of at least 3 pairs of Reed Warblers right in front of the hide.

Med Gull @ Llyn Coed Y Dinas

A 1st summer Med Gull was showing very well from the hide around midday today, other birds of note included 2 Common Sandpipers, 2 Little Ringed Plovers and a Greylag Goose.

Thanks to Brian Pollard for emailing me the photo.

Saturday morning birds

It's early morning here at home. A dipper is foraging in the river below my house probably feeding young. My male pied flycatcher is regularly feeding his other half whilst she incubates. Mother kite is feeding her single chick his breakfast. Lurking somewhere in my cypress trees is a tawny owl the blackbirds keep me informed of its whereabouts! Below my owl box on the lower part of the tree I have a 'woodcrete' nestbox containing a brood of 5 or 6 blue tit chicks which are being fed by the parent birds. The sweet song of a blackcap livens up the morning chorus of bird song. All is well with the World. This time next week the birdlife around me will be entirely alien creating a new challenge to my birding skills. Life is full of adventure.

'Goody who'! (Y Gwdi Hw)

Its 9.20pm and the owl chick is perched on the edge of the box again the question is will he make another attempt at freedom and end up on the ground again if so I hope it decides to conceal itself or clambers up a tree out of harms way. Our property is quite close to the road so I hope it doesn't wander out of our garden boundary. Here is a photo of mother owl up against a trunk. I took it this afternoon. You can just make out a cock blackbird giving it some 'grief'. I'm surprised the blackbirds have got any voices left as the owl has to face a constant barrage of alarm calls.

Ball of Fluff!

My tawny owl chick decided to vacate his nest-box this morning I found it on the ground in my driveway. It looked rather young to be out and about and what really concerned me was that I was expecting a visit from a delivery van during the day. I know I shouldn't interfere with nature but today in any case I decided that it was better back in its box. I went to pick it up and it lay on its back 'sparring' with me with its talons! I then heard the familiar 'keeewik' call of the mother who was looking down on the action from a branch above me. I know that tawny owls will fiercely defend their young. I remember the tale of the famous bird photographer Eric Hosking losing an eye whilst peering into an owl nest so I was wary of the adult bird and as to what it might do. So I donned a pair of gloves and a hat and got my ladder out and placed the delicate 'ball of fluff' back in the box. No doubt if its intent on leaving home then I wont interfere from now on. Within 15 minutes the expected delivery van reversed into my driveway so maybe my intervention saved the bird from being ran over. Who knows? He is on his own now. At least 'mother' is keeping a watchful eye on it.

Visited Llyn Coed Y Dinas late morning. 3 little ringed plovers very near hide while a great black-backed gull caused a brief commotion. The reed buntings were very busy feeding at least one fledgling right underneath the hide windows.

Cuckoo and Tawny Owl

I heard a cuckoo on the Parc common Llynlloedd farm area of Machynlleth this afternoon. On my return home I saw a tawny owl in the cypress trees in my garden. I was drawn to it by the ranting and raving blackbirds again! I tried to get a decent photo of it but it was concealed and motionless behind some leaves and staring down at me.

Can you believe it! A chaffinch told me something was amiss in the cypress trees later on in the afternoon it was calling continuously so I went to investigate and when I looked up at the 'goosander' box I had erected on one of the trees lo and behold what did I see but the depicted tawny owl chick peering at me from the nest box entrance - pure magic! So the bird I had seen earlier was probably its parent. Tony Cross had given me this next box about 3 0r 4 years ago and I always hoped that a 'tawny' would take up residence.

Help needed......

Hi all,
My name is Sally Snow and I work for Aden Productions, a small independent television company in Cardiff. We specialise in producing wildlife documentaries and are currently producing a 5 part series for the BBC on the Birds of Wales, which will be presented by Iolo Williams. We are pretty much at the final stages of production but are still on the lookout for a few specific items for one particular episode, the episode on urban birds. I was hoping members of the forum might be able to help us with two particular requests. It would be wonderful if anybody could. The two items I was hoping someone could help me with are as follows:
a) I was hoping somebody might have a bird nesting in their garden. Not in a nest box, but in a tree or bush etc. If so, could you please also let me know at what stage the birds are at (if you know) e.g. sitting on eggs, feeding young...
b) I was also hoping somebody might know of bird/s nesting in a manmade object/structure (that aren’t swallows, swifts, house martins or gulls as we have already featured them). A good example of this was a Great tit that we were told was nesting in a postbox. Ideally we would like to find another example like this, as unfortunately we think the Great tit may have thrown the towel in.
If anybody has any suggestions I would love to hear from you. My email address is sally.snow@adenproductions.com
Thank you kindly for all your help,
Best wishes,

Sally