Promoting observation, free range exploration, sense of place and citizen science, through the field notes of a naturalist.







Tuesday 27 April 2010

On the edge of a National Park


Its been a long time since I visited Garnlydan Reservoir. Sitting right on the border of Gwent and Breconshire this medium sized oligotrophic reservoir has never witnessed large numbers of waterbirds but its one of those sites that has a habitat of turning up something nice - I remember photographing a ruff on an August day many years ago.


Todays notables were thin on the ground. Wheatears were well represented on the dam wall and in amongst the sheep grazed grassland around the reservoir. On the water were a small number of lesser black backed and herring gulls - on a freshening up break from their breeding site on buildings around the nearby Dunlop Semtex Pond. Otherwise just a male mallard and a single cormorant were on show. Did find an interestingly marked 10 spot ladybird and this folded wing cranefly (Limonia nubeculosa) tucked under a stone. One thing that this reservoir is known for however, is it large population of shoreweed much of which is now coming through.

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