Valley Naturalist: Some ringing returns

Tuesday 18 November 2014

Some ringing returns

I've not posted for a while but that's not to say I've been inactive. The Sunday before last I managed to get around some of the north west Gwent water-bodies. Starting with Bryn Bach Park, the ban on feeding wildfowl appears to be working at least in respect of Canada goose with only two birds nibbling the amenity grassland. I find that many of Gwent's recreational lakes seem to acquire an increasing assortment of domestic waterfowl. Who introduces these birds is anyone's guess. The newest bird on offer was a Chinese goose so tame that it tugged at my trouser leg for food. On the lake were a couple of great crested grebe, up to 50 tufted duck and a shoveler. A dipper arrived via the concrete over flow channel and quickly turned tail and returned whence it came. A few fieldfare and redwing featured as well.

At Beaufort Ponds a cluster of mallard, coot, mute swan and few tufted duck assembled quickly at the water's edge on my arrival, suggesting no such bird feeding ban was in place here. Mid pond 16 wigeon milled around.

Some flood risk reason has been given for the reduction in water level at Dunlop Semtex Pond. Work to achieve this appears to be underway producing a margin that tells a story about the a lack of local appreciation of the site. Numerous drinks cans and bottles sit cheek by jowl with discarded timber and other urban detritus but the most shocking was half of dozen or so shopping trolleys - why don't the local businesses retrieve them! In amongst Steptoe's junk were 10 wigeon, a cormorant, 60+ coot and a few tufted duck.

And finally I got off my backside and reported four ringed black headed gull from the end of last year. To my joy I've already received information for three quarters of them - with some interesting results!