It seems the once thought to be extinct in the UK Golden-eye lichen is making something of a comeback in the South Wales valleys. Recent records from Parc Penallta, Caerphilly and the Merthyr area suggests its worth searching those stumpy hawthorn trees that are such a feature of the upland margins for this attractive eye lash lichen. With this in mind I made a short but unsuccessful visit to search a group of trees near to Garn Lakes Local Nature Reserve (LNR) Blaenavon, before moving on to look for early summer visitors in the Pwll Ddu quarry area.
Despite the day being bright and sunny there was a cold brisk wind as I kitted up for what was to be a bracing walk around Pwll Ddu. Call me strange- and trust me I've been called a lot worse- but I enjoy tracking down March dates for species such and Chiffchaff and Wheatear. However this year a two week overseas holiday in the middle of the month had removed a chunk of available time for recording these birds. Chiffchaff is always the easier of the two as I often record my first singing birds from the comfort of my back garden. Wheatears are different, effort is required to either visit a coastal location or to get out in the chilly uplands.
The information post that advises dog walkers to keep their animals on a lead to prevent disturbing ground nesting birds or to not get shot for worrying sheep is largely ignored. And so it was the case on this day! I made my way to the first limestone quarry full of expectation as I knew Wheatears has arrived in the locality thanks to social media posts. Alas no amount of sheltering from the cutting wind was enough for this quarry to support a sight of this characteristic white-rumped bird. And so it was the case for the other quarries in this area. Slightly crest fallen it was time to get back to the car and to head home. Am I the only one that thinks the natural world conspires to take the piss out of people me? As after a couple of hours in the cold searching for Wheatears two birds showed well on a dry stone wall less than 20 metres from the car park- along with a pair of Stonechat. There must be somewhere a small operational committee comprising of a representative from taxonomic group that oversees the movements of birds etc. just to have a laugh at my expense. The thought then crossed my mind that I could of sat in the comfort of my car listening to Iron Maiden just waiting for the birds to alight on the wall and fence posts in front of me. But then that's pure laziness or is it?
