Easy peasy, its the mystery bird

Yes its a meadow pipit. Maybe something a bit more challenging next time.

Makes a change from a gull

Motacilla cinerea for your enjoyment. Next time whooper swan from Ponthir Reservoir?

Thanks for your concern but I'm fine, now throw me some bread!

Six waxwing still feeding on the now rapidly diminishing berries at Ebbw Vale as I drove past en route for Bryn Bach Park.

At the park only a small area of open water remained where all the wildfowl had gathered. Within the five mute swan present were two carrying BTO rings. Also the above adult black headed gull seemed to be coping fine minus a leg.

Aptly named

Adorned in just my wee willy winkie nightshirt I opened the front door to dispose of last nights Domino's and noticed a small moth on the step. Turned out to be a winter moth probably Operophtera brumata rather than fagata the northern winter moth. Although common and widespread its still somewhat notable to record a moth during sub zero temperatures.

The return of that occasional feature, the mystery bird photo

Taken last weekend on the coast near Magor Pill. What is it? One clue it's not a waxwing!

A brief look at the Common (Mew) Gull

At this time of year groups of gulls congregating on frozen lakes and ponds are good for both photography and the sharpening of those identification skills. Gulls as a group can be very tricky with differing age and seasonal plumage, and are therefore something of an acquired skill that needs to be worked at to build confidence. Only recently I agonised over a large gull that had come in to roost on Ponthir Reservoir. Was it a ring billed or just a common or garden herring gull? The latter prevailed but the varying amount of dark markings on bill had me going for a while.

The common gulls depicted in the above image illustrate how plumages differ depending on age. My assessment of these gulls would be:

Left hand bird: Adult winter - note crisp plumage with slight streaking of head and slight bill band.

Middle bird: 2nd winter - heavier streaking to head and breast with thicker bill band.

Right hand bird: 1st winter - blend of immature and adult plumage with well defined dark tip to bill.

Waxwing free zone

You could be forgiven for believing that the only birds worth seeing in Gwent at the moment are waxwings. Nice though they maybe its now time to move on so this afternoons excursion was Magor Pill and Magor Marsh.

Encouraged by Chris Packham's Exe Estuary jaunt on Autumnwatch last week the first stop was Magor Pill and the Severn Estuary in all its glory. But my word it was cold, and it didn't help to find my walking boots, that had been left in the car overnight, were frozen. However the threat of frost bite wasn't going to stop me and on a falling tide the usual assortment of coastal waders and wildfowl were on show. The most noteworthy counts were c150 wigeon, c50 linnet and several skylark.

On to Magor Marsh and collected on the remaining small amount of unfrozen lake was, 2 gadwall, 2 shoveler, 14 teal,  and 3 little grebe. A single reed bunting was noted on the way back to the car along with 14 mute swan in a nearby field.

Its SAD

Seasonal Affective Disorder is no joke if you're a sufferer, so to make sure I don't fall victim to this debilitating disorder I try to get out as often as possible. Cwmbran Boating Lake is close enough and accessible enough for an half hour winter blues busting visit. 26 Goosander and Arnie the long staying dutch ringed black headed gull provided the entertainment. Arnie was doing some interesting things with his ring!

Civic reception

Got to the rowans outside The Buffs Cabaret Venue just as the Dean Martin lookalikes were turning up their collars and leaving after a full night of piano playing and bourbon drinking. No waxwing so onto the Civic arena in Ebbw Vale. I was hardly out of the car before that characteristic trilling was detected. Six in total alternating between a large mature tree and several berry bearing trees. Interestingly the birds were often badgered by a rather territorial mistle thrush.

Given this venue supported a long staying flock the last time these Nordic visitors graced our fair county I'm somewhat surprised there's been no official civic reception, no mayoral address, no cutting of the ceremonial tape, no freedom of the borough, no brass bands, absolutely nothing!

A merry dance

Unbeknown to me and several other birders sitting in cars covering all angles of the legendary Brynmawr rowan trees, that the waxwings had taken advantage of the dualing of the Heads of the Valleys road and generous Welsh Assembly Government grants to relocate to Ebbw Vale. Several circuits of the block that took in the best Brynmawr could offer including car park, bus station, Talisman pub, Kwik Save and that well known international crooners club, The Buffs Cabaret Venue failed to produce the target species, although good numbers of blackbird and mistle thrush filled some of the gap.

I must have been  something of an unusual sight for Brynmawrians as I walked the circuit four times with camera and long lens in hand. At one point as I was photographing what berry eating avian treats had bothered to turn up, a grey curly haired man rushed up to me from within a nearby Cafe. In an excited dialogue he asked if I were a landscape photographer as he was a painter. He then proceeded to explain how he'd obtained a £15,000 bursary to go to art school in London and was subsequently asked to apply to the Royal Academy but didn't manage to get round to it. However, he did have a passing interest in birds fuelled by a  mate who was a grave digger who kept zebra finches and cockatiels. 

Nonetheless it wasn't all a Gary Bagless waste of time as my urban circuit produced what must be the most westerly record of mistletoe in the vice county. There it was growing in a tree down a narrow street between the Talisman  pub and the bus station. This too created some little sensation particularly amongst a group of fluorescent jacket wearing Stagecoach drivers as they stood motionless with that 'what the f**k is he doing' look on their faces as I took a photograph of the mistletoe set against the backdrop of someones upstairs window!

Last nights Peter Kay gig at the CIA was excellent! Did note the interval video of Peter's Comic Relief cover of The Proclaimers, I will walk 5,000 miles contained cameo appearances from David Bellamy, Bill Oddie and that superb comedy duo The Crankies.

Less - a - scaup

Some time off so made the trip to Tredegar to catch up with the scaup at Bryn Bach Park. Needless to say no scaup but a nice selection of wildfowl including tufted duck, pochard, mute swan, mallard, coot, great crested grebe, cormorant, 5 mute swan and a single goldeneye. The black headed gull with ring as per blog entry of 24 October was still present.

Embryonic

It was hardly worth sharpening my Wales biodiversity week souvenir pencil for, as this afternoons visit to Llandegedd Reservoir failed to trouble a new page in the Valley Naturalist field notebook. Apart from the usually grebes and geese etc. 30 lapwing, a flyover male goosander and  a nice charm of goldfinch was about it. A glimmer of things to come however was the early signs of the infamous LR winter gull roost. Pettingale point here I come!

Mystery caterpillar and this is serious!

Yes I know it's dramatic but I'm keen to confirm the identity of the above caterpillar. I had a stab at it a while ago and narrowed it down to a moth that has only been recorded locally on the odd occasion, but can't remember its name. So can any one help? It was taken when sweep netting an area of cotton grass near Blaenavon during August 2009. Gold star to anyone with the answer!

A conservation priority?

Bryn Bach Park was a goose free zone a week ago but this weekend numbers of this highly mobile and very successful species were as high as forty nine. Its only about twenty years ago that the Canada goose in Gwent was eminently tickable, now it's widespread and numerous. As an introduced species its about as far away from a conservation priority as one can get, yet to my surprise I've just heard of a group dedicated to its well being.

The Canada Goose Conservation Society is not a research based study group but an animal welfare organisation promoting the humane treatment of this bird in the wake of growing concern over control measures. However, the most interesting fact is that it's a Gwent based society. Whilst I defend the right of anyone to express a view and to campaign accordingly I do wish efforts of often well meaning people could be directed towards areas of real conservation concern. What about the Lapwing, Grey Partridge or Lesser Horseshoe Bat all are in a bit of state at the moment how about a society in their name? See http://www.canadagoose.org.uk/ for more information.

Johnny foreigner, coming to a town near you

While salivating at the sight of the bonfire night cup cakes in the window of a well known chain of high street bakeries a ladybird caught my eye as it alighted close to me. Instantly recognisable as a harlequin I reached for the naturalist regulation issue toffee hammer by which to dispatch the objectionable interloper, but paused.  On closer inspection I quickly came to appreciate the markings on this most attractive of coleoptera. Black wing cases adorned with two large red spots topped by lovely facial markings. Why do we have to squash um? I just can't do it. So, with a new found appreciation I lovingly encouraged the beetle out of harms way waved it goodbye and made my way back to work wondering if a moral offence had been committed.

On the subject of invasive non-natives I've also heard today of a record of the yankee western conifer seed bug from a house in Cwmbran. First noted in the UK in 1999 its now known from an increasing number of locations over southern England, with sightings also coming in from west Wales see http://www.gowersightings.blogspot.com/. This individual is thought to be the first for vc35. Thanks to NL for providing the info.

Cut and apply image of favourite berry eating bird

These berries are plentiful on four ornamental rowan trees outside the former Kwik Save store Brynmawr at the moment. This was the venue for a healthy party of waxwing the last time they visited in numbers a few years back. But it seems the current invasion has yet to filter this far south,  but we live in hope.

Another site worthy of a check is Tesco car park Pontypool where a similar range of berry bearing trees exist - some nice whitebeams. Although beware, using a pair of bins in a public place anywhere in the valleys is likely to result in disapproving glances or even possible arrest. You can fell some nice woodland during bird breeding season, put a terrier down a badger sett, discharge a firearm in a public place in full Rambo attire or drive your 4x4 repeatedly through an upland bog but demonstrate any affinity to the natural world and you're in trouble. The only way of avoiding a spell in the slammer is to plead insanity by claiming you're a birder/naturalist/ecologist.

Tour of the Heads of Valley forgotten blue network produced the following:

Bryn Bach Park - c125 mallard, c75 coot, c50 tufted duck, 4 great crested grebe, 17 pochard, 5 moorhen and several redwing.

Beaufort Ponds - 1 little grebe, 7 wigeon, 4 mute swan, 11 coot, 13, tufted duck.

Machine Pond -  1 little grebe, 1 tufted duck, 17 coot, 10 mallard.

Dunlop Semtex Pond - 1 little grebe, c30 tufted duck, c50 mallard, 6 moorhen, c35 coot, 3 great crested grebe.

Trust me if there were waxwing around.....

........I'd be out trying to get the desired image, but there's not so you'll have to make do with more of the same I'm afraid. Of all the Canada geese that come and go from Cwmbran Boating Lake I've yet to clock one with a ring. Given the numbers ringed at Llangorse Lake every year this has always been somewhat surprising. So yesterday righted a long standing wrong with the above Christmas meal suitably adorned with an ID tag.

This is becoming obsessive

Penyfan Pond just for an hour this morning and there were plenty of Grampies taking their Grandchildren to feed those nice little ducks. Unfortunately the 20 or so mallard and a similar number of black headed gull were very timid, so almost impossible to check for rings. It wasn't until I was deleting a rather disappointing crop of images did I find the above. Not much to go on as its a tad out of focus, but looks foreign to me. Also cormorant and common darter.

They're all over the ruddy place

Going about my usual business this weekend I called into Bryn Bach Park near Tredegar for a spot of wildfowl counting. It seems the popularity of duck feeding has both increased the number of domesticated mallard variants as well as wildfowl in general. Although the resultant frenzy of a scrap of bread being dropped into the water by a young family on an Autumn outing mainly involves mallard, coot, black headed gull and mute swan other more cautious species such as tufted duck, pochard and great crested grebe are now becoming involved. This makes for good photography.

However, given my new found past time of bird ring spotting I went on the prowl amongst the black headed gulls once again and just as I was running out of patience and as if by magic one appears. This time not a bird from overseas but one closer to home as it was wearing a nice shiny BTO ring.

Gwent on the coleoptera map at last

I ran to meet the postman at the garden gate eagerly awaiting the arrival of the latest edition of The Coleopterist. And sure enough there it was, the tell tale brown manila envelope wedged between the Damart Christmas catalogue and another mailshot from Sun Life Insurance.

Carefully pulling apart the covering not to damage the unfranked stamps (retained as security against anticipated postage increases in the wake of the Governments Post Office privatisation plans) I exposed the 63 page bumper edition to the autumn air. Turning over the attractive monochrome cover I read the contents. There amongst the usual notes of new county records and a very interesting looking item entitled 'Canopy interception trapping for beetles in mature and veteran trees at Hatfield Forest, Essex, in 2008'  I paused at the word Gwent. Now having been a subscriber to this most learned of journals for a number of years and never having the joy of reading a decent item on beetles from Wales let alone vice county 35 I'm sure you can understand my momentary state of disbelief.

Contained therein was a six page report by Mr.Coleoptera, Keith N. A. Alexander on 'Coleoptera records from the Gwent Levels area of southeast Wales (VC35), detailing a survey of ground and saproxylic beetles at seven locations along the Levels. The plethora of nationally scarce and local beetles noted once again concretes (sorry I know I shouldn't use this word when talking about the Gwent Levels) the reputation of this area as a biodiversity hotspot and at the same time one that cries out for further study.

In the run up to the period when we all celebrate the birth of baby Jesus by going on a orgy of spending I recommend considering a subscription to The Coleopterist as a present with a difference. Its only a tenner for three issues. See Naturalist Links for more info.

Bread - throw - bird - photo, mission accomplished

The black headed gull with ring was still present at Cwmbran Boating Lake but required a bite to eat to get close enough for a photo. Seems this individual is the product of the Dutch ringing scheme as Arnhem and Holland are clearly visible on said ring. Shame it was upside down- point taken JL!

Still around

There's still a few summer birds around. Six swallow in flight over Ponthir this afternoon.

Mystery bird revealed

A visit to the Cwmbran boating lake today and sure enough the mystery bird was still present, this time in slightly more colourful plumage than previously. So I can now reveal that I haven't a clue what it is. Its clearly some mallard hybrid but the challenge is pinning down the other species. Can anyone help?

Also at the lake today, 16 Canada goose, 2 mute swan, 100 + mallard and a black headed gull sporting a BTO type metal ring. Bread-throw-photo, maybe tomorrow.

A gaffe and I don't mind admitting to it

Its part of my therapy that I recognise my weaknesses and learn to live with them. Back in mid September some of you eagle eyed GOS sightings page watchers will have no doubt clocked an entry from yours truly of 30 fieldfare on the Blorenge. As I write with quaking hand I now feel it necessary to put on record the erroneous nature of this report. Why, you may well ask should a relatively experience naturalist make such a basic identification mistake?

The mistake goes like this:

• Early start en route for a ringing session at Llangorse.
• Nice clear morning so stopped to take landscape photo of Usk Valley.
• Encountered group of about 30 thrushes overhead.
• Not seen a party of mistle thrushes of this size for ages.
• Thought I picked up the characteristic 'chucking' call of fieldfare.
• Returned after ringing and uploaded record.
• Subsequent days and weeks awaiting a flurry of other fieldfare records in Gwentland, but alas.

I've learned by this error and will ensure I don't jump to conclusions again. So see above photo of a blue tit in celebration of my my new found caution and therapeutic admission.

A 10/10/10 jolly around The British in the hope of a late ring ouzel didn't produce the goods. However did clock a nice group of Richard's pipit or were they meadows? Earlier and in the cloud cover of the morning did note a black throated thrush or was it a redwing?

Insects abound

With a warmer than average weekend on the cards late insects should be plentiful, as this common darter illustrated today.

Off birders radar

Look at any OS map of Gwent and Ponthir Reservoir sticks out like a sore thumb. Why then has it taken birders so long to find it? Its not even listed in the Birds of Gwent as a birding location. Ok itsn't on the scale of the Newport Wetlands or Llandegfedd Reservoir so its capacity to support a rarity will be limited but having visited the site regularly over the past year it can be very interesting for commoner birds.

A lunchtime drop in session yesterday produced 65 tufted duck, 2 cormorant, and singles of kingfisher and little grebe. Late invertebrates included 8 small copper, 2 small tortoiseshell, 2 peacock and 2 common darter.

Lakeside

The imaginatively named newish development beside a lake in Brynmawr called 'Lakeside' was today's drop in venue. At this former Dunlop Semtex Pond were reasonably good numbers of common wildfowl such as coot, mallard, tufted duck and moorhen. A couple of wigeon and pochard were noteworthy along with a single chiffchaff.

At nearby Beaufort Ponds three little grebe and a mute swan were joined by a Police chopper.

You could hear a pin drop

With glossy ibis, bobolink and lapland bunting all within a chip and putt of Ryder Cupland the time felt right for an early visit to Llandegfedd Reservoir to pick up a nice passage rarity. Although the reservoir was pristine in the early morning sunlight with hardly a breeze to ripple the surface of the water there was equally hardly any bird activity apart from the usually culprits of cormorant and great crested grebe. Nevertheless there were early signs of wintering wildfowl with 9 wigeon and 11 teal. Other notables were a small group of about a dozen meadow pipit, a single lapwing, three mute swan and the arrival of c140 Canada goose from some point north at 10am.

A roadkill badger was a bloody grisly sight in the back lanes to the reservoir and marsh foxtail showed well towards the north end of Green Pool.

Back by popular demand, the mystery bird photo.

Nice to hear  there's a hunger for more mystery bird photos to help all you budding birders improve your ID skills. Much needed after the dabchick fiasco I'd say! The above thing, was on Cwmbran Boating Lake this May. Remember theres no prizes its just for fun.

Curly wurly

I've been seeing the caterpillar of the fox moth throughout most of this summer but was a bit surprised to find another two this afternoon at the Varteg. This one posed on a rather heavy lump of swirly ironstone. Birds, in particular meadow pipit were on the move, the odd skylark was still around and a flock of about 30 linnet was pleasing.

Diptera dinner

According to the book British Soliderflies (Stubbs &  Drake) theres still time to see the hornet robberfly in all its cowpat dwelling glory. So after a spot of morning bird ringing out of bounds at Llangorse Lake I called into one of this diptera's more recent hunting grounds at Castle Meadows, Abergavenny. Plenty of shoe hugging pats were on offer in varying stages of crustiness but no damn flies. Never mind did find some white spindles Clavaria fragilis as a consolation.

Conehead: Usually disparaging. An intellectual, especially one with little or no interest in mudane affairs.

This dictionary definition just about sums up my 13 year olds opinion of  naturalists. However to naturalists a conehead means either the short or long winged version, the latter of which has witnessed a remarkable expansion in distribution over recent years.

It was not too long ago that the first Welsh long winged conehead was discovered close to the Coryton roundabout near Cardiff since then its become the mainstay of rank grassland throughout south Wales. The individual above was photographed last weekend in Abergavenny near to a pond at the rear of the former Coopers Filters Works. Their power of dispersal were evident when confronted by one flying strongly at head height.