White rumped martin

Unable to go chasing the wed wumped swallow (WWS) only time to squeeze in a couple of hours at Llandegfedd Reservoir. Although its pushing the second week of May even a t-shirt, shirt, fleece, camo jacket and ski gloves wasn't enough to take the edge of the cold wind. Nothing too major to report other than good numbers of hirundines the majority being sand martin. Common sandpiper, and at least four singing sedge warbler were the other ornithological highlights.

On the botanical front many thousands of adders tongue fern still adorn the meadows of the Island and are now being joined by emerging common spotted and southern marsh orchid.

Local ornithological ephemera

Now I'm a bit of a collector, not that it's out of control you'll understand, but progressive rock/metal albums and local ornithological/natural history ephemera are my subjects of particular interest. Having almost the complete run of Monmouthshire/Gwent Bird Reports, with the exception of numbers one and three, I've been keeping an eye out for the small number of reports produced by the Gwent Ornithological Society (GOS) founding group, the Pontypool Ornithological Society (POS). So my excitement was palpable when I nervously entered a 99p bid into Ebay for a copy of POSs  1964 report. Thankfully no one bid against me ( not much competition for old bird reports from this corner of Wales) and I duly won said item. 

Flicking through the typewritten report I found an entry for an Icterine warbler. Seems back in the days before Nobby Stiles did his little jig of happiness at Wembley  rare bird identification didn't need any optical support just a call was enough. Nowadays such a claim would be laughed out of a Gwent Rarities Committee meeting. By the time the Birds in Gwent was published in the 1970's this record was noted as a 'doubtful occurence'.

Classic edgeland habitat

You may remember I recently introduced the new modern day geographical concept of 'edgelands' to all you loyal blog readers influenced by a recent book of the same name. Having finished reading the tome (well 250 odd page paperback) whilst taking it easy in the sand dunes of Fueterventura, yesterday was the first opportunity to get out and view my local landscape through the eyes of this new left field thinking of trendy geographers.

The British near Abersychan is a classic edgeland habitat not urban not rural but something in between, an edgeland where land was abused for its mineral riches only to be left bedraggled without friends, alone to fend for itself. Not unexpectedly then nature has been quick to put an arm around this landscape  reclaiming and softening the hard lines of this former industrial site lifting it from the doldrums. Gorse, bare ground, acid grassland, ramshackled buildings and watercourses of unknown origin conspire to make this edgeland an exciting ramble for Old Style New Wave Naturalists (OSNWN). And I'm not alone in my appreciation, rather than the local newspaper's periodic editorial about 'this derelict site', dog walkers, den builders and youths on uninsured motorbikes take advantage of open accessible space without the boundaries that characterise urban living.


After that back to the wildlife and birds stood out head an shoulders above other taxa. A pair of prospecting redstart, a distant 'a little bit of bread and cheeeeese' yellowhammer, blackcap, chiffchaff, willow warbler and active redpoll were the pick of the crop.

Eyes to the right

Up early with the intention of getting out for some local naturalising but slipped back into a coma when confronted with the prospect of a cold, wet and windy excursion. This gives me to opportunity to look back over some of the birds photographed in less inhospitable climes recently.

It was noticed during my 'drifting off' periods whilst others were slapping on the factor 15 and lying back to relax, that some of the ornithological delights I approached to immortalise on celluloid would often remain motionless but with head turned toward me but in an upward position as displayed by the turnstone but less in the greenshank and Kentish plover. It seems, and not surprisingly I suppose, that the birds were keeping a beady eye on an pale, middle aged, northern European holiday maker with a long lens to ensure he didn't pose too much of a threat. When I get my act together I'll dig out my bird behaviour books and have a read. In the meantime the wind is howling and despite the call of a singing blackcap somewhere just beyond my back garden I can't raise the motivation to go out - hope I'm not brewing an illness!

Back in circulation

Back in ole blighty after a couple of weeks beach holidaying with the family in Fueterventura. Although not a birding break I managed a respectable 33 species without going far from our base in Corralejo. Some notables include this spectacled warbler, bee-eater, white and yellow wagtails and a massive visible migration of hirundines through the Island for just one day on the 18th April. Plenty of waders too. Looking to post a full trip report in due course.

Another adornment

Another sterling effort to record colour ringed gulls in Brynmawr draw a blank. As compensation one of the mute swan pair nesting on Dunlop Semtex Pond is colour ringed with blue 7FFU. I suspect its from the Brecon/ Llandrindod Wells area - I'll let you know.

A light in the dark

A posting on the Gower Wildlife blog of the spring fungi bog beacon (Mitrula paludosa ) reminded me that I found the same species amongst some alder carr at The British many years ago. With an hour to spare I decided to track it down again, and it proved to be surprisingly easy. A number of fruiting bodies protruding from the boggy underfoot conditions of a scrubed over corner of The British heath and home in time for lunch.

Snake in the grass

Rather predicably Llandegfedd Reservoir was devoid of interesting waterfowl yet full of fishermen. So when this occurs one has to look elsewhere for an ecological kick and one was found in the meadow around Greenpool Bay. Apart from the emergence of common spotted orchid the most striking botanical feature was thousands of adders tongue fern springing forth from the grassland and so early in the season as well. If you've not seen this smart little fern get out the reservoir now for some botanical twitching.

Birdwise the woody margins were alive with chiffchaff, blackcap and willow warbler and the water margins supported a couple of snipe. A Jimmy Edwards (who!) lookalike blue tit with a large handlebar moustache provided some brief entertainment and the ideal opportunity to field test a new 70-300mm Sigma DG lens. 

Animal farm

Another attempt at an early ring ouzel at the normally trusty site at The British drew another blank. The emptiness was filled by a rampant party of trotting, grunting and snorting pigs. These little swines were clearly enjoying the freedom of the common land running back and forth a pond and stream and no doubt introducing some suspended solids. Their route to freedom was also clearly defined by some destructive turf turning.

Some internet research suggests the little trotters are Oxford sandy and black pigs a rare British breed on the road to recovery after being near to extinction in 1985.

Commoners rights

Coed y Prior Common between the Blorenge and the Mon and Brecon Canal was known to me as a teenager as its not far away from a nest box colony set up by Percy Playford in the 1970's to study Gwent's - or was it Monmouthshire then?- pied flycatchers. Yesterday evening I chose to exercise my right - not that I'm a commoner, well not in its agricultural sense anyway - to walk the common again.

The unseasonal weather had mistakenly given the impression of high summer and I was somewhat lulled into thinking the common would be alive with parachuting tree pipit, scalding stonechat, low flying hirundines, basking adders and clegs. In reality despite the blue sky and warm temperatures the common was characterised by dead bracken, bare silver birch and a deathly silence.

Ring ouzel while I wheatear



For at least the last couple of years up to four ring ouzel have been recorded feeding on the sheep cropped  meadows around Big Pond at The British. Although all were passing through the habitat with its hawthorn trees, fence posts, grassland and lost farmsteads is usually a banker for this Turdus in springtime.

I hit the right spot by 8.30 pm without a murmur to suggest the birds were about. No characteristic fence post 'blackbirds' or vocal 'chucking' just the here and there of an overhead raven and at least a couple of pair of reed bunting tucking themselves in to the willow scrub that's now maturing in the marshy remains of the long drained Big Pond.

I moved on to take in the ram shackled remains of a lost farmstead surrounded by mature beech trees complete with tree carving in the hope of another banker for this area, the wheatear, but once again there was nothing to trouble the valley naturalist scribbling pad. Returning back via an elevated footpath past another long gone farm building this time surrounded by bracken and gorse at least two pair of stonechat were vocal. A parachuting pipit that was probably tree but could have been meadow was also noted.

Back onto the heathland at The British where chiffchaffs  and lesser redpolls provided the ambience. Fly past small tortoiseshell, peacock and comma butterflies were to be expected. A discarded part-used smokers lighter displayed graphically how vulernable heathland is to wildfires during dry spells.

Out of county or even country

Looking out for colour rings has now become a family affair. My daughter who lives and studies in Bristol photographed this colour ringed robin in the grounds of Bristol University last week. This bird is part of a territorial study led by Ed Drewitt -see his blog for details.



Edgelands and boundary features

In 1973 Richard Mabey labelled it the Unofficial Countryside. Today geographers refer to the land between urban and rural as the edgelands. Edgelands are where you're more likely to travel to work or shop, its where the municipal recycling centre is and leisure facilities are located. Here too ruderal plant communities of both native and non-native species alike jostle for a toe-hold eagerly exploring the vacuum exposed by  frequent land use changes. Its the industrial estate car park that's supports a black redstart, the roof where gulls breed  and scan the area for discarded fast food or the landscaping that produce the berries for wintering waxwing.

Yesterday's spring morning visit to the landscape around Blaenavon was a visit to an edgeland now championed as having global significance. This edgeland is a cultural landscape, despoiled by the utilitarian priorities of the industrial revolution but now rich in biological diversity.  Negotiating the track between a couple of small horse paddocks a pair of stonechat announced my arrival in characteristic style moving from fence post to stunted hawthorn to remnant drystone wall and back to fence post. Onward between  some large partly vegetated coal spoil tips I was able to locate up to three wheatear against the audible backdrop of fly past meadow pipit and the many displaying skylark.

Edgelands are an undervalued and unexplored resource. For some naturalists who view open agricultural landscapes with hedgerows ( if you're lucky) as the true countryside, urban edgelands are hostile no go areas not for the purist.

Movements of a Canada goose



You will have noticed by now that I've tried to add a bit of value to my birding. On days when all that's on offer is usual mixed bag of common birds I've turned my attention to ring reading. With the spectacular increase in the distribution of Canada goose in Gwent coupled with the annual goose ringing round up at Llangorse Lake there's a fair chance a bird carrying a ring will turn up on ones patch.

Back in 2010 a bird did in fact turn up at Cwmbran Boating Lake carrying ring number 5257656. A phone call to Jerry Lewis and email to BTO was enough to determine it was in fact ringed as a first year bird at Llangorse Lake in 2009. Since 2010 I recorded the bird intermittently during 2011 and early 2012 at the Boating Lake. Yesterday whilst going about my weekend duties - before the game - I dropped in to Llantarnam Ponds whereby 5257656 appears to have paired up with an un-ringed bird. Whilst this is just a local movement it illustrates that Llangorse birds are moving into Gwent to fill vacant niches.

Elsewhere yesterday I picked up my first chiffchaff in song close to my home and a colony of about 15 pair of lesser black backed gull and 5 pair of herring gull on an industrial unit at Ty Coch, Cwmbran is worth a check for ringed birds in the not too distant future.

Up on the roof - the follow up.

On opening my front door this sunny Sunday morning I caught sight of a hummingbird hawk moth as is flew powerfully by, only to alight on an hyacinth in full flower window box glory. It promises to be a good year for this moth and all your sightings should be uploaded onto the the Butterfly Conservation website - mine is! 

Onward to Brynmawr in an effort to track down that colour ringed lesser black backed gull on factory roof. Approaching the town centre I was greeted by a six strong team of Community Payback 'volunteers'  busily de-mossing a blockstone roundabout. Manual labour and a lecture on the fruiting bodies of rare urban bryophytes in the context of compliance with the NERC duty - that should teach the lads they'll think twice before re- offending now.

Back to the gulls and I wasn't able to set eyes on the target bird so had a quick round robin of the nearby lakes. Nothing much to report but the usual assemblage of pre breeding wildfowl.

Up on the roof

In amongst a mixed gathering of around 100  herring and lesser black backed gull on the roof of an industrial building close to ASDA Brynmawr was this colour ringed LBBG. But before I could organise myself to get a better pic they all took flight northwards never to return, suggesting the birds are roosting on some of the larger waterbodies in southern Brecknockshire.

Ring readers update - The Severn Estuary Gull Group

In days of old, before email, there was snail mail and getting information on ringing recoveries from the BTO was a somewhat lengthy progress. Today however things are thankfully different. On the weekend I got round to reporting the two colour ringed herring gull recorded at Bryn Bach Parc earlier this month via a link on the BTO website. I was more than impressed therefore to receive, within a couple of days, all relevant ringing/sighting information from Peter Stewart of The Severn Estuary Gull Group. Here's a summary:

1) Colour Ring: Blue MDB. Metal Ring: GR06391. Born: 2010. Ringed: Gloucester Landfill Site (SO8318). Date: 12/02/11.

Multiple encounter history at Gloucester Landfill Site until 11/08/11. Relocated at Grundons Landfill Site, Gloucester (SO9328) on 26/11/05. Then Bryn Bach Parc, Gwent on 12/02/2012.

2) Colour Ring: Blue 099: Metal Ring: GN84195. Born: 2004. Ringed: Gloucester Landfill Site (SO8318):  Date: 26/11/05.

Two subsequent sightings at Gloucester Landfill Site in 2006 no further records until Bryn Bach Parc, Gwent on 05/02/2012.

Peter was kind enough to provide me with the most recent (2010) bulletin of The Severn Estuary Gull Group  which is a very interesting read, if, like me, you've developed a liking for gulls. Amazingly Peter deals with around 15,000 colour ringed gull reports per year just for the Severn Estuary Gull Group alone.  

Ten minutes or so

The last time I visited Tredegar House Lake I left flat and underwhelmed. But just as the appearance of a yankee warbler proves, things turn up anyplace, anytime. So motivated by a report of a drake smew I persuaded my wife that 'calling in'  for 10 minutes en route shopping was hardly a sacrifice.

First up was a small raft of black headed gull containing, eh, blacked headed gulls. A subsequent count of wildfowl was mildly pleasing with 20+ coot, 10 moorhen, three little grebe, two mute swan, two tufted duck and three statuesque cormorant. By now I was over my allotted time and very wet so back to the car it was but not before another quick check of the gull raft that had markedly increased. This time an adult winter Mediterranean gull popped in to my field of vision. Ten minutes or so of satisfying birding - I left overwhelmed.

Another tale of birding woe

On a day that produced a common yellowthroat, female smew, further news of the Slavonian grebe and the just out of county Dowlais Top Caspian gull the best I could do was a distant ringed Canada goose at Green pool LR. In fairness there were some other interesting reservoir snippets such as a couple of flyover skylark, a rather loud water rail,  male and female goldeneye and good numbers of reed bunting. At times like this I tend to re-emphasise the value of the commonplace - but that's only because I don't see much of the rare these days.

Whatever happened to Swoop?

On a bit of a round trip to various watering holes before finishing off at DSP for the goosander survey I called in to Pen y fan Pond where a makeshift feeding station had been set up in the car park. Smashing views were had of bullies, waggies, reedies and various titties as they fed on seed, fatballs and bread. This also got me reminiscing about bird feeding days long gone. In a time before seed was available on an agricultural scale there was Swoop. Swoop was wildbird food in a small cardboard box similar in size the budgerigar equivalent Trill. I remember Swoop affectionately as I used my pocket money to purchase 25p boxes from the local pet shop, and the RSPB's Birds magazine always set aside its back cover for a full page Swoop advertisement featuring Bill Oddie with long hair and a bobble hat.

On to Cwmtillery Lake and pulling into the car park along side two closely parked Corsas and Ford something or other I was greeted by the heady smell of burning cannabis  Pleasingly over 50% of the water surface was unfrozen restricting wildfowl to the open area where three little grebe were the pick of the bunch.

 

By the time I got to Bryn Bach Park It was mid afternoon but despite far too many people for my liking several hundred gulls were loafing on the ice. Rings were difficult to pick out but at least four were marked as follows:

1 x Black headed gull c/w metal ring on left leg

1 x adult Herring gull c/w metal ring on left leg

1x immature Herring gull c/w metal ring on right leg

1 x immature Herring gull c/w metal ring on right leg and black colour ring on left leg marked MBD in yellow.

The goosander count at DSP produced a nil return but 'stumpy' the amputee coot was still hopping around.

Ice is nice

A prolonged period of below zero temperatures is just the ticket for picking out those colour ringed gulls on icy water bodies. Yesterday Bryn Bach Park was completely frozen with a group of around 200 mainly herring and black headed gulls along with a handful of lesser black-backed all standing on the nice  glistening surface. Having earlier checked the gulls on ice at Dunlop Semtex Pond and on the roof of a nearby factory without even a sniff of a colour ring I was prepared for a similar outcome at the park. Much to my satisfaction there were a number on show. The herring gull tally was as follows:

2 x adult c/w colour ring on left leg, metal ring on right.

1 x immature c/w metal ring on right leg.

1x  adult c/w metal ring on left leg.

Needless to say I was unable to read any of the inscriptions save the above.

Some contrasting head gear

It's at this time of year that black headed gull's start to display the tell tale signs of summer plumage. Within the Cwmbran Boating Lake gull flock were examples of both winter and summer plumage with some half way between thrown in for good measure. For any student of gull spotting there's few better places at the moment to get to grips with the myriad of ages and plumages that typify gull identification.