Magor mud and marsh

Early start to catch the rising tide at Magor Pill wasn't worth the effort - should have gone to Llangorse Lake for a spot of ringing instead! Of the birds that did grace the Opticron scope were around nine little Egret, fly past oystercatcher, turnstone, redshank and an assortment of ubiquitous gulls. The saltmarsh was far more interesting though with field grasshopper, short winged conehead and lesser marsh grasshopper. A herd of dumb, but half threatening cattle raced up to the field edge as I got back to the motor. Its thanks to a deep reen separating both interested parties that I wasn't trampled to death. I particularly noticed the one with the two black eyes, a legacy of a previous encounter no doubt. Oh I do over dramatise!

Onto GWTs nearby marshland hoping for something to counter the chilly wind and was instantly greeted by a Cettis Warbler. Elsewhere on the reserve were sedge warbler, several sub song chiffchaff, a couple of little grebe and a single little egret. A bird box containing dozens of common earwig filled another blank tetrad in my emerging orthoptera (and allied insect) altas for the vice county. But that was it, so home to cut the grass and visit the waste transfer station, such joy.