It's around this time of year that short eared owl's appear on our hillsides, and historically Waun afon bog just north of Blaenavon has been as good a spot as any to see these splendid birds. An opportunist late afternoon visit was rewarded with two birds hunting on the bog and adjoining hillside. As you can see from the image the weather and light conditions were not conducive to good photography but I think theres enough in the shot to confirm its identity. Apologies to migraine sufferers!
Earlier four goosander at Cwmtillery Lake was a bit of a surprise. Otherwise six tufted duck, ten Canada goose, two flyover goosander and c25 goldfinch were at Machine Pond (aka Parc Nant-y-Waun) and at Dunlop Semtex Pond were ten tufted duck and two pochard.
There was an interesting spectacle at Machine Pond with large accumulations of dredged Nuttalls pondweed on the south side of the pond, with a lady actively raking the vegetation away from the pond edge to apparently spread around the base of some nearby conker trees - why?
Your SEO shot has a minimalist, abstract quality! Better than any photo I've got of that species!
ReplyDeleteVery kind comments Jeremy but not a patch on your waxwing!
ReplyDeleteWhat a pity that a photo of an SEO won last year's British Birds contest, otherwise this one would be a dead cert.Still, there's always Wildlife Photographer of the Year to enter, or maybe the British Wildlife Photography Awards?
ReplyDeleteMR VALLEYS NATURALIST
ReplyDeleteCan you please tell us all about the access at waunafon bog.Where you could drive up there and use you vehicle as a hide the road now has been blocked with a barrier. What are the rules for this area? Thanks
The barrier closes at 2pm as I believe its a private road. After this time the only access is by foot.
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