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.
Very nice shots there, especially love the colouration on that first little chappie. And poor old stumpy, we see loads of the local gulls with this amputation. South Wales hard nut gull we must have !!!!
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