A fleeting glimpse

For a while, along the road that separates the upper part of Garn Lakes Local Nature Reserve from Waun Afon bog, I shared a conversation with a dog walker. Among the chit-chat was some interesting  information about a family of little owl that was present a few months earlier. We parted ways, and as I pushed through the increasing willow shrub at the southern end of the bog's railway cutting a chiffchaff could be heard. A party of about 20 hirundine, mostly swallow but with an odd house martin passed overhead.

The cutting, with its remnant limestone chipping base juxtaposed against a wider acidic landscape of heathland and semi-improved grassland is worthy of closer botanical examination. A stand of brightly coloured common toadflax caught my eye and further on towards the top of the cutting a small patch of hare's tail clover, a species I've not note recorded locally and one that is rather surprisingly listed on the rare plant register of Monmouthshire (vc35). A couple of Aaron's rod stood proud covered by about 30 hairy sheildbugs, Here too bird activity increased, a single whinchat on a telegraph wire, along with numerous meadow pipit, a couple of flyover skylark and at least two families of stonechat. Willow warbler, wren, blackbird, goldfinch, great and blue tits, a single greenfinch were also noted.

Beyond the cutting I took the route of the now disused mine road. No longer taking vehicles but increasing popular with dog walkers. A spray painted message warned owners that 'loose dogs will be shot'. Nonetheless I saw one off its lead as its owner walked head down scrolling through his phone. What did we do before mobile phones?  There were also fresh tyre tracks evidence of the on-going state of rural lawlessness in the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape.

Around the top of the bog a single mature ash tree sheltered a memorial bench, to who I do not know. Several cyclists were now using the mine road as I climbed upwards to reach a small pond with its rusting overflow pipe. A single emerald damselfly alighted on the broad leaved pondweed that covers around half of the pond, there were also a couple of ovipositing common hawker dragonfly. Standing on this lofty perch I had a panoramic view of the bog and its industrial landscape in the distance. It was a bold action but I decided not to return whence I came preferring to take a line through the middle of the bog as my return journey.

Before I entered the bog with its unpredictable terrain I paused on an area of coal spoil, a flattened pan like feature that was sheep grazed but supported extensive carline thistle and small cudweed. I pulled out my trusty bat detector, not really expecting any significant orthoptera activity but was surprised to pick up yet another singing long-winged conehead. The range expansion of the species in recent years has been nothing but amazing. I stepped off this area of short vegetation onto the purple moor grass dominated bog entering an area that proved difficult to transverse - I stumbled on several occasions before reaching the otherside. There was little to see on the bog, no flowering plants except the odd tormentil. However, I did watch a male hen harrier rise from the bog and move southwards and quickly out of sight - a fleeting glimpse. The bog is well know as raptor hotspot, so not a major surprise to see this bird but a smart male never fails to impress. 

Back at the railway cutting there seemed to be more warblers passing through the bracken. It was hard work getting across the bog, but one that I was satisfied I'd achieved. And just as I had started a chiffchaff called as I passed a disused farm outbuilding.