A break from the demands of retirement allowed enough time to get out into the Blaenavon landscape following the recent heavy snow fall. Day one's visit was spent around Canada Tips and Cefn Garn yr erw and day two took in the landscape around Garn yr erw and Garn Lakes Local Nature Reserve (LNR).
Day One - This excursion involved parking just off road near to Keepers Pond. Here the snow was thick and the wind biting as my son and I walked towards Canada Tips. It was no surprise that we weren't the only ones enjoying the snowy landscape. Whilst there were many people around the visitor hotspot of the Keepers Pond, that incidentally was totally frozen, others, many families with young children, were using the coal tips of Canada Tips for a spot to sledging. We stayed just enough time to take some winter landscape photos before moving on to Cefn Garn yr erw.
At the top of Garn Lakes LNR we took the incline of old haul road to Cefn Garn yr erw only to be greeted by two off road quad bikes and a Land Rover Discovery. A kestrel passed us on the way to try its luck around the trees of nearby enclosed farmland. Due to the extensive snow fall it was only stands of gorse and some over mature heather that were able to show above the extensive white carpet, but this didn't stop a single meadow pipit from eking out a living in these harsh conditions.
Day Two - The following day we were purposefully out early to avoid the crowds enjoying the white out. Thankfully at this time it was quieter yet as were reached the top of the Cefn Garn yr erw haul road a mountain biker stopped to talk to us about birding and how he was concerned about bird declines. He was refreshingly engaging going on talk about a friend of his from the midlands who was a keen birder.
From Cefn Garn yr erw were turned south towards into the wider upland expanse of Garn yr erw itself. We followed a route taking us past several frozen ponds punctuated by stands of reedmace towards Hills Pit chimney. Here the virgin snow showed a trial of well marked footprints of a nighttime fox. A red grouse called in the distance before two bullfinch alighted in the top of a nearby pond side willow tree.
It was taxing walking through the heavy snow and by the time we'd reached Hills Pit chimney the cold was penetrating our feet so were dropped down and crossed the road to continue our walk through Garn Lakes LNR. Here even a slight drop in altitude and the presence of semi mature trees was enough to see an increase in bird activity. More bullfinch, magpie, house sparrow and blackbird were visible. Passing the largely frozen lower lake of the reserve a small area of unfrozen water acted as a focal point for wintering wildfowl including, coot, mallard and moorhen. Here too it was great to bump into Alan and Margaret Underwood. Alan is a keen photographer and dragonfly recorder and was quick to share his news on finding a willow emerald damselfly on his garden pond in Abergavenny.
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