Trip reports

Melin y Wig

Saturday, 17 May 2008

MELlN Y WIG, a hamlet in an un-spoilt Welsh valley, which few people seem to visit, is a mixture of deciduous woodland and bubbling stream; offering a delightful walk through trees harbouring insects, wild fruits, seeds and plenty of seasonal cover for the birds to hide away in.

Undaunted by the inclement weather, eight Hardy Souls + Fern (the dog) set out from various points to arrive at Melin y Wig hoping to see newly arrived summer visitors, namely:
pied flycatcher, redstart and wood warbler.

We actually had sight and/or heard the calls of:
blackcap, chiffchaff, garden warbler, goldcrest, kestrel, pied flycatcher, redstart, siskin and yellowhammer.

The highlights of the day came when into sight flew a pair of redstarts - vying for that special place by the hedgerow with a pair of robins, and high in a distant tree a pied flycatcher was spotted and teased us all.

However, the dipper (spotted only a week before by one sharp-eyed member) remained elusive all day .....

Our day in MELlN Y WIG was rounded off, to the delight of members, by two resident mares and their foals simply enjoying life and their glorious surroundings in the farm meadow adjoining the road where we had parked our cars.

Many thanks to our leader, Roger Nutter.

JE & JP

Ps: we did spy a chicken in the farm yard - as new members we wondered: do they count?