Trip reports
Group Weekend
Monday, 4 May 2009
Elan Valley
Our tour started with the group members able to travel early on the Friday meeting at the Elan Valley visitors centre. Here we started our bird list from the comfort of the cafe. A wren, pied wagtail and house martin were soon recorded. Once assembled, the group set off to explore the Cnwch Nature trail in the wooded valley below the dam. We soon became aware of the songs of the local warblers. The willow warbler was heard everywhere with the occasional wood warbler and chiffchaff. We started to scan the leaves and the branches of the moss and lichen encrusted trees found in this ancient woodland. The first sighting was a major target for the day, a beautiful male pied flycatcher followed quickly by a willow warbler. A wood warbler was calling but could not be found, so we stopped for lunch at a picnic table. Here we saw a red kite fly over the nearby mountains where a couple of ravens took exception to the kite's presence and made sure that it moved on. Returning back to the car park the wood warbler was located singing and moving high in a large mature oak tree.
We decided to move on and stopped again at the car park below the Penygarreg reservoir. Here we found more willow warblers in the trees and we added a grey wagtail to our list. A mallard was also seen under the road bridge.
The road carried on climbing into the mountains. Here the views over the lakes, dams and mountain scenery were breath taking. As we drove we were able to stop whenever a bird was seen. There were wheatears perched on the road side fence posts as well as meadow pipit, skylark, stonechat and buzzard.
We stopped at Pont Ar Elan, a small bridge over the river to enjoy the mountain air. The meadow pipits and pied wagtails here were quite vocal.
From here we continued on the mountain road to Aberystwyth A flying goosander was the next target added to the list.
Aberystwyth
The sea front produced a surprising range of birds. Each day there was a trickle of birders scanning the rocks below the pier. Here we found up to 4 purple sandpipers, 5 turnstones, as well as a dunlin and rock pipit. The beach was also a haven for herring gulls and feral pigeons. At sea there were diving gannets. A pair of oystercatchers were seen in the seaweed and a red-breasted merganser was seen out at sea.
Ynis hir
Our first full day outing with the full group was to the large RSPB reserve at Ynis hir. A full six hours of walking. The reserve visitor centre had a feeder that was a magnet for the small birds. Chaffinch, gold finch, dunnock, blue tit, great tit, coal tit and best of all, 6 siskins. The reserve offers a varied range of habitats. Our first was the ancient woodland. Here we found willow warbler, nuthatch, redstart and wood warbler. Moving into the damp pasture, a hide over looked a small pool. There were canada geese nesting, including a pair that had laid their eggs just under the window of the hide, so we were castigated very loudly when the hide windows were opened. A pair of common sandpipers were active around the edge of a small island. The damp pastures led towards the railway line. Beside the path was a fence upon which a wheatear perched joined by a beautiful whinchat. By the railway line there is a hide. From here we were able to see a sedge warbler fly up from the reeds in front. The hide looks over the line to the river. The mud flats were some distance away, but we were able to see redshank, shelduck and dunlin. Swallows were flying overhead and a number of black headed gulls were feeding on the mud. The path turned to follow the railway line. Looking inland the wet meadow opened into a small pool. Here we found a little egret, some teal, and a pintail. As we carried on the clouds came over and we had a light shower. Fortunately it did not last long. We saw a pheasant on the way to a small hill where we lunched on the stony outcrop on the top. Here we saw a red start in the trees below and a tree pipit perched there for us as well. Looking further forward, there was a distant osprey nest with an osprey atop the posts adjacent to the large nest structure. A grey heron was seen fishing in the lagoons we would visit during the afternoon. First we had to return to the reserve centre to move into the second part of the reserve. On the way there was another shower, but the worst coincided with our arrival at the visitors centre where we sheltered until the sun re-appeared. A song thrush was seen on the way. We set off for the afternoon to look at the area surrounding the freshwater lakes. On the way we spotted a long-tailed tit and pied flycatcher by the bridge over the railway line and a tree creeper just before the we reached the lakes. On the track by the water there were reed bunting and stonechats. From the hide the Canada geese were prevalent again, plus another sighting of common sandpiper. A second hide was sighted looking back over the same lake. Here another redstart was seen from the side windows. The final hide looked out over the river, giving a better view of the osprey and his nest. A hare was also seen running through the reedy grass and a swallow was perched on a dead tree. From here we returned to the car past the tress where we started, with a blackcap singing our farewell.
Dinas
Our last full day was a visit to the mountain reserve at Dinas. The journey to the reserve went along a variety of roads as we agreed to travel independently to the reserve. Those that took the small mountain roads stopped at the bridge over the Llyn Brianne reservoir. Here there was another common sandpiper, shelduck, mallard chicks and a great black-backed gull that had found some carrion by the water's edge. Goosander were seen flying over and pied wagtails were active along the water's edge. At the reserve car park there was a pied flycatcher in the picnic area and a nuthatch was seen entering a nest box just over the small stream. The path from the car park followed the stream through a damp alder wood. Here there were willow and wood warblers, nut hatches and tree creepers. At the far end of the alder wood the group was faced with a choice. The bulk of the party entered the wood while three of us took the difficult stream path in the vain hope of finding a dipper, without success. In the woods there were redstart, greater spotted woodpecker, tree pipit, nuthatch, tree creeper and wren.
Gigrin Farm
After lunch the bulk of the group travelled to Gigrin farm for a kite feeding display. From the hide the group saw around 200 red kites swooping down to pick up the offerings put out to attract these wonderful birds. Always keen to make the most of a free lunch there were also buzzards, ravens, rooks, crows and jackdaws. On the return trip Janet stopped on a bridge over a river and was rewarded with a sighting of two dippers
Cors Caron
This reserve was visited by a couple of people during the weekend. The extensive reed beds held willow and sedge warbler and early in the day a grasshopper warbler was singing, eventually giving a sighting to the patient Ian. Also seen were snipe, reed bunting and redshank. A raven flew past a party of crows. It was promptly mobbed, one crow even tried to pull out a beak full of tail feathers.
Osprey Centre
A new centre has opened on the far side of the river Dovey opposite the reserve we visited at Ynis hir. Two trippers decided to visit here in preference to the Dinas reserve. The hot news was that a young male osprey had arrived at the reserve and the female has eloped leaving her original partner keeping a lonely vigil at the nest site.
Return Journey
Monday dawned to heavy rain, so the decision was made to return directly to home.