Trip reports

Gilfach and Elan Valley 19th May 2008

Monday, 1 September 2008

For our last outing of the season, we paid a visit to this delightful part of mid-Wales and were blessed with a dry but overcast day.We started with a circuit of the Elan Valley lakes (no mean feat in a coach) with a stop at Penygarreg & Craig Goch reservoirs, where we had excellent views of Whinchat, Stonechat, Wheatear and Grey Wagtail. No raptors were seen, but we needn't have worried as, upon arrival at Gilfach, we were greeted with a low-level flypast by a Red Kite. Several more were seen during the day. A pied flycatcher was busy around a nest box by the visitor centre, giving everyone good views. Some of us were lucky enough to catch a fleeting glimpse of a Tawny Owl in the woodland, along with more pied flycatchers. Redstarts seemed scarce , and although a few were heard singing around the reserve, it wasn't until the afternoon that we managed to see one. The birds of the day though had to be the dippers flying to and fro from the nest situated a few feet above the cascading river. A total of 30 species in the day which included tree pipit, raven and field vole meant it had been a good day out.