Slow but steady migration and more garden watching
At dowlais this week there have been a few more waders moving and continued signs of breeding waders but no chicks yet.
Dowlais is a very small area, the main section is one field beside the coastal path that has been allowed to stay wetter and a slightly larger area where hedges have been removed to encourage birds that like more open spaces.
This video is taken from the seaward (OK estuary) side at the south-westernmost corner. The video pans North and round to show the estuary past the main dog-walking path. The Kenn estuary is a tiny inlet about 300 yards further south west along the track.
This still also shows the main field and the picture below is of some new arrivals, a small group of cows which always seem to herald the arrival of wader chicks, so here's hoping it happens this year too.
We have had two uncommon waders on the scrape this week; a Greenshank
and this Spotted Redshank
For some reason the breeding Redshanks took a real dislike to this bird and chased it around repeatedly though it returned briefly at high tide for about 3 days.
Further down at the Kenn estuary higher tides produced a lovely group of roosting waders, including Bar-tailed Godwits, with some of these in breeding plumage. All the grey plovers seen were still winter clad though but then its not May yet. A few black-bellied Dunlins are on their way to the high arctic to make the most of conditions there.
The best wader, for me anyway, was a fly past Avocet. Ever since my first trip to see these breeding at RSPB Minsmere in the early 1970s I have loved coming across these black and white gems. Apparently there are 4 further along the Severn estuary in an area I cannot currently reach due to the lockdown.
Anyway here are a couple of pictures to show how smart summer waders can be
Lots of warblers again this week with Whitethroats beginning breeding activities within days of arriving
Meanwhile in the garden, I have been running the moth trap a bit more. It is still too cold, and early, but here are a few of the prettier ones I have seen: such as Angleshades.........
.......... an odd looking one whose caterpillar feeds on Mullein and is, in turn, imaginatively called the Mullein
Dowlais is a very small area, the main section is one field beside the coastal path that has been allowed to stay wetter and a slightly larger area where hedges have been removed to encourage birds that like more open spaces.
This video is taken from the seaward (OK estuary) side at the south-westernmost corner. The video pans North and round to show the estuary past the main dog-walking path. The Kenn estuary is a tiny inlet about 300 yards further south west along the track.
This still also shows the main field and the picture below is of some new arrivals, a small group of cows which always seem to herald the arrival of wader chicks, so here's hoping it happens this year too.
We have had two uncommon waders on the scrape this week; a Greenshank
and this Spotted Redshank
For some reason the breeding Redshanks took a real dislike to this bird and chased it around repeatedly though it returned briefly at high tide for about 3 days.
Further down at the Kenn estuary higher tides produced a lovely group of roosting waders, including Bar-tailed Godwits, with some of these in breeding plumage. All the grey plovers seen were still winter clad though but then its not May yet. A few black-bellied Dunlins are on their way to the high arctic to make the most of conditions there.
The best wader, for me anyway, was a fly past Avocet. Ever since my first trip to see these breeding at RSPB Minsmere in the early 1970s I have loved coming across these black and white gems. Apparently there are 4 further along the Severn estuary in an area I cannot currently reach due to the lockdown.
Anyway here are a couple of pictures to show how smart summer waders can be
Lots of warblers again this week with Whitethroats beginning breeding activities within days of arriving
Meanwhile in the garden, I have been running the moth trap a bit more. It is still too cold, and early, but here are a few of the prettier ones I have seen: such as Angleshades.........
And finally a Swallow Prominent, though oddly this neither looks like, nor feeds on Swallows
Butterflies have been flitting through the garden again but rarely stopping though I did manage to get pics of both this Holly Blue
and a female Orange Tip. This latter even paused long enough to lay an egg onto some hedge garlic growing by the rose arch.
Males are much brighter but I could simply not get a picture of one with its wings fully open to show off the brilliant orange tips themselves
Finally I had another three red kites fly over the house bringing the garden total to 5 this year, 4 more than I saw anywhere on the patch last year with all the time I put in in 2019
Kites are simply the most photogenic of our birds of prey, in my opinion so here are a couple of pictures from this week
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