Cwm Nant y Eira - Montgomeryshire
Having spent over 200 hours of surveying in the wilder regions of Montgomeryshire from late April till today I have observed many birds, mammals, amphibians, insects, reptiles and flowers from Palmate Nexts and Pyramidal Orchids to Goshawk and Dormice.
Before I started the surveys I read up all the literature from previous annual reports and birdwatching magazine snippets to the County Bird Book, all cracking reads with much usual and needed information. However, although I have enjoyed watching Red Kites soaring high in the sky on those elusive sunny days and embraced the song of crossbill in the mature pine woods it is always the surprise package that gets you excited and so I was very surprised on my last day, today, to find a most unexpected bird.
While driving off a dirt track (one I have used most weeks for the last 3.5 months a small flock of Carrion Crows flew over the car. Nothing new there, as with Ravens they are found in abundance here. However, a second group of three birds flew after that, straight in front of my car, whilst i was descending a small hillock. A Hooded Crow, flew in front of my eyes, followed by a hybrid and a carrion crow. Having seen Hoodies (not the scallies on the corners of the streets and outside your local Spars in Manchester!!) in Ireland, Scotland and continental Europe they stick out if seen outside of their normal range, but possibly go unnoticded as 'nobody watches crows'. I saw a bird in Dumfries and Galloway earlier in the year and have noted them on Anglesea in years gone by, where I believe they breed intermitently as they do in one or two other spots on the Welsh coast, but this far inland I have never heard of before.
I will write a more detailed account of my main bird surveys on a seperate thread in the Out of County Section (including accounts of the 9 species of raptor observed!!), but thought I would put it out there to see if anyone else has found Hoodies breeding in England and Wales away from the small number of known sites and for that matter just to open up a new thread on things that you have come across that you never expected, as they weren't in the guide/map/recorded before, after all that's the joy of birdwatching, you never know what's going to turn up next!?!?!?