The eldest Osprey chick has now fledged. The first on the Dyfi for over 400 years! The Osprey team are pretty chuffed. Fingers crossed the other 2 get off as successfully!

Also, the bi annual gathering of Manx Shearwaters is taking place off Borth Beach. Just been down and there are 10's of thousands of them sat on the water and flying up and down the coast. A spectacular sight. PLenty of Gannets around too and a few Balearics around too.

Superb news from the Dyfi Ospreys, 2 chicks now hatched! The first Osprey Chicks on the Dyfi for over 400 years! To say the project team are excited is an understatement!

Also, our local RSPB reserve is the home of Springwatch at the moment, which is showing the Ospreys too!

Nice to see where we live on the TV!

Cheers.

Elan Valley
I thought I'd put this in the proper region this time, as although it feels like a long drive down to the Elan Valley, it is still in Mid Wales, despite me starting a new South Wales thread. Anyway, to the birds I suppose, as I should have posted this late last week, but have been all over the place!?!?

I repeated some of my surveys from last month, plus a few new ones around the tributaries off the main rivers through the Elan Valley on Wednesday 18th and Thursday 19th May. I stayed in the Elan Valley Hotel, a really lovely place and cracking food too. I visited some extremely remote areas this time round, at least 7-8 km from the nearest houses/proper roads, so a beautiful place indeed.

The following are what I saw this time between 5 small valleys I was surveying:

Goosander 1
Red Kite 20+
Buzzard 20+
Peregrine 2
Merlin 1 (heard only)
Common Sandpiper 4
Dunlin 7
Curlew 1
GS Woodpecker 6+
Treecreeper 2
Nuthatch 5
Pied Wagtail 10+
Grey Wagtail 3
Dipper 2
Cuckoo 5
Sand Martin 100+
Swallow 60+
Stonechat 6 (plus some young families)
Whinchat 20+
Wheatear 20+
Skylark 100+
Meadow Pipit 300+
Tree Pipit 4
Sedge Warbler 3
Grasshopper Warbler 8
Wood Warbler 20+
Willow Warbler 80+
Chiffchaff 20+
Garden Warbler 15+
Blackcap 20+
Goldcrest 4+
Redstart 30+
Pied Flycatcher 20+
Raven 20+


-- Edited by Sean Sweeney on Monday 23rd of May 2011 12:43:27 PM

Two new garden ticks this weekend, Garden Warbler and Pied Flycatcher!!

Rob Smallwood wrote:

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Long-billed Dowitcher again at Borth...

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And I am stuck in Chester until Thursday night....

It would be a nice year tick and Country tick!!

Well the Dyfi Osprey project has its first egg, laid yesterday!

Even more fingers crossed that its a success!!!

Other stuff about around our village - Redstart, several males on territorys, Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs everywhere, Yellowhammer (quite a scarce bird in Ceredigion) Cuckoo, Housemartins are back, and Wheatears everywhere!

The Cors Dyfi Osprey project has has a good start this year. The Male was back last week and already a female has been on the nest and they have been showing breeding behaviour.

Fingers crossed for a first succesful breeding season for this pair!

Pete Welch wrote:

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Went to Gigrin today and had excellent views of the white Red Kite and plenty of resplendent Rooks and Ravens amongst the rest of the kites. Proceeded back through mid Wales via the lovely reserve at Welshpool - Llyn Coed Y Dinas which has a fantastic Sand Martin cliff [within metres of the hide] not occupied yet but there were[well coloured] Sedge Warbler and Reed Bunting showed well and a chap who I think was the warden was most helpful. Worlds end followed [posted in t'other thread]

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There are a few Leucistic Red Kites over near us at Nant Yr Arian. Quite a beautiful bird in its own right. ANd down in Cwm Rheidol there are a number of Buzzards which are almost all white. Not been to Coed Y Dinas yet but looks like a nice place to visit. Locally, the Wheatears are flocking in as are Sand Martin. Heard a few Chiffchaff and over the weekend a Willow Warbler was in our garden along with a few distant singing individuals. Also heard a few Skylarks now too!

The Golden Eagle debate rumbles on in its thread on Bird Forum. Soem other pics that have emerged of the bid from last March, do show, albeit not very clear, possible leather patch on left leg.

I have spoken to guy in the know and he seems to think its an escape. Not sure why supressed for so long. Is it because of other possible escapes in Wales, breeding may occur? I dont know but its certainly stirring up intrest!

Mark Rigby wrote:

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Vanellus from the Latin word Vannus (winnowing basket)?
Explain that one Mr.chorley

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Simples - the shape and motion of the wing

Parus major leucurus?.......Vanellus leucurus = White-tailed Plover

Ian McKerchar wrote:

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I'm assuming (hoping) you've reported the incident then Matt?

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The police have been contacted and they have said it is reportable for a whole host of reasons. I have been trying to find the bird as proof but cant find it anywhere.
There are lots of things about this that cant really be made public on a forum as in the sensitivty of this incident. But I will keep you posted of what ultimately happens.

A rather sad day yesterday when the gun happy local farm hand shot a Jackdaw. Not only was he less than 50m from our house and the road, a law which is another story, the Jackdaw wasnt killed and he walked off. I tried to catch it to put it out of its misery and had to chase the poor bird around until in went to ground and I couldnt locate it in the brambles. He had shot it through the wing and it was dangling from its body.

Its unlikely he has the required license to shoot Jackdaws under the required legislation. Again, another story.

I tried to locate it again this morning with no success. So it dies a slow painful death, or was taken by a predator. Probably not a fox though as they get blasted up here too!

Its lovely to live it such a beautiful area, but the shooting and general bad farming around here really taints it to the pint of wanting to move away!

Only 220 Med Gulls this afternoon reported!

I think you'll find that Ian likes to be troubled with ID's. It's what he does

The 'other place' you mention has some very good birders on it but lots of 'keyboard birders' too (and is why I prefer not to have open ID queries on here), so separating the wheat from the chaff isn't always easy when you don't know who you're talking too

Pete Welch wrote:

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I will admit to using another place for the odd ID when I'm not sure ... rather than trouble Ian for IDs

And my first thought in the field was Sooty too but then I had no experience of Shearwaters 'til today.

I've sent Ian the piccies for Out of County so they'll be available for scrutiny shortly. Cheers, Peter

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I will admit to using another place for the odd ID when I'm not sure ... rather than trouble Ian for IDs

And my first thought in the field was Sooty too but then I had no experience of Shearwaters 'til today.

I've sent Ian the piccies for Out of County so they'll be available for scrutiny shortly. Cheers, Peter

Mike Crawley wrote:

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should have been in Llanon yesterday evening/this morning (long story), I'd have liked to see that

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We will pop down in the week to see them!!

Looking at the photos (on another forum ) they were Balearic..

Got the time to make a very early trip this morning for my first go at sea watching - tempted by a video of Shearwaters feeding in the surf last week I went to Borth on the Welsh coast.

Saw flocks of Shearwaters which were sweeping down the coast in a southerly direction and then out into the bay and back round every 20 minutes or so - I was really pleased to see them even at 100m out they were fascinating to watch. Also with each of the two main flocks were darker individuals which thanks to some help I now believe were Balaerics.

Other notable birds were immature and adult Sandwich Terns and Ringed Plovers on the beaches plus Red Kite and Merganser on the trip home.

" 264+ MED GULL IN FIELDS S/OF LLANON 08:00"

Was the message I got on my iPhone. Have you got one yet Matt?

Our feeders have been very busy thi summer!

Many fledgling Blue and Great Tits, Chaffinch, Siskin and Greenfinch. The Greenfinch have been badly affected by Trichomoniasis so we have been cleaning the feeders everyday and it seems to be working as we have more healthy looking Greenfinches now!

We also have young and adult Dunnock and Robins and a regular Yellowhammer!

Round about we have lots of wheaters with juveniles and similar Pied Wagtails. A cracking pair of Stonechats, and lots of Restarts with young.

Plenty of Red Kites and Buzzards. A pair of Kestrels with 2 young birds - pretty scarce around here unless you get on the cliffs at the coast. And recently an area first, a juv Peregrine Falcon!

Cheers

Last night we had a walk around Ystumtuen where we live and saw:-

A stunning male Redstart in an area we have never seen them in before.
Buzzard
Wheater including two different sets of juveniles.
Lots of Meadow Pipits
Linnets
Up on Bryn Bras there were male and female Tufted Ducks, Swallows and 2 adult and 6 juvenile Pied Wagtails on the pond.

We also went up to Look for Nightjars and we rewarded at 10.45pm with a lone bird flying close over us and along the road just north of Llyn Blaenmelindwr, slightly beyond the house. We then heard it in flight. It seemed to take an intrest in our 'A4 white paper male Nightjar'! We also heard a very distant flight call from the area in front of the Cow and Calf Standing Stones. But no churring heard at all.
Lots and lots of midgies up there which took no notice of our Skin So Soft!

Over the weekend, our feeders had:-

Blue and Great Tits - Many birds including adults and newly fledged birds.
Chaffinch - 5
Goldfinch - 3
Siskin - 2 Male and Female
Greenfinch - 2
Nuthatch - Several! Including Fledglings being fed!
Dunnock - 2
Willow Warbler - Just Looking!
Blackcap - Heard Only.

Locally to our house (within a few mins walk), usual Cuckoo - you can tell by its sore throat on the third or fourth cuckoo!
Redstarts, quite a few up the lane from us.
Linnets- Seem to be everywhere!
Red Kite - Many over.
Swallows, House Martins, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits!
And Repoll over too.
Buzzard - up to 4 birds around.

Not a bad little list!

A nice weekend weather wise apart from a bit of rain Sunday!

A Barn Owl near our house and a lrge increase in Willow Warblers this weekend.
Lots of Wheatears about! And the Swallow numbers are increasing too. Heard Cuckoo too.

And Ynys Hir

Excellent views of many male Pied Flycatchers, all lookign at propsctive nest boxes! Lots of Wood Warblers all very obliging. Whitethroat, Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Pied Wagtails, Common Sandpiper, Little Egrets, Great and Blue Tits, Song Thrush and heard Sedge Warbler and Grasshopper Warblers.

Cheers