Birds
Coming Back
We kick off 2023 with a tick and twitch event at WWT Llanelli before enjoying Grey Plover at Newton Point and Turnstones at Sker.
Birds
Wally the Walrus arrives in Wales
Of all the wildlife encounters I’d imagined for this year, a Walrus off the Welsh coast was certainly not one of them. But then again, when has nature ever played by the rules. Our hapless wanderer’s story begins, allegedly, thanks to a poorly chosen spot for a snooze. Drifting off Read more…
Birds
Sanderling Surprise
The concept of being cold feels very far away right now but back in April we spent a week in north Wales which included snow covered beaches and whiteout blizzards. I know, it’s scarcely believable that we ever needed to wear a jumper let alone turn back from a walk Read more…
Birds
Black-necked Grebe, St Aidan’s
Described by the RSPB themselves as “Yorkshire’s worst kept secret”, the presence of breeding Black-necked Grebes at the charity’s St Aidan’s reserve has been well known and publicised since 2018. The intervening years have seen some truly stunning images of these rare birds shared across social media bumping them even Read more…
Birds
Skulking Grouse and Aggressive Curlew
Red Grouse, Ilkley Moor and me – surely the title for a future feature film involving one man and his struggles to photograph these daft as a brush gamebirds in an ever changing variety of unsuitable weather/seasonal conditions. At least that’s the way it feels to me having spent the Read more…
Birds
Rhossili Ramble – Birds, Butterflies and Holly
Thursday afternoon at Rhossili was very much a zip up, secure hat state of affairs thanks to a brisk breeze keeping things refreshingly cool. Out in the bay a continuous procession of white horses scampered landwards giving the gathered surfers some welcome action, whilst up on the clifftops things were Read more…
Birds
Caspian Tern drops in to WWT Llanelli
It’s been a long wait for a new lifer to find its way on to my list but with the final Sunday of June presenting an opportunity to go for not one but two new birds, well, I couldn’t resist. Our first target came in the shape of a Caspian Read more…
Birds
Dinewfr – Redstarts, Cattle and a Hobby
Starting is always the hardest part of any worthwhile task and, after almost twelve months away from the blogosphere, that old adage has never proved more apt. Of course I’ve taken breaks before and managed to find my way again but an additional complication this time around has been my Read more…
Kayaking
Dale and Port Eynon Kayaking
We were planning to do a whole lot more kayaking this year than last but as with most things in 2020, those plans had to take a backseat. Thankfully lockdown restrictions here in Wales were eased before the summer had totally passed us by and in terms of maintaining social Read more…
Birds
A Chattering of Chough
One species which appears to have had a very successful breeding season, at least locally, is the Chough. With their curved red bills and matching legs these charismatic birds are most definitely top of the corvid pecking order. You can keep your Jays and your Magpies (yes even with their iridescence) Read more…