Willow Tits - Maesteg : 13.November 2024

On Wednesday 13th November I paid a visit to our local feeding station in the Llynfi Valley to top up the feeders following Colin Gittins' visit the previous weekend.

We have been fortunate to have a small number of Willow Tits present in the area since 2020 and they appear to still be holding their own despite being the UK's fastest declining bird species.

After topping up the feeders birds came in quickly to feed and amongst them were 2, possibly 3 Willow Tits.

Also present were Blue, Great and Coal Tits, M+F Bullfinch, Dunnocks, Blackbirds, Robins, Chaffinches, Jays and Magpies.

The Willow Tits come in and depart so quickly that it is quite difficult to get a photo of one perched on a branch and not on a feeder which is easier, I did however luckily manage just the one perched shot.

Here are some photographs from a very enjoyable morning......

Snow Bunting - Burry Port, Carms : 30.10.24

On my way to our caravan for a few days on 30th October I took a slight diversion in order to have a look for and photograph a Snow Bunting found a couple of days previously just east of Burry Port beach.

Having parked up and with my dog Timmy in tow we enjoyed the 15 minute walk to the bird's location which had been well documented on the Carmarthenshire Birds WhatsApp group and BirdGuides.

Fortunately there were two birders already present one of whom was Paul Stephens who I have got to know in recent years.

The bird was showing well in the tussocky dune grass and I proceeded to get several images that I was quite pleased with despite the gloomy conditions, the wonders that Lightroom is capable of !!

I just can't resist a Snow Bunting, such beautiful little birds, here are some images from my visit....... 

Little Crake - Bosherston Lily Ponds, Pembs : Sunday 13th October 2024

It has always irked me that I didn't 'twitch' the Little Crake that turned up in October 2005 at WWT Slimbridge, from memory Wayne made the journey, can't think why I didn't go, maybe I was on holiday at the time ?!!

I don't think I fully appreciated at that time how rare they are and how difficult they are to see.

I was therefore more than pleased that a 'twitchable' bird had turned up at Bosherston Lily Ponds in Pembrokeshire a couple of days from the end of our holiday.

It was still present after we had returned home and so on Sunday 13th October myself, good friend and fellow 'togger' Dave Gilbert and his grandson Jenson met up at my house early morning and we proceeded to have a clear run to the bird's location.

Unfortunately for us the bird which had been showing well in front of the Grassy Bridge had by the time we arrived flown across to the far side of the pools.

Friend and top birder Arfon Williams was also present and he kindly let us view the bird through his 'top end' Swarovski 'scope, what brilliant views.

It proceeded to make it's way along the shoreline feeding as it went and occasionally walked across the lily pads.

We had to be satisfied with distant 'record' shots of the stunning juvenile bird which whilst we were present showed no sign of returning to it's favoured spot which would have allowed really close views and 'frame filling' shots.

As the temperature dropped we decided to leave at 4.00pm and after a 20 minute drive news broke on BirdGuides that the crake had returned to it's favoured spot and was giving 'blinding' views from the Grassy Bridge.

Oh well, you win some, you lose some, at least now I can tick the bird off the list !!

Golden Wedding Anniversary Cruise : Sept - Oct 2024

On 28th September 1974 Teresa made me the happiest man alive when we married at St Cynfelin's Church, Caerau, Maesteg.

How the fifty years that we have been together since have flown and in the intervening period we have had two wonderful daughters, eight fabulous grandchildren and to date one fantastic great-grandchild, who could ask for more !!

We decided to mark our Golden Wedding Anniversary with a 14 night MSC cruise on Virtuosa from Southampton to Southern Spain and back stopping at various ports of call, the furthest being Palma the capital city of Mallorca.

From a birding perspective it was a month or two too late to catch the build-up of seabirds and cetaceans in the Bay of Biscay but I wasn't too disappointed and picked up four species of shearwater (Cory's, Great, Sooty and Manx) and some Common Dolphins although the only sighting of a whale was a very distant 'blow'. 

Here are some of the photos that I managed to capture.....