Porthmadog Ospreys

Hi Ive just heard that the Osprey i saw at Porthmadog has layed one egg! all is revealed in the Cambrian News!

Check Back for more info...

Shropshire - Back to basics

Back in Shropshire now, and after missing out on a Cetti's Warbler at Monkmoor Pool, feeling pretty disappointed. So as my blog title Jack Wildman Shropshire Birder, it looks like some birding in shropshire, Venus pool is calling, and maybe Chelmarsh could do no harm.

So now as I'm writing this post its 12:42, on a Saturday, its raining, and I'm just getting ready to go out and swap my bins, scope, and camera, for a Whistle and two Flags, yes I'm off to referee a football match in Broseley, in the rain.

Don't forget to call back, i guarantee some photos by next Friday!!

Wales - Porthmadog

Well, today's 'Birding Trip' to Porthmadog started off at the beginning of the Porthmadog Cob - Glaslyn Marsh's. We'd been walking for around 2Min's after leaving the car, and the First bird we saw was the Porthmadog Osprey! What a spot!!! Although Ive seen the ospreys breeding in Porthmadog every year, the thrill of seeing this Bird of prey never wears off!!! Today it was being mobbed by a Red Kite and a Buzzard! Three Birds of prey all in one view, sadly i couldn't fit the Buzzard into the Frame of the camera but i did manage to get both the Red Kite and the Osprey!

Red Kite at the top of the Picture and the Osprey at the bottom

After the Osprey had been mobbed it flew off over the top of us and over the wall of the railway.

So we carried on walking along the path of the cob, and spotted some Black Tailed Godwits, Another year tick!! and some dunlin, wow another year tick, that's three year ticks in the space of 30Min's.

whilst watching the Black tailed godwits, i was just casually looking around for anything that we had missed, and but my bins on to the Osprey again, and this time it was coming towards us, wow, we had some breath-taking views of it......

The Porthmadog Osprey giving us breath-taking views.

The Porthmadog Osprey giving us breath-taking views.

The Porthmadog Osprey giving us breath-taking views.

Wow, what views, and even if i do say so my self, some good photos!!!!!!! I'm so pleased with the way they have come out! After watching this bird, we carried on walking and went over to the railway to see what was on the estuary, Teal, shelduck, Oystercatcher, nothing unusual.
Now to walk to the over side of the cob, where the Black tailed Godwits had move to for some closer shots,

Black Tailed Godwits

After Porthmadog, we went back to Fairbourne along the coast, and via a place Ideal for the osprey to fish, but no such luck. So we went through Harlech an Barmouth.

With the day list at 32, it was time to call it a day, and after yesterdays trip out everyone was rather tired!!

The Day list

• Song Thrush
• Osprey
• Red Kite
  
• Buzzard
• Blue Tit
• Coal Tit
• House Sparrow
• Raven
  
• Black Tailed Godwit
• Dunlin
• Red Shank
• Little Grebe
  
• Teal
• Mallard
  
• Black Headed Gull
• Herring Gull
• Lesser Black Backed Gull
• Wigeon
• Collard Dove
  
• Wood Pigeon
• Great Spotted Woodpecker
  
• Shelduck
  
• Crow
  
• Jackdaw
  
• Magpie
  
• Canada Geese
  
• Mute Swan
  
• Moorhen
  
• Chaffinch
  
• BlackBird
  
• Starling
  and
  
• Heron.
  

Wales - Aberystwyth, and surrounding area

Even Before leaving the house I counted at least 13 Magpies all on one roof! Great! The day lists started! It soon built to over 47! What a day! And to believe it all started at breakfast with 13 Magpies, wow! Anyway.....

Aberystwyth was the first place of stopping, ticking off Purple Sandpiper for the year list, then on to the Library/Church yard to try and get the Black Redstart that we had Sunday! Ticked, that another two for the day list, and one for the year list, from here we stayed in Aberystwyh but we walked to to South Beach where we ticked off Wheatear, Stone Chat, Buzzard, Red Kite, Kestrel, Raven, Cormorant, and Chaffinch. Not bad for a mornings Work.

Purple Sandpiper at Aberystwyth

Purple Sandpiper at Aberystwyth

Purple Sandpiper from a Different angle.

Purple Sandpiper at Aberystwyth

Black Redstart at Aberystwyth

Black Redstart at Aberystwyth

Black Redstart at Aberystwyth

Red Kite at South Beach in Aberystwyth

Red Kite at South Beach in Aberystwyth

Wheatear at South Beach Aberystwyth

Wheatear at South Beach Aberystwyth

From South Beach we went to Devils Bridge to The Arch, we went wanting to see Cross bill, but because we wanted to see them, they weren't were we were, we settled with Great Spotted Woodpecker, Siskin, and Jay, all for the year list, so not bad!

Siskin at The Arch in Devils Bridge

Siskin at The Arch in Devils Bridge

From here we went over to Nant Yr Arian, to where they feed Red Kites. Although it was getting on for 6pm, i still managed a few shots of the Red Kites.

Red Kite at Nant Yr Arian

Red Kite at Nant Yr Arian

Red Kite at Nant Yr Arian

Also Present at Nant Yr Arian were: Coot, Gooseander, Heron, Chaffinch, Nuthatch, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Tufted Duck, Robin. Most of Which were year ticks!!!

Well what a day, out at 11am, and on our way back to Fairbourne at about 7pm.

But we did have two more stops on the way, Borth - were we added Common Scoter to the day list, and Machynlleth - Were we saw Water Buffalo

Water Buffalo at Machynlleth

Water Buffalo at Machynlleth

Home by about 8:15pm, Not a bad days birding! Oh forgot to mention that we stopped off in Llandre again to see weather the Cattle Egret was still present, it was still there but in a further field, where the cameras 10x Zoom wont reach, oh well, there will be other days! But on the Plus side, comming home last night along the coast paied off as we had a Tawny Owl sat in a tree by the side of the road, Beautiful!

Off to Porthmadog tomorrow a walk around the Cob there might drum the year list up! there will no doubt be more pictures to come from that trip, all will be on tomorrow night!!!

A quick List tally:

• Year List: 59
• Life List : 177
• Today's day List: 49.

New Changes

As you can see i have made a few changes to my blog, new design, colours, etc.....

Hope you like them

Jack.

Wales - Aber Dysynni

Rain, Rain, and even more rain today, but we did eventually manage to escape out of the house for a couple of hours. Two more year ticks taking the list up to 50, with Eider, and Turnstone.


We arived at Dysynni Point this afternoon wit ha quite welcome from the birds. We walker under the railway bridge and up the path and spotted a wheatear, Great stuff, not a year tick ticked it off last night! The little bugger woundnt stop still longer for me to get the camera out! so no pictures of this bird, but will keep trying! so wse carryed on walking towards the point with even more Wheatear jumping out infront of us. On arival at the point itself, a quick scan brought in Eider, great photo opportunity, but sadly the batteries had gone in my camera, damn, it just isnt my day, so no pics of the Eider, but theres still time! I did however manage to get some pictures of Mute Swan, Pied Wagtail, and Stonechat!

Male Mute Swan at Dysynni Point

Mute Swan at Dysynni Point

Male Stonechat at Dysynni Point

Juv Mute Swan at Dysynni Point

Another Juv Mute Swan at Dysynni Point

And finaly a Pied Wagtail at Dysynni Point

More birding to be done in the next few days, all the latest birds seen by myself will be posted....

Back Soon

Wales - Cattle Egret, Black Redstart RedKite, and a Shag

Well, today ive had two life ticks, and four year ticks, bosting both lists!
This morning after a night of wind went in search of a Cattle Egret that has been present in Ceredigion for many weeks! following the instructions for Bird Guides i found it in a field, with yes you guessed it, cattle! some beautiful views of it but the pictures are poor! you can just make out what it is!

After Sucsessfully ticking the Cattle Egret, it was on to Aberystwyth for the Black Redstart, after years of going to aberystwyth and dipping on the Black Redstart. I was on a role with the life ticks, and would you believe it i had got another life tick. Black Redstart, beautiful bird, and displayed long enought to get some decent photos of it! (Much better than the Cattle Egret!!) :-D

I Just managed a quick picture of the bird as it flew behind a house!

If you read my last post i would have said something about seeing a Red Kite but not being able to get a picture of it! well, this morning just before going off twitching, a beautiful Red Kite Flew over, I managed to get a few snaps of it before it flew off towards the dark mountains!

Anyway back to the twitching, after the black redstart, we decided to come back via the coastal roads, and just past twywn there is a lay-by overlooking the sea, we stoped there and put the scope up, after about 5 mins we had got shag in the scope! bonus- Year tick! I had got if for my life list about 3-4 years ago up at Anglesey! but always nice to see them! Then just below were we parked a few Fulmar were on the water and flying around! No sucsessful pictures of them, it was a bit windy for the camera! also seen there were Common Scoter! another Year tick!

All in all a good birding day! Life list boosted up to 177, Year List up to 45

I did go home a happy Bunny - haha Bunny + Easter ha im so funny! (it took me all day to think that one up)!! :-D

Ill be back with more birding news very soon!