Striking a pose

22 Tuesday Sep 2026

Posted by in nature

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

During a walk around Roath Park Lake one day last week, the three Little egrets caught my eye. These are two of them (the other was perched in a distant tree.). This first bird was shuffling along in the very low water by the islands, hoping to disturb tasty invertebrates in the mud below its feet, though how it could see them through all that vegetation on the water’s surface, I don’t know.

The second Little egret was a surprise, as it was fishing from the lake’s bank, something I’ve never seen them do before. So intent was it on spotting any movement in the water that it seemed oblivious to the busy pedestrian traffic along the footpath just a couple of metres behind it, though 99% of those pedestrians were so focused on their phones or busy chatting loudly to their companions that they didn’t notice the egret either.

It was a photographer’s dream though, as the bird was close, and the light was dull, meaning the usual flare from the egret’s whiter-than-white feathers wasn’t as difficult as in bright sunshine. Sadly, due to the bird’s rapid movement, my shots of it catching fish were all a bit blurry but it had obviously chosen its fishing spot well.

At the southern end of the lake, where you can walk across the embankment dam (this is a man-made lake), a juvenile Moorhen was perched on the low ironwork structure that fences off the water outlet. It was preening vigorously but paused when it became aware it was being watched, so I took a few photos.

The lake is home to many geese, both Canada and Greylag, the numbers varying depending on the time of year. Some birds, semi-domesticated, remain year round; others are wild birds that leave to breed elsewhere but return to winter at the lake. Many of the Greylags are white, their ancestors probably farmed geese, but some retain the grey colour and patterning of their truly wild predecessors. I liked the way these two seemed to be striking a pose.

Moth: Nut-tree tussock

21 Monday Sep 2026

Posted by in insects

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

It’s not often that I manage to see both the adult and larva of a moth species, and I’ve seen both of these this year for the first time, the adult appearing first, on 1 May, and the larva more recently, on 4 September. These are Nut-tree tussocks (Colocasia coryli) and both, I think, are stunning.

The adult and larva were in completely different locations, many miles apart, the adult roosting for the day on the side of a stucco-covered building, the larva sitting underneath a willow leaf. Both locations are atypical, according to the information about this species on the UK Moths website, which states that this moth mostly frequents woodland, and the larvae ‘feed on a variety of deciduous trees, mostly Birch and Hazel, but also Sycamore, Hornbeam, Oak and others’.

In southern Britain, these moths are bivoltine; the adult moths can be seen between April and June and then again between July and September. In the north, the moth has a single brood, the adults on the wing in May and June.

Aphid: Pterocallis maculata

20 Sunday Sep 2026

Posted by in insects

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

Though my record hasn’t yet been verified, I’m sure these tiny creatures, on the undersides of Alder leaves, are the Pterocallis maculata species of aphid, also known as the Green-barred alder aphid.

It’s the green colour and barred markings that make me fairly certain of my identification, particularly after checking the images and information on the Influential Points website.

According to iRecord, mine is only the third Welsh record, with the other two being found in October 2024, in Merthyr at the head of one the south Wales valleys, and October 2025, in an industrial area north-east of Cardiff Bay. Outside of Wales, this species has been found at just ten locations in England, one in Northern Ireland, and none in Scotland. I can’t help but wonder whether these aphids are really as rare as those records imply or whether it’s simply the case that most people just don’t record aphids.

Dyer’s mazegill

19 Saturday Sep 2026

Posted by in autumn, fungi

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

Until last week, I had only seen this fungus once before, ten years ago in September 2016, in Cardiff’s Roath Park, but I’ve seen enough photos in the meantime to recognise the shape of its brackets, and the velvety surface and vibrant yellow edges of those brackets.

This is Dyer’s mazegill (Phaeolus schweinitzii), a fungus that’s a parasite on the roots of various conifer species, including pines, firs, spruces and larches. It’s usually found close to the roots of those trees but can occasionally be found on the trunks, and, as this specimen was, on the bottom of a dead, sawn-off pine stump. The fungus is present year round but is only seen when its fruiting bodies appear, between early summer and late autumn.

As to its name, I think you see from my macro photo below where the ‘mazegill’ comes from; the underside of the bracket is covered with an elaborate pattern of spore-bearing pores that resembles a labyrinth or a maze.

And ‘Dyer’s’? In his publication Fascinated by Fungi, Pat O’Reilly writes

There are records going back many centuries showing that certain [fungal] species have been used for dyeing wool and other fabrics. One of these is Phaeolus schweinitzii, whose young fruitbodies provide a bright yellow dye … Because of this use and its variable and misshapen pores, this attractive polypore is commonly known as Dyer’s mazegill.

Sawfly: Athalia rosae

18 Friday Sep 2026

Posted by in insects

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

These orange and black sawflies can be tricky to identify, and I got this one wrong when I first recorded it, failing to take proper note of its distinguishing features: orange abdomen and legs, black head and shoulder pads, black front edge to its wings. (I rather like its stripey ‘socks’.)

Fortunately, the national verifier is patient and understanding; he ‘redetermined’ my record rather than just refusing it, as one or two less generous verifiers have been known to do. (I do understand that they must get fed up with some of the crazy records they see.)

So, I can state with absolute certainty that these two beauties are Turnip sawflies (Athalia rosae); they are also known by the common name Turnip tigress, which I rather like, though the name is a clue as to why this species is not well liked by farmers – their larvae, which are a very dark grey-green, feed on cruciferous plants (Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, Radish, and Turnip, amongst others) and can have a devastating effect on crops.

First Turnstones of the autumn

17 Thursday Sep 2026

Posted by in autumn, birds

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

A shorter post today after the verbal diarrhoea of the last few days …

Just to say I’ve finally seen my first two Turnstones of the autumn, tootling along the Ely embankment on the edge of Cardiff Bay, a location we usually see these waders throughout the colder months. Winter is coming!

Odonata at Maesteg Ponds

16 Wednesday Sep 2026

Posted by in nature

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

When I first visited Maesteg on 22 July, as a result of the heatwaves and drought, there was scarcely any water in the ponds and hardly any odonata species, just two Common darters, and a single Blue-tailed damselfly. As we’ve had a reasonable amount of rain since the drought broke around 18 August, I hoped things would have improved, so I went for another visit last Friday. Although the ponds now held a lot of water, there were only three dragonfly species present, and no damselflies at all, though I saw Emerald damselflies at this site last year and they should still be on the wing. The most prolific species was the Common darter; there were several males perched and in flight, as well as at least two pairs of males and females in cop and egg-laying.

Initially, I thought they were all I was going to see, then another dragon appeared and, like all hawkers, just kept flying and flying and flying, continually prowling the ponds looking for a female to mate with. If there was one, she was staying well hidden. I managed to get this very poor flight shot that was at least good enough to confirm, for recording purposes, that he was a Common hawker, my first – probably the only – Common hawker I will see this year.

I had been walking around the site for perhaps an hour, during which time the sun had mostly disappeared behind thick cloud, and I was beginning to think I should probably just head back to the train station when I picked up a movement below me, to my right, on a slab of stone. I had noticed that the Common darters were often to be seen sitting on the stones, presumably because they held any residual heat from the fleeting glimpses of sun. I watched for a while but couldn’t see anything so walked away but, before I did head back to the town, I checked one more time. And there it was, a single male Black darter, my first for 2026, sitting on the stone.

An unexpectedly super day’s birding

15 Tuesday Sep 2026

Posted by in autumn, birds

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

Last Wednesday, the day after the excitement of the White-winged black tern, I caught the train to north Cardiff, intending to do my usual walk down to Roath Park Lake, maybe have a mooch around the trees at Cathays Cemetery and Heath Park before catching the train home, but all that changed when I got to the reservoirs.

First, as I walked a circuit of Lisvane Reservoir, I noticed our county bird recorder Phil and another man staring intently at the vegetation along the perimeter fence. Local birder Simon had spotted a Redstart and they were hoping it would reappear. Though it was obviously being put off by the almost constant parade of walkers along the footpath, our patience was eventually rewarded during a lull in pedestrians, and the little beauty sat obligingly on the perimeter fence for a few photos, before disappearing once again. This was my first Redstart of the year so I was well pleased.

Then, Phil spotted a Wheatear flying out to one of the artificial islands and back again to the bank of the reservoir so, after thanking Simon and finishing our chat, I went to try to re-find that and, hopefully, get a closer look. It was very active but I managed to catch up with it on one of the steeper sides of the reservoir.

Next, I tried for some photos of the single late Swift that was flying around over the water with the Sand and House martins, but failed. So, then, I spent a little time watching the still-present Grey phalarope, hoping it would swim or fly a little closer – it didn’t.

At that point, I decided it was time to leave the reservoir enclosure but, ever the optimist, I thought I would have a look along the outside path in case the Redstart was showing out there – it wasn’t. By that time though, it was gone noon so, rather than continue with my initial plan, I figured that, as I was here, I might as well have a walk around the meadows north of the reservoirs, something I used to do often when I lived in the Roath Park area when I first moved to Cardiff but hadn’t much lately. And I’m so very glad I did, as I had only reached the end of the first meadow when I spotted a (the same?) Redstart in the trees ahead.

I’d only seen Redstarts flying from bushes to the ground and back again before but this bird was flying out from the trees well above my head height, putting on a spectacular display of fly catching, its red-coloured underparts flashing vibrantly each time it flew. It was incredible to watch, particularly as it was often accompanied by one or more Chiff/Willows (what birders say when they’re not sure whether they’re seeing Chiffchaffs or Willow warblers) also feeding on the abundance of flying insects.

I watched the Redstart and its smaller companions for quite some time, spellbound, thinking what an amazing day this had turned into, but it wasn’t over yet. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed yet another bird fly catching from the tree tops to my left, a distant Spotted flycatcher to polish off what had been an unexpectedly super day’s birding.

Lifer: White-winged black tern

14 Monday Sep 2026

Posted by in nature

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

At 9:02 last Tuesday morning, a WhatsApp message and back-of-camera photo came through from local birder Gareth: ‘I think this could be a juv ww black tern in Bay’. A flurry of posts followed from our local experts, agreeing with his identification, and then querying which would be the best location to see the bird from. More posts rushed in as excited birders started arriving: ‘flown towards the Barrage’, ‘can be watched from Penarth Marina with scope’, and, at 9:40, a slightly desperate ‘can you still see it?’.

Though I knew it would be a long shot for me to be able to spot the bird in Cardiff Bay using just binoculars, as I’d never seen a White-winged black tern I had to try. Being a pedestrian (and so not being able to drive quickly from place to place), it was also tricky knowing where to head, as the bird seemed to be moving about a lot, but the Barrage was closest so that’s where I went. And, miraculously, despite the distance, I managed to spot the bird almost immediately; having watched the Juvenile Black tern on Lisvane Reservoir very recently, it was easier to lock on to that distinctive swooping and diving flight pattern all tern species have.

After I’d watched the tern for a while, hoping in vain that it might come closer, and checked the Barrage for other birds, it was still only late morning, and the tern had moved from the Bay to the River Taff, flying back and forth just north of the A4232 road bridge. I thought I might have closer views in that location, so off I stomped.

As it turned out, the views were only marginally better as the bird was feeding on the opposite side of the Taff; if I’d gone to that side of the river, I would’ve had the sun in my eyes, so I stayed on the west side. Despite the distance, the bird was still a delight to watch, its flight so agile and energetic. In fact, I couldn’t help wondering how it was finding enough insects to create the energy to power its almost constant flight, but such is the way of terns.

Later, the facts rolled in. The records showed that no White-winged black tern (Chlidonias leucopterus) had ever been seen in Cardiff Bay before, and it was 33 years since an amazing three birds had visited Kenfig National Nature Reserve, further west along the Glamorgan coast. It was a brilliant find by Gareth, a suitable reward for all the hours he puts in checking for birds in the local area. And if you’re wondering, as I was, why it’s called a White-winged black tern, check out the photos on eBird of this tern in full breeding plumage – it’s a stunner!

The time of the phalaropes

13 Sunday Sep 2026

Posted by in nature

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

If you’ve been following here for a while, you might remember my previous encounters with phalaropes, those tiny birds that usually get sighted on British waterways during the month of September as they migrate south from their breeding grounds in the Arctic to their over-wintering sites in warmer climes, in the Arabian Sea and off the coast of Africa.

Last year we were treated to four phalaropes popping in to Cardiff: the Lifer: Red-necked phalarope (blogged on 23 September) and, published the next day, Two Grey phalaropes (though three birds actually featured in that blog as a bonus Grey phalarope was found feeding on the River Taff for a couple of days); and the previous year, we had a Juvenile Grey phalarope visit the seaside town of Barry during the end of August holiday weekend. I’m tagging those previous posts here as all of those birds provided much closer, more confiding views than the bird that is currently still on Cardiff’s Lisvane Reservoir, having arrived on 3 September so, if you want to see what a Grey phalarope looks like, click on those links.

Our latest Grey phalarope is spending almost all of its time floating and flying back and forth in the middle of the reservoir, making it very difficult to see at times; during my two visits, I’ve actually lent my binoculars to a few curious non-birders because they haven’t been able to spot the bird with the naked eye. Still, I’m not complaining – any opportunity I get to spend time watching a phalarope is time well spent in my book.