09 Wednesday Aug 2023
If it’s the same bird, which seems quite likely, then this juvenile Redstart has been dotting around in a hedge at Cosmeston since 26 July, when it was first spotted by another local birder. Hopefully that means it’s been feeding well in preparation for its upcoming journey south to trans-Saharan Africa.
03 Thursday Aug 2023
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I don’t go down to Cardiff Bay much over the summer months – too many people on the ground and too many boats on the water, all disturbing much of the wildlife I might potentially see. However, as the birds seem to think we’re heading in to autumn already (and the weather does feel like that), I’ve had a couple of strolls along the River Ely embankment this past week. And I’ve been lucky.
During Monday’s walk, as well as the tens of Mute swans and Coots and a smattering of Great crested grebes and snoozing Mallards, I was treated to close views of these two Common sandpipers, presumably birds that have now completed their summer breeding in more northerly parts of the country and are moving south to settle in their favourite over-wintering areas. Last winter, two birds spent the colder months in and around Cardiff Bay, and it would certainly be nice to have some of these handsome birds around this coming winter as well. Fingers crossed!
02 Wednesday Aug 2023
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We humans may be hoping for a bit more warm weather now that August is here but the birds seem to have decided that summer is over. First up last Wednesday, 26 July, our local expert birder found the first migrating bird of the season, a juvenile Redstart, at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park. And when I went for a look (found it but my photo was poor), I also found a juvenile Stonechat in the same area.
And then on Friday, 28 July, I made my own first discovery of the migration season, also at Cosmeston, of a juvenile Whinchat that had begun its journey south. (Later in the day, the same local expert birder who found the Redstart found a second Whinchat, an adult this time.) Enjoy the last of the summer while you can because autumn is definitely in the wind.
29 Saturday Jul 2023
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This is probably the worst photo of a Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) you’ll ever see but it’s my photo of a Goshawk, a raptor that’s been my bogey bird ever since I started birding seriously. I’ve had a lot of false sightings – more hope than skilled identification – but, finally, last Wednesday, my Goshawk time had come. As our county recorder and a local birding expert both told me, the key indicators here are its size (I initially thought Buzzard, then realised it wasn’t flying like a Buzzard), the broad bulging shape of the inner wing, the broad hips, the rounded tail and, finally, the heavily dark-streaked belly of a juvenile Goshawk. Although Goshawks don’t bred locally, the juveniles tend to wander quite widely once they fledge so now is a good time to see/look for them.
26 Wednesday Jul 2023
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How delightful is this juvenile Reed warbler?
It was watching its parent’s every move, waiting for the next tasty titbit to be delivered.
20 Thursday Jul 2023
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I timed yesterday’s arrival at the second hide at Forest Farm Nature Reserve perfectly – some birders sit patiently in the hide for hours waiting for a Kingfisher to fly in and perch on the strategically placed stick.
And, in fact, I was doubly lucky as I later had two Kingfishers streak past as I walked along the canal path. They are the most gorgeous birds!
15 Saturday Jul 2023
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I first introduced you to my Carrion crow friend back in May last year (A crow companion) and then wrote about our continuing ‘friendship’ in October 2022 (The look, the glare). Our relationship has continued in the intervening months; whenever I walk through his territory, he flies over, walks with me, expects food. He even manages to find me when I’m walking along the woodland path adjacent to his paddock, and I don’t know how he does that!
Earlier this year, he began bringing another Crow with him, his mate I immediately presumed. She was initially very timid but is now much less so, and is sometimes the first to spot me and fly over. A couple of months back they both became much more demanding and were flying away, their beaks jammed with food, towards a specific part of the woodland. Chicks! And now here they are – three well-grown, raucous and difficult-to-photograph-because-never-still youngsters, who are also being brought to see and taught about the food-bearing human. I couldn’t be more proud!
13 Thursday Jul 2023
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It’s been rather bird-quiet for the last few weeks so it was wonderful first to hear their chatting and then to see these two juvenile Stonechats in one of the outer fields at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park on Monday.
11 Tuesday Jul 2023
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I have a ton of photos of Mallard ducklings but I just couldn’t resist taking a few shots of this little cutie that was snoozing with its mum and three siblings on the water’s edge about 20 feet below me. At the very least, the angle, looking straight down from above, gave a different perspective to most of my other duckling photos.
05 Wednesday Jul 2023
Posted in birds
As I was standing perfectly still and silent in the thick of a copse of trees and shrubs, staring at leaves and insects and leafmines, the small flock of juvenile Long-tailed tits moving through the greenery, foraging for tiny insects, didn’t notice me, which meant I was able to get a few photos of these adorable wee youngsters.
earthstar 
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