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~ a celebration of nature

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Tag Archives: birding birdwatching

330/366 The Bay on Monday

25 Wednesday Nov 2020

Posted by sconzani in autumn, birds, walks

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Tags

birding birdwatching, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff Bay birding, Cardiff Bay birds

Monday’s walk saw me striding out on a circuit of Cardiff Bay, a walk of just under 8 miles that day as I meandered here and there to look at particular things. (This panorama of the Bay was taken in April a couple of years ago and a few things have since changed but I just wanted to give those unfamiliar with the Bay a general idea of my walk. The Bristol Channel is to the right; Cardiff city centre at the top, slightly left of centre; the view is as seen from the town of Penarth.)

201125 1 Cardiff Bay

These are some of the birds I encountered on my circuit: three of four Redshanks that flew in to the embankment of the River Ely where it flows in to the Bay.

201125 2 redshank

A Grey heron using some of the old dock infrastructure as a lookout.

201125 3 grey heron

A pair of Goosanders on the embankment near Mermaid Quay – the red-headed female mostly snoozing, her partner using the time out of the water to spruce himself up.

201125 4 goosander female201125 5 goosander male

One of a pair of Mute swans also preening, then snoozing.

201125 6 mute swan

One of many Great crested grebes that make their home in the Bay.

201125 7 great crested grebe

I counted 20 Turnstones in total on Monday; this one had lost a chunk of feathers on its back, perhaps an encounter with a bird of prey that the Turnstone was fortunate to survive.

201125 8 turnstone

And, last but probably the most numerous, one of hundreds, perhaps thousands of Black-headed gulls to be seen around Cardiff Bay.

201125 9 black-headed gull

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301/366 Chatting

27 Tuesday Oct 2020

Posted by sconzani in autumn, birds

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birding, birding birdwatching, British birds, Saxicola rubicola, Stonechat

When I can’t arrange to meet up with and chat to friends, due to our Covid-19 lockdown rules, I talk to the birds, usually Robins (as my previous Conversations with Robins blog posts testify) but lately the many Stonechats that have been living in the local fields.

201027 stonechat (1)

If I approach slowly and quietly, then stand still and wait, they’ll often pop up on branches and plant tops quite close to me.

201027 stonechat (2)

I can talk very softly, and they don’t fly off. They watch me – are they just being cautious, keeping an eye on this intruder in their space?

201027 stonechat (3)

Or are they curious? Or maybe they’re just plain cheeky, knowing they can check me out but fly off in the beat of a wing?

201027 stonechat (4)

Spending time with these gorgeous wee chats brings me much joy. And, yes, I am a crazy bird lady!

201027 stonechat (5)

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Cardiff’s old canals

04 Monday Jun 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, flowers, insects, nature, wildflowers

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#30DaysWild, 30 Days Wild, birding birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff's canals, Common blue damselfly, Coot, Coot chicks, Coots nesting, feral pigeon, Fringed water-lily, Little Venice, Mallard, vegetation in canals

I had to go in to Cardiff city today to do a few chores so, for day four of #30DaysWild, I thought I’d take a wander along the old canals, an area known locally as Little Venice. The area closest to the main road is quite unkempt, but, except for the human rubbish, I like how overgrown it is – and I’m sure the wildlife does too – and the submerged plants are particularly lovely at the moment, with long streaming fronds covered in pretty white flowers.

180604 1 flowering plant in canal180604 2 flowering plant in canal

The canals flow in a couple of different directions, both ultimately emptying into East Bute Dock, where once a million tons of coal a year was loaded on to waiting ships. The canals are bordered by various types of accommodation and office blocks, have footpaths along both sides, and in places are adorned with beautiful, currently flowering native Fringed Water Lily (Nymphoides peltata).

180604 3 canal180604 4 water lily in canal180604 5 water lily in canal

The canals also support a range of wildlife. Drake mallards snoozed on the warm stone edges, Common blue damselflies flitted back and forth, and a feral pigeon strutted towards me, hopeful of a spot of lunch.

180604 6 common blue damselfly
180604 7 drake mallard

180604 8 feral pigeon

The big drawcard of these waterways for me, though, is that Coots can usually be found nesting here, often very successfully. In their large sturdy nest structures, built of sticks and plant material and human detritus, I’ve seen broods of up to 6 chicks.

180604 9 coot nest
180604 10 coot nest
180604 11 coot nest

Today there were two pairs with quite well-grown young, and three more birds sitting, possibly with little ones tucked under their wings. And very cute they all were too!

180604 12 coot
180604 13 coot
180604 14 coot
180604 15 coot
180604 16 coot
180604 17 coot

 

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Four and twenty blackbirds

23 Saturday Dec 2017

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

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Tags

birding birdwatching, birds in culture, birds in society, blackbird, British birds, Turdus merula

This is not a pie recipe! This is a visual celebration of one of our most common birds; one that almost every person can recognise and name; one that loves to sing its happy tune in our gardens and parks. There have been songs entitled ‘Blackbird’ (the Beatles, 1968 song, for example); films and plays, books, poems and short stories (too numerous to mention); people with the Blackbird surname; places named Blackbird (in England and the United States); planes, yachts and locomotives with the Blackbird name; even sports teams and personal computers (Hewlett Packard’s Blackbird 002). What a contribution this humble bird has made to the world!

171223 blackbird (1)
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171223 blackbird (19)
171223 blackbird (20)
171223 blackbird (21)
171223 blackbird (22)
171223 blackbird (23)
171223 blackbird (24)

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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