122/365 On the rocks

02 Thursday May 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature, spring

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#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Barrage, Cardiff Bay, spring migration, Wheatear

190502 wheatear

Finally, I spotted a Wheatear on the Cardiff Bay Barrage rocks this morning. Other birders have been seeing them on and off for a month or so now, as they pass through on their way back from wintering in central Africa to their breeding grounds in Britain’s sunlit uplands. I certainly didn’t expect to find one this late in the spring, so I count myself extra lucky to have seen this little beauty today.

121/365 Parenting is hard work

01 Wednesday May 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature, spring

≈ 6 Comments

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#365DaysWild, bird boxes, birding, birds feeding chicks, birdwatching, Blue tit, British birds, Great tit

I spent some time in the churchyard surrounding St Augustine’s Church today, enjoying the wonderful wildness of this lovely place, which is now being managed in a way that enhances its flora and fauna. And it’s working a treat! The grounds are awash with wildflowers and the bird boxes are full of new life.

190501 blue tit (1) 190501 blue tit (2)

I admit I did feel a little sorry for the bird parents though. They have to work so hard to feed their chicks – it’s like they’re stuck in a loop: search frantically for food, deliver food, remove pooh, repeat!

190501 great tit (1) 190501 great tit (4) 190501 great tit (3) 190501 great tit (2)

119/365 Somebody’s got babies!

29 Monday Apr 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature, spring

≈ 6 Comments

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#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, British birds, caterpillar, Grangemoor Park, long-tailed tit, tit feeding chicks

190429 Long-tailed tit (1)

How cute is this Long-tailed tit I spotted at Cardiff’s Grangemoor Park today? The caterpillar it’s found to feed its chicks is almost as big as it is.

118/365 Chick update

28 Sunday Apr 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature, spring

≈ 7 Comments

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baby birds, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cosmeston, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Moorhen, Moorhen chicks

I’m delighted to report that the five Moorhen chicks that hatched in the dipping pond at Cosmeston on 1 April are all still alive and thriving. Their parents have obviously been doing a brilliant job of rearing and protecting them – no easy task when there are so many gulls at Cosmeston and a couple of local Buzzards that are always looking for an easy meal.

116/365 Among the chimney pots

26 Friday Apr 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature, spring

≈ 9 Comments

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, gull nesting among chimney pots, Lesser black-backed gull, nest building, nesting, urban gull nest

So this is what all yesterday’s gull screeching was about!
Mr Lesser black-backed gull was letting the neighbourhood know he had arrived and this was his territory so look out any other gull couples who thought they’d try to muscle in. And today Mr LBB and his mate were getting down to the serious business of nest building amongst the chimney pots across the back lane from my flat – or, at least, Ms LBB was – he just stood watching her do all the work. I do hope the nest goes ahead – what a thrill it would be to watch from my bedroom window as they raise their chicks!

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115/365 The gulls are back in town

25 Thursday Apr 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

≈ 2 Comments

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, British gulls, Lesser black-backed gull

The Lesser black-backed gulls mostly disappear during the winter months – I’m not sure where they go – but, come the Spring, they return, and they’re very good at making their presence felt. They often wake me very early in the morning, sometimes by jumping about on my roof, other times with their screeching calls. I’m hoping you can imagine the noise by looking at this series of photos.

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113/365 Superb Sully stroll

23 Tuesday Apr 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature, seaside

≈ 8 Comments

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#365DaysWild, Bar-tailed Godwit, birding, birdwatching, British birds, south Wales coastal path, Sully, Sully beach, Whimbrel

I caught the bus to Sully this morning, walked along to the western end of the bay, then retraced my steps and walked along the coastal path all the way back to Penarth, about 7½ miles in total. And it was superb, especially the stroll along Sully Bay. I’d timed my walk to be there just before high tide, as that often pushes the birds up closer to the path that runs along the top of the beach, and this was a high high tide so, with some stealthy sneaking along behind the trees, I managed to get really close to a flock of six Whimbrels.

And, to my delight, the Whimbrels had two Bar-tailed godwits with them. I’ve never managed to get so close to either species before so I was really chuffed. And, if you’re wondering why the godwits don’t look the same, the bird on the left (below) is a male in his summer breeding colours, while the bird on the right might be a juvenile or a non-breeding adult.

111/365 Reed warbler

21 Sunday Apr 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

≈ 6 Comments

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#365DaysWild, Acrocephalus scirpaceus, birding, birdwatching, British birds, British warblers, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Reed warbler

There are thirteen species of warbler that regularly breed in Britain and I find them some of the trickiest to identify as several are typically LBJs, little brown jobs.

190421 reed warbler (1)

The Reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) is, I think, one of the easier, partly because of its recognisable warble and partly because it lives up to its name by living almost exclusively in reeds.

190421 reed warbler (3)

But it’s an elusive little bird so I’ve never managed to get clear photos of it … until today, when this little beauty was so intent on finding food that I was able to watch it for over ten minutes. Just perfect!

190421 reed warbler (2)

109/365 Welcome back, Whitethroats!

19 Friday Apr 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature, spring

≈ 3 Comments

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#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Common whitethroat, Grangemoor Park, Sylvia communis, Whitethroat

Did you know that the Whitethroat (Sylvia communis, also known as the Common whitethroat to distinguish it from the Lesser whitethroat, Sylvia curruca) is one of thirteen birds on the British list that has the colour white in its name?*

190419 whitethroat (1)

At least this is one bird that is relatively easy to identify, both because of that prominent white throat and because of its distinctive warbling song. And that’s how I managed to spot my first four Whitethroats of the year today at Cardiff’s Grangemoor Park, singing their hearts out, having just arrived back in the country after spending winter in the Sahel, just south of the Sahara.

190419 whitethroat (2)

* This is according to Stephen Moss’s excellent book Mrs Moreau’s Warbler: How birds got their names, Guardian Faber, London, 2018.

107/365 Merry as a martin

17 Wednesday Apr 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature, spring

≈ 2 Comments

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#365DaysWild, birding, birds nesting in Cardiff Bay, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay, Sand martin

I braved the school holiday crowds for a walk around part of Cardiff Bay today ’cause I wanted to see how the Sand martins were settling in to their chosen nooks and crannies. It was a delight to see so many of these charming little birds swooping back and forth over the waterways, merrily chattering all the while, and they seem to be actively nesting in almost every one of the old docks.

I watched them for a long time and loved every moment but I couldn’t help but feel sad that so few of the people there today even noticed them. They were missing something very special.