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Tag Archives: Forest Farm Nature Reserve

A flash of turquoise

28 Monday Jun 2021

Posted by sconzani in birds

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

birding, birds at Forest Farm, birdwatching, British birds, Forest Farm Nature Reserve, Kingfisher

I mentioned in Saturday’s blog that I saw one particularly beautiful bird during my visit to Forest Farm Nature Reserve on Thursday, and this is it, a Kingfisher.

210628 kingfisher (1)

And I was lucky – I saw it twice, visiting the ponds in front of first one bird hide and then the other.

210628 kingfisher (2)

It didn’t linger long at either, announcing its departure with the trade-mark peep, peep, peeping as it flew off with a flash of vibrant turquoise.

210628 kingfisher (3)

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Baby bunny

26 Saturday Jun 2021

Posted by sconzani in animals, mammal

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

British mammals, Forest Farm, Forest Farm Nature Reserve, rabbit, young rabbits

It’s not only birds you can see from a bird hide. When I enjoyed my first (post-lockdown) wander in 18 months at Forest Farm Nature Reserve yesterday, I naturally visited both bird hides to see what was about. I didn’t venture inside the hides, thought it safer to peer through the slots in the tall fences on either side, and, though I did see one particularly beautiful bird, it was actually the family of young rabbits that held my attention. This little cutie was adorable. Those ears!

210626 baby bunny

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59/366 Good weather for frogs?

28 Friday Feb 2020

Posted by sconzani in amphibian, nature

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

British amphibians, Common frog, Forest Farm Nature Reserve, frog spawn, Rana temporaria

Do frogs like the rain? As they’re amphibians, I’m assuming they do but I’m sure even they experience difficulties when there’s too much water around, and maybe it’s just their tadpoles that, of necessity, like water.

200228 frog spawn (1)

Our miserable weather continued today, with heavy rain from dawn to dusk, so these photos are from a couple of days ago when I enjoyed a meander around Forest Farm Nature Reserve in the all-too-brief sunshine. I found this frog spawn, the eggs of the Common frog (Rana temporaria), in the dragonfly pond at the reserve.

200228 frog spawn (3)

I initially thought it was a little early but it turns out I blogged about finding frog spawn at Lavernock Nature Reserve on the exact same date last year. I missed the tadpoles in 2019 so must remember to check for them in a week or so.

200228 frog spawn (2)

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20/366 Crispest

20 Monday Jan 2020

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, winter

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Forest Farm, Forest Farm Nature Reserve, frost, Jay, nuthatch, Snipe

It was frosty white again this morning so, in the hope that the chilly temperatures might have lured the resident Snipe out of their hiding places in the reed beds, I headed to Forest Farm Nature Reserve for a meander. And I was lucky – though they were very distant, I managed to spot three Snipe. Full marks if you can actually see them in this photo.

200120 1 snipe

Of course, the cold temps also meant the birds were hungry and frantic to be fed. I took plenty of seed with me but many of the good folk who walk this reserve regularly had already covered fence post tops and feeding tables with food of various types. This Nuthatch was stocking up, taking away several seeds and nuts at a time to stash in nooks and crannies in nearby trees.

200120 3 nuthatch

Jays were also busy stashing. Birders were spraying the grass in front of the bird hide with peanuts, which at least two Jays were gathering and carting away to their local hiding places. Best to be prepared in case this chilly spell continues.

200120 2 jay

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3/366 Stroll around Forest Farm

03 Friday Jan 2020

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, walks, winter

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Dipper, Forest Farm, Forest Farm Nature Reserve, Great spotted woodpecker, Grey heron, Kingfisher

Today’s was another merry meander, this time around Forest Farm Nature Reserve. The sun was actually shining for part of the time, which was a very pleasant change, and I was lucky with my bird sightings.

200103 1 dipper

As soon as I stepped on to the pedestrian bridge that crosses the River Taff from Radyr Station to Forest Farm, I could hear a Dipper singing – such a delightful melody! And there it was, sitting on a rock on the far bank, almost directly under the bridge. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the day.

200103 2 great spotted woodpecker

The little birds – the tits and finches, Robins and Wrens – were also very vocal and it wasn’t long before I had paused to hand out some sunflower seeds and enjoy their feasting. As I watched, I caught a flash of red – my first Great spotted woodpecker of the year. I also heard, then saw a Green woodpecker but wasn’t quick enough for any photos.

200103 3 kingfisher

I popped along to the second bird hide but all was quiet there and I’m not one to just sit and wait for the birds to come, so I headed along to wander the length of the old Glamorgan Canal, and back. I was soon lucky there too – a Kingfisher was flying and perching on low branches, trying to fish but being almost continuously disturbed by passing dogs and their walkers and noisy families.

Four hours later, I had dished out all of my seed offerings and managed to clock 30 species, four of which were new for 2020 and all of which were lovely to see. But the highlight of the day was probably the sight of 10 Grey herons in one huge dead tree (at one point also joined by a Buzzard but two Magpies soon saw it off)!

200103 4 grey heron
200103 5 grey heron

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313/365 Colours of Autumn

09 Saturday Nov 2019

Posted by sconzani in autumn, leaves, nature, trees, walks

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

autumn, autumn at Forest Farm, autumn colour, autumn leaves, autumn trees, Forest Farm Nature Reserve

Here are some of the colours of autumn from my walk around Forest Farm Nature Reserve yesterday. It was magical!

191109 autumn at ForestFarm (1)
191109 autumn at ForestFarm (2)
191109 autumn at ForestFarm (3)
191109 autumn at ForestFarm (4)
191109 autumn at ForestFarm (5)
191109 autumn at ForestFarm (6)
191109 autumn at ForestFarm (7)
191109 autumn at ForestFarm (8)
191109 autumn at ForestFarm (9)
191109 autumn at ForestFarm (10)

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312/365 Nuts

08 Friday Nov 2019

Posted by sconzani in autumn, birds, nature

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Forest Farm, Forest Farm Nature Reserve, jackdaw, Jay, Moorhen

Today was a glorious autumn day so I took myself to Forest Farm Nature Reserve for a long walk. I popped in to the hide to see what birds were around but it was very quiet.

191108 moorhens

Apart from a couple of Moorhens in the pond, the only feathered creatures I saw were these, a Jackdaw and a Jay that had been enticed down on to the grass in front of the hide by the peanuts another birder had thrown out for them.

191108 jackdaw191108 jay

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30/365 Preening

30 Wednesday Jan 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature, walks, winter

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Forest Farm, Forest Farm Nature Reserve, Moorhen, moorhen preening

190130 moorhen

Today was the calm before the storm – or, at least, it might have been – snow and strong winds are forecast for tomorrow afternoon but we’ll have to wait and see if that forecast is correct. Today, though, was bright blue skies, heavy white frost, a cracking walk around Forest Farm, lots of lovely birds (including my first Siskins of the year), nice catch-ups with birding friends and birding-chat with strangers – just perfect! Oh, and here’s one of the many Moorhens I saw, this one preening vigorously in the warm morning sunshine.

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21/365 A Snipe or three

21 Monday Jan 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature, walks, winter

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Forest Farm, Forest Farm Nature Reserve, Snipe, Snipe in reeds

When I headed to Forest Farm Nature Reserve today, I was hoping to add a Dipper to my year list (tick) and, as frosty mornings often lure them out from the reeds, I was also hoping to see some Snipe – these are they. Not as close as I’d have liked but still good to see as they are so well camouflaged they’re often difficult to spot. There were lots of other lovelies too: a Kingfisher, two Buzzards being harassed by Crows, three Great spotted woodpeckers, a ton of Mallards and Moorhens loudly staking out territories in preparation for breeding, four Grey herons like statues in a dead tree, and my first Snowdrops of the year. T’rrific!

190121 snipe

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Late autumn at Forest Farm

18 Sunday Nov 2018

Posted by sconzani in autumn, leaves, nature, trees, walks

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

autumn, autumn colour, autumn leaves, autumn trees, Forest Farm, Forest Farm Nature Reserve

When anyone asks me what my favourite season is I can never decide because they each have their good points but, this year, our late-arriving autumn has certainly been magnificent. On Wednesday I caught the train to Radyr for a meander around Forest Farm Nature Reserve and it was sublime. From bright golden yellows to rustling red-browns, with some leaves still decorating spreading branches above my head and others carpeting the woodland floor beneath my feet, I spent a marvellous day, my eyes admiring, my feet kicking, my neck craning and all my senses spilling over. Ah, autumn!

181118 Forest Farm (1)181118 Forest Farm (2)181118 Forest Farm (3)181118 Forest Farm (4)181118 Forest Farm (5)181118 Forest Farm (6)181118 Forest Farm (7)

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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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