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Tag Archives: Kenfig National Nature Reserve

Definitely a Dunlin

27 Thursday Sep 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, bundie, Calidris alpina, Dunlin, Kenfig National Nature Reserve, peewee, pickerel, sandmouse, sea lark, Sker Rocks

Here’s another beautiful wader from my recent bird club walk at Kenfig National Nature Reserve.

180927 dunlin (1)

The Dunlin (Calidris alpina) is probably the British wader most people have seen – even if they didn’t realise what it was. With 9,600 breeding pairs and 350,000 Dunlin over-wintering in Britain, it’s certainly the most common.

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And because it’s so common, it’s been given a huge number of common names by the folks that live in different parts of these isles. Some of my favourites are: sand mouse (Westmorland), peewee (Northamptonshire), pickerel (Scotland), bundie (Orkney), and sea lark, from several different locations.

180927 dunlin (4)

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Birding at Kenfig

17 Monday Sep 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, walks

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Glamorgan Bird Club, Golden plover, Kenfig beach, Kenfig National Nature Reserve, Ringed plover, Sanderling, Shag, Sker Rocks, starling, Stonechat

180917 birding at Kenfig (1)

Last Saturday was the monthly Glamorgan Bird Club walk at Kenfig National Nature Reserve on the south Wales coast and this time, as the high tide time worked in perfectly, our large group of 28 enthusiasts headed down the eastern side of the reserve towards Sker.

180917 birding at Kenfig (2)

With so many eyes on the look out as we walked through scrub and across parts of the golf course, we soon had a respectable total of small birds but the highlights came as we got closer to the sea. Near Sker House, a small Starling murmuration swirled about in ever-changing formations before pausing to rest on overhead wires.

180917 birding at Kenfig (3)

Then, we were entertained by a small party of Stonechats, dotting in and out of the vegetation surrounding a wire fence.

180917 birding at Kenfig (4)

Moving on, we had distant views of Curlews and godwits in a field. At first we thought the godwits were Black-tailed but, on closer examination and with the help of reserve ranger Dave’s local knowledge, they were identified as Bar-tailed godwits, not particularly common hereabouts.

180917 birding at Kenfig (5)

The best part of the day for me was at Sker Rocks, where we enjoyed really close views of several wader species. Small flocks of Sanderlings flitted back and forth from the rocks to the beach and, at times, were less than 20 feet away, scurrying hurriedly along the sand, poking about for food. A single Ringed plover sat alone by the water’s edge for a time, and then was replaced by four beautifully marked Golden plovers. (I got some reasonable photos of the Sanderlings and Golden plovers so will post separate blogs on them.)

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As we headed back inland, one of our younger birders, Tate, spotted a Shag fishing very close to the rocks – not a bird that’s seen much locally so a nice sighting.

180917 birding at Kenfig (10)

And some of us headed down to Kenfig Pool for a quick look but there wasn’t anything of note, and fishermen sitting much closer to the bird hide than they’re supposed to meant that wasn’t worth visiting.

180917 birding at Kenfig (9)

It was an excellent day’s birding and my species total was a very respectable 48: Mute Swan, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Mallard, Grey Heron, Shag, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Coot, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, European Golden Plover, Sanderling, Dunlin, Bar-tailed Godwit, Eurasian Curlew, Turnstone, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Magpie, Jay, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Skylark, Swallow, House Martin, Cetti’s Warbler, Wren, Starling, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, Goldfinch, Linnet, Bullfinch, and Reed Bunting.
Also seen/heard but not by me: Sand Martin, Common Buzzard, Tufted Duck, Raven, Common Chiffchaff, Northern Wheatear, and Water Rail (this last one was a shame, as it would’ve been a year tick for me, but them’s the birding breaks!).

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Birding at Kenfig

16 Saturday Jun 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, walks

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#30DaysWild, 30 Days Wild, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Coot chicks, Glamorgan Bird Club, Kenfig National Nature Reserve, Kenfig Pool, Sparrowhawk

For day 16 of #30DaysWild I joined my fellow Glamorgan Bird Club members for their monthly wander around Kenfig National Nature Reserve. It started grey and later rained a little, so conditions weren’t ideal for birding and, in the leafy fullness of summer, birds can often be difficult to spot anyway.

180616 1 Kenfig NNR

The plus side of this for me is that I get to practise my listening skills as I gradually learn to recognise more and more bird songs and calls. And, fortunately, Ceri had brought his ’scope along, so we could all take a look at those birds that were distant specks on the tree-tops.

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The highlight for me was this Sparrowhawk that Rob spotted sitting on the shore of Kenfig Pool.

180616 4 sparrowhawk

Though its origin is unknown and so it might not be a wild bird, the Pink-footed goose was still a nice addition to the Canada and Greylag geese on the pool.

180616 5 geese

And you know I can’t resist the young ones: these are just a couple of today’s Cootlets.

180616 6 coot chicks

Considering the conditions and the time of year, I reckon we did pretty well to spot and/or hear a total of 47 species. As I don’t have eyes in the back of my head, my personal list was 43: Collared dove, Woodpigeon, Starling, Blackbird, Wren, Dunnock, Swift, Lesser black-backed gull, Willow warbler, Greenfinch, Blackcap, Carrion crow, Magpie, Goldfinch, Chiffchaff, House sparrow, Song thrush, Skylark, Whitethroat, Robin, Stonechat, Linnet, Herring gull, Great tit, Buzzard, Raven, Lapwing, Sand martin, Coot, Mallard, Canada goose, Sparrowhawk, Greylag goose, Mute swan, Pink-footed goose Grey heron, Pied wagtail, Reed warbler, Chaffinch, Herring gull, Cormorant, Great crested grebe, Blue tit.

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Birding at Ogmore and Kenfig

10 Saturday Feb 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, seaside, walks

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, Glamorgan Bird Club, Goldeneye, Greenfinch, Kenfig National Nature Reserve, Kenfig Pool, Ogmore, Slavonian grebe, Stonechat

Wednesday dawned clear and frosty so on went the layers of clothing, scarf, hat, gloves and boots, in the backpack went the camera, binoculars, a spot of lunch and rain jacket (this is Wales and I was once a Girl Guide so I was prepared!). I’d scanned tweets, posts and blogs so knew vaguely what to expect and left the house hopeful.

180211 Birding at Ogmore & Kenfig (10)

And I did not despair, nor was I disappointed. On my first Glamorgan Bird Club trip of the year, to Ogmore – both the river and the beach – and then on to Kenfig National Nature Reserve, I added ten new birds to my 2018 list, including two lifetime firsts in the Slavonian grebe and Short-eared owls.

180211 Birding at Ogmore & Kenfig (3)

At Ogmore, the weather was glorious – blue skies, and heat in the sun, if you managed to shelter from the chilly breeze. There were gulls galore, mostly Herring and Black-headed, a sprinkling of Common and a single Med, as well as, further down river, a Great black-backed gull – what beasts they are!

180211 Birding at Ogmore & Kenfig (2)

180211 Birding at Ogmore & Kenfig (1)

A Kingfisher added its flash of turquoise, to the mostly white, grey and brown colours of the other birds (Little egret, Cormorant, Mallard, Redshank, Canada goose, Mute swan). But I don’t mean to imply the other avian species were boring – just look at these dazzling Goldeneyes!

180211 Birding at Ogmore & Kenfig (4)

As we wandered further towards the river mouth, a Stonechat popped up to survey the humans adorned with bins, scopes and cameras, all staring in the opposite direction, to peep briefly, ‘Look at me!’. So I did.

180211 Birding at Ogmore & Kenfig (9)

At Ogmore beach, we were hoping for Purple sandpipers but, even with 21 pairs of eyes surveying every nook and rock cranny, we lucked out. Turns out the birds were spending the day across the bay at Newton and Porthcawl. But hey, the scenery was glorious, with glimpses of the recent dumps of snow across the water on Exmoor.

180211 Birding at Ogmore & Kenfig (5)180211 Birding at Ogmore & Kenfig (6)

Sandwiches devoured, we headed to Kenfig and stomped down to the pool, where I almost immediately got on to my first lifer of the day, the little black-and-white Slavonian grebe that’s been overwintering there. It’s small, a frequent diver, and was distant but was plainly see-able through bins and scopes, if not such a great subject for my camera.

180211 Birding at Ogmore & Kenfig (7)

By this time, the sun had clouded over, and even a stroll through boggy fields, over wonky stiles, around the lake’s edge in search of White-fronted geese failed to keep the chill from my bones – and we didn’t see those geese. But, a small stalwart seven of us – the others peeling off to heated cars and homes – decided to head for a high point to survey the dunes for the Short-eared owls that have recently been sighted hunting at dawn and dusk. Another lifer! Two birds were seen, one flying low, back and forth amongst the dunes, the other gliding high, with a Kestrel for company.

180211 Birding at Ogmore & Kenfig (11)

And to finish off a wonderful day’s birding, we got the call that tea, coffee and cake awaited us at the Kenfig office, and spotted these two Greenfinch amongst trees along the way. Just perfect!

180211 Birding at Ogmore & Kenfig (8)

We saw 62 species in total: the full list can be seen on the Glamorgan Bird Club’s website here.

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Moths of Kenfig

11 Sunday Jun 2017

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Beautiful china-mark, British moths, Burnet, Cinnabar, Grass rivulet, Kenfig National Nature Reserve, Lackey, moth, moths, Oak eggar, Small china-mark, Straw dot, Yellow-tail

As the butterflies are still enjoying their summer holidays, I have some moths and soon-to-be moths for you. These were all seen at Wales’s stunning coastal national nature reserve at Kenfig last weekend.

170611 Beautiful china-mark
170611 Burnet
170611 Cinnabar

We have, from left:
Beautiful china-mark (Nymphula nitidulata): It was no surprise to find this near Kenfig pool as its larvae are aquatic.
Burnet: (Zygaena sp.): Not sure which of the Burnet moths this will become as the only difference in the caterpillars is the length of their hairs and I didn’t measure these.
Cinnabar (Tyria jacobaeae): The ‘Jacobaeae’ epithet comes from its larval foodplant, Senecio jacobaea, aka Common ragwort.

170611 Grass rivulet
170611 Lackey
170611 Oak eggar

Grass rivulet (Perizoma albulata): As well as loving grasslands, these little beauties also love a nice sandy beach.
Lackey (Malacosoma neustria): We’ve had these before if you remember (Lackey me).
Oak eggar (Lasiocampa quercus): Don’t go searching around oak trees for this one: its name comes from the acorn-like shape of its cocoon.

170611 Small China-mark
170611 Straw dot
170611 Yellow-tail

Small china-mark (Cataclysta lemnata): Apparently, they don’t often open their wings to show the underwing markings. I got lucky!
Straw dot (Rivula sericealis): Straw coloured with a dot on each wing. I think I might actually remember this one.
Yellow-tail (Euproctis similis): I have yet to see the moth but it seems the female has a yellow tuft of hairs on her bottom.

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Marsh orchids at Kenfig

07 Wednesday Jun 2017

Posted by sconzani in flowers, nature, wildflowers

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

British flora, British orchids, Dactylorhiza incarnata, Dactylorhiza praetermissa, Dactylorhiza purpurella, Early Marsh-orchid, Kenfig National Nature Reserve, native orchids, Northern Marsh-orchid, orchid, Southern marsh orchid

170607 Southern marsh-orchid (2)

Apart from 18 species of rust, there wasn’t a lot of fungi to be found during our foray at Kenfig National Nature Reserve last Saturday but what we did see was a lot of stunning marsh orchids.

170607 Southern marsh-orchid (4)
170607 Southern marsh-orchid (1)
170607 Southern marsh-orchid (3)
170607 Southern marsh-orchid (5)

Identifying these beauties can be extremely tricky, even for trained botanists, partly because they look very similar, partly because their colouration can vary quite a lot within species, and partly because they hybridise easily with each other. So, although the chances are that these are Southern Marsh-orchids (Dactylorhiza praetermissa), there may also be some Northern Marsh-orchids (Dactylorhiza purpurella) or a mixture of both. Whatever they are, they’re beautiful!

170607 Early marsh-orchid (1)
170607 Early marsh-orchid (2)

I am, however, quite sure about these next pictures. These are Early Marsh-orchids (Dactylorhiza incarnata). They thrive in damp calcareous habitats so the dune systems at Kenfig suit them perfectly – or, at least they will as long as the dune systems are managed to prevent scrub and trees taking hold: the orchids actually grow best when wind and rain are allowed to destabilise the dunes and move sand and plants around a bit.

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Welsh biodiversity: Kenfig NNR

04 Saturday Jun 2016

Posted by sconzani in nature

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

biodiversity, Kenfig National Nature Reserve, Kenfig Pool, sand dunes, Wales Biodiversity Week

Today marks the beginning of Wales Biodiversity Week, which this year runs from 4 to 12 June, so it seems appropriate to celebrate one of the most biodiverse places in Wales, indeed in the whole of Britain, Kenfig National Nature Reserve. Kenfig is primarily a huge undulating sand dune system, though the reserve encompasses a range of habitats, from lagoons and salt marshes through bogs and fens to broad-leaved deciduous woodland. And Kenfig Pool is the largest freshwater lake in south Wales.

160604 Kenfig NNR (7)

Nature lovers can bird-watch from the hides around the pool, where damsel and dragonflies also abound during the summer months. For the plant-lover an estimated 550 species, including the rare Fen Orchid, grow within the reserve, and some very rare fungi make their home amongst the marram grass. If critters are your thing, there are bees and butterflies, (pink!) grasshoppers and weevils, newts and lizards, and there are even reports of otters, though you’d have to be exceptionally lucky to see them.

160604 Kenfig NNR (5)

Kenfig is a shining example of the biodiversity to be found in a coastal environmental and well worth a visit or six!

160604 Kenfig NNR (3)
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160604 Kenfig NNR (4)
160604 Kenfig NNR (1)
160604 Kenfig NNR (2)

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Pretty in pink

02 Thursday Jun 2016

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

Chorthippus parallelus, genetic mutation, Kenfig National Nature Reserve, Meadow grasshopper, pink grasshopper

If someone had told me before last Saturday that there was such a thing as a pink grasshopper living in Wales, I would’ve laughed and assumed they were having me on … but, as they say, seeing is believing.

160602 Meadow grasshopper (1)

This is another of the amazing creatures I encountered at Kenfig National Nature Reserve last weekend. It’s a Meadow grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus), a common species throughout Europe and in parts of Asia. With its lake and ponds, and its frequently damp dune slacks, Kenfig has the perfect habitat for this grasshopper which prefers moist vegetation rather than a dry environment. Although green is the most common colour, the Meadow grasshopper can also be completely or partially brown, a reddish-purple and, yes, pink. It appears that the pink colour is a result of a genetic mutation during the reproductive cycle, similar to that which causes albinism. And it is definitely a she as, apparently, only the females are affected by this recessive gene.

160602 Meadow grasshopper (2)

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A Four-spotted Chaser or two!

31 Tuesday May 2016

Posted by sconzani in nature, nature photography

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

dragonfly, Four-spotted Chaser, Four-spotted skimmer, Kenfig National Nature Reserve, Libellula quadrimaculata

Last Saturday, at Kenfig National Nature Reserve, on a fungi foray with my friends from the Glamorgan Fungi Club, I saw my first dragonflies for the year, not one but two separate sightings of the Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata), and what magnificent creatures they were!

160531 Four-spotted Chaser dragonfly (1)

Even if you don’t love dragonflies for the sheer beauty of their aeronautical design, which has remained unchanged for nigh on 300 million years (!), you’ve got to love them for the fact that the adults snack on mosquitoes, gnats and midges. Four-spotted chasers can usually be found from April to September around areas of standing water, typically ponds and small lakes, particularly those with lush vegetation. The males aggressively defend their territories, often favouring a prominent reed or stick near the water’s edge from which to launch their sorties against intruders and their foraging flights. Interesting fact: this dragonfly is the state insect of Alaska, where it’s known as the Four-spotted skimmer.

160531 Four-spotted Chaser dragonfly (2)

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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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