• ABOUT
  • BIRDING 2018
  • Birding 2019
  • BLOG POSTS
  • Butterflies 2018
  • Resources

earthstar

~ a celebration of nature

earthstar

Tag Archives: Red kite

Flying kites

24 Thursday Mar 2022

Posted by sconzani in birds

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Red kite

This was yesterday’s ten minutes of heart-racing (SO exciting!), anxiety causing and expletive-inducing (my camera lens is on the blink and I can’t afford to replace it at the moment, and, initially, it wouldn’t focus on the birds) high drama. One Red kite came soaring up over the edge of the cliffs at the edge of the nature reserve where I was walking, followed almost immediately by a second kite, and then, incredibly, a third. I could hardly believe my eyes – or my luck.

220324 red kites (1)

Though Red kites are increasingly common in many parts of southern Britain, they are seldom seen in my part of south Wales, and to see three at once is almost unheard of. It was quite simply amazing!

220324 red kites (2)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Birding at Dryslwyn and Kidwelly Quay

18 Monday Feb 2019

Posted by sconzani in nature

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, Black-tailed godwits, British birds, cats, Common buzzard, Dryslwyn, Golden plover, Great white egret, Long-tailed ducks, Red kite, Red-breasted mergansers

Despite early drizzle and cool winds throughout the day, yesterday was another cracking day’s birding with 15 of my fellow members of the Glamorgan Bird Club on our field trip to Dryslwyn and Kidwelly Quay.

190218 1 Dryslwyn

From the car park at the base of Dryslwyn and from the nearby bridge over the River Towy, we had views of a good range of birds, from the hundreds of gulls to smaller numbers of Teal, Wigeon, Goosander, Curlew, Greylags and the ubiquitous Canada geese. A real feast for the eyes was a huge flock of Fieldfare grazing in a distant paddock – I’d never seen so many before, and a Great white egret impressed with a stately fly by.

190218 2 Great white egret190218 3 Red kites

Though some of our group had spotted Whooper swans when they first arrived, it wasn’t until we moved on to nearby Cilsan Bridge that the rest of us got to see some, probably the same four birds, in fact. And, though we’d already had a sighting of a Red kite, we now saw three more, at first sitting together in a tall tree, then quartering the local fields.

190218 4 Common buzzard

Another treat near the bridge was a Common buzzard that was anything but common, with its extremely pale plumage. For a few minutes, speculation raged over whether it might be a rare Rough-legged buzzard but closer examination of its various attributes put paid to that theory.

190218 5 Golden plover

On to Kidwelly Quay for some hastily munched lunch, one eye already on the thousands of birds in the estuary, with Lapwing, Dunlin, Redshank and Curlew, Black-tailed godwits, Greenshank and, the most numerous by far, the gorgeous Golden plovers. Another year tick for me came from the two Long-tailed ducks that suddenly appeared as if by magic in the water near our vantage point. (That’s them flying together, centre left below.)

190218 6 Long-tailed ducks

As we had some time to wait for the incoming tide to push the more distant birds in towards us, we decided a stroll was in order and took a turn around the local tracks, adding some of the more common small birds to our tally, including a Chiffchaff and some Goldcrests.

190218 7 Black-tailed godwits

Then, back at the quay, we enjoyed reasonably close views of a number of Red-breasted Mergansers, a small flock of Common snipe circled up, around and back to the field across the water, and John spied a Spotted Redshank hanging out with Greenshanks under the railway bridge, another year tick for many of us. Our last, but certainly not least, sighting of the day was a Hen harrier hunting over the salt marsh, always a wonderful bird to see even at a distance.

190218 8 Red-breasted mergansers

My total for the day was 60 species: Blackbird, Black-headed Gull, Black-tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Buzzard, Chiffchaff, Common Gull, Common Redshank, Common Snipe, Cormorant, Dunlin, Dunnock, Curlew, Teal, Wigeon, Golden Plover, Fieldfare, Goldcrest, Goosander, Great Black-backed Gull, Great Egret, Great Tit, Greenshank, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Hen Harrier, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Little Egret, Little Grebe, Long-tailed Duck, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mediterranean Gull, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Raven, Red Kite, Red-breasted Merganser, Redwing, Reed Bunting, Robin, Shelduck, Song Thrush, Spotted Redshank, Starling, Stock Dove, Whooper Swan and Woodpigeon.

The group total was 73, as others also logged Goldfinch, Great Crested Grebe, Great Northern Diver, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, Greenfinch, Jay, Meadow Pipit, Nuthatch, Peregrine Falcon, Pheasant, Sparrowhawk and Wren.

Like this:

Like Loading...

Birding at Garwnant and Rhaslas

19 Monday Nov 2018

Posted by sconzani in autumn, birds, nature, walks

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Common crossbill, Cormorant, Garwnant Forest, Glamorgan Bird Club, Goosander, Llwyn-onn Reservoir, Red kite, Rhaslas Pond, Water pipit, Willow tit

Clear blue skies, stiff  breeze and freezing cold, star birds and great company, long walk, Welsh upland scenery … it doesn’t get much better than yesterday’s Glamorgan Bird Club’s field trip to the forestry at Garwnant and Rhaslas pond, with a quick stop at the Llwyn-onn reservoir in between.

181119 birding at garwnant and rhaslas (1)

It took us a while to leave the car park at the Forestry Centre as the birding got off to a cracking start with lots of Common crossbills coming in to feed on the cones of the tall conifers all around us.

181119 birding at garwnant and rhaslas (2)181119 birding at garwnant and rhaslas (3)

We headed out along one of the many walking trails, hoping for views of Willow tits. One person heard one but the bird didn’t reappear so we carried on a bit further to a high vantage point. From there we were rewarded with views of Kestrel, Buzzard and this magnificent Red kite.

181119 birding at garwnant and rhaslas (4)

Retracing our steps, a couple of us who’d lingered behind heard the Willow tit calling, waved frantically to the birders ahead, and managed some good views of this increasingly uncommon little bird.

181119 birding at garwnant and rhaslas (5)

We then walked a rectangular path, taking us out around more of the forest trails, seeing even more Crossbills and another couple of Willow tits, as well as many other species. After lunch back at the car park, we drove down to nearby Llwyn-onn dam for a quick scan for any interesting birds. The reservoir was looking gorgeous, with much more water than on our last visit.

181119 birding at garwnant and rhaslas (6)

We’d hoped for a Water pipit … and there it was, though a very flighty bird that scarcely stayed still and kept flying off in various directions. I was pretty happy though as this was a lifer for me, and it was a year tick for several other birders.

181119 birding at garwnant and rhaslas (7)

I really like how this photo of the Cormorant turned out. And there was a Common sandpiper just along the pipe from where it was perched.

181119 birding at garwnant and rhaslas (8)

Then it was on for a quick check of Rhaslas pond before the light faded – sunset is around 4.15pm at the moment. It was bitterly cold up on the open moorland as you tell from how rugged up everyone was.

181119 birding at garwnant and rhaslas (9)

Though there weren’t a huge number of birds on the pond, we did see several Goosanders, Wigeon, Tufted ducks and a solitary Goldeneye. It was a smashing end to an excellent day!

181119 birding at garwnant and rhaslas (10)

Here’s my list of birds seen: Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Goldeneye, Goosander, Grey Heron, Cormorant, Red Kite, Buzzard, Kestrel, Common Sandpiper, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Magpie, Jay, Carrion Crow, Raven, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Willow Tit, Goldcrest, Wren, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Blackbird, Mistle Thrush, Robin, Pied Wagtail, Water Pipit, Chaffinch, and Common Crossbill. And somehow I missed the Starling, Song Thrush, Redwing and Fieldfare.

Like this:

Like Loading...

Birding at Peterston & Pendoylan Moors

12 Thursday Jul 2018

Posted by sconzani in animals, birds, insects, nature, walks

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, British butterflies, butterflies, Cinnabar caterpillars, Comma, Cows, Glamorgan Bird Club, Green-veined white, Meadow Brown, Peacock, Red fox, Red kite, River Ely, Sand martin, Small tortoiseshell, Stock dove

Yesterday I enjoyed another wonderful, if rather hot day’s birding with my friends from the Glamorgan Bird Club, this time wandering a trail alongside the River Ely near Peterston-super-Ely and Pendoylan.

180711 2 red kites

On the way there, my friend John and I had incredibly close views of three Red kites and more of these magnificent birds of prey were gliding overhead during our walk.

180711 1 stock dove

We saw Stock doves (one pictured above) sitting obligingly close to Woodpigeons so we could see the differences in the two species.

180711 2 red fox

A Red fox was spotted trotting along in a distant field, its lunch in its mouth.

180711 4 meeting the locals

A large herd of large cows moved reluctantly away from the river so we could pass by. You’d have to be crazy to mess with this lady, who was keeping a steady eye on us in case we ventured too close to her calves.

180711 5 participants

The fifteen participants … well, fourteen really, as I was taking the photo.

180711 6 river ely

The meandering River Ely was running low due to the recent drought conditions here in south Wales.

180711 b cinnabar caterpillars
180711 b comma
180711 b green-veined white
180711 b meadow brown
180711 b peacock
180711 b small tortoiseshell

As well as birds, we also saw lots of butterflies, including these: Cinnabar caterpillars, Comma, Green-veined white, Meadow brown, Peacock, and more Small tortoiseshell than I’ve ever seen in one day before.

180711 7 sandmartins

The highlight of the day for me was watching these Sand martins hawking for food over the fields and then returning to their burrows in the river bank to feed their hungry young. Magic!

Like this:

Like Loading...

Birding at Dryslwyn, Cilsan Bridge and Tregaron Bog

02 Friday Mar 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, walks, winter

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cors Caron, Dryslwyn Castle, Glamorgan Bird Club, Green sandpiper, Lapwing, Red kite, Tregaron Bog, Tywi Valley, Whooper swan

Up at 6, collected at 7 and off we headed, west along the M4 for a 9 o’clock meet up with our other Glamorgan Bird Club buddies at the foot of Dryslwyn Castle in mid Wales. This was unexplored territory for me and the scenery of the Tywi (or Towy) Valley was simply stunning, with castles and monuments seemingly on every hill top and the beautiful River Tywi meandering through the valley below them. It was clear but cold, with a bitter wind, and heavy frost and thick ice still blanketing those spots the sun could not reach. Later, we moved on to Tregaron Bog, also known as Cors Caron National Nature Reserve, a fabulous area of marsh and wetland. And what a superb day’s birding we had!

180302 Tywi Valley (1)

A large flock of Lapwing on the fields next to the River Tywi, and a Grey heron flying in.

180302 Tywi Valley (2)

Ducks, geese and Little grebes in the river.

180302 Tywi Valley (3)

A Red kite looks for lunch from its perch on this big old dead tree.

180302 Tywi Valley (4)

Looking towards Dinefwr Castle, with two swans flying off (possibly Mute but we also saw Whooper).

180302 Tywi Valley (5)

A thrush checks through a mole hill for potential food.

180302 Tregaron Bog (1)

Too distant for clear shots, two Green sandpipers (and a Teal), from one of the hides at Tregaron Bog.

180302 Tregaron Bog (2)

Intrepid birders, well rugged up against the chill.

180302 Tregaron Bog (3)

Beautiful countryside around Tregaron Bog, where grazing ponies help to manage the wetland environment.

180302 Tregaron Bog (4)

A Red kite; one of several seen this day and spectacular birds to watch.

My species list for the day was: Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Pink-footed Goose, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Goosander, Little Grebe, Grey Heron, Great White Egret, Little Egret, Cormorant, Red Kite, Hen Harrier, Buzzard, Lapwing, Snipe, Curlew, Green Sandpiper, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Woodpigeon, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Raven, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Wren, Treecreeper, Starling, Blackbird, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Robin, Stonechat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Bullfinch. A further 7 species were seen by other members of our group but not by me: Peregrine, Common Gull, Rook, Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest, Nuthatch, and Greenfinch.

Like this:

Like Loading...

Birding at Lliw Reservoirs

25 Sunday Jun 2017

Posted by sconzani in animals, birds, insects, nature, trees, walks, wildflowers

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

birding, birdwatching, Bog pimpernel, Foxgloves, Glamorgan Bird Club, Grey wagtail, Lliw Reservoirs, Red kite, slow-worm, Tormentil, Victorian dam, Victorian ironwork, Whitethroat

170625 Lliw Reservoirs (3)

I celebrated the solstice with an outing with my Glamorgan Bird Club buddies to Lliw Reservoirs north of Swansea or, perhaps that should read, I sweated through the solstice – it was one of the hottest days of the year and the middle of a mini heatwave. Still, you know what they say about mad dogs and Englishmen (and Welshmen and a Kiwi) …

170625 Lliw Reservoirs (1)

It’s a superb location. The two reservoirs were built in the second half of the 19th century, and still supply water to communities throughout south Wales. We only walked up one side of both reservoirs, through broadleaf woodland and then out onto open areas of grass and scrub and moorland, but there’s an 8-mile circular walk, which would be brilliant in cooler weather and includes large open commons of heath moorland on the hilltops.

170625 Lliw Reservoirs (2)

We heard more small birds than we saw (but that’s helping me learn their songs); buzzards and magnificent red kites were soaring overhead; we heard then saw the elusive grasshopper warbler in flight; dragonflies and damsels and the odd butterfly flitted about; and there were lots of lovely wildflowers (my particular favourites were the foxgloves, tormentil and bog pimpernel). Oh and, most importantly, the locals were friendly and the cafe serves delicious ice cream!

170625 Whitethroat
170625 Tormentil
170625 Slow-worm
170625 Lliw Reservoirs uplands
170625 Peacock
170625 Red kite
170625 Foxglove
170625 Grey wagtail
170625 Victorian ironwork
170625 Bog pimpernel
170625 Welsh sheep
170625 Pines & foxgloves

Like this:

Like Loading...

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.

View Full Profile →

Follow earthstar on WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent blog posts

  • Another new leafhopper May 16, 2022
  • Twayblades May 15, 2022
  • The return of Zorro May 14, 2022
  • May bugs May 13, 2022
  • Glowing in the grass May 12, 2022

From the archives

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

COPYRIGHT

Unless otherwise acknowledged, the text and photographs on this blog are my own and are subject to international copyright. Nothing may be downloaded or copied without my permission.

Click on the category

'Dedicated Naturalist' Project 365DaysWildin2019 amphibian animals autumn birds coastal fauna flowers fungi geology insects ladybird leaves lichen mammal molluscs nature nature photography parks plants reptiles seaside seasons spiders spring trees walks weather wildflowers winter

Fellow Earth Stars!

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • earthstar
    • Join 564 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • earthstar
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.

    %d bloggers like this: