In the last couple of weeks our local ringer and volunteer has been out checking the ‘large’ nest boxes around the reserve. These large boxes are basically designed for the larger bird species like ducks and owls. At Lake Vyrnwy the usual species found in these boxes are Goosander, Stock Dove and Tawny Owl.

Typical ‘large’ nest box with Stock Dove in entrance (Photo by Gavin Chambers)

The location of these boxes is important when trying to encourage a certain species to use them. For Goosander they are ideally located over or near water (river or lake) with a clear flight path to the box entrance. Tawny Owl and Stock Dove are less fussy, they just want a convenient dry nest site to lay their eggs, though if the box is located deeper into woodland the Tawny Owl is more likely to be found in it.

Female Goosander on nest (Photo by Mike Haigh)

To find out the contents of the boxes a normal handheld digital camera is attached to a long pole, a timer set and then some quick manoeuvring to get camera through box entrance and positioned correctly before the timer goes off. A tricky task which Mike seems to have mastered (in general!) and a good way of saving time if the boxes are empty, plus it will often reduce disturbance to the birds.

Adult Tawny Owl (top left) and 2 chicks with food cache (bottom left) (Photo by Mike Haigh)

So the early results suggest a good breeding season so far, especially for owls. Of the boxes checked Tawny Owl have been in at least 10, Stock Dove in at least 6 and Barn Owl and Goosander nests have also been found. The Tawny Owl families have ranged from 1 to 4 chicks, with 4 being an unusually large brood for Tawny Owls. Being able to monitor Owl nests can give us valuable information as they are at the top of the food chain and can therefore can be a good indicator of environmental health, looks to be good with the number of owls being found!

Our Intern, Ros, with a brood of Tawny Owls (Photo by Mike Haigh)

One of the perks of the job, getting to see and hold cute balls of fluff!! They may look cute but their talons are not to be messed with, especially the adults. Unfortunately blood (of the human kind) is a common sight when dealing with owls which I saw first-hand last week, it looked sore!

 

Plant of the Week – by Gethin

 

Mountain Pansy / Fioled y Mynydd (Viola lutea) (Photo by Gethin Elias)

Slender flowering stems, bearing usually one but sometimes as many as four blooms, are unbranched. Leaves are oval, lowdown on stems.

Although the flowers of the Mountain pansy show the same kind of colour variations as the wild pansy, the two are not likely to be confused. The Mountain pansy, as name implies, shows a marked preference for upland homes, usually on lime-rich soils.

At one time, garden pansies were forms of wild pansy bred and selected for size of flower and variety of colour. Today's garden pansies, however, were derived from a cross between the Wild and Mountain pansies and probably a third, foreign pansy. The Mountain pansy is the pure form and has always been a failure when planted in gardens. As long ago as the 16th century the herbalist John Gerard complained of the difficulties encountered in cultivating the mountain plant.

The Mountain pansy grows well on the Dinas Mawddwy road.

Previous Blog: Lets have a Chat