The most noticeable change over the last few weeks has been the influx of fieldfare to the reserve. One day there were a few about and then the next 1000+ were hurriedly scoffing rowan and hawthorn berries up and down the valleys around the lake. On the 23 October 773 fieldfare were counted over a 2 hour period, along with 149 redwing, flying across the moorland and down the Dinas Mawddwy road into the Eunant valley. They were later found covering rowans lower in the valley along with a couple of brambling and starling. A merlin was also seen darting around the moorland, possibly looking for a weak migrant bird passing through the valley.
Fieldfare in Eunant Valley by Gavin Chambers
Fieldfare have a distinctive ‘chacking’ call (listen here) which when heard in a large flock can be a real cacophony of noise. Once they have finished gorging on berries in early winter they will turn their minds to invertebrates, such as worms, in fields before heading back to Scandinavian to breed.
There were still 100’s of fieldfare present along the Dinas Mawddwy road on the 6 November, though the highlight was a flock of 30 brambling feeding in a single rowan tree. However the berries are quickly running out and therefore the birds will soon move off looking for another food source.
Several brambling feeding in rowan by Gavin Chambers
On the lake wildfowl numbers have been up and down but on the 5 November there were 85 teal from the Lakeside Hide, largest count this winter, along with mallard, goosander, little grebe and cormorant. The 4 juvenile mute swans have now left but we did have a surprise visit of 9 whooper swans on the lake on the 3 November (my 71st species of the ‘winter’). Kingfisher and dipper have been seen at both ends of the lake, along the River Vyrnwy and at the top of the lake around the Centenary Hide.
Flock of whooper swans off Old Village by Gavin Chambers
With the first snow on the hill tops, what will the colder weather bring?
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