It is often said we forget what is on our doorstep, or that we don’t appreciate it. One such gem that is only half an hour’s drive from my home is Cosmeston Lakes. I used to visit the country park regularly when I was younger, but somehow fell out of the habit. I have mentioned in these blogs before how I had happened to be there when there was a bit of a mini twitch on for a Firecrest, so I knew it was a good Birdwatching area.
Cosmeston Lakes is a country park, situated in Lavernock, which is just North of Barry, with over one hundred hectares of grounds to explore. Some of the areas have been designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest thus protecting the wonderful habitats that range from woodland to reedbed. Two flooded quarries form the centre piece of the park. If you are looking for a simple and not too challenging walk with some wonderful wildlife on offer there are few places in South Wales to rival it, which makes it all the odder that I neglect to go there. The park boasts quite an impressive species list. According to BTO Birdtrack data, the past two years have averaged over one hundred species of bird confirmed there, and this year already has a list of eighty one species confirmed (at time of writing this).
I decided to do a simple circuit of the Eastern Lake. The first things you will encounter by the visitor centre are large groups of Mute Swans, Herring Gulls, Lesser Black-Backed Gulls, Canadian Geese and Mallards. All are well accustomed to being fed by visitors. All are very noisy and boisterous. It’s a great place if you want to watch these birds up close, but I tend to head away from here pretty quickly and onto the boardwalk that transects the reed bed at the shoreline. This is a great place for doing one of the things I like to do rather a lot and now do rather well; standing very still and quiet. There are small platforms from which you can lean and just wait to see what is residing in the reeds at this time of year. If you are patient enough, and are lucky enough not to be disturbed then you can get some cracking close up views of Reed Warblers, Cetti Warblers, and if you are really really blessed a Bearded Tit. In a few weeks’ time the boardwalk will be alive with basking damselflies and dragonflies.
At the furthermost end of the boardwalk you enter a small woody glade, which is usually populated with the common garden birds. There is a feeding table from which Chaffinches, Great Tits, Blue Tits and Blackbirds regularly feed. They are usually competing with cheeky Grey Squirrels. Whilst I was there Chiffchaffs and Robins competed from the uppermost branches of the trees for territories, and every so often a Wren would explode into song from within a scrubby bush.
The East and West Lakes are separated by a long path, which ends with a bridge that crosses. This makes another great place to watch any wildfowl that frequents the lake. There can be an impressive number of species on the lake at times, with the rare Lesser Scaup being a regular returning bird to the waters. During my visit it was fairly quiet, with just a few Canadian Geese who had got bored of an endless diet of bread paddling around beneath me. I then spied a couple of Great Crested Grebes heading towards me. I never get bored of seeing these iconic waterfowl. I thought that they were two males about square off with each other, but I was rather delighted to see that they were a male/ female pair, and they indulged in a little bit of a courtship dance and head flicking right in front of me.
The afternoon was turning into early evening now. You may or may not be aware, but as well as a Dawn Chorus there is an Evening Chorus too. It is not quite as spectacular as the start of the day, but there is an increase in bird song towards the end of the day. This was most definitely noticeable as I began to walk back to the visitor centre. I parked myself on a bench in the warm sunshine and was treated to a virtuoso performance by a male Blackbird in a tree next to me. It has recently been suggested that bird song is a wonderful stress buster. I can confirm this, as all my worries seemed to melt away as I listened to that sweet song for ten minutes or so. It was one of those magical moments that only Mother Nature could provide. The Blackbird was joined in a duet with a male Blackcap that hopped out onto a protruding branch. I broke the spell and wandered back to the visitor centre for a cup of coffee. One of the resident Grey Squirrels had popped in for a piece of toast it seemed, which made me smile as it made off with its bounty (not the chocolate bar!). Just before I left for home two Peacock Butterflies suddenly rose up into the air and performed an aerial ballet right in front of me. It was a timely reminder that summer is just around the corner, and the long (hopefully) hot days that the season provides. It also reminded me that Cosmeston is one of the best places in all of Wales to go butterfly spotting in the meadows at the north of park, and that I should not leave it so long before I go back this time!
All Images © Anthony Walton