It’s been a couple of weeks since I blogged due to the Easter break. I was away for the holiday period... Where was I? Well with a massive stroke of luck it began with the letter L!
L is for … Lincolnshire
For someone who blogs for RSPB Cymru I talk a lot of about the East coast of England. I am lucky to spend so much time there surrounded by all the wildfowl that this area of the UK attracts. I really have the best of both worlds living in the west and travelling to the east. What we take for granted here, such as Treecreepers, Nuthatches and even some of the more common garden birds, are far scarcer over there. We of course don’t get the winter wildfowl spectacles of Pink Footed Geese or Brent Geese they get. Last year I travelled to Titchwell as it is a cast iron place to see Spoonbill, here in Wales, when one is seen at Llanelli Wetlands or Newport it is worthy of mention. I’ve been lucky enough to see a Spoonbill in both Wales and Lincolnshire this year. The Spoonbill at Frampton Marshes over Easter will be a highlight of the year for me. It was very active and close enough to the hide for me to film. I have attached the footage at the bottom of this blog. I have seen a number of farmland birds such as Yellowhammer and Corn Bunting in Lincolnshire I have sadly never seen here in Wales.
Freiston Shore will always be the place this all started for me. It’s a quiet little reserve, not five minutes’ drive from my in-laws house. It is where I discovered the wonderful calm you get from just sitting in a hide and watching nature. From my first visit to Freiston, to my first visit to Newport Wetlands, it was only a few weeks later that I joined the RSPB. The rest is history.
M is for … Media
A question I often have to answer as a volunteer is why do you do what you do for no money? The answer I always give is the same. Volunteering may not pay but is richly rewarding. If I hadn’t got involved with RSPB Cymru I wouldn’t have got involved in some of the fantastic media opportunities I have had in the past few years. Whether it has been covering a visit of Grassholm, or being asked to tweet and blog about the State of Nature report, all of the experiences have been fascinating and informative. I have been asked to represent RSPB Cymru on a number of occasions on the radio, which I consider to be a great honour. In doing so I have crossed paths with television presenters such as Mike Dilger, Iolo Williams, Dr Rhys Jones as well as people such as Matt Merritt, editor of Birdwatching Magazine, Mark Avery, former RSPB Director of Conservation, and the great and the good of Welsh Ornithology at the Welsh Ornithological Societies annual conference. None of these people carry with them any airs or graces, all of them are filled with a wonderful infectious enthusiasm for the natural world. I consider myself a very lucky blogger and volunteer indeed!
N is for … Newport Wetlands
What else was N ever going to stand for? Despite being a Glamorgan boy I seem to be a Gwent birdwatcher!
I have no idea how many hours I have spent walking around the reedbeds of Newport Wetlands, I can tell you that it is never enough though!
It may not be the easiest place to watch wildlife if you prefer to sit in a hide, but I assure you it is far more rewarding. You have to have a decent amount of luck, and a lot of patience, but if you want close encounters with our summer warblers I cannot think of anywhere better.
I was down at the reserve last week with the aforementioned Matt Merritt to do a spot of Birdwatching. There are currently four Cuckoos at the reserve; I managed to see two of them, which instantly doubled the number of the species I have ever seen! I had heard them calling with that wonderful sound that is the soundtrack of the spring whilst I was sheltering from the rain under a tree. I went to investigate and found the individual further along the path. It promptly took flight and landed in the branches of the very tree I was standing under minutes before! Another good example why, when at Newport, the best policy is to stay put and let nature come to you!
From the Starling murmurations in autumn, it’s wildfowl in winter, the spring migrants and the summer dragonflies; there is never a month where there isn’t something worth visiting for.
Next week … O, P and the tricky Q!
All Images © Anthony Walton
Spoonbill Youtube Footage From Frampton Marshes
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You lucky blogger!