Well for starter I went to BirdFair in Rutland the weekend before last ...
Visit report part one here: http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/getinvolved/wales/b/wales-blog/archive/2014/08/29/birdfair-2014-part-one.aspx
And whilst in Lincolnshire I managed to see the Glossy Ibis that tried to be a trailblazer and build the first nest in the UK by it's species ..
So I am still alive ... weather forecast looks good for next week so a visit down to the Wetlands may be on the cards!
Hope you are all well my friends!
Ant
Glad to hear you had a good time at Birdfair.
Sunday and Thursday look likely for me at Newport Wetlands.
Thanks for the report from Birdfair and fabulous photo of the Glossy Ibis Ant; reminds me that it's not all doom and gloom for the diversity of species here in the UK. It wasn't so many years ago that the Little Egret was a rare migrant. Cetti's Warbler was first recorded here in 1961 and took another 12 years to start breeding before rapidly colonising a large stretch of the South. Last I heard one was reported in Cheshire. Red Kite and Bittern reintroductions have been incredibly successful. Stone Curlew, Bustard and Crane projects are all ongoing. Great White Egrets and Little Bittern are breeding in Somerset and this year we've had Bee Eaters successfully raising chicks on the Isle of White. I think it's only a matter of time before Ibis's will start breeding.
Thanks for the comment guys!
Decided to avoid the madness that is trying to get down to Caldra at the moment and went to the Red Kite Feeding Station in Llanddeausant instead!
Some photos up on my flickr. www.flickr.com/.../ponty_cyclops
Part two of the BirdFair visit report has gone up.
www.rspb.org.uk/.../birdfair-2014-part-two.aspx
Went to Wetlands yesterday, fully expecting traffic chaos, and the reserve to be busy,(lot's of schools off, and people taking work leave to avoid the traffic Chaos), and the place was empty!!!
Seems the majority of people decided to avoid the chaos ;-)
Weather was overcast until almost 3PM, so not a lot of insect activity, there were a few birds about including a single Juvenile Bearded Tit briefly at the pontoon bridge, and a NATO style flypast by a Peregrine, and the resident Marsh Harrier.
Was a lot of Air traffic which I think is bound to keep birds in "hiding" but was great to have the reserve virtually to myself, brought back memories from the first few years the site was opened.
Best regardsNigel
| My Images | Newport Wetlands on Flickr @barman58
We were there as well Nigel, birdwise saw a robin and reed bunting as well as usual pool residents. On the foreshore there was large numbers of shelduck and oystercatcher plus a lon err curlew. Loads of dragonfly but mostly common darters with the odd migrant hawker. It was great to have it virtually to ourselves (selfish).