Over the Hills and Far Away



RSPB Dinas

With wind having dropped considerably we decided to take a drive into the Cambrian Hills and see if any migrants had made it there yet.  We stopped first at the RSPB Dinas Reserve which will be absolutely humming in a couple of weeks time but not today.  We walked the boardwalk looking everywhere but only found residents such as Nuthatch, Grey Wagtail, Song Thrush and red Kites and Buzzards overhead.  In a nearby field 6 Redwings fed with a couple of Mistle thrushes.

The Boardwalk at RSPB Dinas

We moved up the road and parked by the Llyne Brianne Dam for a picnic.  I had the window open and suddenly heard a Buzzard calling very close but looking everywhere  I could not see it.  Looking further I noticed a Jay sitting on a nearby fence post and realised that it was making the call mimicking a Buzzard perfectly.  I know they do this sort of thing but had never witnessed this before.  Moving on up around the Dam we came across a splendid male Wheatear but that was our only summer migrant of the day.  The reservoir is often birdless but today there were seven Teal and three Mallards in one of the shallower areas.




The smart male Reed Bunting


Having got this far we carried on to Tregaron but apart from Ravens, Red Kites and Buzzards saw nothing else.  Arriving at Cors Caron Reserve centre our attention was drawn to birds on the feeders.  A Willow Tit, 2 Lesser Redpolls, A smart male Reed Bunting and several Siskins were the highlights.  

A superb and very pink male Lesser Redpoll at Cors Caron

We took a quick walk out to the luxurious lounge ( I cannot bring myself to call it a hide)  at the end of the boardwalk but found little else.  Another Willow Tit was singing near the railway track and a pair of Teal, 2 male Mallards, a Grey Heron and 2 singing Meadow Pipits were added to our list before we headed home for a cup of tea.