Kites and Dolphins

Early in August my girlfriend Jane and I spent a weekend in the beautiful seaside town of New Quay in Cardigan Bay, with the intention of watching the Bottlenose Dolphins for which the area is famous.
We visited the Dyfi Osprey project on our journey down and were mightily impressed with the new 360 hide from which we had excellent views of the adult Ospreys. Monty the male helped raise three chicks this year and they were still in the area at the time of our visit. Our last visit in 2012 coincided with some of the worst weather in a century and the road to the reserve was impassable due to flooding. Unfortunately only one of the three chicks that hatched that year survived to fledge and that was only due to human intervention to help with the feeding. But nature bounces back and this year Monty and his current mate Glesni have had a successful breeding season and at the time of writing this blog have both now headed south to Africa for the winter.
Our second detour took us to Bwlch Nant Yr Arian, a lake and small forest not far from Aberystwyth where they have had a Red Kite feeding station since 1999, and boy has this area changed since my last visit some fifteen years ago. The forest has been felled in some areas, there is a fantastic visitor centre and café and there is an excellent hide from which to view the Red Kites which are fed every day. And for the outdoor enthusiast there are walking and mountain-biking trails. Raptors, bikes and great food; what more could I need!We only paid a brief visit to this area but vowed to drop in on the way home to try and photograph the Kites.
The steep streets and seaside cafes of New Quay were bustling with summer visitors enjoying the sunshine when we arrived and checked into our B&B overlooking the harbour. A quick scan of the sea from our room didn't reveal the expected fins of Bottlenose Dolphins. But after checking in we were soon seated on the seawall scanning the blue waters for signs of Cardigan Bay's most famous residents. As usual, we were soon rewarded with views of an adult with a calf; time to crack open a beer and celebrate.  After a delicious evening meal and good night's sleep we rose early to enjoy a hearty breakfast and then again walked the short distance to the harbour to settle down for some seaside wildlife watching. There were more dolphins present, but not as close as we've seen them in the past, but I did mange some record photos with my 400mm lens. Apart from the usual gulls and a few shags, seabirds were a bit thin on the ground (sea?). There were only a few very distant Gannets and this indicates that the fish shoals must have been some way from the harbour that day and along with them most of the area's dolphins. We did see the mother and calf again and the occasional distant dolphin leaping and splashing in the pursuit of fish. But I'm not complaining, it's always a treat seeing any cetacean from land.
Suddenly an unexpected fin appeared in the water, it was more triangular than the falcate fin of a Bottlenose, and was that the swish of the tip of a tail in the fin's wake? Yes it was a Basking Shark! Not what I was expecting to see on that sunny Sunday. It too was quite distant, but I did manage to put some other dolphin watchers on to it to  enjoy views of this rare visitor.
The day was passing quickly so we decided on a return visit to Nant Yr Arian to witness the Kites being fed. On our arrival, there were over a hundred Kites circling on the thermals and perched in the conifers that dotted the hillsides of this natural amphitheatre. We made our way down to the lake where I photographed a smart Black Darter sitting in the reeds. Despite the food being put out on cue the Kites were somewhat reluctant to come down and feed, now doubt in some part due to the large and noisy crowd of holidaymakers that had gathered to view the spectacle. We returned to the visitor centre where a number of bird feeders were attracting House Sparrows, Greenfinches, various tits and gorgeous Siskins. After taking a few shots, we walked up the hillside where we were treated to stunning views of the Kites which were now descending to feed in peace as their audience had dispersed. A great way to end an excellent weekend of wildlife watching.

Herring Gull profile

Black Darter

Red Kite playing at being an Osprey

Male Siskin

Juvenile Siskin

Greenfinch

Dipping Out

"Dipping out" is a term used by birders when they fail to see a bird they have travelled to see. Not wishing myself any further "dips" I have to say I have missed a few scarce birds recently, in fact I am on something of a "dipping streak". None of them would've been life ticks for me, but when you put the effort in to try and see a bird it's nice to achieve success once in a while. Additionally, maybe there should be a new term for bird photographers who actually manage to see a species but then fail to actually obtain a photograph! This has happened on two occasions recently when I have found urban flocks of Waxwings both on main roads which have then flown off before I have even left the car, not as a result of my presence I hasten to add. Waxwings are getting harder to pin down as the year progresses, probably due to a lack of suitable berry-bearing bushes combined with their urge to return to their breeding grounds.
Recently I have also failed to connect with (another birders term meaning "see") Hawfinches at a number of sites, Great White Egret at Hale and Black Redstart at Neston. I even failed to see Crossbills at a favoured site in North Wales today. But I have a plan; leave all my photographic equipment at home and the birds will be tripping up to feed out of my hand!
But, ever the optimist, there is always something to photograph as shown by the following shots of Bullfinch at Leighton Moss and Red Kite in Wales.

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Kestrel

Short-eared Owl

Llandegla

Had a great morning's birdwatching at Llandegla in North Wales on Friday 18th May. Jane and I joined an RSPB group watching the Black Grouse lek on the moorland. At least 8 males were seen but they were too distant to photograph. Other avian highlights included Cuckoo, Tree Pipit, Whinchat, Redstart and good numbers of Common Crossbills, some of which were carrying fir cones from the forest floor back into the trees in order to remove the seeds in a safe place.
We then drove to Wrexham where we watched a male Peregrine perched on the roof of the police station.
The female could be heard calling, presumably from the nest. At the time of our visit there were apparently two chicks in the nest. They should fledge successfully in what must be one of the most secure nest sites in the country!
On Friday 25th we spent a beautiful day canoeing 10 miles down the River Wye in Herefordshire. We counted an amazing 7 Kingfishers during the day and I saw my first Red Kites of the year while picnicking on the river bank. The sun shone all day which was great because it helped me to dry quickly after I fell in the river at the very end of our journey! 

Kingfisher, Mere Sands Wood, Lancashire, June 2009.

Red Kite, Gigrin, January 2010.