Llandegla Forest (part 2)

I visited Llandegla Forest in North Wales at the end of April with my girlfriend Jane (see previous post), and although we saw some fantastic birds there were a number of species that we missed so a return visit was definitely on the cards. An early start at the beginning of May saw us walking up the Offa's Dyke path and into the forest not long after sunrise.
It was a great place for a dawn chorus. Common woodland birds including Blackbird, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Robin, Wren and Dunnock provided a rich musical symphony as we made our way through the ranks of conifers and up onto the open ground adjacent to the Denbighshire moorland. As on our previous visit the arias of Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs were very much in evidence, along with the fruity songs of Blackcaps. On the open ground Tree Pipits twittered in parachuting display as Siskins and Redpolls flew overhead.

Willow Warbler



 

We made our way to the hide overlooking the moorland, it was here a few years ago that we were priveledged to see a male Hen Harrier quartering the heather, like some long forgotten spirit of the hills. It's remarkable how once you have seen a special bird in a certain place that you always expect to see that bird in the same place again; but that rarely happens, and today was no exception as far as the harrier was concerned. A Raven cronked in the distance and flapped lazily over a dip in the heather. We were too late in the year for the lekking of the Black Grouse but I did manage to scope two beautiful males feeding on the heather. Another good find was a male Whinchat perched sentinel-like on a small tree among the heather his peachy breast and pale supercilium clearly visible through the telescope, but he didn't come within range of my camera.
A couple of Whitethroats were singing their scratchy songs close by but remained camera-shy. Not so a Redpoll which paused briefly near the hide and allowed a few record shots to be taken.

Redpoll

A very obliging Willow Warbler fed and sang in willows and young conifers near the hide and allowed me to take some photos that illustrate the subtle beauty of this exquisite migrant.

But, best of all, the distinctive disyllabic panpipe call of a Cuckoo had us hastily gathering our gear and marching smartly towards a nearby copse. Through my scope we could see the bird calling in the distance, but if flew into the forest and we could not relocate it. Nevertheless this enigmatic Spring icon was a very welcome addition to our dawn chorus list.
We strolled down to the reservoir were a pair of Canada Geese were busy defending their area of water from another pair.

 

 



A large shoal of Minnows was milling in the shallow bankside water, but there was no sign of the expected tadpoles. On the far side of the reservoir a bare patch of rock was hosting some sunning butterflies including Small Tortoiseshell and a few Peacocks.

 

 

We continued our journey back to the visitor centre when the unmistakable call of a Crossbill was heard. Scanning the tops of the trees we located a beautiful green female Crossbill perched on the very top a the tallest conifer. A great bird and one that we had failed to see on our previous visit. And there was one last surprise as we made our way back to the car, I heard the fluty song of a Redstart and located this gorgeous bird in an oak by the road. With its red breast, quivering orange-red tail and black face crowned and mantled with a luscious silvery-grey, this is surely our most attractive songbird.

Local Migrants

I had a spare couple of hours last Saturday so I decided to explore a few local sites for Spring migrants.
First stop was the Lighthouse at Leasowe where an obliging Wheatear posed for a few photos before being scared off by a dog-walker. In fact there were a lot of people out and about in the warm afternoon sunshine; it had been a cold and cloudy morning so it was unsurprising that people were making the most of a change in the weather. Crowds of people are not conducive to successful wildlife photography so I headed to Shotwick Lake in search Yellow Wagtails. I have had some success photographing this beautiful migrant at this site in previous years but there were none to be seen last weekend, but a male Swallow perched briefly on the fence of the boating lake allowing me to take a quick snap.
I didn't want to head home early on a sunny May evening so I went to the nearby RSPB reserve at Burton where there were plenty of exciting migrant to be seen. The approach road to this gem of a reserve snakes its way through a small woodland where singing Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps serenaded visitors from the treetops above a sea of bluebells; I wish I had brought a smaller lens with me to capture this magical blue carpet.
A male Garganey showed well but distantly from the visitor centre on my arrival. I walked the short distance to the Marsh Covert Hide were I spent the rest of the evening trying to get a clear shot of Reed and Sedge Warblers that were singing, feeding and flitting about amongst the stands of phragmites. The Reed Warbler's smooth incantations are a symphony in comparison to the jazz of the Sedge Warbler's breathless song; and both songsters are the proverbial music to my ears in Spring. Which is more than can be said for the guttural grunts emanating from the Little Egrets breeding in the nearby trees; they have to be heard to be believed, they sound as though they are thoroughly intoxicated to the point of bringing up their last meal!
I finally dragged myself away from my beloved warblers and was enchanted by a family of Canada Geese; not many people's favourite bird but the goslings were adorable. And just to round off the day a family of Treecreepers were feeding in the carpark. I have never seen more than two together before so to see what must have been more than six at once was a real joy.



Male Wheatear

Sedge Warbler (shame about the reed!)

Reed Warbler

Canada Goose gosling

 

Mandarins

I am very lucky to work in a hospital that was built on a site that is surrounded by extensive parkland; the site of a former country house. This is a much needed green space on the edge of a large urban area. It is widely-used by the local population but sadly much underused by the hospital staff. It provides me with welcome respite from my work and would surely benefit more people if only they would stretch their legs and investigate what the park has to offer. I know from personal experience that wildlife watching is very therapeutic.
I have birdwatched this area for a number of years and over that time I have seen some special birds including Grasshopper Warbler, Cuckoo, Kingfisher and even a flock of Whimbrel. There is an ornamental lake and waterfall that attracts a small selection of wildfowl, but a surprise visitor the other day was a stunning Little Egret. Not so long ago this was a real rarity, even nationally, but the nearby Dee Estuary has a thriving breeding population, but this was a first for me in the park.
Another bird that has increased in the park recently is the Mandarin Duck. This is an introduced species but the gaudy males are stunning birds. They have bred in the park in recent years but on a lunchtime stroll last week I saw more than a dozen males; the most that I have ever seen at one time. And what a spectacular sight they made; parading like little rainbow-coloured sailing boats with their orange spinnakers on full display. Their beauty was somewhat undermined by their pig-like grunting! The females were far-more demure and subtly-plumaged. I only had my compact camera with me at the time, so I vowed to return with my DSLR to try obtain some sharper images.