Sunday 15 June 2014

It's all going cuckoo

After doing this months WeBS - highlight was my first Common Lizard for the site - I wandered around Craig Fargoed and Cwm Bargoed. Almost as soon as I crossed the railway line into CF I heard a male Cuckoo calling. Within minutes a brown female flew past me. 10 minutes later 2 females flew over, while the male continued to call. The male and one of the females were virtually always in sight, or sound over the next couple of hours. At one stage a second male flew in only to be chased off. A total of 4 Cuckoo's giving great views.
Supporting cast in CF were 5 Whichat (3 male, 2 female), 12 Stonechat (4 prs with several young), a very showy Tawny Owl, and at least 6 Smooth Newts in a roadside water tank.

Another (?) Cuckoo was calling mid way up Cwm Bargoed, but otherwise the valley was quite quiet, bird wise. I added Common Blue Damselfly, Golden-ringed Dragonfly, Small Pearl-bordered Fritilary, Silver Ground and Green Carpets to the year lists.

Coming down into the Taff valley a Yellow Shell was a new moth tick and my first Dingy Skipper of the year.

 Small Pearl-bordered Fritilary
 Chrysops caecutiens (?)
 Tawny Owl
Yellow Shell

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