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

Craig y Llyn and Cwn Cadlan

Few photos from a walk with Martin Bevan this morning around the top of the valley. Bird wise very quiet apart from cracking views of two Cuckoos and hearing Crossbills but only the one bird seen distantly by Martin.

 Golden Ringed Dragonfly

 Dingy Skipper

 Stonechat and 4 Spot Chaser below

Insects were good with loads of year ticks like Golden Ringed Dragonfly, 4 Spot Chaser, Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary, Green Tiger Beetle and finding Green Hairstreak at Cwm Cadlan ( overflow carpark!!!! ).

A couple of diggers for a change

 These bloody Diggers are parked on the Pyramidal Orchid site and I have not seen any there this year yet. So the good old forestry commission strikes again.

Large Skipper

 I went to Bryn Du today to look for Small Blue Butterfly but had no luck. But when I was walking along the road I spotted a Large Skipper and went to take a photo and a pale butterfly stroke moth flew past me and for that second I was sure I had Grizzled Skipper. But on getting closer it was this pale Mother Shipton moth and I thought how easy it would have been to come away thinking it was Grizzled Skipper, well there always next time.

Out and About

Out doing my WeBs this morning and a couple of hours near the Mountain Centre in Brecon today give me a chance to test drive my new camera.

 Grey Heron

 Broad Bodied Chaser

 Chaffinch and Meadow Pipit bathing below

Cosmeston Night Heron

Rob and myself took a trip down to Penarth to see the Night Heron found earlier today. We had to wait awhile before it finally left his roost and took a quick flight around the lake before returning to land on another tree.
Couple of record shots above.

Quiet, very quiet!

I think, bird wise, its a return to Glumorgan, at least at this end of the shire; the moths appear to be Argyresthia trifasciata and A cupressella, which both turned up in my trap on Friday night. Me and the toad are on the look out for brown hawker, only 3 previous records; Heolgerrig, Baverstocks and Llwyn-onn north, theres a box of Spitfire on it.