Nice to Stay Local

I decided Sunday to go up the Cwm Cadlan Reserve as I have not been up there for a long time also the  weather forecast was looking really good. I got there nice and early and was amazed how muddy it was and with only my boots on I felt like a lily trotter and was starting to wish I took my wellies. In the mud I found a lot of Badger tracks and great to see there are a couple on the reserve. When I got to the middle section below the old farm house there was movement in the long grass, I was hoping for a Brown Hare but out popped a fox and took one look at me and legged it. I did try to call him in and he did stop for a second and looked to say I am not that stupid and was gone like a flash. I thought after he was gone what if he was looking for leverets and I did not see any Brown Hares all the time I was there. Has I got to the top I got my first pair of Wheatear, a singing male Stonechat, lots of Meadow Pipits displaying and about half dozen Skylarks.

When I got to the Quarry I sat on a rock and it was nice to go for my flask and to find it there. Little did I know that Kathryn had put 4 doughnuts in my rucksack, three for me and one for Phil and has Phil had gone to Devon all for me. I noticed they must be planning to extend the Quarry and do you think this barrier is for Rabbits or for Reptiles and if so there is a big hole in it and no good for man or beast. The field on top had more Wheatears and it was great to hear them singing again, I had three males in a territorial display. It was like three glass marbles in a jar and did half make some noise. In the field and near area there was about ten of these little crackers in total.

I assumed this was the site toilet for the Quarry and a long way from the work area and someone must be like dynamite and it looks blast proof too. Well it was time for me to go back down and on the way down I found another pair of Stonechat and the female was nest building. A little bit lower down was a male Reed Bunting and for a second I thought I heard a Cuckoo, I waited for a bit but it never called again so who knows. Also of note I found this Yellow Dung Fly on some sheep poo, he was sat there on his own and he was doing some kind of display dance and the more I watched the more I was thinking this is amazing and would make a great video. I carried on and has I got to the bottom I heard and than saw a Tree Pipit, it seemed to be in the same area he was last year. I also got three Lesser Redpoll feeding in a Birch tree. I find as rule I get the place to myself and apart from some idiot finding a rare migrant up here and loads of people turning up here and this sunday I saw two other walkers and it just seemed strange .

On the way home I called in to Carntref  Reservoir and I was hoping for an Osprey but it was very quiet and apart from these Common Toads mating it was dead. I noticed this Toad had a red spot like the Buddha, I have not seen this before and it shows how much later they spawn in  the north of the county as they spawned weeks ago in the Cynon Valley .

When i got home I thought it was to nice to sit down so I took the dogs over to Robertstown south and I found two Bee Flys feeding on Lesser Celandine, a first for the year for me and last of all I found this Small Tortiseshell and hopefully more butterflies to come.