I think I might have been op and out before Mr Evans this morning, as I looked to enjoy the Dawn Chorus. I had been asked to co-lead a Dawn Chorus walk at Parc Taf Bargoed, they were meeting at 5:30, but I wanted to be out before the sky started to get light, so it was 3:30 when I left home.
The first highlight was my first living Hedgehog for years. The first inkling of dawn could be seen at around 4am, which was accompanied by two Tawny Owls. Soon the Robins and Blackbirds started up, but these had more or less finished by the time the guided walk started.
The 5:30am must have been too early for most as only the assistant warden, and organiser, Ai-Lin was there for the walk. Making the most of it, we went into CCF, where after most of the familiar species, I picked up the first of 3 Wood Warblers - a lifer for Ai-Lin. Overall it was quite quiet, so we made our way round the lake and settling beds. 3 Reed Warblers, is par for the course at the settling beds these days, but it was nice to see that 3 singing males were on site as a number of reed beds had been cut down last winter.
After Ai-Lin went too work, I returned to CCF, where I increased the number of singing Wood Warblers to 4, A singing Pied Fly, was defenately a bonus - I've only ever recorded females in this wood previously (albeit one was feeding a youngster). At the top end of the Wood, I found a small group of Green Hairstreaks - a site tick for me here.
A boggy area in the wood contained lots of Opposite-leaved Golden-saxifrage and the one next to my foot drew my attention, I picked, turned it over and - hey presto, several patches of spores from the scarce fungi Puccinia chrysosplenii. Just to be sure I brough it home and stuck the spores under the microscope to confirm id. Just as I was leaving the wood, a male Garden Warbler showed whilst singing.
Back round the lake and settling beds, and insect life was much greater than it had been, with numerous Water-cress, Mint and Dock leaf beetles. Sadly no Damselfies or Dragonflies. A couple of new fungi though in the form of Buttercup Smut, Urocystes ranunculi, and Willowherb Rust, Puccinia pulverulenta.
The first highlight was my first living Hedgehog for years. The first inkling of dawn could be seen at around 4am, which was accompanied by two Tawny Owls. Soon the Robins and Blackbirds started up, but these had more or less finished by the time the guided walk started.
The 5:30am must have been too early for most as only the assistant warden, and organiser, Ai-Lin was there for the walk. Making the most of it, we went into CCF, where after most of the familiar species, I picked up the first of 3 Wood Warblers - a lifer for Ai-Lin. Overall it was quite quiet, so we made our way round the lake and settling beds. 3 Reed Warblers, is par for the course at the settling beds these days, but it was nice to see that 3 singing males were on site as a number of reed beds had been cut down last winter.
After Ai-Lin went too work, I returned to CCF, where I increased the number of singing Wood Warblers to 4, A singing Pied Fly, was defenately a bonus - I've only ever recorded females in this wood previously (albeit one was feeding a youngster). At the top end of the Wood, I found a small group of Green Hairstreaks - a site tick for me here.
A boggy area in the wood contained lots of Opposite-leaved Golden-saxifrage and the one next to my foot drew my attention, I picked, turned it over and - hey presto, several patches of spores from the scarce fungi Puccinia chrysosplenii. Just to be sure I brough it home and stuck the spores under the microscope to confirm id. Just as I was leaving the wood, a male Garden Warbler showed whilst singing.
Back round the lake and settling beds, and insect life was much greater than it had been, with numerous Water-cress, Mint and Dock leaf beetles. Sadly no Damselfies or Dragonflies. A couple of new fungi though in the form of Buttercup Smut, Urocystes ranunculi, and Willowherb Rust, Puccinia pulverulenta.
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