Rhaslas

First dunlin of the year[1] at 10:30 this a.m. Also present little ringed plover[2], ringed plover[2], curlew & lapwing. Llys Pen y Wern; willow warbler[4], swallow through and mute swan still present.

Rhaslas

First ringed plover[2] of the year this evening at 16:00 hours also swallow[2] and sand martin[3]. Previous earliest RP was 25th April 2013. At Llwyn-onn north this a.m. my first willow warbler (RCT) and a single immature mute swan at Llyn Pen y Wern yesterday morning (apparently been occasionally seen at the pond for a week or so).

Further musings on gulls

Whilst doing my Heronry count this evening I noticed several gulls drifting down the Taff valley. As they approached Merthyr Vale they started circling. Nothing unusual in that. As it happens the valley narrows somewhat just south of Merthyr Vale. After a couple of minutes one of the gulls, an adult Lesser Black-back peeled off and flew down the valley fast, it was quickly followed by a second. When they reached the fields by the Devil's tooth they slowed down and resumed a more gentle drifting flight down the valley. 5 mins later another pair did the same, but later three Herring Gulls took a different option, rising higher before drifting down the valley. With Peregrines and Goshawks seen regularly in the area - a Peregrine was seen drifting over earlier - I wonder if the gull's were aware that the narrowed area was somewhere were these raptors could ambush them as the flew past and were taking evasive action to avoid ending up as an evening meal.

Back at the heronry, a number of the young birds are looking ready to fledge.

My first Willow Warbler was heard singing and 5 Swallows were over the fields - surely that makes it Summer now!

another Swallow

Had my first swallow of the year over the wood in Edwardsville just after midday today - with Mark's from earlier this week, does that now make it a Summer?

A Trip to the Garden Centre

Needing to stock up with potting compost, I nipped off down to Caerphilly garden centre, getting there at ten and finding they don't open until ten thirty on Sundays. I could have waited there, but decided to go to the nearby Nantgarw tip, to look for the larval mines of a micro moth (Trifulcata immundella) on Broom. As expected, there was Broom on the tip and I started searching for the mines, all thewhile listening for birds.
A Raven was calling constantly and always somewhere overhead, while there were at least three Chiff Chaffs singing, plus a distant Blackcap. As I searched on, I thought I heard a Willow Warbler in the distance, but you know how it is at this time of year, when you are hoping to find your first of the season; even Robins can sound a bit like them, with a bit of wishful thinking.
After a few more minutes, I heard it again, only much closer and there was no mistaking it this time, so I headed off in its direction, eventually getting fairly distant naked eye views (I left my bins in the house) of it as it flitted through a small hawthorn, then flew off north, never to be heard again by me.

I didn't find the moth, but on my way back to the car, I found this Green Shieldbug, still in its dark winter colours.

First Swallow

Just seen my first swallow of the year, at Miskin, Mountain Ash.

Lep on a hot tin (roof)

My first wheatear at Rhaslas this a.m. with a further 3 at Cwm Cadlan, copulating grey wagtail at Llwyn-onn but still no hirudine or osprey on the patch, oh and I appear to have missed another hen harrier at Rhaslas this p.m. The tortoiseshell were noted on the slope to Danydarren quarry. Looks like we had a really busy Sunday.