The Draining of Abercwmboi Lake!

This past week I have been wondering where the helicopter, helping the fire brigade is filling its bucket, as it always seems to be heading down the valley with it empty and back up with it full. I couldn't think of where it might be dunking it.
Currently, there is a large fire on the hillside above Cwmaman and Glynhafod and watching the helicopter toing and froing, it is clear that it is filling up from Abercwmboi lake.

Now, there is little chance of it actually draining the lake, but it must be causing considerable disturbance to the wildfowl and other bird life there.

Local stuff

Great white egret at Llwyn-onn this a.m. found by ranger TG, also present common sand[2] plus 2-3 little ringed plover present last c7 days [TG]. At Rhaslas 2 adult little ringed plover, 3 dunlin and common sandpiper present over the last couple of days suggest return passage is underway. The garden moth trap has gone slightly crazy with several garden and personal ticks over the last couple of weeks including celypha rivulana and barred red probably the best.

Moth Trapping

Just in case anyone fancies a look; I will be trapping at PWC on Saturday night. Based on the forecasts, I am expecting temperatures in the mid teens all night, so will probably trap well into the early hours. If you do come along, you can leave whenever you want.
I will probably get there some time around 21:30 and trap in the Peace Park end of the meadow.

Mute Swan

One of the locals from Abercwmboi John Sheehan told me that another Swan had turned up with a ring on it's leg, it was still present and not like the last one I had missed. Well last Friday I checked the swans out, a quick head count and I found one had gone and I thought I had missed my chance again. Yesterday I had a half hour spare before work so I went to check and I found eight swans present and the rung bird was there.  Next how do I get him closer but they came over straight away for food and I could see the  yellow ring underwater. I took a good dozen photos of it before the resident cob swan chased him of. The more I looked at the photos I thought it looked like HNO and someone on the ringing page on Facebook said if it's a 8 and not O it could be from Denmark. Well the thought it could be a Danish bird took me back. Today there was only seven birds present and I thought  it's gone but with that I spotted a white head in the reeds and it was number eight. I thought it must be the rung bird and with that I looked at swan in front of me and under my noise was the rung bird. I got a couple more photos before the cob chased him of again and it clearly read DNH. I reported the bird to BTO and now I am waiting for any news on where from it is from. John also told me in March there was a mute swan present with a white ring and it was chased of straight away by the local Cob before he could get any photos of it's ring. A single Whooper Swan dropped in for a bit and he showed me  photo of it and it was spot on .

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Moths

I decided last night to put out the moth trap Mike lent me (he's probably forgotten it was so long ago.) I stayed up until midnight, took a few photos and was pleased to see quite a lot flying around including some decent sized moths.

However when opening the trap this morning there were not that many species and unfortunately none of the bigger ones. Ones I have identified so far are as follows.

Anania Coronata

Eudonia Lacustrata

Brimstone

Clepsis Consimilana

Buff Arches

Buff Arches

Grey Arches

Dot Moth

Riband Wave

More tea vicar?

With officiating duties taking me to Brecon on Saturday, I thought I'd have a look for the Little white Orchids at one of their most reliable sites in the south western part of the UK, Vicarage Meadows LNR near Builth Wells. The site also a good site for Heath Fragrant Orchid.

The site took a bit of finding and walking through the meadows orchids were very much missing from view. I knew I was towards the end of the flowering season for both, but expected/hoped that a couple were still flowering. Eventually I uncovered a rather stunted, and almost finished flowering Heath Spotted Orchid, which renewed my searching. A short while later and a result with a Heath Fragrant with its last few flowers open.

Not entirely satisfactory for a tick, but It gave hope others might still be flowering and looking a bit better. Unfortunately, that was about as good as it got. A number of seeding spike were found, most looking like Spotted or Fragrant Orchids but two were much more slender and the arrangement of the stalk leaves and seed heads lead me to believe these were Small White Orchids. Not enough, however, for me to tick the species - I'll have to return to this nice little reserve next year, a little earlier.

A couple of Golden-ringed Dragonflies and Small Skippers were year tick. A Frit was briefly seen, but I didn't get enough on it to get to species level, though I presume it was a Dark-green as it looked reasonably large.

The bird life was rather quiet. A couple of Crossbill's over, Buzzard and Red Kite chicks vocally begging to be fed. Two recently fledged Pied Flycatchers, were almost certainly locally bred.

BBS

Out early this morning for the late BBS visit to Craig-yr-Efail. Like the early visit, numbers were low, but managed to confirm breeding for about half the species seen. Star bird was a Cuckoo, acting a bit like a nest prospecting  female, but could be a bird on it's return journey to Africa.

After finishing the survey I wandered back up over the top as I recorded a single Dark Green Fritillary. With the temp now rising I saw well into double figures of the Frits,with lots of Meadow Browns and Small Heaths. To think its only about 5 years that I've been recording Dark Green Frit's at this site and they are now becoming relatively common during the flight season. A single Ringlet was new for the year.
 

Lots of Yellow Shell on the wing with Six-spot Burnet's just starting to emerge.

The most numerous flying insect were Welsh Chafers - there must of been 100's over the ridge.

The big surprise however, was the lack of Orchids. Usually during my second visit there are 100's of Common and Heath Spotted Orchids out, but all I could find was one rather feeble Southern Marsh Orchid.