The Wildlife Oculus

I have to to admit for a small reserve Goldcliff Lagoons punches well above its weight in terms of the amount and variety of bird species it attracts. Week after week there is always something to watch when I visit and at almost any time of day.

There has been a bit of a summer lull. July is often a period when birds have bred, fledged and stopped being so active. Some species have left our shores completely as they have migrated to breed in the the far North. As the month progresses though things start to change. The "Autumn" migration begins. I know its not autumn proper yet but many birds by the end of July are starting to migrate back from their breeding grounds. Many species including a lot of waders start heading towards the coastal wetlands. Some are on passage and stop to fuel up on the plentiful invertebrates before flying south or some are early winter migrants and will stay in the UK for the winter.

Birdwatchers need to be on the look out as there will be juvenil…

Yesterday was July's hottest day on record ever. In some parts of the UK it was 38.1C. Global warming must be on everyone's mind at the moment. I had my first opportunity in a good while to visit Goldcliff Lagoons yesterday evening and thankfully there was a slight breeze that provided some relief from the stark heat.

It was low tide when I arrived but there was plenty of birds to see. The three lagoons have been topped up with water so are looking in better shape than when I was on site a couple of weeks ago.

The mud bordering the island on Monks had Pied Wagtails, Ringed Plovers, Skylarks and Common Sandpipers feeding in it. There must have been plenty of insects around. I saw several Dragonfly species cruising the reen near Hide 1.

Redshank Platform stinks - it really does. When I stood there the smell was awful. Apparently there has been a dead sheep in the reen causing it. I did not linger long but there was not that much to see.

From the snipe platform I had a good view…

I must admit on Saturday I wanted to stay in bed and listen to my body telling me to rest. For the last week I had been trying to fight off a bout of man-flu. However I had to travel to Cardiff  and would need to wait around all day so I thought getting some fresh air may stave off the flu and at least help me breath better. I planned on visiting a few locations along the Glamorgan Heritage Coastline.  I felt as rough as a dead dog  and was not feeling in the best of spirits but my good friend Paul Joy came along to keep me company and true to his name he brought some joyful conversation and laughter along with him.

I was hoping to see Choughs, Stonechats and Peregrines. Anything else would be a bonus.

We started off at somewhere new to me Aberthaw Power Station. Paul knew the area well having fished off the coast there for years and also scouted it out for wildlife.

The location is quite eye striking as you have got the big power station dominating the skyline to your left and then …

Well this time on Wednesday last week I was sat drinking cold beers, eating lovely Greek Cuisine and marvelling at the Azure coloured sea in Kefalonia. In my last post I described some of the wildlife I had seen including the odd species of gull.

So the same time this week I found myself back on my favourite patch of Wales - Goldcliff Lagoons.
By the looks of it I had brought the fantastic weather back with me but as things turned out, something from the Mediterranean may have followed me home.

On arrival at the reserve I noticed that the farmer had been cutting the grass in the reserve and he was in the process of loading up the large hay rolls. Its nice to see that the edges along the hedgerow and reens have been left to seed and flower. Great for wildlife. The reserve at the moment has a host of insect wildlife. I notice some big dragonflies and lots of butterflies - especially Painted Ladies that are in abundance this year ( I similarly saw lots of them in Kefalonia).



As I headed…