May 2024

The latest late instalment in 2024's diary.

Saturday 4th May; Wow! Welsh Oak Woodland!

Our annual trip into deepest Wales for the woodland birds that don't breed locally. We've been doing this excursion for many years now and usually head to the superb RSPB reserve at Gwenffrwd-Dinas near Llandovery. The day out really deserved its own blog entry but having got so far behind with last years diary that's no longer possible. If you prefer to read a whole post about the fabulous woods and the special birds that breed there then search back for previous early May recounts.

Pied Flycatchers are the biggest draw for most, but not for me, and you really can't miss them. They are evident as soon as you make the start of the raised boardwalk that passes through a boggy area close to the river. This time it was mainly the male birds that showed well. Several were contesting for females and nesting holes, some of which are provided in the form of nest boxes.

Pied Flycatcher

Plenty of Common Redstarts are in the woods as well. They too can be found along the boardwalk and also  adorning the fences around the reserve from which they launch off to snare a fly or other bug. However, they can be more tricky to photograph well, especially the males if they are singing high up the trees. With patience though, usually by sitting still next to a territory then decent views will be obtained.

Common Redstart

The bird that I most want to see, and hear, when I come to a Welsh woodland is the charismatic Wood Warbler. Generally these are to be found in the silver birch trees that line the steep river banks rather than the oak trees that make up the most of the reserve. Because of the steep banks you can watch the tree-top loving Wood Warblers at eye-level. Their tinkling song is a sheer delight. Catching sight of the vivid yellow coloured birds isn't always that easy since they blend in well with the leaves of the trees but again patience is the key and the males do belie their presence with that song. This wasn't a vintage year, we only found three, but seeing them was a year highlight as it always is.

Wood Warbler

There are plenty of other birds in the woods. Tree Pipits breed and although I saw a couple, none were close enough this time for photos. Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, various species of Tits, Thrushes, and Robins all abound. There are Dippers and Common Sandpipers on the river, and Ravens and Cuckoos in the hills. It's a great place to spend a day!

Nuthatch

Sunday 5th May; Cuckoo Springs a Surprise!

We spent the morning walking around the Pinkhill reserve next to Farmoor reservoir. The walk was partially successful in terms of species seen. We missed out on our main quarry, Grasshopper Warbler, but did get decent views of a Cuckoo and a scattering of other warbler species, most notably a fine Garden Warbler.

Cuckoo

Garden Warbler

Intentions of having a nice restful Sunday afternoon was blown out of the water when an Alpine Accentor was amazingly discovered at Pitstone Quarry near Dunstable. The most interesting twitch, and most treacherous walk, of the year couldn't be denied. It took effort far beyond our normal capabilities to get to the bird but it was well worth it for the superb views that we had. It was exciting enough to blog at the time. Search back and you'll find it.

Alpine Accentor

Saturday 11th May; New Lens!

I finally took delivery of my new camera lens, and got rid of some of my old ones. I then headed to Farmoor to try it out. The mini-squadron of eight Black Terns that were bombing around over the reservoir wouldn't be the best subjects to test it out on because they were patrolling the middle of F1 and would have been too far out for most lenses smaller than the Hubble. However, it was good to try it out. 

Black Tern

Sunday 12th May; A Noisy Place!

The delightfully named Strawberry Hill reserve at Knotting in Bedfordshire was suggested to me as a decent place to visit to see some of the special spring migrants. It is indeed a nice area of scrubland and we did hear a Grasshopper Warbler but couldn't pin it down except for a couple of flight views. At least three Nightingales were singing and one showed reasonably well in an oak tree, making up for our lack of good views the month before. We also heard a couple of purring Turtle Doves but couldn't see them. 

Nightingale

Sparrowhawk

Unfortunately the peace and tranquility that such a place should have, was completely shattered by the constant sound of gunfire from a nearby sporting gun club. Birding and guns are not a good marriage. Still, the reserve is worth another visit.

Saturday 18th May; Fun in the Fens!

A singing Great Reed Warbler is always worth seeing, and one had been showing well at the RSPB's new reserve of Ouse Fen near Earth in Cambridgeshire so we decided to go and get it for ourselves. We stopped off at a sensitive site in Bedfordshire to add Turtle Dove to our year list. The Doves proved to be difficult but eventually we followed the purring song of one and located the bird tucked away in an oak tree. 

Turtle Dove

We could hear the Great Reed warbler long before we arrived at the viewpoint, by which the bird had set up temporary home. It wasn't visible though so we settled in and waited. While stood chatting to other birders there, a lady nonchalantly announced that a couple of Bitterns were flying off to our left. One bird was chasing the other, not exactly a mad pursuit since Bitterns do everything in slow motion, but a heated one nonetheless. The birds went one way, then back the other before diving into the reeds.

Bittern

The Great Reed Warbler obliged us with decent scope views but not even my new lens was going to help much with the bird being a good fifty metres away. An hour later the Warbler had ventured slightly closer to the nearest stand of reeds but that was as good as it would get.

Great Reed Warbler

There was another bird on our hit list and I knew it was a fair walk to reach so we drove the few miles to Coveney Byall Fen to begin the hike. It was a good old yomp and took us nearly an hour to reach. The first-summer American Golden Plover appeared almost as far away as well but I managed a few record shots. It was only the fourth of its kind that we'd seen. The new increased reach of the new lens had been well and truly nullified on this day. I'd need closer subjects to get the full benefit of it.

American Golden Plover

We had time to nip into Welney, for a refreshing drink, and then to listen to two male Corncrakes uttering their rasping song, "Crex crex". No chance of seeing them but a joy to hear and a good jog to our memory of seeing the birds on South Uist seven years ago.

Saturday 25th May; Late Arrivals

At the end of May there are a couple of late arriving migrants that need to be seen. The first of these is the Spotted Flycatcher which have become increasingly rare as a breeding bird locally. Fortunately at least one pair still favour a churchyard and its surroundings not far from our home. They can be difficult to see however, but with patience they usually show, and almost always atop a tv aerial of a nearby cottage.

Spotted Flycatcher

In the evening we took our annual trip to a heathland in Berkshire to witness the fabulous eerie sounds of Woodcocks and Nightjars. The two crepuscular species don't give incredible views since they only come out to play as it's almost dark but the soundscape is weird and wonderful. We saw both birds well enough, and I managed to locate one of the churring Nightjars for some ropey photos in the dark.

Nightjar