A morning walk on a windy Brecon Beacons hill.
23rd February 2026
The weather forecast was not promising for today, fine early on but yet again more rain coming in later. I needed a break from some computer work I was doing so I left home at 08.00 and walked up onto a local hill named Allt yr Esgair which is not far from my house. It was a bit of a slog because the track leading up was very soft and muddy but at last, I was up on the open hill. Although winds were very light lower down. by the time I reached the top there was a full-blown gale and I had a job to stand up. I took my baseball cap off otherwise it would have been lost, but I had a hood on my jacket so that was OK.
I was carrying a Canon R5 Mk2 and a Canon Rf 100-500 lens – a light and very portable combo. There was no point lugging anything heavier up there, it’s too awkward and the risk of damage by the wind is very likely. There were a few spots of rain in the air but nothing too problematic.
In order to get out of the really fierce and nagging wind I sat down between a large rocky outcrop and a few well positioned gorse bushes. At least this provided some respite from the elements.
I was just looking out across towards Talybont on Usk when a bird suddenly appeared from beneath the rocky outcrop, hovering on the wind. I could see it was a Kestrel – the consummate hoverer.
It couldn’t see me because it was facing into the wind, as they do when hovering. It was only there for about thirty seconds, but this little photographic combination I was carrying is perfectly suited for these impromptu situations.
On closer inspection I could now see it was a female and I watched her, marvelling at the way she was handling the wind, although being buffered by really strong gusts she remained perfectly still.
Her body was motionless but here head was moving looking for prey some forty feet below in the rough grass.
Suddenly she obviously saw something.
I could tell by her reaction, remarkable eyesight to spot prey from that distance in that wind.
She banked over, opened her wings and swooped down.
I don’t know if she was successful, I couldn’t see. I waited but she didn’t return, I hope she found some food; What a bird.
I was carrying a Canon R5 Mk2 and a Canon Rf 100-500 lens – a light and very portable combo. There was no point lugging anything heavier up there, it’s too awkward and the risk of damage by the wind is very likely. There were a few spots of rain in the air but nothing too problematic.
In order to get out of the really fierce and nagging wind I sat down between a large rocky outcrop and a few well positioned gorse bushes. At least this provided some respite from the elements.
I was just looking out across towards Talybont on Usk when a bird suddenly appeared from beneath the rocky outcrop, hovering on the wind. I could see it was a Kestrel – the consummate hoverer.
It couldn’t see me because it was facing into the wind, as they do when hovering. It was only there for about thirty seconds, but this little photographic combination I was carrying is perfectly suited for these impromptu situations.
On closer inspection I could now see it was a female and I watched her, marvelling at the way she was handling the wind, although being buffered by really strong gusts she remained perfectly still.
Her body was motionless but here head was moving looking for prey some forty feet below in the rough grass.
Suddenly she obviously saw something.
I could tell by her reaction, remarkable eyesight to spot prey from that distance in that wind.
She banked over, opened her wings and swooped down.
I don’t know if she was successful, I couldn’t see. I waited but she didn’t return, I hope she found some food; What a bird.