River Usk birds and Spring Migrants.
26th March 2012
What an unbelievable spell of weather we are experiencing presently, it is a real pleasure to be out in the countryside. I was on the banks of the river Usk near Brecon yesterday morning before first light watching the Dippers go about their nest building, it looks like they can't make up their mind which nest site to use, they have one nest in the ceiling of an old stone structure on a canal which runs alongside the river and another in an old recess on the same structure, they are back and fore to both. As I was walking through the woods in the dark to get to the river, Robins and Blackbirds were in full song, it's correct what the old saying says about the Blackbird, ' Last to bed at night, first up in the morning'. The woods are carpeted at this time of year with Wood Anenome and Celandine and added to these are areas of Daffodil and Primrose. The leaves are out in readiness for the Bluebells which will take their turn to carpet the woodland floor in late April and May.
I watched the Dippers and also a pair of beautiful Grey wagtails courting in the same area from where I was tucked away under an old Beech, this tree, which is right on the river bank, has its roots submerged by the river. The roots trap silt from the river when it's in flood and a mini beach has formed over many years, this a landing place for Otters and they sometimes sit on the roots of this tree, what a tale this old tree could tell of it's sightings over the last hundred or so years. One morning last year I was in my portable hide waiting for a Kingfisher to appear when I looked casually out of the small opening on the side of the hide and something broke the surface of the river, my first thoughts were, 'that's a fair sized trout', I kept looking and an Otter broke the surface, then another and another. They climbed onto the rocks on the far bank of the river and I could see it was one large and two smaller Otters, obviously a female taking two youngsters out on the river, showing them their new world. They slid off the rocks and quietly swam away up the river and disappeared into the morning mist.
This morning, from under the Beech tree, I looked up and I saw what must have been an Osprey drift over high up above the river, I can't think what else it could be having ruled out Buzzard and Kite by flight pattern, I looked in a tree above the canal and I could see a male Sparrowhawk sitting there watching me, he took off and left me to it. I took a few shots of the Dippers and Wagtails and left them to carry on with their courting. In the woods on the way back Chiffchaffs were singing everywhere and a single Blackcap was in full song, some singer he is too! Goldcrests were chasing each other throughout the woods and Wrens were singing from all over, what a lovely place to spend a few hours.
I took a few casual shots from my visit, please see UK birds.
I watched the Dippers and also a pair of beautiful Grey wagtails courting in the same area from where I was tucked away under an old Beech, this tree, which is right on the river bank, has its roots submerged by the river. The roots trap silt from the river when it's in flood and a mini beach has formed over many years, this a landing place for Otters and they sometimes sit on the roots of this tree, what a tale this old tree could tell of it's sightings over the last hundred or so years. One morning last year I was in my portable hide waiting for a Kingfisher to appear when I looked casually out of the small opening on the side of the hide and something broke the surface of the river, my first thoughts were, 'that's a fair sized trout', I kept looking and an Otter broke the surface, then another and another. They climbed onto the rocks on the far bank of the river and I could see it was one large and two smaller Otters, obviously a female taking two youngsters out on the river, showing them their new world. They slid off the rocks and quietly swam away up the river and disappeared into the morning mist.
This morning, from under the Beech tree, I looked up and I saw what must have been an Osprey drift over high up above the river, I can't think what else it could be having ruled out Buzzard and Kite by flight pattern, I looked in a tree above the canal and I could see a male Sparrowhawk sitting there watching me, he took off and left me to it. I took a few shots of the Dippers and Wagtails and left them to carry on with their courting. In the woods on the way back Chiffchaffs were singing everywhere and a single Blackcap was in full song, some singer he is too! Goldcrests were chasing each other throughout the woods and Wrens were singing from all over, what a lovely place to spend a few hours.
I took a few casual shots from my visit, please see UK birds.