Still Locked Down!!
26th June 2020
Birding in the Brecon Beacons is very difficult at the moment because, as in the rest of Wales, we are only allowed to drive around five miles from home. In addition that journey is only supposed to take place to meet a relative or friend. It’s not meant for taking exercise or, in my case to watch wildlife. However, we have driven in excess of that distance but still remained local, because it’s one thing to drive five miles in an urban area where you could in theory meet your relatives quite easily, but many people living in the countryside are substantial distances from their relatives and it is impossible to meet up. I don’t feel guilty therefore about driving more than five miles, because on the ‘two occasions’ that we have done so, we saw no one and only stood outside the vehicle, just for something as basic as a change of scenery. I know in theory we could have broken down but that was quite unlikely in a new vehicle and apart from those two fifteen mile journeys we have absolutely stayed very local, just walking around the fields and country lanes to get some exercise.
As a result I have posted very little on this website during the month of June but the site’s position on the ‘Fat Birder’ website list has not dropped down the rankings at all, which is quite pleasing. I did visit the Llangasty car park at Llangors Lake a few days ago and saw a pair of Great Crested Grebes with youngsters that were quite well grown, but still riding on their mother’s back. I managed a record shot of them by hiding below a fence as they approached a bit nearer, they were still too far away really and the light was really bad, grey and overcast with a light drizzle, but it was still nearer than usual, because normally there would be too many people around to disturb them.
With the weather greatly improved we walked through a local meadow yesterday where there was a huge variety of wild flowers and plants and the corresponding amount of insects. What a lovely sight with hundreds of Meadow Brown butterflies on the wing, interspersed with Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell and Common Blue. Disappointingly very few Dragonflies are flying, just a few Emperors, Four Spot Chasers and Common Hawker, however, that will improve into July. In terms of moths there were large numbers of Six Spot Burnets flying, these beautiful scarlet red moths are a real pleasure to see.
Looking forward there is hopefully something positive happening in July and that is the predicted removal, if conditions are appropriate, of the aforementioned driving restrictions. This will mean a great deal to people, especially those living in the countryside, as mentioned previously.
Unfortunately the best potential birding is over - those birders hoping for an encounter with the enigmatic Dotterel or the charismatic Cuckoo will have to wait for another spring.
A sobering thought is that at least we will be around to try again next spring……
As a result I have posted very little on this website during the month of June but the site’s position on the ‘Fat Birder’ website list has not dropped down the rankings at all, which is quite pleasing. I did visit the Llangasty car park at Llangors Lake a few days ago and saw a pair of Great Crested Grebes with youngsters that were quite well grown, but still riding on their mother’s back. I managed a record shot of them by hiding below a fence as they approached a bit nearer, they were still too far away really and the light was really bad, grey and overcast with a light drizzle, but it was still nearer than usual, because normally there would be too many people around to disturb them.
With the weather greatly improved we walked through a local meadow yesterday where there was a huge variety of wild flowers and plants and the corresponding amount of insects. What a lovely sight with hundreds of Meadow Brown butterflies on the wing, interspersed with Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell and Common Blue. Disappointingly very few Dragonflies are flying, just a few Emperors, Four Spot Chasers and Common Hawker, however, that will improve into July. In terms of moths there were large numbers of Six Spot Burnets flying, these beautiful scarlet red moths are a real pleasure to see.
Looking forward there is hopefully something positive happening in July and that is the predicted removal, if conditions are appropriate, of the aforementioned driving restrictions. This will mean a great deal to people, especially those living in the countryside, as mentioned previously.
Unfortunately the best potential birding is over - those birders hoping for an encounter with the enigmatic Dotterel or the charismatic Cuckoo will have to wait for another spring.
A sobering thought is that at least we will be around to try again next spring……