The hot weather continues.
15th July 2018
I spent a couple of hours just after first light on the River Usk near Brecon earlier this week and I was disappointed to see the water levels so depleted and lacking in Oxygen. Having said this, large numbers of trout were leaping out of the water after insects and there were some sizeable fish on display. However, where the river slows up there is a heavy algae slime deposited all over the river bed, this has been caused by the relentless sunshine we have had over the last couple of months and the river could do with a few days of heavy rain to freshen it up.
This time of the day has always been my favourite on the river, it’s always peaceful and you basically have the river to yourself. There appears to be no evidence yet of any successful breeding by the local Kingfishers but at last they are going back and fore a historical nest site now, so I am in hope. Kingfishers have usually raised and fledged one brood at this time of year and this would be, in previous years, their second brood, but there’s still time.
A few young Dippers and Grey Wagtails are now in evidence and three very noisy young Green Woodpeckers were flying around the tree tops. As usual I was tucked away under some overhanging trees, my favourite spot for observation. Suddenly I could hear a loud peeping and a Common Sandpiper landed nearby.
These lovely little waders like to probe between the small stones, on the now extensive shingle banks, for food. It was unaware of me and I shot a few frames as it went about its business, then suddenly it flew up into the air and disappeared, typical behaviour really. My attention was drawn to a lot of birds consistently perching in one particular area in the tree tops and on closer inspection I could see why. They were attracted to a forty foot wild Cherry tree just back from the banks of the river and at that size it must have been there for many years. This tree is absolutely laden with fruit and the birds will have a real feast over the coming weeks. I wished I could have had a few pounds because they are so delicious. At today’s cherry prices there must be a few hundred pounds worth of fruit that I could see!
I will be going back in a couple of weeks to see if the Kingfishers have any young flying around, I hope so.
This time of the day has always been my favourite on the river, it’s always peaceful and you basically have the river to yourself. There appears to be no evidence yet of any successful breeding by the local Kingfishers but at last they are going back and fore a historical nest site now, so I am in hope. Kingfishers have usually raised and fledged one brood at this time of year and this would be, in previous years, their second brood, but there’s still time.
A few young Dippers and Grey Wagtails are now in evidence and three very noisy young Green Woodpeckers were flying around the tree tops. As usual I was tucked away under some overhanging trees, my favourite spot for observation. Suddenly I could hear a loud peeping and a Common Sandpiper landed nearby.
These lovely little waders like to probe between the small stones, on the now extensive shingle banks, for food. It was unaware of me and I shot a few frames as it went about its business, then suddenly it flew up into the air and disappeared, typical behaviour really. My attention was drawn to a lot of birds consistently perching in one particular area in the tree tops and on closer inspection I could see why. They were attracted to a forty foot wild Cherry tree just back from the banks of the river and at that size it must have been there for many years. This tree is absolutely laden with fruit and the birds will have a real feast over the coming weeks. I wished I could have had a few pounds because they are so delicious. At today’s cherry prices there must be a few hundred pounds worth of fruit that I could see!
I will be going back in a couple of weeks to see if the Kingfishers have any young flying around, I hope so.