New Tick from the armchair

Good spot from a friend on my favourite bird watching site. The birds highlighted here aren't curlews at all but Whimbrel.

Slightly smaller and with shorter beaks - spotted on their own their hard to tell apart but put together you can spot the differences straight away.

Many thanks to Brian for noticing and in the process adding a new British Bird to my life list which now moves up to 112.


CURLEW

First Sighting

First Sighting of a Brent Goose this weekend - on the headland between Newquay and Cei Bach. This is a great spot for bird watching and is the place we see new wildlife first on a regular basis .

From the rarely spotted to the common but still one of the most attractive and distinctive birds on the Mid Wales shorelines - not to mention the loudest and beautiful birds - Oyster Catchers

These were taken just outside Aberystwyth in early May 06.

Some of the other beach wildlife we don't particularly want to get up close and personal with this summer - I'm not sure whether these are Moon or Lions Mane Jelly fish

Spring is probably the best time of the year to be walking in Mid Wales or anywhere for that matter. The birds are busy nesting whilst Flowers in the lanes like these Bluebells make walking something to really look forward to.

Spotted Orchid

Spring arrives

Walking in Cardigan and Cors Caron you definitely get the sense spring has arrived. The birds are much noisier now and the blubells which should have been here weeks ago are now starting to show.

Curlews



















These are some of my favourite birds - these were taken in the Teiffi Marshes but I often hear them on the mountain behind us - theres nothing quite like the sound of Curlews calling late in the summer evenings.

Dunlin

In comparison to the Curlew, Dunlin are a much smaller bird but still a very attractive native British wader

Wren







Willow Warbler










Goldfinch
















Black cap











The warmer weather also sees the butterflies emerging - these are taken in Cors Caron in early May

Green Hairstreak


















Peacock