Viewing entries tagged
Dragonflies

Autumn Migration

I can’t help but feel the tension this time of year, as it’s a race for many bird species, to complete their breeding task and start to make their way south again for the winter. Some of my Nightjar are either during their second clutch, or are thinking about starting one, but they really want to get a move on, otherwise they risk the unpredictable weather of autumn. Pair number 1 are still roosting with their first clutch of chicks, but pair number 2 have finally kicked out the kids and look to be getting cosy again. I know this because she (Pebbles) is starting to roost with Rocky again at his favourite roost site, which I predict is where she is going to lay her second clutch. As a result he’s started to sing a little more, which has spurred on more territorial behaviour from neighbouring Male Midnight, who wasn’t on his usual log today. I suspect he’s on the edge of his territory, to make sure that Rocky doesn’t get any bright ideas and move in on his girl (which does happen quite often with Nightjar).

Their movements, roost site choices and behaviour all makes sense, the more you get to know these birds. Whilst it might appear random to us at first, there’s always a reason for their choice of roost and the more I’ve learned, the more I realise that their requirements are particular, but quite simple. So simple in-fact that there are things we can do, to ensure their breeding habitat stays in suitable condition, for as long as possible. It’s something I intend on discussing with NRW, Woodland Trust and any other land owners that happen to have breeding Nightjar, as their success rate is pretty low, at just 20%, but we can increase their chances that with some careful land management plans.

Nocmig

Finally, Autumn migration is picking up, and I’ve started to get more waders on my Nocmig recordings. I share this experience with close friend Craig Constance, who is also recording at his home, and despite living just a town away from each-other, we are both getting very different results so far. Just this week Craig has managed to get a Quail!, Green Sandpiper and a steady movement of Tree Pipit. Being on the canal, I seem to be getting quite a number of Common Sandpiper so far, but even with the canal, anything could happen, no matter where you live. Always expect the unexpected!

We’ve both been keeping our ears open for key species, Quail was one of the species that we hoped to pick up, so for Craig to get one already, was quite exciting! Wood Sandpiper was also on our list of species to look out for, and before peak has even arrived, there it was! My first Wood Sandpiper, and the classic call too, so no mistaking this for anything else. Who would have thought, over Sebastopol we’d be getting such a variety of species, some of which are quite the rarity. We usually get one or two on the coast, especially picked up at Goldcliff, and now I’ve heard one from my Garden, i’m eager to go and see one on the flesh, so I’m hoping we do find one soon. We do seem to be getting good numbers in the Uk this autumn so it’s just a matter of time.

There isn’t much left singing now, so I was particularly happy to hear two Male Greenfinch in full song on the Gwent Levels this week. Most certainly not a common sound anymore due to declining numbers. Such a pretty song too, which has been on my wish-list to record for quite some time.
The only birds that are still singing, are birds that are second (or third) clutching. You’ll probably notice that Wood Pigeons are quite vocal again too, and I’ve even seen some carrying twigs to build a second nest, or repair the first one.

The only other singers on the levels right now are random Wren’s, Cetti’s, Linnet and Goldfinch, but as you can hear below, the Linnets aren’t giving it their full effort anymore.

The Dawn chorus has been pretty poor the last couple of weeks and I’m not sure if it’s just the winter Robin song creeping in as autumn approaches, or whether it’s birds going for a second clutch, but either way, it’s nice to hear some birds singing in the morning again.

I’ll leave you with a few more photos, firstly of Midnight who’s still roosting on his favourite log. He’s the only Male that has stayed with the female throughout the entire incubation period, which I think is a reaction to the fact that they failed their first clutch due to predation. He’s keeping a close eye on her, and in doing so, gives her an early warning system should another predator come lurking. Two sets of eyes are better than one after-all.

Dragon's Continued

I know insects aren’t everybody’s cup of tea, but the way I see it, I have all winter to concentrate on Birds and Mammals and these guys aren’t going to be around for much longer. I was reminded how short this period was during my pursuit to increase the dragonfly species count at The Canyon this year. I’ve noticed that there weren’t any Chasers or Skimmers present when there is usually several buzzing around the lake on a hot sunny day like today. I was reminded on Twitter though, that the season for these types of Dragonfly have already passed and most of the adults have reproduced and have since perished during August. It’s such a short life for a Dragonfly and they all have slightly different peak emergence times throughout the year, which makes a lot of sense from a survival perspective, as this way, they aren’t competing for the same food supplies. Black Darters emerge rather late in the year in comparison to other Darter species, so thankfully there are lots around. 10+ Males are 3 females were spotted in the last two days, which is more than I’ve ever seen at the canyon.

Black Darter Pair - Left Male | Right Female

I’ve known of a couple sites in Ebbw Vale for a while now that holds a rarer hawker species called a Brown Hawker. I’ve been meaning to make a visit myself and was given an extra push after a tweet from Lee Gregory who reported 2 Brown Hawkers at Waun-y-Pound ponds. As the weather was good and I had a meeting in Ebbw Vale, I went straight over there and connected with 2 Brown Hawkers almost instantly upon arriving at the middle pond. I didn’t realise they were so big! I watched one catch a mating pair of Common Darters and it actually ate them both! What a monster! I couldn’t get a great pic but the one I did get shows just how camouflaged they are and also the habitat they chose to roost in which is primarily heather patches.

Brown Hawker

Brown Hawker

Here’s a Southern Hawker, Painted Lady Butterfly and some more of a very obliging male Black Darter.

A Rare Day

The Canyon - Terpentwys

A sunny day and I aimed to have a ‘dragonfly’ day at a place called The Canyon, which has a number of cool species like Keeled Skimmer and Black Darter that I like to find each year. Having got there however, the wind was so high, I wasn’t even seeing any butterflies on the wing, so on the way back down the mountain, I picked up good friend Craig Constance and we headed to Llandegfedd to salvage the day. We didn’t have much to report on the bird front but Craig spotted his regular Yellow Legged Gull which was good for me as I could finally get a decent view of a full adult bird right next to both Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gull for reference. I must admit, I’ve always shied away from identifying Gulls like Yellow-legged in the field as I’ve not been confident with the features but I certainly feel more confident now. Our last stop before heading home and we popped into Green Pool hide, which in all fairness, we never do these days as it’s usually overgrown but Welsh Water has cleared a nice channel through the reeds and just as well! as the Dragonfly we had been watching for a while in-front of the hide, ended up being a mega!

We had a male Emperor Dragonfly and quite a few Common Darters on the water but we had two Hawkers coming in close but there was so much blue on the one, it honestly looked like a small emperor at first glance. I said to craig at this point, “you know, there is a really rare dragonfly called the ‘blue eyed’ or ‘Southern Migrant Hawker’… from which seconds later the hawker landed right in-front of the hide and I went completely red in the face in shock. As soon as I saw the thin black lines in the thorax and those bright blue eyes, I went into complete panic mode, trying to get a photograph and my battery died!!! Spares of which were in my car! #schoolboyerror. Craig instantly called Lee Gregory who is an all-round naturalist with great species knowledge and he arrived shortly after I got back to the hide with some spare batteries. At this point I still hadn’t got a picture to confirm the ID! Thankfully it returned right in-front of the hide as Lee got there and the first picture had me dancing like a little kid. Lee Gregory instantly knew that this could be a first record for Wales and today it was confirmed that this is the first confirmed sighting for Gwent and Wales, so this would be my second ‘1st’ for Wales this year. This doesn’t happen very often, not for me anyway.

The Southern Migrant Hawker is a vagrant that’s apparently trying to colonise the Uk from southern Europe and more Mediterranean habitats. It’s been spotted mostly in southern and eastern parts of England but sightings in Wales have been very minimal. To have the first confirmed sighting is nice but honestly I was just glad that I knew what it was as we both could have quite easily walked away without giving it a second glance. The first four pics below are of the Southern Migrant Hawker, showing vibrant blue eyes, blue on the thorax with those thin black lines through the yellow which you wouldn’t see on an Emperor which is of similar colours. It is quite a bit smaller than an emperor but in flight, sizer can be difficult to judge.

I’ve started a project to record as many species of Grasshopper as I can, and in a high sample rate so that I can lower the pitch and slow the recording down so that everyone can appreciate the quality. I thought it was probably wise that I make the most of my ability to actually hear them as one day I’m sure I’ll lose that end of the frequency spectrum and I won’t even know where to point the mic! In lowering the pitch, I hope that everyone can enjoy the variety of sounds we have in our countryside. I used to be able to hear some species of Bats when I was a kid. If I knew how much i’d miss that when I was older, I would have done it more often.

Local Development

The Canyon Cut

The human 'race', ever seeking to exploit our natural resources and poor old Pontypool is no exception. We've fought for a lot over the years and the battle continues for the last bit of green space we have. A hidden gem of a location called 'The Canyon' has had profit seekers eyes twinkling for years to dig up and sell the remaining secondary aggregate, left over many years ago by former opencast. The industry left a huge scar on the land, thought to never heal again, but after many years, it finally started to heal up, but here they are again, banging at the door to destroy a beautiful nature haven. This site is unique. It's Torfaen's one and only, and to get something remotely similar, you'd have to travel abroad. It's not just some tourist attraction though! It's much much more! It's a place of solitude in a world filled with noise pollution. The Canyon, even on a windy day hits lows of just 28db's which is quiet by anyone's standards. It's the only place in Gwent, just 30 yards from the main road where you could experience near silence!. Many of you reading this wouldn't have experience silence in a very long time but it's a proven fact that these quiet conditions have massive mental health benefits. 

It's also a location where over 12 species of Dragonfly can be found in Summer, including Keeled Skimmer and Black Darter. It's home to many specialist invertebrates like Grayling Butterflies, Green Tiger Beetles and a great place for aquatic invertebrates, amphibians, and reptiles alike. The surrounding woodland is also home to an array of bird species. 

All this, however, is threatened by a 20+ year project that aims to literally flatten the site. Bringing up to 90 lorries a day across Hafodyrynys Road, of which leads to the second most polluted road in Britain! All the while, only opening up 12 Jobs... 12!!! Something doesn't add up here. Not only that, but the proposed access route to the Canyon is right thru the middle of an ancient woodland! Torfaen council did a great Job by turning down the application on the basis of the damage done to the ancient woodland as without that, Peakmans LTD would have probably already been working on the site. Peakmans did, however, challenge the objection, so while the council fight that corner, the rest is left in the hands of the public. I spoke with quite a few of the local supporters last week at one of the public meetings, and it was great to see so much enthusiasm shared to save The Canyon. Over 150 people turned up. While my part in this is limited, I hope to do all I can in supporting local enthusiasts that are leading this fight and just want to say, if you're one of them, you're doing a fantastic Job so far. Keep it up! 

Here are a few photographs taken in just a couple hours this week at the canyon. Seeing Keeled Skimmer is an annual highlight of mine here, what a beautiful Dragonfly. This week was my first time finding Common Lizard in the Canyon too, suspected to have been there for a while but I never actually managed to find one myself. This is because they have lots of places to hide and they will most certainly hear you coming in such a quiet spot as they rely on their hearing quite a bit. 

If you're interested in helping fight this planning application, it's getting late in the game now but if you're on Facebook, head over to This facebook group for more details. Hope is NOT lost.