Winter birdwatch at Kenfig Nature Reserve

Date:  4 February 2017

Location:  Kenfig Nature Reserve, Bridgend

We woke up to blue skies and knew the weather wouldn't stay like this for long. So we decided to venture to Kenfig Nature Reserve to see what we could find.  Recently there had been a bittern spotted so we were hoping we would finally see this elusive bird. 

It has been awhile since we visited and when we arrived we noticed that there were a few changes to the visitor centre, the fantastic mural which had been painted by www.andyorourke.com was finished and the reserve and new signage and maps.

Dan and myself in one of our favorite local nature reserves

The brilliant mural on the visitor centre

One of the new signs and map

From the visitor centre we made our way down to Kenfig Pool and spotted Tufted Ducks, Black Headed Gulls, Cormorants and Great Crested Grebe*. After the pool we made our way to the nearby hide...

Kenfig Pool

Tufted Duck

Black Headed Gulls

When we got to the hide we were immediately treated to a beautiful Grey Heron perched on a post and he stayed there the entire time we were there. We also spotted a Great Crested Grebe catching fish, Cormorants, Gadwells* and Mallards. A Wood Pigeon perched on a nearby tree for a closeup pic!

Grey Heron on post

Mallard

Great Crested Grebe catching a fish

Gadwells (male & female)

Cormorant drying off his feathers

Curious Wood Pigeon

 From here we decided to head to Sker Beach and see what coastal birds we could find...

Kenfig Pool reed bed

A sign to the beach

Sker house in the distance and a misty Rest Bay beyond that

It was extremely windy down by the beach and the weather was changing. When the sun disappeared behind a cloud it was freezing! Besides being cold, we managed to see some great birds: Herring Gulls, Raven, Curlew* and Oystercatchers.

Herring Gulls

Raven

Oystercatchers and Curlews

Has we walked along the beach, we were treated to several more species of birds (some new ones for my #My200BirdYear) - They were: Grey Plover, Redshank, Turnstone and a beautiful bird called the Golden Plover.

Grey Plover

Redshanks

Turnstone

Golden Plover

Time was getting on so we decided to head back to the car, on the way we stopped to say hello to the black cows that sometimes roam the reserve and spotted a Stonechat. As I was taking a photo of the Stonechat a big flock of birds flew out of a nearby bush obviously spooked by something. Then I heard Dan saying " Sand, Sand, Sand..." I turned around and there was a Sparrowhawk sat just 6 feet away from us on a fence post. I was just about to take a pic when it flew off...luckily Dan managed to get an awesome pic of this beautiful bird. Wow what a treat!

The Black Cows of Kenfig

Stonechat (male)

Female Sparrowhawk (Photo by Dan Turner)

We were ecstatic we saw such a stunning bird and we were very satisfied with out finds for the day. We didn't see much more until we got back to the car park where there was a flock of Reed Buntings. A very succesful day and my bird list had expanded by 10 birds! (#My200BirdYear is now 58!).

Reed Bunting

Stack Rocks & Green Bridge, Pembrokeshire – 25 March 2016

After our little break at Bluestone National Park Resort, the sun was still shining so we decided to visit Stack Rocks & The Green Bridge on the South West coast of Pembrokeshire.

To get to the rocks you need to pass through a military range in Castlemartin, which is closed at certain times. It was Good Friday, so we assumed it would be open, but you do need to ring a number to see if it’s accessible on weekdays. (Check out www.visitpembrokeshire.com for more information).

There is a car park fairly near the viewpoints with direction signs/information boards to help you on your way. Our first stop was Stack Rocks, two isolated pillars of limestone which rise steeply from the sea. They are important nesting sites for guillemots and kittiwakes, but neither have returned from their migration yet. They should return in a few weeks time and we intend to go back to enjoy the spectacle.

Information signs

Stack rocks

On the cliffs we could see Fulmars nesting and a single shag. This is the first time I have seen a shag up close and couldn't get over how beautiful it's shiny black coat and stunning green eyes were.

Fulmar nesting in the cliffs

Shag sitting on the cliffs

Our next stop was the Green Bridge - it is renowned as one of Wales' most iconic images from the coast – a huge, 80ft limestone arch with the sea underneath. Sadly, sometime in the future the top of the arch will eventually collapse into the sea and the Bridge will become a stack (like the stack rocks nearby).

There is a viewing platform here, so you can get good pics. From here we walked back along the cliff's path and saw a number of smaller birds including skylarks and rock pipits.

The Green Bridge

Rock pipit

From here we walked back to stack rocks and admired the beauty of the area. There was a cormorant and black backed gulls sitting on rocks out at sea,whilst a raven was flying above being chased by several jackdaws.

Such a beautiful coastline

Cormorant & a pair of black backed gulls

Raven & Jackdaws (you can see the size difference of the crows)

We continued walking along the path and saw a big nest on the opposite cliff, we got talking to a local man and he told us that it was a raven's nest. We sat there for awhile waiting to see if the raven returned, but the bird was far too clever - I think it sensed us sitting there, waiting for it. So we carried on and walked down to a spot the gentleman had recommended. It was beautiful, see the below photo...

A wonderful view of the cliffs

On the way back we saw a pair of stonechat and we decided to pass the raven's nest again to see if it had returned. The raven still wasn't there, but two nosy jackdaws were snooping around. It wasn't long before they were shoo'd off by the beautiful raven and we finally could get a photo.

The path is part of the Wales Coastal Path and you can walk from here to St Govans Chapel, a small thirteenth century stone chapel that was built within the cliffs of St Govan's Head. I definitely want to do a blog on that in the future, so watch this space for that one...

Male & female stonechat on some brambles

A pair of nosy jackdaws check out the raven's nest...

...not for long though, the raven returns to protect the nest.

A sign to show where to go for the Coastal Path

It is a great part of Pembrokeshire to explore and it would be interesting to see the Green Bridge at different times of day (Sunrise, etc). I can't wait to return and will do before this year is out :)

You can find out more about it here.