What have you seen

A wander through Coombes Valley reserve today on a longer walk. Lovely seeing the Pied Flycatchers, Redstarts and Garden Warbler. There was also a lot of new Bluebell stands around. Bit late but enjoyable nevertheless.

Banks of Bluebells here in Mid Wales, and still some Primroses in flower and patches of Pink Purslane and Campion in the hedgerow.

Walking along by the  Brecon canal  today saw, as well as the usual, for this area at least, Red Kites,  both a Blackcap singing away on a Willow, and a Spotted Flycatcher doing it's arial gymnastics. Also cruising  down the water, avoiding the canal boats was this family.

More a flower day today.

On a lovely walk which took us through some woodland, we came across loads of Wood Avens, new Wild Garlic, some Herb Bennett, Wild Strawberries and Common Spotted Orchids on the edge of the wood. Also the Hawthorn blossom seems a lot later here at it was at its peak today. Like having 2 birthdays. Wonderful.

From my daughters patio doors (they haven't yet built the patio......

Oh Deer  !!

Sand Martins and Swifts over the river near the site this morning, and numerous Buzzards and Red Kites as we drove up to our new site. Found out the cause of the Owl hoots during the day at the Brecon site....two baby Owls sat with one of their parents up in the tree behind nextdoor's caravan.

They've been cutting long grass on the farm today. We still have a couple of fields next to us on the CL that have long grass and I've just been listening to a Quail calling. Called for about 10 minutes quite nearby so I suspect it's been disturbed from one of the other fields as I've not heard it in the previous quiet nights. 

Hilarious sight of next door neighbour armed with a large towel & a small dish of  ABM's very best bird food crawling round the living-room floor trying  to remove a young and nervous starling from under his furniture. It had, apparently, flown in at ankle height after colliding, as they do, with a window and then followed it's scrambled senses for safety .  It eventually found it's own way out but only after all the furniture had been investigated and found wanting, of course. All that remains to be done is to watch while the furniture is returned to it's original positions { I will know when that's in progress from the chunnering and cussing that is sure to accompany it  }

Well that was a special walk, along Bradford and Lathkill Dales, seeing full fields of Buttercups and Clover, Swallows everywhere, Butterflies galore, a Dipper feeding a chick, a cute cygnet with mum and dad, a pair of Mandarin ducks, Redstarts and Willow Warblers, and best of all we came across a Slow-Worm on the path. Fortunately OH warned me just before I stepped on it causing me to do a quick pas-de-deux across it. Unfortunately it was quicker than we could get the phone out to photograph it!😂

A really super day's nature watching.