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Trollopes Bird Notes

September 2018

Click for Trollope's July 2018 notes

Quest leads to the clifftop

Continuing my quest to visit areas of the British Isles to which I have never been took me to the Brecon Beacons, where my first reconnoitre was to Craig y Cillau nature reserve, just south of Crickhowell, which is famous for having the longest caves in the British Isles. The walk was along an escarpment punctuated with hawthorn bushes, from where a song sprang forth which stopped me in my tracks.

Tree Pipit
Tree Pipit, Anthus trivialis [By Stephen Message]

It was a Tree Pipit taking off from a perch on a bush, soaring up and then descending to where it started. I watched this bird for some time as I rarely hear them. Until about five years ago we had four to five pairs in Hemsted Forest but they have now disappeared for reasons not known. Possible explanations are loss of habitat, problems on their migration routes or on theirwintering grounds in Africa. Hemsted Forest has not changed very much so loss of habitat seems unlikely. Tree Pipits are ground-nesting birds so disturbance by the huge numbers of dogs that are exercised could be a possibility.

Redstart
Redstart, Phoenicurus phoenicurus; [By Stephen Message]

Having got very excited about hearing a Tree Pipit, I was pleased to hear many more that day and it was good to know they are doing well in the Brecons. I then heard a song coming from a scrubby cliff top and was slightly surprised to see a male Redstart, which I usually associate with woodland habitat but he sang very happily from the cliff top, showing off his red breast and black throat.

Where the climb got very steep I kept my eye out for birds of prey and was quickly rewarded with a pair of Peregrine Falcons patrolling the cliffs. They are notorious for being one of the fastest animals on earth when they stoop down on their unsuspecting prey. There were not a huge number of species in this habitat but there were plenty of Willow Warblers singing their delicate, cascading song, together with a few Cuckoos calling, all making this first walk an extremely pleasant one.

No visit to the Brecons can be complete without climbing Pen Y Fan (2950ft). It was a glorious hot day and the car park was pretty full so I was not expecting to see much bird life, with a long trail of people climbing the peak. However I was very pleasantly surprised to hear a Skylark singing its heart out on the lower slopes, and even more surprised to hear them all the way up the mountain, one territory after another. It really was a lovely background to the uphill grind, especially as it was uncomfortably hot. Unfortunately one or two climbers had mobile telephones blaring out some thumping beating noise, which interrupted the serenity of the climb. A Meadow Pipit also displayed its parachute song. Normally Meadow Pipits outnumber Skylarks on most mountain terrains but it was 20 to one here.

At the top a lovely Wheatear was searching the summit rocks for insects, showing off its white rump while trying to catch its lunch. On the way a Cuckoo sang from a small copse near the path, making not just one or two calls but continuing as long as I was in hearing range, which for a Cuckoo is some distance.

Dipper
Dipper, Cinclus cinclus [By Stephen Message]

Near the bottom, the path crossed a stream and while waiting for the rest of the party I wandered a little way upstream and settled near a very small waterfall. It was not long before a Dipper appeared with a beak full of food to feed young in a nest under the lip of the waterfall, just far enough away from the water itself.

Unlike most flying birds whose bones have a honeycomb structure, Dippers have solid bones so that they can ‘walk’ underwater to catch their prey - particularly Caddis Fly larvae. I watched for about 15 minutes in which time both parents came back two or three times with a beak full of food. I found it amazing that they could find so much nourishment in a relatively small stretch of stream to feed three or four young for three or so weeks. Even though I only recorded 12 species of bird, the walk will be remembered for some good bird watching/hearing.

Pied Flycatcher
Pied Flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca [By Stephen Message]

Any visit to Wales must include a woodland walk, as the deciduous woods tend to contain species not found in the Southeast. There is lovely wood called Dert Fach on Sugar Loaf mountain containing mainly oak trees, which for some reason all seem to grow in a spiral, which gives the woods an intriguing and strange appearance. The canopy was quite thick so there was little undergrowth and at first there seemed to be little bird life, until I heard an unfamiliar song although I was sure I knew what it would be. Looking up I saw a brilliant white bird with a black head and tail above me. It was a Pied Flycatcher, only ever seen in Kent on passage as it is a migrant wintering in Africa. The darkish surroundings seemed to enhance its plumage as it flew around, and from above it appeared more black than white, with a prominent white wing bar. It is one of those birds to set one’s pulse racing.

As we emerged from the wood to climb the hill I was delighted to find a pair of Whinchat among the bracken - another declining migrant.

Charles Trollope cetetal@btinternet.com

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