I took myself off on the bike to Parsons Bridge yesterday in the sun. On
the ride over towards Pendam (whose original name is Pond Pant-rhyd-ebolion, I
recently learned), there was a whitethroat in full song at the "summit" (380 m
or 1250 feet), then at the pond itself was a common sandpiper. At Pond
Blaenmelindwr was a group of male mallard, and a bit further along a garden
warbler sang by the road. It is worth noting that the areas east of Pendam and
Blaenmelindwr where nightjars were regularly heard are now quite thickly wooded
(natural regen) and may become unsuitable if they aren't already. There were two
cuckoos quite close together at the northern edge of the forestry on Banc
Craignant Mawr. Again on the forestry edge a bit further along were tree pipit
and redstart and there was a scattering of stonechats all along the mountain
road.
In the gorge below Parsons Bridge were dipper and grey wagtail. It looked
like they both had nests nearby. In the woodland there were several pied
flycatchers and wood warblers singing. A cuckoo was calling from the hill slope
above the gorge on the eastern side. Finally a brimstone butterfly cruised
downstream above the river.
Jerry Moore