Great White Egret

 A Great White Egret at the South End of Cors Caron this morning as I was going to work.

Will Davies

Swifts / House Martins

 I’ve got a wasp nest (again) in one side of a double Swift box this year don’t think the Swifts are nesting in it this year although I have seen them go in unfortunately the wasps have built their nest on  the camera and I can’t see what’s going on, the Swifts fledged last year despite the wasp’s. The other four Swift boxes are all doing ok

. The saddest story is the Hs Martins down to one pair and they have only just started pairing if I see a Hs Martin in the air out the back of my garden this year I know it’s off my house because there are no others to be seen here, fourteen pair a few years ago with hundreds at the end of the season a real shame let’s hope they recover

Tony Clark

Penrhiwllan

 I saw a Hobby quite early at work this morning. Though at about 9am the heavy rain hadn't set in, it was still chilly, breezy and drizzly but still I noticed that it appeared to take some sort of flying insect with its' talons and pass it forward to munch. A surprising record perhaps in mid summer but I remember that a few years ago there was a spate of similar records (over a couple of summers?) in the Llandysul/Horeb/Gorrig area. A brief glide from Penrhiwllan for a Hobby.

Llangybi

 A Marsh Tit has been hanging around my garden today as I've been outside working-a lovely surprise.

Whinchats

 Yesterday morning we went for a walk on a forest track off the A487, south of Eglwys Fach. As close as I can pinpoint it on a map we were near Cefngweiriog, where we saw three Whinchats - a pair of adults, male & female, and a juvenile. Not much else though!

Great White Egret

 There was a great white egret at Pont Einon last night. Also, a mallard with at least 9 young. I was on my bike and didn't stop.

André Marsh 

Spotted Flycatchers

 Before we left for home yesterday I took a last walk round the corner from the caravan to check up on the spot flys  I've been checking on regularly whilst I've been dow. .Delighted to say there were a minimum of 3 youngsters out of the nest being fed by their parents amongst the oaks,they seemed very well grown.

Paul Bennett

 I've been engrossed in watching swifts yet again. They seem to live on the edge, they do everything at a hundred miles an hour,

Moving Swiftly on

 At work today I decided to concentrate more. Not on delivering the mail more accurately, obviously, but on counting Swifts. Not much of a survey, but for the record (last year in brackets); Henllan 3(6), Penrhiwllan 4(4), Aberbanc 0(4) ie 7(14).

Merlins

 I was very lucky yesterday to visit a merlin nest, under licence, with Tony Cross, bird ringer extraordinaire. Five young were present, about 2 - 3 weeks old, and they were all ringed. As well as the BTO rings, they had colour rings fitted, and Tony would be very keen to hear from anyone who comes across them. The colour rings are pale lime green with black inscriptions. I was very impressed by the calm and professional way that Tony dealt with these stunning little creatures (see attached pic.)

Jerry Moore