Stymied by the volcanic ash cloud( a double Icelandic whammy) I trudged off down the bog(Cors Caron)and swopped the exotic for the familiar: 9 willow warbs,a silent grasshopper warbler in its usual territory by the boardwalk sluice,BHG's investigating a previous nest site,redpolls,teal and mallard pairs, 2 little egrets(unfortunately nowhere near the heronry),2 greylag,displaying redshank plus 2 feeding,singing skylark and a mipit which foolishly dropped its nest material into one of the ponds. Absentees included cuckoo and hirundines. I shared my walk with a large bushy tailed fox also taking advantage of the boardwalk.
Later in the day, attending to kite duties, I ventured up the mountain road from Tregaron. After my blog and pics of the tree and bush elimination from the valley bottom(in compliance with an agri-environment scheme) I have not cared to look again but duty called. Some dry rushes in the valley had been fired together with a large area of bracken and 50 or so rowan and hawthorn. The blaze had then jumped up the slope and burned every shred of vegetation from some crags and finally reached the edge of the forest where it singed a number of trees.
Anyone want to take bets on which plant will be the first to 'phoenix'? I can hear the bracken growing already.
Now I know I'm a misery but I've spared you the YouTube clip showing a griffon vulture which flew too close to a turbine blade.....
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