Nature Notes from Mid Wales (and elsewhere!)

Watching Orcas in Norway

‘Orcas’ or the inaptly named killer whales are powerful dynamic and charismatic sea mammals superbly adapted to their marine environment where they are undoubtedly the undisputed top predator. They are the largest and probably the most ‘intelligent’ members of the dolphin family (Delphinidae). I have discovered a lot about Orcas in the last month and I’m totally fascinated by their way of life. I do not have the arrogance to regard them as a lesser species than ourselves but as equals in our natural world. They have a long lifespan males can live between 50 and 60 years of age and females as much as 80! But the average lifespan is about 30 and 40 years respectively. Males (or bulls) have a body length of between 7 & 9.8 metres and weigh between 3.8 & 5-5 tons females (or cows) are smaller at 4.5- 8.5 metres. Orcas are social animals and live in family ‘pods’ throughout their lives. The pod can consist of four generations of related members. Females, the ‘Matriarchs’, assume the dominant role and they form social units called ‘matrilines’ which have their own ‘dialects’ and share a common repertoire of calls. On the face of it they have a complex and seemingly ordered animal ‘society’

In early December 2007 I travelled to Norway 250 kilometres beyond the Arctic circle in search of the famous Orcas of Tysfjord situated in the north west of the country. I am glad to report that I did get a glimpse of them eventually! It was quite a trek to get there involving a flight from the UK to Oslo followed by an internal flight to Bodo then a four & half hour bus journey to Bognes where I was based for the week at the comfortable Tysfjord Turistsenter hotel which is referred to as ‘Base Camp’ this is located on the shore of a creek off the main fjord. In the recent past masses of shoaling herring used to spend the autumn & winter in the inner Vestfjord, Tysfjord and Ofotfjord and they were followed by hundreds of Orcas. It seems now that the Orcas have become more pelagic again in response to the movements of the herrings. So the golden years of watching Orcas in the Tysfjord area may well have come to an end for the present time. It was apparent however during my visit in early December that herring shoals do occasionally come into the fjord followed by the Orcas so they are becoming more transient in their habits and making hunting forays into the fjords on a fairly regular basis. I spent five full days in the area voyaging daily out into Tysfjord on either a RIB boat operated by the company ‘Lofoten Opplevelser’ or on board the large ship called the ‘Leonora’ operated by the very able Captain Per Ole Lund of ‘Arctic Whaletours’. There were a couple of days in the week that there were no sightings at all of Orcas but they were seen on other days by people on either the RIB’s or the ‘Big Boat’ as they call it unfortunately I was often on the wrong boat on the days that they were seen! I did eventually see Orcas, a group of about 8 which included a big male, females and at least one calf this was literally on the last hour of the last day in failing light! (daylight is short in Norway at this time of the year) however it was well worth the wait. The crews of all the whale watching boats are very experienced in finding Orcas and they are in contact with the fishing boats and ferry operators in the fjord and the system obviously works well as they reported the sightings of the Orcas during the week. I met many people from all over Europe during my time there who were staying at the Turistsenter hotel or in the self catering chalets or nearby seasonal motel (basically like an youth hostel) which are all owned and managed by the hotel. A great many of those who stayed for just a day or two were not able to see the Orcas so they were greatly disappointed. It may well be that there will be some changes to the way the whole operation will be run in future years but I have spoken to the operators who say that they will continue to run trips to see the Orcas in some format. So my advice to those of you who are contemplating a visit to this area of Norway to see Orcas is to plan to stay a few days there, at least five days, allowing a day or more either side to reach this location by whichever means of transport you decide upon. Inclement weather can also mean that the boats will not venture out into the fjord on some days and then the Orca Tysfjord tourist centre can organise land based wildlife watching and sightseeing trips in the locality. As for which vessels to utilise while you are there well both are worth going on and to give an unbiased opinion the RIB’s, which are extremely fast & seaworthy 9.8 metre Zodiacs, can get to the Orcas quicker even if the ride can be bumpy it is very exhilarating if you are looking for an adrenaline rush! But for the ultimate ‘Orca’ experience and if you are brave enough you can even don a dry suit and snorkel with the Orcas! Some people may find this unethical but the people who I spoke to who had dived in with them were obviously moved by the experience. A Dutch woman told me of the unforgettable memory of a mother and calf swimming below her. Of course it begs the question on whether or not the Orcas are dangerous. There is no ‘authenticated’ case of Orcas killing anyone but there was a case in California in 1972 of a wet-suited surf boarder being attacked by an Orca he responded by hitting the animal with his fist and it withdrew and the surfer was able to get to the beach safely but a wound he sustained during the attack required many stitches. The explanation given by experts is that the orca mistook the surfer for a seal which form a substantial part of the orca’s diet in Californian waters. So I leave you to make your own judgement as to the wisdom of leaping into an alien environment with our planets top predator! You need to ensure that you book the RIB’s in advance to get a place on board as space is limited. You will be issued with a wind & waterproof body suit to fit over your own clothes. The wind chill can be quite severe at this time of year so its essential to be in possession of the appropriate clothing. I wisely invested in good outdoor gear which had basically a down filling and ensure too that you wear thermal baselayers, good footwear (Gore-Tex or similar) and thermal and ‘waterproof’ gloves especially when using the RIB’s where you are more exposed to the elements.

So would I go again to see the Orcas in Tysfjord? The answer is an empathic‘Yes’ apart from seeing the sometimes elusive Orcas I had good views of the fascinating northern lights (Aurora Borealis) on two star studded clear nights. We saw white tailed-eagles each day and even a golden eagle, I also saw a moose and calf, a red fox and the most stunning dramatic scenery imaginable with snow covered mountains, frozen lakes and rivers, picturesque Norwegian houses lit up with Christmas lights and the company of an international clientele of enthusiastic like minded people. If you were to stay in Bodo then I would recommend the ‘Thon Nordlys Hotel’ ask for a room overlooking the marina. The hotel’s ‘Egon’ restaurant is a good venue to eat in. If you get a chance you must visit the ‘Top 12 Rooftop Bar’ at the Radisson SAS hotel for a coffee and a light snack where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the area. There are some good outdoor clothing shops in Bodo in case you have forgotten some item. The main bus station where you can catch a bus to Bognes (Narvik) is a short walk from all the main hotels and in the same building you will find the tourist information centre. If you are a birder take a walk along the quayside from here I saw white tailed-eagles soaring with an air of expectancy around the area of the fish processing plant on the far side of the harbour. In the harbour I saw a number of eider ducks and a few delightful long tailed-ducks.

Suggested reading material on Orcas:-
‘Orcas - The Whale Called Killer’ by Erich Hoyt.
‘Norwegian Killer Whales’ by Dr. Tiu Simila & John Stenersen.
‘Listening To The Whales: What the Orcas Taught Us’ by Alexandra Morton.

Other tips:- For more information on where to watch Orcas in Norway and details of ‘Orca Safari’ boat operators visit the following websites:-

www.tysfjord-turistsenter.no
www.arcticwhaletours.com
www.lofoten-opplevelser.no

To view video clips of Orcas I suggest you take a look at ‘You Tube’ on the web and in the search facility enter ‘Orcas of Tysfjord’.

If you are not able to organise ‘do it yourself’ holidays then there are two well known and experienced UK based wildlife tour operators who organise trips each year to see the Norwegian Orcas and these are:-

‘Naturetrek’ www.naturetrek.co.uk Tel- + 44 (0) 1962 733051
‘Wildwings’ www.wildwings.co.uk Tel- + 44 (0) 117 9658 333

Peregrine’s at sunrise and Seal antics

Its early morning on the 8th of October and I’m at Strumble Head again. In the serene stillness of the breaking dawn I watched the sun rising behind Cemaes head and Cardigan island beyond both barely visible through the cloak of sea mist. The dark form of a peregrine falcon perched above mackerel rock was silhouetted against the background of a shimmering sea bathed in a warm orange glow. The small fin of a harbour porpoise broke the surface. The peregrine was watchful and alert. Earlier my companion Chris had witnessed a falcon make an aborted attempt at taking out a common scoter flying by offshore. I too saw a peregrine take a foray out to sea to eye up a large squadron of flying auks but it also decided against making a kill. These coastal peregrines live a dangerous existence. I wonder how many have perished around our coasts by ditching in the sea following a botched hunting expedition! It flew back to the land watched closely by the other peregrine perched above mackerel rock. The sea was like a mirror and I counted 31 porpoise over a wide area. Three Balearic shearwaters flapped and glided low above the windless sea past the headland. There followed a small flock of several pintail, a black tern, an adult Mediterranean gull and a fine looking adult pomarine skua flying towards Fishguard bay. Later on came another Balearic and a manx shearwater. Its not often that the Balearics outnumber the ‘manxies’ at Strumble Head! Over the following days during many hours of sea-watching I saw small numbers of Balearic shearwaters, a tufted duck, wigeon, red breasted mergansers, a small flock of knot, Curlew, great, arctic & pomarine skuas, little gulls and a couple of great northern divers and a steady stream of common scoter breaking the relative monotony of those birdless interludes. The sea-watchers ‘best friend’ to quote my companion Graham Rees. On the afternoon of the 11th my wife and I did some seal watching at Aberfelin Bay which is accessible along the coastal path from Llanwnda near Fishguard. Here on two shingle beaches separated by a rocky outcrop we saw several white coated Atlantic grey seal pups. An eighth pup was older than the rest he was quite plump with a silvery grey pelage with just traces of a white coat on its hindquarters he was still suckling from his mother however. I guess it wouldn’t be to long before she abandoned him to make his own way in life. Another cow seal had been resting on the beach before she was disturbed by an amorous bull who laboriously hauled his great bulk up the beach. He gently bit the cow on her neck and on her hind flippers and attempted to mate her on the beach. Her protestations fell on deaf ears (this in part is a metaphoric statement as grey seals have no external ears!) at one stage the bull lay across her. Eventually by sheer persistence he coaxed her into the water where he embraced her grasping her barrel shaped body with his forelimbs. As we looked down on them we could make out their entwined bodies just below the surface. Occasionally they would come up for air and slowly sink again to continue their watery embrace. This was the beach-master bull and the female formed part of his harem. When not engaged in sexual proclivities with the females the bull would be patrolling just offshore attempting to deter would be suitors. Occasionally though a determined bachelor will force the issue and then a nasty scrap can ensue between the territory holder and the interloper the ensuing fights often draw blood. You can often see the signs of battle on a hardened ‘beach-wise’ bull by the scarring on their necks. As we watched this fascinating aspect of seal behaviour taking place below us we noticed a second bull on an adjoining beach had the same amorous intentions and the previous scenario was repeated. We left them to it!

Both bull and cow grey seals fast during the breeding season living off their stored body fat. The lactating seal cows milk contains up to 60 per cent fat! And the pups ingest about two and a half litres of this rich food source each day and consequently its weight increases by about 2 kg per day. They pile on the fat and when weaned they will weigh about 45 kg. The thick layer of blubber will insulate the animal against the chilly water which will soon become its home and also act as its food store in the first few weeks of its independence.

I was back at Strumble head again on the 12th for an early morning watch. Over an area of sea known as Strumble bank I saw the tall falcate dorsal fin of a Risso’s dolphin break the surface a couple of times. These large graceful dolphins are often seen along this part of Cardigan bay. (*A basking shark was seen passing Strumble head late afternoon on the 18th) During the afternoon a visit to the Gann estuary near Dale proved interesting. The slowly creeping tide kept a selection of waders on the move. I counted 10 dunlin, 9 turnstone, a grey plover, 4 bar tailed-godwits, 10 little egrets, and a great number of curlew (124) and oystercatcher (130). (*A semi palmated sandpiper was on the Gann between the 14th-21st I missed that!) Driving up the coast on our journey home through Ceredigion on the 13th I was glad to see red kites again although they are successfully breeding in Pembrokeshire they are not there in any great numbers yet. The Red Kite has recently been voted Wales’ favourite bird following a recent poll carried out by the RSPB and BBC Wales. It gained 36% of the votes beating even the popular robin!

On the subject of kites on the 24th it was a fine day so I decided to take a spin to the kite feeding centre at Gigrin farm in Rhayader. I travelled on the A.44 from Aberystwyth and sadly I came across a dead dog Otter on the roadside so I took a detour to report the finding to the Countryside Council for Wales offices nearby. Apparently officers from the Environment Agency collect dead otters which are then despatched to a veterinary laboratory to allow a post mortem examination to be conducted to establish the cause of death and to conduct toxicology tests.

The kites gave a spectacular display at Gigrin farm with 200 plus at feeding time they were fed today by none other than Tony Cross of the Welsh Kite Trust as Chris Powell was recuperating from a recent operation. At Gigrin I was able to read the details of wing tags on no less than thirteen perched kites through my telescope. I passed these details on to Tony Cross. This information is useful in monitoring the movements of kites in Wales. Travelling back to Machynlleth on the mountain road via Llanidloes I encountered a flock of about 150 golden plover flying over the uplands near Dylife. Always a nice bird to see. On the morning of the 22nd October I parked in a lay-by between Aberdyfi and Tywyn and there was a visible heavy migration of starlings thrushes and chaffinches following the line of the coast southwards. What was apparent was the fact that the wind was from the east with a distinct chill to it. As I marvelled at this movement of birds 3 choughs each colour ringed called from the hillside above me.

During my occasional voluntary duties at the RSPB’s ‘Aren’t Birds Brilliant’ project at Nant-yr-Arian near Ponterwyd I was delighted to watch a male crossbill feeding on pine cones on the trees by the centre on the 30th October. The male’s plumage had a pinkish tinge and I could clearly see the crossed bill from whence the bird gets its name. The song I couldn’t pick out though this was beyond my hearing thankfully John Davis of ‘Mid Wales Birdwatching Holidays’ was on hand to locate the bird. Nant-yr-Arian is a good place to see this species as well as ‘The Arch’ at Hafod on the road from Devils Bridge to Cwm Ystwyth.

Do you have an interest in Welsh birds then why not join the society covering the whole of the Principality. The ‘Welsh Ornithological Society’
Promotes the conservation and study of wild birds in Wales.
Maintains a high and unified standard of bird recording in Wales.
Publishes the journal ‘Welsh Birds’ twice a year with various articles on Welsh birding and a systematic list of all birds seen in Wales together with two newsletters.
Supports other organizations working on the conservation and study of birds in Wales.
Provides a forum and national voice supporting other ornithological societies in Wales.
Has its own rarities panel assessing Welsh records.
Keeps an archive of Welsh ornithological records.
Holds an annual conference.
Adopts a bi-lingual policy.

Individual membership of the society is £15 per year or £18 as a family member.
You can download the membership form etc: from the society’s website:
www.welshornithologicalsociety.org.uk

Or contact the membership secretary Alan Williams, 30 Fairfield, Penperlleni, Pontypool. NP4 0AQ . Tel- 01873 880165 or e-mail Alan at : alan.williams6@virgin.net

* Information courtesy of Lyndon Lomax of the Pembrokeshire Bird Group

Whales Galore!

Seabirds and cetaceans have featured highly in my wildlife watching experiences during the past month starting on the 30th August with my 4th trip across the Bay of Biscay with the eco-tour venture the ‘Company of Whales’ on board the P & O ferry the ‘Pride of Bilbao’. During the outward and return voyage from Portsmouth to Spain we clocked no less than 9 species of cetaceans among these were Fin Whale, Sperm Whale, Pilot Whale, Cuviers Beaked Whale. We saw Common, Striped and Bottlenose Dolphins. We had one sighting of an Ocean Sunfish and shoals of Tuna fish. Birding highlights on board ship included Great Skuas (bonxies) Arctic Skua, a flock of Sabine’s Gulls, Storm Petrels, Manx and Mediterranean (Balearic) Shearwaters. We had a Dunlin land on our deck which was probing around in a small patch of accumulated dirt for something to eat! On arrival in Spain the statutory walk in the foothills above Santurtzi proved as interesting as ever. The highlights for me were seeing a Wryneck a bird which I haven’t seen for many years, a Hobby, Red backed Shrikes and a few Griffon Vultures (10 -15) soaring in a thermal above the hill. If you wish to view a full list of everything our group saw on the voyage and in Spain then please visit the ‘Company of Whales’ website. They are now taking bookings for 2008. After 4 trips with them I have never been disappointed. Whale watching on the deck of the ‘Pride of Bilbao’ for hours on end can be demanding but if you want to get the best out of the trip then you must be prepared to put in the commitment. I can assure you that your guides will possess a thorough knowledge of birds and cetaceans. If you just want to chill out on board then you are free to do so.

On the 12th September with my feet now firmly on dry land! I did a seawatch nearer home at the mouth of Aber Dysynni just north of Tywyn in Gwynedd. Here I watched Eider ducks and scoters on the sea, there were gannets, manx shearwaters, terns a Red throated-diver and the bird highlight was a couple of Arctic Skuas acting in unison to rob a seabird of its last meal. On the shore there was a nice mixed group of Knot, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Sanderling and Turnstone. There was an evident movement of Swallows. The sea was flat calm and during the morning I saw up to eight Bottlenose Dolphins and two Porpoise feeding offshore. A Peregrine flew low over the beach no doubt with the intent on flushing any waders. A high tide seawatch at Ynyslas point at the mouth of the Dyfi estuary the following day produced a similar list of birds and a further two Bottlenose Dolphins west of Aberdyfi which occasionally ‘tail lobbed’ which I understand indicates a deep dive probably for flatfish on the seabed .I also saw a Balearic Shearwater a sighting which I passed on to Dr. Russell Wynn project co-ordinator of the ‘Sea Watch SW Project’ based at the National Centre of Oceanography University of Southampton. There is a survey taking place at the present time to establish the movements of this critically endangered species in UK waters. As its name suggests the Balearic Shearwater breeds on the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea although there may be other undiscovered colonies. The World population is believed to be in the region of 10,000 birds but there is recent evidence to suggest that the figure may be higher. This is why it is vitally important to establish their true numbers.

Pirates of the high seas and strange fish!

Yes there are still pirates but not the type you conjure up in your mind of swashbuckling ruthless daring individuals of the likes of Edward Teach alias ‘Captain Blackbeard’ or indeed fictitious characters like the pirate captain ‘Jack Sparrow’ but here I talk of ‘Bird Pirates’ in the shape of ‘Skuas’ (or ‘skewers’ as some might say!). Those parasitical birds which regularly rob other seabirds of their last meal or catch. Two species breed in Britain the Great Skua or ‘Bonxie‘ (the name is ‘Norse’ in origin) and the Arctic Skua and these are confined to Scottish islands in the north and west. Two other species are regularly seen on passage from the shores of Britain and these are the Pomarine Skua and the Long tailed-Skua. Skuas have a strange fascination among sea-watchers myself included! The Great Skua often attacks and kills other seabirds from kittiwakes auks and petrels and the sight of a duo of Arctic Skuas jointly engaging in a ruthless and persistent aerial chase with a Tern or a Kittiwake seems to us an unfair match so why do many birders find skuas so endearing? From a personal point of view they breed in some wild often inhospitable places like remote and beautiful islands and on a long arduous sea-watch the sudden appearance of a skua on the scene raises the excitement level a few notches and there are the identification challenges which take years of practice and skill to crack. The ‘Bonxie’ is relatively easy because of its bulk and the unmistakable wing flashes but personally I really struggle with the ‘Juvs’ and ‘Intermediates’ of the smaller skuas. I need a lot more practice in the field I think! I touch on the subject of skuas because on the 17th September I again entrenched myself at that great sea-watching location in Wales at Strumble Head in Pembrokeshire. I was in the good company of some stalwart sea-watchers. I recall a conversation with that ‘Grand Master’ of sea-watching Graham Rees who commented on the fact that people still harp on about the ‘classic’ weather conditions at Strumble which produce a good seabird passage. Historically these conditions are preceded by a south westerly gale followed by the wind veering to the north west. This kind of weather system apparently regularly occurred a few years ago but rarely occurs nowadays. I am afraid that I am one of those people of that ilk who has propagated that misconception. So what transpired then can only be described as divine intervention? The great God of ‘birders’ (nominations please!) must have heard our conversation and we experienced a strong northerly wind past the head and throughout the day from dawn till dusk we had a regular passage of skuas of all four species. I believe the grand total for the day was in excess of 90 skuas. On top of that we had good numbers of Balearic and Sooty Shearwaters too. Other birds included Sabine’s Gulls, Red throated-divers, a couple of Leach’s Petrels, terns and Common Scoters. At one time I recall watching a Sabine’s Gull (or ‘Sabs’) and a Sooty Shearwater in my scope at the same time. Two birds which originate from the opposite ends of the Earth meeting in the middle! What a divine experience. The Sabine’s breed in the northern hemisphere on the Arctic shores of north-east Siberia, Canada, Greenland & Spitsbergen and the Sooty Shearwater (‘Sooties’) breeds in the southern hemisphere ranging from south America, the Falkland Islands or in vast breeding colonies on the islands off New Zealand and Australia. The Maori, the indigenous Polynesian people of the New Zealand island group, still harvest the young chicks of the Sooty Shearwater which they take from their nest burrows just before they fledge. They are referred to as ‘mutton birds’ or ‘Titi’. Perhaps the Sabine’s Gull is often seen by that other great indigenous race of people inhabiting the Arctic region the native ‘Inuit’ or ‘Yupik’ (Eskimos). When you see birds like the Sooty or the Sabine’s what wondrous tales they could tell you if we could only communicate with them!

I spent many hours at Strumble during the remainder of the week and enjoyed a steady passage of sea-birds. The resident choughs and peregrines entertained us too. A couple of visits to the Parrog and the Nevern estuary by Newport proved productive. Here we saw Dunlin, Ruff, Sanderling, Turnstone, Ringed Plover, Bar tailed-Godwit, Green Sandpiper, Kingfishers near the iron bridge and a dipper higher upriver. The 22nd September was my last morning at Strumble. The sea was gloriously calm great conditions for watching the porpoise. The sea area around Strumble is phenomenally important for our smallest cetacean. The silence was broken by the harsh call of a Peregrine Falcon as it flew past the lookout building and perched above mackerel rock. It was joined by a second Peregrine. I looked at a bunch of juvenile gulls on the sea below. These were grouped around an ‘Ocean Sunfish’ (Mola mola) drifting on its side. It was trying to attract their attention by waving its pectoral fin presumably to encourage them to pick off any parasites on its body. But these gulls were just not getting the message so the sunfish continued drifting slowly in the sea current feeding and occasionally spitting out a spout of water its large eye gazing about. They feed primarily on jellyfish (yuk! I prefer my jelly to be strawberry flavour with lashings of cream!). It was quite small for a sunfish perhaps 3 feet across. They can of course grow up to 10.8 feet (3.3 metres) in height and weight up to 2,300 kilos but that is exceptional the average fish is just over 5 feet in length (1.8 metres) weighing in at about 1,000 kilos. The Ocean Sunfish is certainly one of nature’s oddities and if you want to seek more information about its natural history then the free on-line encyclopaedia ‘Wikipedia’ is as good as anything.

Journeys in Scotland ‘An Island Odyssey’

Scotland beckoned us again this year for our summer holidays. We travelled up to Oban where we stayed in a fine guest house at Connel called ‘Ronebhal’ run by Bob and Shirley Strachan. I highly recommend it as an overnight stay for those contemplating visiting the Western Isles (or Outer Hebrides) by ferry or to spend a few days in that area of mainland Scotland. It is also a great place to see the glorious sunset on the western horizon or witness the fierce ebbing tide race which forms at the narrow mouth of the long finger of Loch Etive as it passes through what is known as ‘the falls of Lora’.

On the 16th June we took the short 10 minute drive from the guest house at Connel to the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry terminal at Oban. The time waiting to embark onto the ferry, which had the nice title of ‘The lord of the Isles’, was not wasted as I watched terns and black guillemots feeding in the harbour and a rather inquisitive common seal. I get very excited with ferry crossings with the prospect of seeing sea-birds and perhaps even a cetacean or two so I was eager to get under way. The ‘Cal Mac’ ferries I have to state are highly efficient and organised so the whole experience is as stress free as it can get much better than the highly charged atmosphere of an airport terminal! We sailed out of Oban dead on time and without hesitation I was out on deck. We sailed through the Sound of Mull and the vessel passed close to the Scottish mainland and I scanned along the seaweed covered shoreline for Otter and caught a brief glimpse of one just as it dived exposing its sleek back and flat rudder like tail. We watched a group of harbour porpoise feeding in the waters off Mull. The crossing to our destination the Western Isles was relatively calm but not perfect for spotting cetaceans as one could easily mistake a wavelet for a dorsal fin but it was still good fun and challenging in attempting to spot the signs. Whilst on deck I met a couple of birders who had been one of my group on the Bay of Biscay whale watching trip last September it’s a small World as they say! They too were heading for the Outer Isles to do some birding. On the crossing today I saw all the birds that I expected to see, manx shearwaters in the waters off the isle of Rhum, guillemots, razorbills, puffins, kittiwakes, shags, gannets, storm petrel and a great skua and a raptor over the Ardnamurchan peninsula which I hoped would be a golden eagle but it was in fact a buzzard.

Our base on the Western Isles or the Outer Hebrides for a few days was Langass Lodge on North Uist. A wonderfully located hotel near the shore of Loch Langais. We stayed in the superb new hillside annexe. Some of our fellow guests were extremely keen fishermen and at the end of the day it was nice to glean from them information about the birds they had seen on their fishing expeditions to remote parts of the island. There are countless lochs on North Uist with a stock of wild brown trout which pass from one loch to another along small burns. There is a good population of Otters on the islands too and Langais loch is one of the most reliable places to get sightings of them. There are regular organised walks in search of them which start off from the lodge but myself being an ‘intrepid’ naturalist! Decided to go D.I.Y. as I think you are far more likely of seeing them whilst alone with less chance of alerting the animal of your presence. So it was early one morning at 6.30am bleary eyed I took a short stroll from the hotel around the edge of the loch in search of an Otter. I walked through knee high heather and came to a raised level of ground which overlooked some skerries in the loch here there were a number of common seals some with pups (unlike grey seals which pup between September & November in Britain common seals give birth during the summer months). Suddenly just yards away from me I caught sight of the side profile of a beautiful dog Otter its fur was sleek and wet having just emerged from the water. Moments later he re-entered the loch and all I could see was a head profile and a slight wake as he swam close to the shoreline and dived. Stealthily and silently he went about his business the only sign of his presence was the air bubbles from his waterlogged fur breaking on the surface.

It was a brief encounter but I walked back to the hotel ecstatic that I had achieved my goal. I had however acquired some passengers on the way a few ‘ticks’ these unpleasant little mites had probably been lurking quietly in the tall vegetation waiting for a mammal, which in this case was me, to come along so that they could attach themselves to conduct their parasitic lives. Fortunately my wife spotted the little creatures and extracted them from my skin with some tweezers. They had really dug in deep with their jaws ready to suck my lifeblood. You can of course contract a rather nasty disease called ‘Lyme Disease’ if you allow these creatures to go undetected. In the wildlife observations book kept at the hotel for guests to enter their records it was amusing to read that under the heading ‘what seen’ someone had put ‘two ticks’ and where it said ‘where seen’ was added ‘On me -Hank the dog!’. Well I beat you Hank I had four ticks to your two! I took the same walk the following day (with my trouser bottoms tucked into my socks I might add!) but saw no otters but I did locate a holt, a flattened area of vegetation was what drew my attention to it, a couple of tunnel entrances into an underground holt and subtle trails hidden in the undergrowth leading to the loch below and some telltale ‘spraints’ in the vicinity of the holt. This was the lair of the otter one of our shyest and most fascinating mammals.

If you were staying at Langass lodge then it its only a short walk to two of the islands most well known pre-historic sites. The oval-shaped stone circle known as ‘Finn’s People’ (Pobull Fhinn) and ‘Barpa Langass’ which is a Neolithic chambered cairn which is situated prominently on the north-west shoulder of Ben Langass (Beinn Langais). The walk up to the summit is easy and from here you get commanding views of the lochs and islands of North Uist. Keep a lookout for hen harriers and short eared-owls which frequent this area and there is always the chance of a golden eagle, merlin, peregrine, buzzard, kestrel or a red-throated diver. There is a public car park just off the A867 road from Lochmaddy. The islands of the Uists are very compact and ideally suited to take a short birding break a lot of which can be conducted from your vehicle. If you want to walk to the remoter lochs in search of divers then you would be advised to take care over the boggy bits on the heather covered peat moors. There is unlimited right of access on the islands but please be respectful of peoples privacy. There is a good population of corncrakes on the islands. You should of course visit the R.S.P.B’s Balranald reserve on North Uist. This was our second visit in two years and we had great views of a signing male corncrake by the visitor centre a real little ‘show off’. We also saw a corn bunting on the reserve a ‘chubby’ male perched on a section of wire fencing uttered his ‘jangling keys’ song.

On one fine evening we dined at the ‘Polochar Inn’ situated on South Uist overlooking the Sound of Barra and across to the islands of Barra & Eriskay. The food is good here. Sitting outside in the beer garden sipping a pint we heard a corncrake frequently calling it was skulking within the tall vegetation in a hayfield to our right. I scanned Barra sound with my scope and picked up a storm petrel dip feeding on the flat calm sea. From here it is also possible to see otters and bottlenose dolphins both species had been seen in the area during the previous day. It is only a short drive to Eriskay across the causeway from South Uist. Scan the seaweed covered rocks and shoreline at the start of the causeway as this is a good place for otters too. I saw a great northern diver in summer plumage from here. If you are looking for golden eagles then I found them whilst travelling up the scenic road leading up a valley to Loch Sgioport. A pair soared effortlessly above us and above them was a male hen harrier doing the same. The eagles were mobbed by a buzzard and by comparing the two species it is then that you appreciate the size of the eagle. I saw red throated-diver on loch Teanga up this valley. This route skirts around the edge of the National Nature Reserve at Loch Druidibeg and up towards the majestic summits of Hecla and Ben Mor. There is a small colony of wild greylag geese breeding on the reserve although at this time of year you will see many small flocks with their young ‘goslings’ as you travel about the islands. Look out for golden plover uttering their plaintive songs from the tops of heather covered mounds. If you are looking for red -necked phalaropes then the place to visit is Loch Mor near Griminis on Benbecula. They are not easy to see and you need to carefully scan with your scope along the edge of the lake shore or in the water around the small islands in the loch to pick out these diminutive but highly active waders patience is the key factor. There are also terns nesting on the small islets. I reiterate again that you should respect the privacy of the island inhabitants and please as a matter of courtesy seek permission to enter private land. The people of the islands are very welcoming warm and courteous and they would expect nothing less from their visitors!

The Uists are teeming with wildlife and the population of breeding waders is one of the highest in Europe. You will be enthralled at the number of redshank, snipe, ringed plover, dunlin and lapwing that you come across on your travels. Birds of prey abound in particular hen harriers and short eared owls. The island of Berneray accessible via a causeway is a microcosm of island life with a fine selection of the aforementioned breeding waders as well as arctic terns. Please be wary of their nests or young chicks if you are walking or driving across the machair which in summer will be vividly ablaze with colourful wild flowers for which these islands are famous. Together with the shell white sandy beaches and azure blue sea the overall effect is positively stunning. The air here is the cleanest in Europe and the beaches have a remarkably low incidence of litter.

The next leg of our journey was to cross over to the island of Harris we took a small ferry from Berneray to Leverburgh. On a flat calm sea in the warmth of the June sunshine we enjoyed watching common and black guillemots, razorbills, gannets, skuas, eiders and all the three diver species as well as common seals. A most pleasant crossing indeed. We drove through the spectacular lunar landscape of Harris as our destination was a guest house on the Isle of Lewis. Broad Bay House in the community of Back was to be our base here for a few days and our hosts were Ian & Marion Fordham. It is difficult to put into words the stunning location of this bed and breakfast without doing it justice but I have no qualms in saying that it is the finest accommodation of its kind I have stayed in. It has definitely got that ‘wow’ factor. They aptly describe it as ‘Luxury accommodation by the sea’. From a birders point of view it is pure paradise. From the cavernous residents lounge and dining room you look out over the wide expanse of Broad Bay to some offshore skerries where there is a regular haul out of Atlantic grey seals.

Within hours of arriving I was watching a feeding frenzy of plunge diving gannets and terns which were being harassed by piratical great and arctic skuas. On the low sea cliffs just a couple of hundred yards away from the house there were a handful of fulmar nests and the birds would occasionally fly past the house as well as ravens and skuas too. A party of truly wild rock doves fed on the newly seeded lawn. Over the next few days I watched all this seabird activity from the lounge or the terrace which could be accessed from our bedroom. We also saw harbour porpoise from the house and red-throated divers and auks. Further along the shoreline where the river Ghrais (Abhainn Ghrais) flowed into the sea I saw feeding curlew and a single whimbrel. At the south end of the bay several hundred moulting eider ducks gathered on the rocks and on the sea. I’ve read somewhere that great skuas are known to parasitise moulting flocks of eiders but I did not witness this behaviour in the bay. I saw a great skua feeding on an unidentified animal carcass on the outlying skerries and it was certainly not going to share this with fellow skuas as each time others approached the carcass the skua would raise both wings in an aggressive posture exposing the striking white wing ‘flashes’ as a clear warning to the others to ‘back off’.

The Eye peninsula partly encloses the north east end Broad Bay with the lighthouse on Tiumpan head visible on the headland. I discovered during the following days that there were breeding skuas of both species on Druim Moor which was visible in the distance from Broad Bay house which therefore explained their frequency in the Bay. Clearly this bay is a rich feeding ground for many species of sea-birds which in turn provided the parasitic skuas with a regular food source.

It has been a long ambition of mine to visit the headland at the Butt of Lewis at the northernmost tip of the island where you will find a brick built lighthouse. You get excellent views of breeding fulmars from here on a stack just a stones throw from the headland and there is a constant procession of gannets past the headland presumably making their way to and from their vast breeding colonies on the isolated St; Kilda island group or even Sula Sgeir where the inhabitants of the port of Niss (Ness) on Lewis are licensed to take plump gannet chicks which they call ‘gugas’ from the island each summer in August. I understand the annual total is about 2,000 chicks which is by all accounts a sustainable figure. The ‘gugas’ are considered a delicacy by the folk of Niss and this is a tradition which dates back centuries so it may be prudent to quietly accept this tradition. Please don’t contact me if you find this annual cull of the young gannets in any way distasteful I am merely bringing it to your attention should you visit the island of Lewis at any time. I wouldn’t want it to come as a complete shock to you particularly if you are a birdwatcher or a person who finds such acts abhorrent.

I imagine the Butt of Lewis would be a cracking place to conduct some seawatching in the late summer or autumn for migrant seabirds. Likewise Tiumpan Head on the Eye Peninsula would warrant the same effort. Cetaceans are frequently sighted from both headlands. On your way to Tiumpan Head along the A866 road stop off along the causeway crossing the narrow isthmus and scan the bay here called Braigh na h -Aoidh (If you think Welsh pronunciation is difficult then you ought to try some of the Gaelic names)! I saw common and little tern, skuas, auks and black -throated divers. The bay and the freshwater loch are good locations to see wintering duck too which include long-tailed duck, scaup, common scoter, goldeneye & teal. There are parking places along the causeway but do take care here as some vehicles travel at great speed along the causeway in both directions.

We eventually left the islands on the ‘Cal Mac’ ferry from Stornoway to Ullapool. The crossing was slightly rough so it was no good for cetacean watching but I did see some puffins and skuas. Ullapool was quite a pleasant little place which would warrant further time but we were heading north into Sutherland. We were heading for the village of Scourie where we were to spend the next two nights at the excellent Scourie Guest House run by Ken & Madeline Stephen. I had my sights set on visiting the Handa Island.

I woke up early on the morning of Tuesday the 26th June as I knew that to cross to Handa the weather and in particular the sea conditions were crucial to our plans. So it was with a happy heart I awoke to see that the wind experienced the previous day had subsided and the weather was looking clear so we downed our breakfast and we made the short 3 mile drive to Tarbet in order to catch the first ferry across to the island at 9.30am. I don’t think my wife had seen such excitement in me for a long time as I conjured up in my mind the wildlife sights I would see on this famous island.

Handa lies off the northwest coast of Scotland 18 miles south of Cape Wrath. Near vertical cliffs of Torridonian sandstone over 120 metres high in places bound the island on three sides and in the south these diminish into lower cliffs and picturesque sandy bays and azure blue waters. The interior of the island consists of rough pasture, moorland, and a few lochans. The island is home to an incredible number of sea-birds (180,000-200,000) making it one of the largest and certainly one of the most accessible seabird colonies in the British Isles. It is privately owned by Dr. Jean Balfour and managed for its wildlife by The Scottish Wildlife Trust. As you land on the beach on the island you will be greeted by one of the trust rangers or volunteers who spend a week or more at a time here to help the warden with their duties. You will receive a brief introduction to the island and its history and wildlife in the ‘shelter’ before you embark on your walk around the island.

The paths are well marked and there is an extensive boardwalk which takes you through the territories of great and arctic skuas. About 200 pairs of great skuas nest here with a far less number of Arctic’s which consist of both the pale & dark phases. There is a slight risk of you being mobbed by the skuas but all you need to do is to extend a hand or a stick or in my case the tripod of my telescope in the air to give the birds a point to aim at other than the top of your head! But I have to say the risk is probably exaggerated so you have nothing to fear. The Arctic’s were conducting ferocious attacks on their bigger cousins the bonxies though as they over flew the formers nesting territory. You near a point at Puffin Bay where you get your first taste of what is to come vast numbers of seabirds nesting on the ledges on the high cliffs. We sat here for a while and watched a group of more than 20 squabbling great skuas bathing and preening in a freshwater lochan just yards way. We then made our way to the Great Stack and ‘Great’ is an appropriate word to use in this case I think the word ‘Wow’ may have passed my lips. We came upon a tall massive stack of torridonain stone and it was absolutely teeming with seabirds. Guillemots and razorbills lined the ledges in their thousands and kittiwake nests hugged the sea cliff. This great pinnacle of rock was whitewashed with their droppings. The noise emanating from the stack produced by the such an enormous number of seabirds was no less wondrous there was an orchestration of sound like no other. The distinctive smell of a seabird colony wafted the air. I felt completely overawed by the whole experience which was beyond my wildest imaginings. Its estimated that there are 9,000 guillemots alone breeding on the ledges on the stack’s east-face! On the top of the stack there were a few pairs of puffins occupying burrows in the thin soil. They probably retreated to the stack to avoid predation by introduced brown rats which have now been eradicated so hopefully the puffins will one day re-colonise the main island. I could have spent hours looking at this stack just studying the day to day life of a seabird city but we had to move on as we wanted to walk the complete trail around the island which is about 6km long and takes 2 to 3 hours allowing time for rest and lunch stops. Take a packed lunch and water with you. There are no toilets on the island. As you are walking around don’t forget to look seawards for cetaceans as whales, particularly Minke whales, dolphins & porpoise are commonly seen from the island as well as basking sharks. You may also catch a glimpse of an Otter on the shoreline or grey seals hauled out on the low lying rocks.

The Handa ferry operates from Tarbet pier on demand between Good Friday and early September from 9.30am to 2pm Monday to Saturday. The last boat returns from the island at 5pm. Its an uncovered boat of an aluminium construction. It runs at the ferryman’s discretion and may occasionally have to be cancelled due to adverse weather conditions which is why I would advise would be visitors to plan a few days in that area of Scotland to make allowances in case of a period of bad weather. There are plenty of good birding areas on the mainland to occupy your time in the interim. As I write the boat fares for Handa are Adult £10, Child £5 and under 5’s Free. For further information contact the boatman on 07768 167786.

The source of reading material on our holiday in Scotland were:-

‘The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands & Islands’
‘Where to Watch Birds in Scotland’ written by Mike Madders and published by Christopher Helm & A&C Black

‘Wildlife Traveller Scottish Islands’ & ’Wildlife Traveller Scottish Mainland’ Both written by Richard Rowe & published by Pocket Mountains Ltd; (Extremely useful & informative pocket size guides for the light traveller, cyclist or backpacker).

Accommodation we stayed at were:-
Ronebhal Guest House, Connel, Oban, Argyll, Scotland. Tel- 01631 710310 www.ronebhal.co.uk

Langass Lodge Ltd; Locheport, Isle Of North Uist, Scotland Tel- 01876 580285 www.langasslodge.co.uk

Broad Bay House, Back, Isle of Lewis, Western Isles, Scotland Tel- 01851 820990 www.broadbayhouse.co.uk

Scourie Guest House, Scourie, Sutherland, Scotland Tel- 01971 502001

May 2007
The month of May seems to have flown by. As you all know the weather has been a rather mixed bag. Some of us may have put away our winter woollies only to fetch them out again mid month! Bird wise its been a relatively good month for me. During the 2nd week my wife and I enjoyed a welcome break and stayed in our favourite cottage in Pembrokeshire and I was eager to get some birding in at Strumble head. I guess for the dedicated seawatchers its not so interesting as the late summer/autumn period in terms of migrant sea-birds but I just love to see the early morning movement of manx shearwaters passing Strumble and they can be counted in their thousands! Going north into Cardigan bay to feed in the morning and then back south to their Pembrokeshire breeding haunts on Skomer & Skokholm islands in the evening. I was the only solitary soul at Strumble at 6am on the morning of the 14th May. The conditions were rough and windy. The weather was more akin to an autumnal day than spring. As the waves crashed on the rocks below me fine mists of sea spray would cascade over the observation building where I sought solace from the buffeting wind. At sea there were numerous auks gannets and kittiwakes & fulmars passing in both directions. A couple of choughs were foraging on the footpath leading down to the building and porpoise ‘surfed’ in the tide race. A grey seal broke the surface momentarily. A ringed plover flew past the head and later that morning I saw the characteristic flight profile of a red-throated diver battling north against the wind.

On the 16th of May following a fine lunch at the Boathouse café on Stackpole quay we took a walk around the Bosherton pools just a short drive away. The pools are famous for the lilies which bloom here in May there were a few flowering but they had not yet attained their full glory. We took a stroll on the picturesque bridge with the eight arches. A mute swan sat on her nest with her head tucked in under her scapulars having an afternoon nap the cob (male) was nearby keeping a watchful eye. The ‘piece de resistance’ of the day was undoubtedly our visit to the seabird colonies on the Stack Rocks (Elugug Stacks) on the Ministry of Defence Castlemartin firing range. On the stacks there were many thousands of guillemots standing ‘cheek by jowl’ all vying for a place on these magnificent free standing rocks. We only saw a couple of birds with their single ‘pyriform’ shaped eggs the deep jade colour of the shell marked with blotches and a scribbled pattern stood out against the greyness of the rock. I scanned with my scope through the myriad of birds present and could only find one guillemot of the ‘bridled’ variety (or morph) which is far more prevalent the further north you travel (about 25% of the whole population). You can pick these ‘bridled’ birds out by looking for the narrow ‘spectacle’ around each eye and a white line extending along the indented ‘furrow’ behind the eye. The vast majority of guillemots however just show the normal dark indented furrow behind the eye. There were many razorbills on the stacks too but they looked more sedate than the constantly squabbling and excitable guillemots. These stacks offer a fine spectacle of a seabird colony at close quarters and if you wish to study their behaviour in detail then I can think of nowhere better in Wales to do so than at this location. If you wish to visit the stacks then the timing is critical as access to this coastal area may be temporarily restricted during firing times on the range these are normally between the hours of 9am - 4.30pm for day firing or 7pm to midnight for night firing. In order to get the precise timing for firing check the 24 hour answering service on 01646 662367. If you want more detailed information or further assistance contact the Castlemartin ranger ‘Lynne’ on 07866 771188.

On the 17th we attempted to get a boat trip to Skomer. As we stood at the embarkation point at Martins Haven with 50+ other expectant and eager folk we were told that the boat couldn’t take us across due to the high winds and the forecast for later in the day was that the weather was going to deteriorate so we had to abandon the idea of getting on the island that day. We consoled ourselves by taking a very pleasant walk around Wooltack point and from where Skomer looked tantalisingly close to the mainland. The turbulent water through Jack sound looked treacherous. We saw chough, wheatear and ravens and out at sea were gannets, fulmars and rafts of auks. Following our walk we had lunch at the Clock House café in the village of Marloes (they also have a fine b&b if you are interested take a look at their website www.chmarloes.co.uk ). During the afternoon we took a stroll around Marloes Mere an interesting wetland habitat which is managed by the National Trust. Apart from the usual birds which you would expect to find in this habitat we got good views of a rather nervous drake Garganey the striking white crescent over the eye down to the nape was quite distinctive. On the 19th May before I headed home I conducted another early morning seawatch at Strumble head. There was a particularly heavy movement of swallows with a few house martins and a handful of sand martins. Where were they all heading to I wondered - Ireland perhaps? The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the Iceland gull (2nd year immature plumage non-breeding) which flew past the head. It was immediately apparent that its plumage was different to the other gulls present which were mostly herring gulls. My guests this month on my ‘safaris’ have hailed from as far afield as Cleveland, Cornwall and South Wales and we have had some good birding the highlights being seeing a pair of common sandpipers in the Elan Valley, a peregrine above the Caban Quarry and a good display of Kites at feeding time at Gigrin farm which included a tagged kite reared in 2006 originating from Dumfries & Galloway in Scotland (green tags both wings). Other guests I have taken to Tregaron bog (Cors Caron) where we saw teal, redshank, snipe, reed & sedge warbler, willow warblers & whitethroats, reed bunting, larks & pipits, swifts & hirundines, we heard a cuckoo, and just as we were about to egress the bog a hobby made an appearance just above us no doubt feasting on the numerous dragonflies which were on the wing over the bog or perhaps it was eyeing up the hirundines for its next meal! Following a nice lunch in the Hafan café in Tregaron we ventured to a private (but licensed) kite feeding station nearby where my guests were enthralled by the display of kites at close quarters. Earlier that day whilst on route to Tregaron we took a brief stop at the old iron smelting mill at ‘Dyfi Furnace’ where we watched a pair of dippers in the vicinity of the waterfall on the river Einion.

On bank holiday Monday with my good friend and eminent wildlife photographer Janet Baxter I visited our only pair of Welsh ospreys in the Glaslyn Valley near Porthmadog. We spent many hours watching the birds at the RSPB’s Glaslyn Osprey project site and we witnessed some interesting aspects of osprey behaviour. We saw the male bringing in rainbow trout from an inland lake or river to feed the three young chicks. The male had removed the head from the fish. The female delicately fed small slithers of fish to the chicks. The male eventually polished off what remained of the fish including the tail. We saw the male bringing in a large stick to re-enforce the nest structure and we were worried that he might ‘brain’ one of his chicks with this stick. In one instance he brought a great clod of earth onto the nest! We saw the male bird chase away a carrion crow which had ventured to close to the nest. You can get spectacular ‘live’ views of the activities on the nest on three large TV screens in the public viewing hide as well as looking at the distant nest through telescopes provided by the RSPB on site. The RSPB’s knowledgeable and friendly staff will enthral you with a fascinating insight into the natural history of the osprey. If you want to catch sight of the male osprey bringing in a fish to the nest situated a few miles inland then you should position yourself on the cob just before Porthmadog if he’s fishing for mullet at sea or further up the Glaslyn Valley if the male decides to fish for trout on the inland lakes in Snowdonia. Its basically a combination of time patience and perseverance which will reward your efforts. If you see the ospreys catching fish either at sea or the inland lakes then please convey the location and grid reference to the RSPB staff at the Glaslyn Osprey project they are keen to receive such information.

Early May 2007
The countryside is a pure explosion of the colours of spring. The woodlands and hillsides of central Wales are carpeted with the blossoms of bluebells. Over the bank holiday weekend I heard my 1st cuckoo saw my 1st wood warbler and a couple of swifts too with their sickle shaped wings displaying their mastery of the skies. Swallows have arrived inland in droves and are busy chasing each other around but there is still a definite movement of these birds along the coast. A couple of high tide visits to Ynyslas point at the mouth of the Dyfi estuary was worthwhile producing sightings of growing numbers of gannets and manx shearwaters offshore. There were still a few red-throated divers lingering about in the bay. A few terns were moving through too and Janet Baxter told me that she saw an arctic skua harrying them early one morning. Janet also told me that she has seen in the region of 400 bar-tailed godwits along the beach and shoreline at Ynyslas and I was lucky enough to see a flock of about a hundred many were showing their summer breeding plumage. They were stopping off on their long journey northwards their peace occasionally interrupted by a chasing dog. There were whimbrel on the shore or on the golf course too with the odd dunlin or golden plover amongst their flocks. It was possible to get surprisingly close to these waders. Ringed plover were present singly or in small flocks along the shore.

I was told of two youths who were seen throwing stones at the whimbrel on the beach effectively using them as target practice! I think it is about time the authorities took a more pro-active approach into protecting these passage waders on their brief stopovers on the Dyfi NNR. Why not put signs up ‘politely requesting’ people to control their dogs in the ‘immediate vicinity’ of feeding or resting waders and to encourage the public to report any act they witness which may be injurious to these birds. They face ever increasing environmental and man induced pressures along their route from their African wintering grounds and all of us who enjoy watching birds and those who use the beach area responsibly should unite to demand a more concerted effort to afford them a safe sanctuary on our shores. Whatever your views about the RSPB I think it highly unlikely that you would witness an incident of a similar nature if it occurred on one of their reserves and they are without doubt a highly effective charitable organisation yet here we have a scenario whereby the birds are exposed to danger and constant disturbance on a national nature reserve under government control! So come on C.C.W. (Countryside Council for Wales) get to grips with this problem! Closer communication with the local police wildlife liaison officer (and I know there is one) may prove beneficial.

Last Saturday with my companion Kevin McCoy I took a boat trip from New Quay (Ceredigion) to look at the seabird colony on ‘Birds Rock’ (Craig yr Adar). The numbers of auks and kittiwakes were building up nicely at the cliff colony with the occasional nest of a shag or cormorant. We used the ‘Ermol’ boats and at six quid per adult for an hour boat trip it was good value. You can of course see some of the birds from the footpath above the cliffs but I think you get better views of the seabirds from a boat. From here Kevin and I headed for the other ‘Bird Rock’ in Merionydd to view the cormorant colony and here looking up at the rock we saw chough, raven and wheatear.

On the Sunday my first task was to find a dipper for Kevin which I am glad to say was duly achieved. I looked under a bridge where they nested last year but they obviously had found a new site this year. We watched the bird feeding in the stream upriver of the bridge. I must give due thanks to the farmer who helped us in locating the bird. I was able to show them both some otter ‘poo’ (spraint) on a rock under the bridge. Searching for signs of the presence of otters by looking at their ‘poo’ can appear to be a strange occupation to the uninitiated! But with an animal which is chiefly nocturnal in its habits a bit of detective work is called for. Their spraints invariably contain tiny fish bones or traces of fish scales and if you have the courage (or insanity!) to have a sniff of the ‘poo’ then you will find it emits a not unpleasant sweet ‘musty’ odour! Whereas the ‘poo’ of that other horrible riparian feral beast the mink will have an unpleasant smell. But a word of warning if you find the dried out remains of otter ‘poo’ don’t inhale as if you were ingesting some ‘snuff’ or you will end up with tiny fish bones firmly wedged up your nostrils which may entail a visit to your local A & E unit! It has happened I am reliably informed. Anyway just in case you are eating your breakfast whilst reading this I will promptly get off the subject!

The same morning I checked some of my nest boxes in a local woodland for occupancy. I was glad to find three occupied by pied flycatchers (2 nests with 5 eggs and 1 with 2) as well as sitting blue tits and a great tit.

On a remote moorland somewhere in Wales we watched a beautiful very pale male hen harrier quartering the ground for prey. We continued our journey along a track and saw two female hen harriers and possibly another male hunting over ground where the heather was knee deep. It was encouraging to see this species flourishing at this location a bird which is now rarer than the red kite in Wales. We peered over a steep escarpment and watched a male kestrel bravely ward off a raven which was probably over flying the kestrel’s nesting territory.

During the afternoon we headed for the RSPB Ynys-hir reserve in our quest for wood warbler which we finally got on the last leg of our long walk around the reserve. It was good to hear and see the rather retiring reed warbler again too and it is at Ynys-hir that I heard the cuckoo. We were not short of mammal sightings either. Just before the breakwater hide we came across a feeding hare which showed no fear of us as it chomped away at some long leaved herbage (my botany is not good folks!). Its immense eyes watching us and its ears twisting independently of each other catching every sound. Surely you could never sneak up on a hare he has such well developed senses. At one point it stood upright on its hind legs studying us intently and it immediately conjured an image in my mind of the March Hare’s tea party in Lewis Carroll’s story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. I couldn’t help but chuckle at this moment. Those who came after us were equally fascinated by a close encounter with this rather bold hare.

We continued our walk into a wood carpeted with spring flowers and then suddenly there was a movement in the grass ahead of us and peering at us no more than about 15 feet away was a stoat. It bounded away from us showing the distinctive black tip to the tail. Earlier that day we had seen a rather large polecat (’ffwlbart’ in Welsh) too but sadly this had been a road casualty. Still it presented us with an opportunity to study the animal closely showing its characteristic white facial band and ear-margins (facial mask) and a dark chocolaty coloured coat much darker than the stoat we saw later that day which has a warmer brown pelage.

I knew it the tawny owls have nested in my cypress trees again this year! How do I know because one morning during the middle of last week at 5.50am I looked out of my bedroom window and a well feathered tawny owl chick was peering at me at eye level from one of the trees. It may have been watching the feeding woodpigeons and blackbird on my lawn. Anyway after a few minutes it turned about and nipped back into the safety of the trees perhaps it was fed up of the cock chaffinch that kept buzzing about its head!

On the Friday I found an envelope through my letterbox with a local location written on it inside the envelope was an empty hazelnut shell its contents having been consumed by a rodent. I realised that it had been found by my local postman Gwilym Thomas a knowledgeable countryman he knew that I have an interest in hazel dormice as we had talked about this endearing species of mammal quite recently. Looking closely at the neatly gnawed hole made by the animal to get at the kernel inside I reckoned that it had been made by a dormouse. I will have to get some nest boxes up in that area where the nut was found to establish the presence of dormice and to encourage them to construct their nests in them but first and foremost I would have to enrol on a training course with the Mammal Society as I would need a licence to disturb or handle this species. Research suggests that the population of Dormice is on the decline. The National Dormouse Monitoring Programme aims to gather data in an effort to establish the true picture of the population in the UK.

Its bank holiday Monday and with my wife I visited an exhibition of wildlife art by the internationally renowned wildlife artist Elaine Franks who now lives in Wales. Her work is being exhibited at the Oriel CAMBRIA Gallery @ Rhiannon in the Square at Tregaron in Ceredigion until the 16th June 2007 so why not go along to view Elaine’s excellent artwork. My personal favourite is the painting of the ‘sow badger’ at the set entrance. I wish I had a rich aunt who could buy it for me! While you are there why not dine at the excellent Hafan café next door. If you want to really splash out then why not purchase one of Rhiannon’s lovely hand crafted jewellery made on the premises. For more details visit www.cambriaarts.org.uk

26th April 2007
Its early morning and a couple of house martins are flying in and out under the eaves of my house examining it for a possible nesting site. At the moment they turn up in the morning and early evening. I have two conjoined artificial nests erected on another part of the house and house sparrows have been prospecting in them! From my bedroom I saw a pair of goosanders flying upriver these have been a regular sight in the morning at about the same time you can almost set your watch by their timing.

Its such a lovely morning again so I decided to check out one of the kite nests I am monitoring somewhere in Wales! I watched the nest through my scope from a distance so I wasn’t disturbing the birds. I know this pair well they are like old friends. The nest was originally constructed by a raven but the kites have acquired it now and have built on it so its quite a solid structure. I didn’t think it would stand up to the battering from the fierce winter gales but it held fast. The female sat firmly on the nest and looked comfortable on a thick layer of sheep’s wool. She was bathed in the warmth of the morning sunshine and seemed to doze off and became more alert with the sound of a vehicle or the bark of a farm dog. But she is safe in her nest high up in the tree and more so because she is surrounded by people who care for her and watch over her. In spite of the fact that kites are doing well in the UK as an individual she is still a rare and priceless natural treasure and in need of our protection in a World full of danger and uncertainties. I haven’t established how many eggs she is incubating but it can't be too long before they hatch now and then the male bird will have his work cut out. This morning he seemed unrushed and was perched on a branch near the nest preening his feathers in the morning sun in preparation for the days hunting. He has a coloured ring on his right leg (tarsus) so I recognise him by that. Some day perhaps I may be able to read the details on it and Tony Cross of the Welsh Kite Trust will be able to give me his provenance. The male kite was keeping a watchful eye for crows which unwittingly or deliberately venture too close to the nest and woe betide any that do because the kite can be quite ferocious in defence of its territory when it has a mind to (last week I checked another nest where a female was sitting on eggs the male was flying above the wood and a crow happened to fly over the nest site with no ill intent but the male kite came crashing down on it from above and I clearly heard the thud as talons struck a bruising blow to the crows body!)

After a short while the male flew onto the edge of the nest and there seemed to be some sort of vocal exchange between the two the sitting bird gazed up at the male. He half heartedly fiddled around with some sticks on the edge of the nest and then flew off up the valley in his quest for food. As I stood observing the kites the oakwood around me resounded with bird song which tested my skills in identifying the species involved. I heard song thrush, blackbird, pied flycatcher, blue tit, goldfinch, greenfinch, willow warbler, I saw a duo of tree pipits. A great spotted woodpecker flew silently overhead in a distinctive undulating flight. I heard the brief song of a redstart high up in the crown of an oak tree which was bursting into leaf. In the BWP guide (Birds of Western Palearctic) its song is described as ‘melancholy’ but you can't say that about the bird itself when the male eventually came into view I could see his striking russet red colour, blue-grey back and black face and throat. He was darting about in the canopy catching insects his tail quivering in characteristic fashion and occasionally uttering a ‘hweet’ like call. These were the sights and sounds of a woodland in spring.

14th April 2007
On Saturday 14th April I took part in a coastal walk from the picturesque coastal resort of New Quay in Ceredigion with a group of like minded enthusiasts of the ‘fledgling’ Ceredigion Bird Club. Our leader was Liz Snell an exceptionally knowledgeable birder. We started from the main car park in the village and took a leisurely stroll on the public footpath heading southwards. Our destination was the former coastguard lookout. The weather was beautifully sunny and warm. Our group were a mixed bunch of young and not so young and consisted of experienced and less knowledgeable birders. At the start of the walk we checked the large number of gulls which were taking advantage of what they could find around the waste outlet from the shellfish plant. We looked for scarcer species such as Mediterranean gull. There were a few auks out in the bay such as razorbills and guillemots but their numbers increased as we reached their breeding cliffs towards Craig-yr-Adar (Birds Rock). There were just a few auks on their nesting ledges many more were out at sea singly or in small groups engaged in feeding or preening their feathers ensuring that they were in prime condition for the important task of breeding. I had thought a lot about auks during the winter months and the incessant battering they must have endured during those fierce winter storms I know that many perished. Kittiwakes were few in number on the cliffs as yet but there were some out at sea. Liz spotted a peregrine and we watched it as it singled out a jackdaw and then gave chase at great speed out of our sight around the cliffs below so we were unable to determine its fate. This is a great area to see peregrines. We spotted a couple of porpoise feeding just offshore. The sea was very calm offering perfect conditions for spotting dolphins and porpoise from the high cliff top. Along the way we saw wheatear, stonechat, linnets, goldfinch, dunnock, robin, wren, skylark, meadow pipit and swallows too. On the rocks and sea below we saw oystercatcher, shag and cormorant. We reached Bird Rock and cautiously peered down at a small group of ‘gillies’ on the cliffs. We watched a chough on a pinnacle of rock. There were fulmars too they form part of the family of birds known in the business as ‘tubenoses’ named as such because of the special feature of the bill which distinctly shows a raised bony canal running forward on the top of the upper mandible and enclosing the nostrils. There is an unproven theory that this group of birds possess a strong sense of smell. Also excess salt is excreted from the birds body through the bill in a kind of salty secretion (salt glands situated above the eye are especially well developed in tube-nosed seabirds). The fulmar has also a nasty habit of ‘puking’ an oily fluid at those unwise enough to approach to close to a bird sitting on a nest for instance so beware don’t attempt to push your luck if you ever come across one or you could end up going home smelling like a tin of sardines!

We continued our walk just beyond the old coastguard lookout as Liz wanted to show us a ravens nest at a traditional site. We reached the spot and disturbed a trio of chough which were feeding on the grassland and they flew past us calling indignantly. We trained our scopes on the ravens nest which was at eye level and watched the four chicks attended by a single adult but which was shortly joined by its partner. One of our party spotted a couple of sandwich terns some distance offshore they were flying north . We walked back along the path towards New Quay and I was looking forward to my packed lunch and a cuppa. Thrift (sea pink) and bluebell here and there poked their heads into the sunlight and sea campion was flowering quite abundantly. We saw a peacock butterfly and bumblebees. A cow Atlantic grey seal briefly surfaced on the sea below the cliffs showing her grey back and mottled underparts someone asked the difference between the bull and the cow seal and I pointed out that the bull is larger and his coat has a darker pelage he also boasts a distinctive ‘roman nose’.

It was an enjoyable morning and this is what a nature walk should be about people with a passion for birds selflessly imparting their knowledge to others. All to often nowadays you here of stories of inexperienced birdwatchers encountering less than helpful birders and being snubbed by them. What hope have we of educating the next generation to conserve what we have if experienced birders treat people with such contempt! This is undoubtedly the major benefit of joining an organised birding walk anywhere in the UK with a group such as the Ceredigion Bird Club where every participant is treated as an equal each sharing their knowledge for the benefit of others.

Wednesday 18th April
A high spring tide was predicted today so I thought it would be good to spend a couple of hours at Ynyslas point at the mouth of the Dyfi estuary so at 8am I picked up my mate Bob Relph and we headed for that location. The tide was flooding into the estuary so we had timed it well. We walked to the point and set up our scopes. There were many waders feeding along the waters edge or resting on the shore. We probably had a hundred each of dunlin and ringed plover and a handful of sanderling and a turnstone. we also saw a curlew sandpiper which was rather nice. I haven’t seen one for many years. There were scores of manx shearwaters too most were offshore and others seemed to be following the flooding tide quite a way into the estuary towards Aberdyfi.. There was the odd auk or two and a couple of gannets. We had about half a dozen sandwich terns and a trio took advantage of a channel buoy to rest upon to preen their feathers. We saw a group of Red- breasted mergansers which alighted on the sea near the mouth of the estuary. Occasionally a swallow or two would fly overhead. On the ebbing tide we made our way back to the vehicle which I had parked near the information centre. It was delightful to hear a skylark singing over the dunes. A kite was hunting in the distance. We saw a male wheatear in the vicinity of the information centre fuelling up perhaps to continue his journey to who knows where. We watched a pair of reed buntings in a shrub and their behaviour led us to believe that an act of copulation was imminent! We could hear the soft twittering of linnets. On our way back home we stopped briefly to scan a rather rough and muddy looking ‘paddock’ and here we counted at least nine lapwings and it was clear that a couple were probably sitting on eggs laid in a scrape on the ground. This has become such an uncommon sight today in our countryside unlike a couple of decades ago when lapwing were fairly numerous. We drove on and stopped again to watch a hare foraging in a field. I love hares their body shape remind me of a cross between a dog and a deer! They have sharp eyes and hearing and goodness me they can run at a fair pace when they have a mind to!

19th April 2007
Another visit to Ynyslas point this morning to take advantage of the high spring tides. The peak was later today and slightly lower than yesterday. I was on my own initially and there were fewer waders than the previous day. There were a number of dunlin, ringed plover and a couple of sanderling feeding along the creeping tideline and amongst them was a single red knot which was evident by his larger size. I watched a Lesser Black- backed gull which gulped down head first a decent sized mullet. There was a steady procession of manx shearwaters offshore many heading south and some came quite close inshore and again many followed the flooding tide into the estuary. There seemed to be more auks than yesterday and the majority were razorbills. I saw two divers flying south way offshore which I could not identify beyond doubt but later a red throated-diver flew south closer inshore. There was a bit of a mirage effect on the horizon and as I scanned I saw two bottlenose dolphins breach clear of the water a couple of times and one did a somersaulting dive. Because of the mirage effect their bodies seemed incomplete it was quite surreal. I was enjoying my birding until I became ‘brassed off’ to put it politely by an uncontrolled sheepdog breed running along the shoreline chasing the small flock of waders which were attempting to feed or rest this went on for ages and I shouted at the dog but it was oblivious to me. I was joined by two other birders who were equally incensed at the dogs behaviour. Moments after the flock of waders had alighted in one place they were disturbed by the dog and then they flew off to some other part of the shoreline this happened more times than I could count and I was becoming quite angered by this especially when I became aware that the owner of the dog was in the vicinity. My patience ran out when this uncontrolled hound raced around the area cordoned off for nesting ringed plover. If there were birds on nests at this moment there is no doubt that they would have been disturbed thus leaving any eggs exposed to predatory birds such as gulls. Where are the wardens of this nature reserve at such time? OK so a dog will do what comes natural to it but if you wilfully or recklessly allow an animal to continually harass a bird which is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act then in my mind that constitutes a breach of that act. Anyway in this instance inaction was inappropriate so I approached the owner of the dog and made him aware of my displeasure! I had no desire to get myself into a situation of confrontation and in fairness to the guy he could see my point of view. These birds are clearly on passage migration and the estuary and its confines are an important feeding and resting place for them on their long journey and as responsible birders we clearly have a duty to ensure their welfare. I rest my case! Anyway I reported the incident to the staff at the CCW (Countryside Council for Wales) information centre.

Early April
I hope my readers have had an enjoyable bank holiday break and that you have all recharged your batteries. I have had a bumper week watching birds starting off on good Friday with an all day boat trip out into the waters off Pembrokeshire with a party of friends led by the inimitable Cliff Benson of ‘Sea Trust’. We were on Nick O’Sullivan’s seaworthy craft the ‘Celtic Wildcat’. On a gloriously sunny morning we cruised out of Neyland marina into a calm sea. Our initial destination was to the sea area known as the Celtic deep in the hope of finding some dolphins or even whales. On our long cruise out we saw a few gannets puffins razorbills & guillemots we saw just a few manx shearwaters. Shouts of ‘bonxie’ went up and we looked up to see a great skua passing overhead showing the distinctive white under and upper primary wing patches. I spotted a small raptor flying with a determined purpose just over the sea unfortunately most of my party failed to get a view of it so we can only surmise as to its identity. One of our party Lyndon Lomax thought perhaps that it was most likely to be a peregrine but we will never know for sure. We reached the Celtic deep but it was rather bereft of cetaceans. We came across a Belgian fishing trawler from Osttend and there were numerous gannets and gulls in the vicinity of the boat as well as fulmars which flew above ours heads sadly though there were no ‘stormies’ this time (storm petrels). We motored north heading for the Smalls lighthouse and we hit a bank of fog. It was decidedly cooler as we cruised through the fog and the sea was a bit choppy but we all felt safe in Nick’s boat. Suddenly there was a cry of ‘Dolphins’ from the intrepid Janet Baxter our onboard photographer and then we were approached by a pod of half a dozen common dolphin which entertained us with a brief spell of bow riding in the pressure wave of the boat until they got fed up and eventually veered off to carry on with their business.

Eventually we came out of the gloomy fog bank the waters calmed and Nick cautiously approached the Smalls lighthouse perched on its lonely rock far from land. There were a number of Atlantic grey seals basking on the rocks & reefs round about many took lazily to the water on seeing us. You could see the submerged reefs occasionally poking theirs heads out of the water and could imagine the danger that they would pose to shipping sailing through these perilous waters. We marvelled at the magnificent solid granite structure of the lighthouse and you have to admire the men who constructed the present tower in 1861 and those who worked as keepers at this lonely outpost of Trinity House. I will recount to you the oft-repeated story of the dramatic events which occurred here in the winter of the year 1800. In those days the light was manned by two keepers the fierce storms during the winter of that year caused the keepers to be cut off for over four months relief ships made unsuccessful attempts to reach the rock but the crews were able to report sighting one of the keepers in the corner of the outer gallery signalling with a distress flag. The light continued to shine unabated each night but when relief finally arrived it was discovered that one of the keepers had died and the survivor had lashed the body of his companion to the gallery railings instead of committing his body to the sea for fear that he would be accused of murdering him however it seems that the poor devil was quite mad. From thereon there were always three keepers stationed at this lighthouse. From the Smalls we voyaged towards the small rocky island of Grassholm in order to view the gannet colony and our excitement mounted as we got closer. Although it is still early in the year there were many thousands of gannets on the rock and we could see some flying in with nest material. There were kittiwakes on the ledges too. Grassholm (pictured below) holds the third largest gannetry in the World about 32,000 pairs.

Our next destination was the island of Skomer we spotted a porpoise feeding with an accompaniment of gannets. We cruised into South Haven and in the bay there were numerous puffins on the water and some checking out their burrows on the island. The kittiwakes and auks were back on their nesting ledges. We hove to for a short while just enjoying the serenity of this magical place. In due course we motored back to Neyland and finished the day with a welcome pint and an excellent meal in ‘The Bar Restaurant’ overlooking the marina (the restaurant is open every night contact 01646 602550 for further information). For more details of Nick's trips, see www.sealifeadventures.co.uk.

Saturday was another gloriously sunny day and my wife and I decided to take a walk up Craig-yr-Aderyn (Bird Rock) in the Dysynni Valley. The climb up to the summit at 760 feet is very easy if you have a desire to walk it sometime. You can park your vehicle on the grassed area where the path commences near Llanllwyda farm which by the way hosts an excellent camping & touring park if you want to base yourself at this lovely spot (Tel- 01654 782276 for further details). As you near the summit of the rock you have to pass through the remains of an outer wall of an iron age fortification. Visitors to the site of this ancient monument today probably think that it is a more recent structure but it dates back to around 700BC to 43AD. Iron Age man may well have sought refuge here from the valley below to escape danger from other marauding tribes. They would have been afforded all round views from this natural fortress and I guess it would not have been easy to mount a surprise attack on the occupants. They must have been dangerous times to live in. I tried to imagine the scene then. The sea would have lapped at the foot of the rock. The area around would probably have been well wooded with oak. There may have been wolves brown bears and deer roaming the dense forest and possibly even beavers in the riverine habitat. The wildlife must have been abundant with food aplenty for the inhabitants of the area. The rock now holds no such dangers (only for those people careless enough to take a peek over the sheer precipice! So my warning to you is to keep an eye on your children.) It is the haunt of those immensely charismatic birds the chough (2 -6 pairs) and the superb king of the falcons the peregrine and of course the only inland colony of cormorants in Wales (about 60+ pairs). Sit on the summit awhile and you will get a birds eye views of its wild inhabitants and enjoy the panoramic views all around to Cader Idris and westwards down to the broadwater and out to sea. You can also see the ruins of the 13th century Welsh castle of Castell-y-Bere in the Valley below. The feral goats which once grazed around the rock have now gone the cause of their disappearance is speculative! On the summit and on the way up look out for the Wheatear a summer visitor to Britain they will make themselves obvious by the flash of their white rumps and upper tail-coverts. The male has an ash-grey crown and upper parts and a white supercilium, black eye-mask, black wings and a yellowish- buff colour on the throat & breast. The female is a warmer grey-brown above and buff colour below with darker wings and ear-coverts with a pale buff supercilium.

On Tuesday 10th April I saw my first Pied Flycatcher of the year this male bird was looking pristine in his black and white plumage. He peered into a nestbox by my house and chased some blue tits away who ventured to close. So it looks like he might be claiming a stake on this prime piece of property again this year!

Its Wednesday the 11th today and another gloriously fine day and with two companions I climbed up to the 2000 foot summit of Pumlumon (or Plynlimon). Bird life was rather minimal but we did see wheatear, meadow pipits, skylark and two swallows flying over the summit on their migration. Following our decent we headed for the Kite feeding station at Gigrin farm in Rhayader. Kite numbers were lower today probably because the breeding females will be firmly entrenched on their nests sitting on eggs. Lets hope they have a better breeding season than last year.

We ventured up the Elan Valley and stopped by the quarry near the Caban Coch dam to have a look for peregrines. We saw a group of birders with scopes and bins trained on the rock escarpment above the quarry of course being inquisitive I approached them intrigued as to what they were watching and when they said they were looking at a Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius) my shocked reply was ‘You have got to be joking!’- but they weren’t I looked up and there it was a male Blue Rock Thrush looking resplendent in his magnificent slate-blue/grey plumage with darker wings (the colour reminded me very much of Welsh slate) we watched in awe as it fed on bumblebees thrashing them on a rock before devouring them presumably to extricate the sting and then it caught a common lizard in its bill which wriggled violently the creature no doubt sensing its impending demise. I saw the bird take a sip of water seeping from the rock face. Fortunately Pete Jennings the county bird recorder arrived having had word of its appearance. He confirmed its identity and he knew immediately it was a first record for the county. It was indeed a mega rarity we were looking at. Here it was looking quite at home in this montane habitat. The warmth and the sun kissed scene must have reminded the bird of its proper homeland much further south in southern Europe in France or Spain perhaps. Pete thought it had probably found its way here riding the warm air of the high pressure system which has no doubt brought with it an influx of our more ‘regular’ summer bird visitors too. My last sighting of a Blue Rock Thrush was on the island of mallorca in 1979. My wife and I were travelling around the island and I saw the bird in montane habitat remarkably similar to this location in the Elan Valley. The chap who first spotted this rare thrush at about 1.30pm that afternoon is Richard Spencer from Lancashire and he was incredibly modest about it. It transpires that this is only the 6th record of this thrush occurring in the United Kingdom and the 2nd record for Wales the last sighting in Wales was on the 4th June 1987 in Caernarfonshire! It was truly amazing to see this bird going about its business with apparent relish in its natural habitat without undue disturbance from our small band of birders without having to chase it to the point of exhaustion from one bush to another on one of the Isles Of Scilly or elsewhere a fate which often befalls such rarities. I felt very privileged to have shared a moment in time with our exotic visitor. What will become of him I wonder? I wish you well my intrepid traveller!

End of March
It's the 31st of March today and I saw my 1st swallow and yesterday I saw my 1st chiffchaff which uttered a very half hearted rendition of its song reminiscent of its name perhaps it’s a bit out of practice having spent the winter in warmer climes resting its vocal cords! I have been busy just recently monitoring kite nests on my ‘patch’ of Wales for the Welsh Kite Trust. It’s a task which I enjoy and it gets me out and about meeting farmers and other landowners. Walking through woodlands bare of leaf cover they can appear eerily quiet but stop awhile and you discover that the birds are certainly there parties of tits foraging in the tree tops keeping up a constant yet barely audible medley of contact calls with each other. The delightful treecreepers scurrying up the tree trunks, the diminutive wrens bellowing out their songs. I’ve heard the call of a lesser spotted-woodpecker a series of ‘pee-pee-pee---’ calls but I failed to catch a glimpse of this elusive bird. Then there are the ‘jungle drums’ (as I term it) the drumming or ‘instrumental signals’ of the great spotted woodpeckers as they hammer their bills on various trees each tree giving out a distinctive resonance the hollow ones being especially loud sounding like some kind of woodland ‘percussion symphony’. I have come across a few active badger setts too and on occasions the strong scent of a fox pervading the air. Badger mothers will be active now with growing cubs. Sadly I have seen many dead badgers recently the victims of road kills. Many thousands must be killed on our roads every year and when you think of it if a sow badger with young cubs dies then they will probably perish too (The badger gives birth underground to a single litter of 1-4 cubs each year from mid-January to mid-March). Earlier in the month with two companions I walked along the embankment by the river Clettwr near Trerddol and we saw a brown hare ahead of us on a track between the embankment and a ditch it was running in the direction of the railway line between us and the estuary until it spotted some railway workmen on the trackside and it then rapidly bounded back in our direction whereupon it spotted us it seemed now to be faced with a survival dilemma it stopped and sat on its haunches on the bank of a deep and dark peat coloured ditch which was probably about 6 to 8 foot wide. It pondered on what to do for a few moments but its deeply entrenched fear of man drove it to take what seemed to us interested onlookers a dramatic course of action it took a determined leap across the ditch but fell short by a couple of feet and did a belly flop into the ditch! It then swam to the bank on the other side of the ditch and ‘galloped’ at full pace across an open field with a buzzard hotly on its tail and the buzzard was in turn being harried by a crow it was quite a remarkable scene water trailing from the waterlogged hare with the buzzard trying to sink its talons in it. Thankfully it was able to reach the relative safety of some cover on the margin of the field. On the subject of ‘Lagomorphs’ (Rabbits and Hares) I have seen many rabbits recently suffering from Myxomatosis that dreadful viral infection which is fatal to this species. From my own evidence and from my conversations with landowners and countrymen it seems that it is rampant in our area at the present time. The disease is transmitted from one rabbit to another by a blood-sucking insect such as a flea or mosquito. The symptoms of myxomatosis include a watery discharge from the eyes and swelling of the eyelids and nose which makes the animal hopelessly disorientated blind and deaf and it then falls easy prey to predators such as foxes, buzzards and kites. This surfeit of food may benefit these predators in the short term but a reduction in the rabbit population due to decimation by this disease could have a temporary influence on the breeding success of buzzards in some areas it is a raptor which is particularly reliant on the rabbit population as a prey item in some areas although in this region of Wales they will probably find enough sheep carrion and small mammals to ensure their survival. A pandemic of myxomatosis (or ‘mixie’) in 1953 wiped out a considerable percentage of the rabbit population in Britain. My hope is that in due course our local rabbits will develop immunity against this disease and the population will recover again. On the 26th March I received a bit of good news from Emyr Evans the RSPB’s Osprey project officer in North Wales that on that day the male Osprey returned to his old patch in the Glaslyn Valley near Porthmadog. He was seen on a perch tucking into a grey mullet. Lets hope that the female will also make a safe return to our shores and that the pair successfully breed in 2007.

April is a good time to be out and about with lots of migration taking place so dust off your bins if you haven’t used them much this winter don your walking boots and take yourself out into the country or to the coast and look out for the arrival of our summer visitors. Don’t forget to enter your sightings on the BTO’s online bird recording scheme ‘BirdTrack’ www.bto.org/birdtrack

Early February 2007
8TH February 2007 -We woke up this morning to a thick covering of snow on the ground as predicted by the weathermen. My first priority was to get my wife to work which was achieved with a great deal of care on the road! On my return home I cleared some snow to create a bare patch on my lawn. I put extra food out for the birds today sunflower hearts in my feeder, Nijer seed for the siskins and goldfinch, loads of peanuts in feeders, and some suet cake one containing insects & dried mealworms the other with berries. Birds turned up by the score there were great, blue & coal tits, greenfinch & goldfinch, a few siskins, robins, nuthatch, dunnocks, blackbirds, house sparrows, about 5 starling (unusual for my garden) a hoard of chaffinch I counted at least 83 and amongst them was a superbly coloured male brambling. I also had a pied wagtail, magpies & crows, great spotted woodpeckers (male & female) the male bird bullied the female and forced her to retreat. Under the trees on the edge of the garden which was clear of snow there was a meadow pipit and a wren scuttling around looking for invertebrates. In the afternoon I took a long walk through the wood near my home with my companion “Taff” the spaniel and it was eerily silent bird wise. A pale looking buzzard watched me from a vantage point in a tree and flew off gazing down on me. I heard the familiar ‘cronk’ call of a raven. I noticed fresh fox tracks in the virgin snow. I threw snowballs at ‘Taff ’and he expertly caught them in his mouth which he then ate with relish wagging his tail with excitement! Feeling the snow crunch underfoot and breathing in the crisp clear air my mind strangely wondered to polar exploration and I thought of the heroic exploits of those brave explorers Scott and Amundsen early last century and the hardships they endured on their journeys. Perhaps in my imagination I pictured myself on the back of a dog sled being pulled along by a team of huskies with ‘Taff’ as my lead dog! And a good one he would have made too he certainly has the strength to put a big 14 stone lump of a fellow like me off my balance when he is on a lead! We continued our walk and further along I saw two kites gliding above me their russet red colouring and the white underwing window patches were accentuated beautifully in this wintry landscape. Just before I reached the road I heard the familiar call of bullfinches and indeed there was a pair high up in the bare crown of an oak tree the male showing off the striking pink colouring on his underparts. Close to my home later that afternoon I checked for kites at a roost and I saw a solitary bird through my scope it had a wing tags fitted the left wing tag was white and the right wing tag was green both tags bearing the no.‘52’ this was really exciting for me as I knew from my colour chart that this bird originates from the east midlands population (Rutland) and was fledged in 2006. It had come a long way to join us here in Wales! Kites must be gearing up to nest now. On the 1st February somewhere in Wales I watched a pair of birds on an established nest the female was shuffling around sizing it up presumably to see what renovations needed to be done before the serious business of breeding starts in earnest next month. On the same day I watched eleven buzzards spiralling up on a thermal above a hill they were joined briefly by a large bird of prey which I thought was a goshawk this bird broke off after a few moments and closed its wings and went into a shallow dive and out of my sight over the hill no doubt having spotted some unsuspecting victim for its next meal.

A female sparrowhawk made two unsuccessful ‘air strikes’ in an attempt to take one of my garden birds clearly they do not always succeed. I have a love/hate relationship with this hawk because it predates on my garden birds but of course this is a case of raw ‘Nature, red in tooth and claw’ to quote Tennyson so I must accept the occasional loss of one of my smaller feathered friends.

We spent the past weekend in Pembrokeshire because the weather was so nice. I visited an ‘optics’ shop in St James Street in the delightful little town of Narberth. I had been told about this shop because they have a good selection of binoculars and scopes available and they are dealers for the‘Opticron’ and Leica’ makes and have a good selection in stock. For further information visit their website on www.westwalesbinoculars.co.uk If you do visit Narberth why not treat yourself to a scrumptious afternoon tea at ‘Connells Tea Rooms’ in High street.

Near to where we were staying at Abereiddy we watched a male hen harrier hunting over the fields. We took an evening stroll on a section of the Pembrokeshire coastal path leaving our vehicle at Caerfai bay which is accessed from St; David’s our destination was the chapel of St; Non’s. Along this section of the coastal path we could see the islands of Skokholm with its lighthouse showing the distinctive red light (flashing white & red every 10 seconds), the fabulous bird island of Skomer, the gannet island of Grassholm and the seal island of Ramsey and in the clear visibility on the horizon stood the lonely lighthouse on the Smalls (white group flashing 3 times every 15 seconds) if you were a seafarer in these treacherous waters in a tempestuous sea then you would be foolhardy indeed to ignore the warning lights of these lighthouses and any others along our shores.

The tiny chapel of St; Non’s is situated in a truly magical location. St; Non was of course the mother of St; David the patron saint of Wales. The experience in being in this small chapel lit inside by soft candlelight and to witness the spectacular sunset behind Ramsey island was deeply spiritual and uplifting. If you visit it sometime then allow yourself a few moments contemplation to reflect on life and enjoy the ambience of the place and whether or not you are religious you may be tempted to utter a few words to the almighty for the well-being of those close to you. If you admire the wonder and beauty of nature then this chapel with its splendorous setting should surely be a place of pilgrimage for you. If you have a mind to why not sample the crystal clear water from the sacred St; Non’s well which is said to possess healing qualities the effect may or may not be beneficial but surely there is no harm in believing otherwise! I once bathed my feet in the well but that was a long time ago so it will be quite safe for you to drink the water now! We walked back to Caerfai bay spotting a kestrel and a raven on the way and I examined a badger sett which was located adjacent to the coastal path. These setts are a common sight at some locations along the path’s route the poor beasts driven to the very edge (literally) of existence. The well used sett entrance was precariously close to the edge of the cliff and I wondered how an animal with such poor eyesight avoids plunging into the sea below. There were the unmistakable signs of ‘dung pits’ near the sett which is sure evidence of occupancy. Well trodden tracks led off from the sett into the rich pasture close by where no doubt these endearing creatures are able to sustain themselves on fat juicy earthworms! (personally I prefer a succulent Welsh black fillet steak any day!)

On the Sunday we could not leave Pembrokeshire without visiting Strumble head for a peek of what animal life might be around. I watched a group of harbour porpoise just off the lighthouse rock of Ynys Meicel. A Great- northern diver flew past a robust looking bird whose flight is almost goose like. There were hundreds of auks out at sea mostly guillemots. Here I met by chance two legendary Pembrokeshire bird men and regular ‘Strumblers’ Graham Rees and Cliff Benson. It is always good to meet these knowledgeable gentleman for a chat both very keen by the way to get back home to watch the RBS six nations rugby match between Wales & Ireland on the telly (we lost on that day!)

10th February 2007 - It has stopped snowing overnight and the thaw has slowly set in. I thought it would be a good day to visit the kite feeding station at Gigrin farm in Rhayader if we could get there safely. My wife and I travelled via Aberystwyth and Llangurig and it was apparent that there had been heavy snowfall inland yesterday. The scene was a real winter wonderland. It was quiet at Gigrin undoubtedly due to people being afraid to venture out following the severe traffic problems yesterday. Snow lay a few inches deep at Gigrin and I sensed that it was going to be a good day. I haven’t been there in these conditions before. There were many kites and buzzards as well as crows perched in the trees round about waiting eagerly for feeding time at 2pm. My wife and I made our way to one of the hides which we shared with 3 others. Tony Cross of the Welsh Kite Trust joined us and it was great to share his company. He was noting details of wing tags fitted on the kites. Apart from his encyclopaedic knowledge of red kites Tony is also one of our most able and eminent field ornithologists. At 2pm as soon as Chris Powell had spread the food out for the kites in the feeding area they came down in droves literally hundreds of them we guessed in the region of 300 birds. They were clearly hungry as no doubt in these white out conditions their natural food would not be readily available. I believe Tony’s tally for kite tags was nearly 30 and of course many of the birds present were not tagged. We saw birds there from the Chilterns population and from Yorkshire too. What a fantastic day and one I shall never forget. These were optimum conditions for kite watching at Gigrin and I personally recommend you make a special effort to undertake a journey there when these conditions occur at any time in the future. Take a look at the Red Kite centre website on www.gigrin.co.uk for the latest news.

My current book choice for you is entitled ‘Wild about the Wild’ written by Iolo Williams and published by Gomer press. Iolo is well known in Wales as a wildlife film maker and a TV presenter. He is an excellent all round naturalist and he possesses an extensive knowledge of the natural history of Wales. He has travelled extensively to all corners of the World and he describes some of his exploits in his book in his own inimitable style! It has a decidedly Welsh theme though as he describes the wildlife on his home patch in Montgomeryshire a county which he undoubtedly loves. Iolo is currently a patron of the Welsh Kite Trust.

14th - 16th January 2007
Sunday the 14th January 2007 was quite an interesting day for me because I attended my first field birding trip of the recently formed 'Ceredigion Bird Club'. The outing was organised by my good friend Bob Relph from Eglwysfach near Machynlleth. I had not attended the previous two meetings which were to New Quay and the RSPB reserve at Ynys-hir respectively. The walk today was at the National Nature Reserve at Cors Caron deep in the Welsh heartland of Ceredigion. We started at the north end of the reserve at Ystrad Meurig along the old railway line which transects part of the reserve. There were 34 of us in the group which is a fairly decent number. We were lucky to be led by Red Liford who is one of the counties most eminent field ornithologists. ‘Red’ warned us to remain quiet on our walk so as not to unduly disturb the birds. His knowledge of birds is absolutely second to none and he has the hearing of an ‘owl’. He has an astonishing ability to pick up bird calls. Along the way he picked up the calls of a Robin, Bullfinch, and a drumming woodpecker amongst other things. We saw some whooper swans in flight. Small numbers spend the winter on the bog. Swans in flight look so elegant. Further along we came across an area of scrub and here we saw willow tits associating with long tailed-tits and reed buntings. What a fabulous sight! I have not seen willow tit for many years. They are very similar in appearance to their close cousins the marsh tit both of which have black caps and bibs although the cap on the Marsh tit is glossy whereas on the Willow tit its sooty. The bib on the willow is more extensive than on the marsh. The willow’s also have a pale wing panel along the secondary feathers which is absent on the marsh. Their calls are quite distinctive too but I am not going to begin to describe them here. The best way to learn them is to listen to a recording of their vocalisations which is what I did when I got home that day. Here is an useful tip for you, if wish to listen to their calls, or any other bird in Britain come to that, then click onto the RSPB’s website and then the section ‘A to Z’ on birds you will be able to read a brief descriptive etc; of the each species and access an audio and video sequence. Back to our walk today other birds we listed were grey herons, buzzards, kites, ravens. Upon reaching the raised but disused hide a couple of miles along the track the group turned back to make the return journey to Ystrad Meurig. We had by now split into two groups well spaced apart. One of my companions spotted a female hen harrier way in the distance on the bog and alerted the others but they failed to see it. We rejoined the main group and continued our walk and along the way we had good views of a distant goshawk which had ‘spooked’ all manner of birdlife into taking flight. We saw stock dove too. Stock doves are not such a common sight in Wales these days and I certainly haven’t spotted them on my home patch. After we all said our farewells Bob and I made our way to Pont Einion on the outskirts of Tregaron. Here we met two other local birding stalwarts who had been on the walk earlier and also some folk from the Montgomeryshire wildlife trust bird group. The kites are occasionally fed here and we had just missed it but there were not many of them around. We spent some time here comparing optics and scanning the bog. We had distant views of hen harrier and a peregrine. We saw a nice group of wigeon too on the river Teifi. I love these attractive duck which are winter visitors and quite gregarious. In my late teens I remember stealthily crawling on my stomach across the saltings at Ynys-hir soon after the reserve was purchased by the R.S.P.B. I wanted to get as close as possible to a large gathering of feeding wigeon without disturbing them. I felt like a hunter stalking its prey my adrenalin pumping with excitement! If I recall correctly I managed to get quite close to the birds. I thoroughly enjoyed my day out birding today in the company of like minded people. So if you live in Ceredigion or the surrounding area or indeed if you are a visitor then why not come along and join one of the monthly field outings you will be made welcome and will find yourself in the good company of novices and experts alike. Don’t feel daunted by the prospect that your knowledge might be limited or even non existent. I have been birding for more than three decades and each time I go out I learn something new about the natural world around us. So come and join us. If I am present then I will be your birding ‘pal’ for the day. I can assure you that it will be a case of mutual learning. If you wish to attend a walk in future then contact me by telephone or e-mail and I will pass on your details to the field trip organiser. The bird group is still in its infancy and if it is to continue much will depend on the support of other birders in the county. The next walk is scheduled for Saturday 17th February 2007 and will be in the scenic Rheidol Valley near Aberystwyth. It will be led by George Jones. Meet at 10am at the hydro electric power station visitors car park by the Cwm Rheidol dam (grid ref. SN698796). The walk is 3 to 4 miles long. Please ensure that you wear suitable clothing and footwear as it may be muddy underfoot in places.

Today 16th January I had another shot at finding purple sandpiper along the shoreline at Aberystwyth. I looked on the seawall on the south side of the harbour entrance and there they were the quarry I was seeking, purple sandpiper, five of them in total picking away at whatever morsels they were finding on the man made harbour wall deftly avoiding the breaking waves. There was a rock pipit too engaged in the same task. I scanned seaward with my scope and picked up a diver species in flight which I think was a red-throated. I watched two porpoise far out with a herring gull poised above pinpointing their position. I saw a solitary guillemot in its winter plumage which alighted on the water. On the river side of the wall feeding on the shore was a Richards pipit which had longer and paler legs than the rock pipit. The Richards pipit had been observed by a few birders during the previous days. From this location I made my way to the pier at Abersytwyth in search of further birdlife and on the seaweed covered rocks I found thirteen ringed plover and two turnstones mingling in nicely with the terrain. The turnstones are delightful little waders they literally live up to their name eagerly lifting up the seaweed fronds in the hope of finding some tasty invertebrate underneath . I saw two kingfishers too. Not a likely setting for this species you might think but historically this is a good location to see them in the winter. At about 4pm the starlings started to come in to the pier to roost there were literally thousands of them. Their gyrations in the sky in the failing light filled me with awe. The only way I can describe it is ‘wow’( which the English dictionary describes as ‘an exclamation of admiration, amazement etc- that will do me!) they were arriving in small groups the odd singles and occasionally in huge flocks. In 1974 when I started as a young copper in Aberystwyth the starling roost used to fascinate me then and thankfully they are still here. If you are one of those individuals who would rather see the back of the starling roost then I implore you to welcome the birds. This winter roost is one of Wales’s most dynamic and astounding spectacles of nature which I am absolutely sure your children and grandchildren would like the opportunity to see. So if you are in town in the late afternoon before dusk don’t miss out on this free wildlife spectacle. Don’t forget to take your binoculars and scan the rocks by the pier for other birds. The starlings will have gone by the spring and peace will once again prevail at the pier!

On the subject of books you may have read in one of my previous articles that my wife and I have used the excellent ‘Rough Guides’ series of travel books on our jaunts in the UK. Well now they have produced a book entitled ‘The Rough Guide to Ethical Living’ which covers a wide spectrum of issues such as energy, food, clothes, money & transport. It will give you food for thought on how you can reduce your ‘carbon footprint’ on the planet. Those of you reading this will undoubtedly be aware that climate change is the ‘burning’ issue of our times (forgive the pun) and that each and every one of us has a moral responsibility to take whatever action we can to reduce its impact for the benefit of future generations. This book will help you achieve those aims. Visit www.roughguides.com for more information.

10th January 2007
This morning at high tide I took a morning stroll along the banks of the river Clettwr which is a tributary of the much more extensive river Dyfi catchment area. The embankment on the south side of the river provides a high vantage point to scan the area around. The wind was a bit sharp but I was well wrapped up against the elements. A lone Red Kite hunted at low altitude above the fields to my left. Parts of the pasture land to my right were flooded and I saw a nice selection of birds consisting of lapwing, golden plover, redshank and dunlin all busily foraging. A few of the birds took flight and I thought that there might be a bird of prey about such as a peregrine but what had actually disturbed them was a chap I saw walking in the distance carrying what seemed to be a portable hide and a scope or camera equipment so no doubt he was intending to set it up somewhere on the edge of the flooded fields in order to get close up views of the birds. Suddenly the sky was alive with hundreds of lapwing and golden plover and a number of dunlin as well as a few teal. The golden plover were fascinating to watch as one minute they were a single group then breaking off into smaller groups and the flocks were creating patterns in the sky their brown coloured plumage interspersed with the white of their underparts. These golden plover from northern latitudes are regular winter visitors to this area. As I walked along the embankment I flushed a little egret from a creek and he flew away in a lazy fashion with pristine white plumage and trailing yellow feet on its long black legs. The egret was a much persecuted bird in the 19th century. Hundreds of thousands were hunted and killed for their decorative plumes for the millinery trade to satisfy the whims of Victorian ladies. There was a public outcry about the trade and in 1889 a group of female conservationists formed the organisation known as ‘The Society for the Protection of Birds’ the society was granted a royal warrant a few years later and then became ‘The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds’.

Membership of the R.S.P.B. is now well in excess of a million strong and it is undoubtedly the most powerful and influential conservation organisation in the World. The egret is now fully protected and is one of Britain’s most attractive and iconic birds. There has been a gradual expansion in population of this species in the U.K. from its continental origins to the extent that as well as being an autumn & winter visitor generally in south-west of Britain it also breeds locally here in Wales notably amongst the heron colony on the R.S.P.B. Ynys-hir reserve. I continued my walk towards the railway bridge and on reaching it I scanned the estuary with my scope for birdlife there were a number of ducks present on the salt marshes and the waters edge consisting of pintail, wigeon and shelduck also a few Curlew. Rays of light broke through the clouds brightening the glumness of this winters day. As I walked back upstream I scanned a field in the distance towards Hen-hafod. I watched Canada geese grazing and amongst them were the smaller Greenland race of the white fronted goose. These increasingly uncommon and shy birds have historically been regular winter visitors to this area where they are afforded protection. Their journey back to Greenland in early spring will no doubt be fraught with hazards natural and otherwise. I was hoping to see a hunting hen harrier quartering the marshland but it wasn’t to be. A few days earlier though I had seen a beautiful male bird flying over the main road at Glandyfi. From the river Clettwr I made my way to the kite feeding station at Nant-yr-Arian. Kite numbers were low today but there were goosander, goldeneye, tufted duck and little grebe on the lake to keep me happy. I watched the antics of a treecreeper as it spiralled its way up a larch tree searching for insects in the nooks and crannies of the tree bark. I went to Aberystwyth and searched the breakwater on the shoreline for purple sandpipers but I found none. Careful searching of the seaweed covered rocks by the pier produced three ringed plover. A group of common and black headed gulls were preening & resting a safe distance away. It was to early in the afternoon to witness the great starling roost on the pier but I had witnessed their wonderful gathering termed a ‘murmuration’ at dusk during one day last week. A daily spectacle in the winter which often attracts an audience. I have been lucky during the last few weeks to have a regular Red Kite roost near my home which has kept me enthralled for hours. The numbers at the roost vary from between 15 to 20 birds and the maximum number I have seen so far is 25. Many of the birds have been fitted with wing tags when they were chicks in the nest and I have been able to read the details on them. These can be read in good light with a telescope fitted with a zoom lens. During one day there were tagged kites present which originated from east & west of the county (Montgomeryshire) one originating from Merionethshire another from Ceredigion and also a bird from Carmarthenshire. It was indeed a princely gathering of the Welsh Kite clan! I think the strong gales we have been experiencing lately have displaced a lot of birds. Kites are well known for associating in these loose groups which is a kind of ‘networking’. During one afternoon a kite joined this group which had a Black/Orange tag fitted bearing the number ‘99’. Tony Cross of the Welsh Kite Trust informed me that this kite was a 2005 chick which had injured its eye presumably after falling out of the nest. Following treatment by a vet and a period in ‘rehab’ at the Gigrin farm kite feeding station in Rhayader it was released and was last seen there in September 2005. Because this bird was presumed to be blind in one eye it was feared that it might not be able to forage for its food and therefore may not survive but here it now was on my patch having survived over 12 months without any confirmed sightings. Because kites are generally scavengers and not particularly active hunters I wonder if it had obtained a measure of sustenance by following others of its kind to food sources? I wonder if it will be successful in finding a mate and rearing its own young in due course? perhaps we may find out this year. I wish a long life to this elusive one eyed wanderer of the wide open skies!

On the subject of Books
To those people of my generation a few Ornithologists stand out as having had an influence on budding young birdwatchers and in my case one such person is the iconic figure of Tony Soper. I remember his television programmes on wildlife and many years ago I saw him ‘in the flesh’ at a fascinating lecture he gave at the Hafren theatre in Newtown. One of the most p