OUT AND ABOUT

 Here's some pictures that I've taken from being out and about in my area. They're from my local patch our homestead the Ginny, Pontypool, Cwmtillery and Goldcliff. They were all taken in July/August/September time.

FROM THE GINNY.

Song Thrush

                                                                                                                                             Tree pipit

Male Stonechat

Redstart

Linnet

Juvenile Wheatear

Willow Warbler

Juvenile Green Woodpecker

Buzzard

Meadow Pipit

Juvenile Starling

PONTYPOOL

Spotted Flycatcher

Spotted Flycatcher (chick in the nest)

GOLDCLIFF

Sedge Warbler

Male Reed Bunting

CWMTILLERY

Tufted Duck

Little Grebe

Willow Warbler

Juvenile Dipper

And that's it "thank god for that" I hear you cry. It's been a good year so far with a couple of firsts and some good birds seen and photographed. I've been able to get out a lot more and hopefully I can bag myself some more rarer birds for my British list. Thanks for dropping by and I'll catch you soon.

BLAENSERCHAN VALLEY

The Blaenserchan Valley is an area of  spoil tips, deep sided mountains and now regenerated plant growth. It is the site of an old coal mine where monuments of a terrible accident are still reminders of how the South Wales valleys were built on coal and what dangerous work it was for the men and boys who worked in them.

some of the memorials 

The whole area is hopefully now being turned into a nature reserve, a lot of it has become overgrown and is difficult to get to but if managed right this would be an absolute diamond of a place.

Here's just a few of the birds that were seen there, Starting with this Chiffchaff.

chiffchaff

These Redstarts were nesting in a wall and were back and fore constantly with food.

 

female redstart

male redstart

These Bullfinches popped out in front of us on the side of the path.

male bullfinch

female bullfinch

This young Robin was a bit showy.

young robin

The Stonechats are doing well in the valleys this one's a female

female stonechat

So a great little place with a lot of history and I've only scratched the surface with the birds and wildlife that could be there. Also the fact that it is to be turned into a nature reserve will only add to the growing number of species that makes the Blaenserchan Valley a place to be cherished.