LLanbedr, Wales

Dinas Campsite is a couple of miles from LLanbedr.  It is in a beautiful part of Wales.  We camped next to a small wood filled with Pied Flycatchers; Buzzards and Peregrins floated over us and the sheep woke everyone up each morning.  We were there with some friends - some of whom were ringing birds for the BTO.


We spent Wednesday morning in Coed Crafnant wood where approximately 70 nesting boxes were being checked.  The wood supported a very healthy bird population.  Most of the boxes held seven or eight Pied Flycatcher chicks but the very first box we opened had been occupied by a family of Great Tits and there was only one chick left inside.

It was ready to fledge but its foot had got caught up in some wool lining the nest so it was stuck in the box.  Its parents had abandoned it.  Paul carefully extricated it and clipped away the remaining wool.  At least it now had some chance of survival ... left in the box it would have suffered.

Some boxes had warm eggs, others contained chicks too tiny to ring while a couple more broods had to be left because the chicks were ready to fledge - taking them out of the nest at that point could make them fly off and endanger them. 

These Pied Flycatchers were ringed.

Andy and I left the ringers to continue their work and we went looking for Dipper (we found two juveniles) and Ring Ouzel  (an adult male gave us splendid views). 

This Redstart was nesting in the wall near the carpark as we set off to find Ring Ouzel.

We had a lovely few days.