Hello from Swansea!

[ralph]

HELLO FROM SWANSEA

Been nothing aerially exciting here for months - just the usual giant roosts of Starling and Jackdaws!

Will post if anything exciting happens! Will be paying visit to Hayle RSPB in September - hopefully something interesting there ;)

[IanF]

Hi Ralph and welcome to the forum, it's great to have you on board :)

I think that most places seem to have been quiet over the Summer but now is about the time things should start hotting up again.

[ralph]

I would have done more birding this year, except that they've cut off access to the Estuary near here. Last year it was closed because of the Foot & Mouth fiasco, and now it's got so overgrown that the access has completely disappeared. AND the boardwalk has collapsed so even if the council DID do something about the reeds and other plantlife, you'd be neck-deep in water before you went anywhere.

And if anyone knows of any small birding groups in the Swansea area that will allow some rusty 30-ish birder to tag along, please let me know!

[paj]

Hi Ralph, welcome to the Forum.
Your quite well positioned for the Gower there aren't you?
Would the likes of Worm's Head and Rhossili Bay be coming good now?

Paj

[ralph]

Hey Paj, thanks for the welcome!

I am well positioned for Gower and Worm's Head, although (get this) I have never actually been there! I am situated North West of Swansea and am more used to walking the estuary towards Llanelli. There's usually always Red Kite and Peregrine there. The biggest surprise is that the wader-life is very bad! You have to go pretty-much all the way out of the estuary to start getting reasonable counts of wader, although by that time you're knee-deep in mud and tempers start getting a little frayed.

I would have thought that Worm's Head would be starting to get some action right now, and if I ever venture that far then I will certainly post my findings right here!

[JennyWren]

Hi Ralph,.....


Just popped in to say a quick hello and nice to see you here!

Great avatar you have there too!! :p


JennyWren

[ralph]

Thank you for the welcome JennyWren,

Wasn't the best avatar I could find but I'm working on it.

Thank you to everyone for making me feel more than welcome.

[burhinus]

Hi Ralph

Welcome to the forum. Came down your way for the first time in February this year and really enjoyed it. Stayed at Trap went to visit the Kites at Gigrin (fantastic) about 100 in view as well as Ravens, Common Buzzards etc. Lovely part of the world.

Enjoy the forum
burhinus

[ralph]

Thanks to Chris and Burhinus for the welcome! Very much appreciated.

I don't get to visit the best sites in West Glamorgan, but most days I can turn and look out of my office window and see the occasional Red Kite Milvus milvus in the distance, saundering its way down the start of the M4 corridor. Always nice to see.

My morning walks usual take me to the local woods. Now that the access to the estuary has been blocked by swathes of reeds and Giant Knotweed my walks are limited and mostly uninteresting. Mind you, we are approaching the time of year when anything can happen! ;)