Ynys y fro reservoirs (1 Viewer)

Two largely bird and birder forsaken resevoirs north of Newport comprise my local patch. I've been watching them for 13 years and my list has grown to a hard earned 136. Virtually everything outside of mallard, coot, greenfinch, blue tit and other similarly common birds are unusual. Collared doves only discovered them this year and bred for certainly the first time since i've been visiting. They are surrounded by fields yet even rooks are less than annually recorded.The most species I've seen in a year is 98. I've actually taken advice off people to try and stop visiting but I can't. Over the years it has got harder to find birds for two reasons;there is now a golf club on a hill that overlooks the resevoirs so that flighty birds leave as soon as the first golfer comes over the hill and a small but regular winter gull flock has gone since they cleaned up the offshore sewage outfalls about five years ago.The best thing about them is there is a field alongside which is devoid not only of birds but also crops and stock and I can let my spaniel puppy run itself into the ground without annoying anyone or anything.

Highlights include single sightings of slav and black neck grebe, long tail duck, common scoter, smew, barnacle goose ( I think probably a wild bird) family parties of whooper swans and bewicks swans, osprey, pheasant, woodcock, redshank, spotted red, knot, little stint, grey phalarope (found by some-one else of course), iceland gull, common tern, marsh tit, wheatear, redstart, reed warbler, crossbill, tree sparrow and snow bunting. There have also been 2 undoubtedly plastic but still rare in wales, red crested pochards and two ring billed gulls.

Species seen less than 5 times include med gull, ring-necked duck, pintail, shelduck, merlin, hobby, a whole range of waders, black and artic tern, whinchat, sedge warbler and brambling.

This years "highlights" have been the bewicks, the 4th hobby, 2nd ring billed gull, 3rd yellow legged gull and the 3rd whinchat. For some inexplicable reason sightings of Great black backed gull have gone up at the same time as all other gull species have virtually disappeared.

The ones that got away include brief views of what can only have been a black throated thrush (not submitted) and a Black kite which I saw heading off down the M4 behind the resevoirs which didn't bother to call in. One of the trout fisherman also described a bee eater that was around for a number of days in the early 50's poss 1954. He had spent time on national service in Kenya around this time and was certain it was a bee eater having described seeing lots abroad.

You will probably be glad to know that this thread won't be updated regularly but once every three months I'll report the best sightings and you will be able to bask in the glory of your own patch. This last comment is particularly directed at Jane Turner and edenwatcher. Yours John.

Update this thread as often as you like. You have a good number on your list. My local patch is my WeBS survey fo the local canal and after just over a year of going once a month it is now at 73 birds so I am hoping to come to your level one day.

Hi John,

I saw my first Mandarin there....

Easy Little Owls there a couple of weekends ago.

Andy.

John o'Sullivan said:

You will probably be glad to know that this thread won't be updated regularly but once every three months I'll report the best sightings and you will be able to bask in the glory of your own patch. This last comment is particularly directed at Jane Turner and edenwatcher. Yours John.

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There are some good birds on that list John - I would be delighted to see some of them on the Eden! There's no need to feel intimidated by our good fortune. Hope you will update on a regular basis.

Rob

Hi Andy,
The mandarin I think was present before I started visiting, though I have heard tell of it . Other birds I've missed there include wood sand, garganey, little gull, kittiwake, artic skua, turnstone. I'm waiting for the first ever little egret and red kite and live in hope of lesser scaup as first county record (my only realistic option).

p.s its not intimidation its jealousy.

How do you pronounce it? I am thinking something like 'whinn-eyes why froe'.

I suppose I am far off the mark?!

as i'm originally from london with irish parents my welsh pronunciation is always ropey. its about un is e fro.

Isn't it 'inis e fro'?

Oh the memories!!! This was one of my occasional stamping grounds when I was a budding birder based in South Wales... Remember a few good birds there, but also seem to remember going there once to twitch something, but for the life of me, can't remember what!!! Guess it wasn't anything mind-blowing

John o'Sullivan said:

as i'm originally from london with irish parents my welsh pronunciation is always ropey. its about un is e fro.

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Many thanks for that. :t:

Hello Jos, its less confusing now with you in lithuania jos and jo's in one bird report was too much. I twitched canada goose there about 12 years ago(when canadas were rare in gwent). The sad thing is somebody rang me up to let me know it was there. 93 canadas there today. Any body got a sadder twitch, my moneys on me.

John o'Sullivan said:

Hello Jos, its less confusing now with you in lithuania jos and jo's in one bird report was too much. I twitched canada goose there about 12 years ago(when canadas were rare in gwent). The sad thing is somebody rang me up to let me know it was there. 93 canadas there today. Any body got a sadder twitch, my moneys on me.

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Well, I said I remembered twitching something at those pools, but (although I still can't remember what it was), I sure it wasn't a Canada Goose
Having left Gwent so long ago, I'm afraid I was also one of those Gwent birders who got excited by a Canada Goose!!! Never saw one at Ynys y fro, but do remember utmost pleasure in getting one at my beloved Llanvihangel Gobian!

PS don't patent the 'Jos' - maybe I'll get back to do some birding there next year and I haven't given up rights to use my initials

Regular visits during all this windy weather haven't resulted in any interesting sightings yet. The red necked phalarope that I've been hoping for turned up at Llandegfed Resevoir few miles NE of here. The only patch highlights have been Tree pipit 1st of year, 2 plastic Barnacle geese noticably less wary than the first bird (2nd record). Also in a flash of inspiration I think the reason why Great black back is commoner now is that the fishery there is now catch and release and there are more injured/ dead fish for this species to scavenge. I've still to see any waders this autumn the spring passage consisted of a couple of common sandpipers. The water board used to lower water levels on the top pool most August/ Septembers but they don't do this any more. I live in hope however. John

Over the last week during the cold weather there has actually been some movement. Saturday 3 Gadwall, tuesday 2 great crested grebes arrived, thursday a water rail, today 2nd site record of knot. (The first was during a cold spell around 10 years ago). This is a purple patch for the resevoirs. The last few months have been typically uninspiring. 1 snipe and 7 lapwing comprised the autumn wader passage. Two stonechats stayed for a while and a few teal, gadwall and goosanders have appeared then soon moved on at various times during the winter. The great black backed gulls left soon after the fishery closed down for the winter maybe therefore proving my theory that they were relying on injured fish from the catch/release fishery. Given the continuation of the cold spell I'm hoping for further patch rarities over the weekend. To be fitted in between the rugby.

Can you get there and back during the half time interval?

YES. Because the area is so open and devoid of any numbers of birds. I think there, back and bird seen is possible in 15 mins. Its very rarely more than one species that changes per visit (if i'm lucky). And often I can register the arrival as I drive up over the causeway between the two resevoirs. A quick scan from the car park and back home.

Well the cold spell (and winter) came and went. Similarly Irelands hope of a grand slam (we were well exposed by the Welsh and French). On a birding front the knot stayed 4 days but little else arrived. The best sighting was of two water rails together (1st multiple sighting I've ever had here). Spring passage has been very quiet so far sand martins normally turn up 7th-8th March, first swallow 3-4 days later. First swallow 2nd April, first sand Martins yesterday. Theres been a red kite within 1-2 miles so hopefully it will be here tomorrow.

Keep up the reports, nothing like a bit of nostalgic memories of this 'hotspot'

Thank god for Goldcliff. After 30 odd years of flogging The Taff/Ely estuary (now tourist trap Cardiff Bay), St Brides, Ynysyfro and other Gwent/ Glamorgan Hotspots! I now have a class site within 15 mins of my house, thanks to new link road. The birdwatching is often good here, nearly always interesting and at times excellent.
Saying that as all local patch watchers know some of our favourite birding memories arise from regular observations at a regular site. At Y.R. The Osprey (in June) comes to mind. It came in from the East above the Motorway behind, circled once, hovered and then re- joined the motorway and flew off west.
I spent years trying to get Redstart, Wheatear and Whinchat on the list and then one morning saw males of each species in a row on a barbed wire fence, I've not seen redstart/ wheatear here again.
Also one morning watched a male sparrowhawk coming across the resevoir flying slow, fluttering, and stalling and acting generally wierd. It attracted a small flock of mobbing passerines. Suddenly like a bolt from the blue a female sparrowhawk hit the flock. At the same time the male changed flight action and flew off strongly. The female missed making a kill and rapidly caught up with the male, at which point they touched claws like an arial high five. Most Excellent.
Its waiting for the next moment like this that keeps me returning.

John o'Sullivan said:

I spent years trying to get Redstart, Wheatear and Whinchat on the list and then one morning saw males of each species in a row on a barbed wire fence,

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better that made up for a lot!!

It did at the time but such sightings have got rarer and rarer.
I've now finally escaped the clutches of birdless Y.R. (mostly). The solution to substitute it for another regular patch. This time one with birds!
I've been visiting a part of the Gwent Wetlands reserve around saltmarsh lane. Highlights here over the past three weeks. Osprey, Marsh Harrier (both second gwent records for me), Garganey, Ruff, black tailed godwits, Greenshank, Little ringed plover, Grasshopper warbler. Regular cettis warbler, cuckoos, little egrets, whimbrel and others. Also my wife likes to walk the dog there, whilst I could never persuade her to visit Y.R. I can now combine being sociable with birding although when we both visit it does require more walking and talking and less scanning and no use of telescope.
I still drop into the resevoirs (just in case) but only for minutes now. The highlight here over the same timescale, single common sand and the first breeding record of mute swan that I know of. I feel a little bit guilty that I've moved on. The last of a band of regulars that at one stage numbered 5 but it really is dead there now. Hopefully now I'll have more regular interesting sightings to post. John O'