Wednesday 22 January 2014

Osprey bowls team



I was already feeling pretty euphoric on the day in question, having already been crowned Machynlleth Comedy Festival Volunteer Lawn Bowls Champion and presented a trophy by the Mayor of Mach, having a celebratory beer with the old boys at the Bowling club.


                I decided my prior glory and the fact that I had split my only pair of trousers the previous day, so was forced to wear shorts; of course forcing the sun to come blazing out, needed further excellence. I decided it was the ideal day to walk to the nearby Dyfi Osprey Project, somewhere I had dreamed about visiting ever since my first visit to Mach.

I set out with a packed lunch and my binoculars and my ever so trusty Google mobile app GPS. I obviously got lost up a mountain and had to be given a lift by a farmer in a truck full of howling, drooling hounds. When I arrived at the project I looked at the board, which stated both birds had been off the nest, fishing for over an hour. The kind of luck I was having today surely couldn’t continue, could it… Yes, as soon as I got in the hide both birds, the Male Monty and a Female ringed Blue 12 (later named Glesni of the nearby Rutland project) returned to the nest with a grey mullet, which they then fought over/shared for the next 15mins. 

Excellent images of the birds on the screens and through the scopes provided. I was absolutely awestruck with the birds having wanted to see them for so long, walked 3 miles to get there and got lost on the way. Other notable sightings for me were Lesser Redpoll, which although not rare I had never seen before and I also saw my first Nuthatch on way too.

Since my visit the pair mated, she has laid two eggs which they are now incubating, but Glesni is a first time breeder so she has much to learn.



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