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| Aber waterfall - Bimo |
Ellen loved their times at Aber. She
loved to walk upon the beach and gaze across the strait towards Llanfaes. She
loved to follow the shallow, meandering river that flowed through a deeply
wooded glen, and she loved to watch for that flash of silver amidst the trees
ahead, anticipating her first glimpse of the surging waterfall that splashed
over a sheer cliff in a narrow ribbon of white water, the Whiteshell River... From the Princes of Gwynedd – S Penman
Last
Saturday was one of those great birding days out not to be forgotten, for all the
right reasons and not just because we had gone to Wales and for once the
weather was glorious. Our trip up the Aber mountain was to look for
specialist mountain and woodland bird and I'm pleased to say we were not
disappointed.
The
remarkable weather saw the troops out in numbers and we were lucky to get a parking space, but our early start had paid off.
The
river meanders by the car park, what a start, twas an omen perhaps of good
things to come. Bobbity, bob, dipper, back and
forth to its nest, zipping under the bridge where we stood...wonderful.
Happily
we set off alongside the path that runs along the river, the Afon Rhaedr Fawr.
Woodland, shrubs and grassy glades either side. We were aiming for the Aber
waterfall; here the River Afon Goch plunges about 120 feet over a sill of rock,
a view worth the trip alone.
Eyes
to the skies, it wasn't long before we were treated to aerial cat fight
between that exquisite fork tailed prince of the hills a red kite and a more familiar common buzzard ..mew!
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| Red Kite - Neil P |
Next a
captivating fierce goshawk rising high over the woodland- a
much better sighting than the previous week at Lake Vyrnwy, noticeably
paler, short broad wings and a long tail,
(natures adaption to help it manoeuvre through the trees). Later
sightings of Sparrowhawk and kestrel completed the raptors for the day.
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| Bluebells - Bimo |
The path to the falls is a stunning place, bluebells carpeted the
glades, hawthorn blossom gleamed white and smelt divine. A quiet place for
a picnic or ponder or for some a happy home...ponies roamed in the dappled
shade.
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| Ponies in shady glade - Bimo |
The stream babbled and rippled, birdsong hung in the air...chiff
chaff, willow warbler, blackcap, song thrush, great, blue and long tailed tit, goldcrest
to name a few, many binoculars hunted them down.
A streak of red led us to another target, a resplendent redstart,
darting from tree to fence post and back, fine views for all. A gt spotted a
woodpecker briefly kekked his way through the woods.
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| Pied flycatcher - Neil P |
A
male pied flycatcher obligingly sitting on a branch, his female close by. One
never tires of admiring this bird, so striking and only here for a few months
of the year.
Arriving
at the plunge pool, the waters flowed a little faster over the rocky bottom;
here a crafty grey wagtail plundered the riverbed.
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| Seekers - Neil P |
Cuckoo
calling high over the rocky cliff face, but where? all eyes trained above, a
luring call and then a stroke of luck, a flight from tree to rock and back,
then settled on the craggy top 'the gowk' our harbinger of spring.
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| Cuckoo in flight- Neil P |
Stomachs
rumbled, we strolled back to the car park picnic tables, what a great morning.
After lunch
we travelled a short distance to access an open hilly area in the valley of the Afon Anafo. An even
smaller car park and some tight spatial awareness parking.
Stonechats were the kings and queens of the scrub with occasional
meadow pipit accompaniment, but what we were looking for was an upland elusive
bird, a blackbird with a twist… the ring ouzel with its white breast-band and yellow
circled eye.
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| Afon Anafo valley - Neil P |
Another spectacular valley, a green vista, scree
slopes, ancient stone ruins with the Anafo flowing through it. We purposefully trod
along the path, the wind more blustery on the higher ground. What's that...another
cuckoo calling!? Sure enough, as if our path was tracked a cuckoo sat on a
stone wall below, being mobbed by meadow pipits; hey... they may have been mum
and dad!
Second cuckoo
interlude over we decided to stop a while and spread out along the path, giving
ourselves the best opportunity to scan the slopes, it worked, after ten minutes
success Chris found our bird, feverishly foraging for grubs high on the slopes
above. A great bird to end our trip, a lifer tick for many.
Laura
