Day trip to Martin Down

The weather focast for today was awful....rain, rain, rain....maybe sun if we're lucky.
But, undaunted, a group of us from the Dursley Birdwatching club set off on a LONG minibus trip to visit Martin Down, ten miles southwest of Salisbury. The Down is one of the largest areas of chalk grassland in the country. We hoped to see some interesting butterflys as well as birds Our trip leader, Vic, has a particular interest in butterflys....so we were off to a good start....if the rain stopped!!

And it did! Pretty much just as we arrived at the site the rain eased up, then stopped. After organising ourselves we set off....... greeted with a sighting of a cuckoo flying nearby.

And butterflies appeared, basking in the warming sunshine

A common Blue...

An Adonis Blue (one we had been hoping to see as its quite uncommon, and has a lovely blue colouring! And another uncommon butterfly.....a heath fritillary (seen in the more wooded area)


Florally we were pleased to see a Burnt Tip Orchid.....


....A Butterfly Orchid (Lesser or Greater......probabley the latter, apparently!)

And this is Eyebright....
Bird-wise, we found corn buntings, gloried in the skylarks singing, saw yellowhammers, Whitethroats (common and lesser) and stonechats.......and failed to see stone curlew


But we did stumble across a fairly well fed looking viper!!

Whilst we kept our distance and looked unthreatening, it did the same.....and we were pleasedto take time enjoying its lovely coppery colouring

...then we parted, on friendly terms.

So, it was a nice trip, with some good company and interesting sights and sounds to enjoy, not least of which was a purring turtle dove we heard just as we settled down for our picnic lunch

Here's a turtle dove as recorded by someone in Morrocco

It was also a good ending to my early summer holiday.

Red Kite feeding frenzy at Gigrin's Farm

Whilst I was in the area, and having abandoned more walks for the present, I had a browse around the Hay bookshops in the morning and then drove up the valley to Gigrins Farm in good time to watch the spectacle of the Red Kites feeding. It was certainly fast and furious!!

Here's my video:

Red Kite Feed
Uploaded by agracarter2

Wye Valley walking: upriver from Hay

Before finally returning to England I stopped for a few days near Glasbury to continue
on my way up the Wye Valley walk. Very lovely it was too.
The Black mountains, and my memories of the walk along the Offa's Dyke section upon the ridge
fromed a backdrop to this view....

On the following days section the river valley turned northwards, leaving the Black Mountains behind, and the river seemed to gain mysterious rocky depths.
The suspension bridge at Llanstephan forms the entry point to a roadside nature reserve (Llandeilo Graban ) rich in wildflowers. I was treated to a view of a kingfisher flying below me as I crossed over!
Once back on the western side of the river the path climbs out away from the river (and road)

and over high open commonland (home for sheep, bracken and solitude)

before dropping down to Builth Wells, where I ended my walking for this holiday....
enforced by a creaking, sore knee.

Holiday in Pembrokeshire: Boat trip out to Grassholm

My last island "target" in Pembrokeshire was rocky, relatively remote,
Grassholm- so named for the seasonal grassy pastureage it once offered
for sheep from the mainland. The soil long has since blown away, and now it is home to the British Isle's third largest gannet colony. The RSPB say "Grassholm is of both national and international importance. It is an outstanding seabird spectacle, unrivalled anywhere in Wales for this species." So, definately worth the effort to go out and see for myself!


This is Grassholm as seen from Skomer.

The top of the island is whitened with the mass of nesting gannets, and their guano!
The RSPB gives an estimate of 32,000 pairs of birds nesting here

Gannets were visible almost throughout the hour long boat journey, either singley out hunting for fish or seaweed to add to their nest,

Ramsey Island is on the horizon here...

(An arty enhanced version of a less dramatic original shot!)

or in greater masses as we neared the island.

The noise of the nesting birds added to the total experience. I was spared the odourous effects...as indeed are you!

So ended my holday in lovely Pembrokeshire!

Holiday in Pembrokeshire: Visit to Skomer Island

I'm glad I visited Skomer, a wonderful place for communing with the wilds. It is Wales' second largest island, but still small enough to take in on a days visit.

That is, if have time once you can tear yourself away from the close up views of Puffins!

Because they are so photogenic, unphased by human proximity, and so close at hand, the Puffin
colony becomes the most humanly crowded place on the island....

Skomer Moments
Uploaded by agracarter

Holiday in Pembrokeshire: A Visit to Picton Castle

On a wet Saturday afternoon I visited Picton Castle. I got in on my "Historic Houses Association" ticket and the tour of the castle was quite interesting, particularly the way that the first room visited, in one of the corner "towers" had curved everything....windows, doors, the lot!

Once the tour ended, however (and the rain appeared to have stopped) I made a circuit of the surrounding gardens, abloom with various Rhodedendrons, and aglistening with raindrops...which was a nice combination!



Fallen trees are incorporated into the garden, not tidied away. I liked that too!

Walled garden and fernery also included: