After a frustrating period of closure, caused by waiting for NRW permissions to repair the broken culvert, the work is finished and the hide is open. Well done to MontsWT for making this happen! Visitors may expect to see a pair of Great Crested Grebe with a young chick, several Tufted Duck and Mute Swan, Oystercatcher incubating on the island, Reed Warbler and Reed Bunting. Also possible are egrets (Little, Great and Cattle all recently seen) but this year the Black-headed Gulls have not returned to nest (after last year's avian flu problems).  Also today I spent the morning on Mid ..read more

Maize stubble is usually one of the least productive bird habitats; however, three partly flooded maize fields near Dolydd Hafren have hosted a surprisingly successful colony of Lapwings which have produced 17 chicks (from 6 nests). Marc Hughes has kept an eye on these fields during the last week, and has also found 1 Ringed Plover and 2 Little Ringed Plovers, and a Yellow-legged Gull among the Lesser Black-backs. Thanks Marc. The Lapwing chicks have now been ringed by Paul Leafe.  ..read more

Hobby - 8 May, Mochdre near Newtown  Spotted Flycatcher - 15 May, Lake Vyrnwy  Thanks to Chris Griffiths and Sam Sharpe for these records.  Clare and I are in Normandy till May 22; one interesting sighting yesterday was of a Cuckoo male chasing a female of the hepatic form - a deep chestnut colour all over, not often seen, and occurring only in females.  ..read more

  Many thanks to John Anderton for these Redstarts, nest-building near Meifod on 23 April, and already at the nest-lining stage. Also to Paul Davies, for these portraits of Blackcap and Dipper at Pwll Penarth MWT Reserve on 24 April. Sharing images such as these is one of the most rewarding aspects of a county bird recorder's role.  ..read more

 Thanks to Dave Lister for these two Little Owls yesterday near Guilsfield.  Latest migrant news:  Garden Warbler - 18 April, both Llanymynech and Dolydd Hafren Reed Warbler - 18 April, Dolydd Hafren Sedge Warbler - 19 April, Dolydd Hafren Thanks to Tony Coatsworth and Kevin Gallagher for these records ..read more

3 Pied Flycatcher (2 male, 1 female), 1 Pied Flycatcher, Treecreeper, Nuthatch, Chiffchaff, Siskin, Chaffinch, Mandarin, and Cormorant ..read more

Thanks to John Anderton for this portrait of a male Lesser Redpoll at Meifod last week. Lesser Redpoll is the species resident in the UK, while the larger, greyer Mealy Redpoll breeds on the continent but turns up in UK regularly, (but rarely in Wales). Latest migrant news (thanks to Tammy Stretton):  Grasshopper Warbler - 13 April, Welshpool   ..read more

Female Pied Flycatcher in Powis Park. Bottom end of carpark today 3pm. I am reasonbly positive i was first attracted to the female by a male but I couldnt lock onto it ..read more

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Telyn, the female from the Dyfi nest, with rainbow, 27 March. (She arrived after dark on 25 March).   Seren, the female just arrived on the original Clywedog nest, in snow, 28 March.  Many thanks to Emyr Evans and John Williams and their teams for the livestreams ..read more