A third brood

 

 

Well this is a first (we think) for WWT Llanelli - actual evidence of a third Kingfisher brood on the Reserve.

This very young male Kingfisher was showing typical behaviour of having recently fledged, alongside the giveaway features of a young juvenile - very dark breast plumage, dark sooty feet and the white tip to the bill.

The first brood fledged on 20th May (at least one male and one female), the second brood during the last week in July. Three young males fledged.

Unfortunately there was some regular disturbance around their breeding area, including an area `roped off` to the public (for a reason!), so at time of writing we`re not 100% sure where they nested for their 3rd brood. 

This young male Kingfisher may or may not have brothers or sisters, time will tell, but faces a tough time head. Storm Agnes is due to hit Wales and other parts of the UK today and into tomorrow, so hoping it will find shelter but also be able to learn to fish quickly. Hopefully there might be more young from this third brood, but they`ll all need to sort themselves out as we head into autumal weather. The mortality rate for Kingfishers over the first couple of years can be high.

The data collected this year and last year in particular has been helpful in getting a better insight into their breeding patterns, territorial behaviour, etc.

Other Kingfisher seen on the salt marsh from the Michael Powell and British Steel hides breed or have fledged from a separate secluded area. These birds are more likely to be seen during the winter months than those from the Reserve (Millenium Wetlands).

We wish our latest young a lot of luck 👍

(The location of this photo will remain undisclosed)

Back at Ginst

 

With the Falconry photography cancelled this week due to the weather, and other days trying to do some dreaded gloss-painting at home, it was good to get back to Ginst to check out the area again in preparation for winter.

It was a quiet day bird wise, but a good opportunity to suss out some new areas to watch, where some particular natural shelter might be for different wind directions. Might sound a little geeky, but i`ve often found that if there`s a chance to plan it ends up worthwhile further down the line.

As we`re now well into the autumnal changes, it`s a time that `anything can happen`, and coastal marshes and rough land well worth checking out regularly.

I`ll be trying to watch my local estuary and marsh more often if I can, loose horses and dogs permitting. 😟 

It won`t be long now before the geese and waders build up, winter wildfowl like Wigeon arrive en-masse, and winter raptors come down from the hills. Normally, once there have been the first frosts you may start seeing Hen Harrier or Merlin on the coastal marshes. All you really need are decent days weatherwise, with a good bit of light and a smidging of luck to be on your side.

 

Falconry

 

I`ll be back working with Carmarthenshire Falconry next week, photographing a customer experience day while their client enjoys handling and flying the birds.

The falconry session has been arranged to take place in a Carmarthenshire country park, and photographing the session gives the client those visual memories to keep. I normally prepare, edit and send a selections of images to the client via dropbox within 24 hours.

To arrange a private falconry session, and to arrange for me to cover some photography, contact Carmarthenshire Falconry via their website or facebook page.

Walk and Tide Watch

 

Looking forward to taking part in two upcoming events at WWT Llanelli. 

The first is the next Walk with the Warden next Saturday, 16th September . This will be approximately from 11.30am to 1pm.

At the end of September is the annual evening high tide watch, a bookable event, so get in touch with the Centre soo to book your place.

WWT Kingfisher activity

 

Good to see plenty of Kingfisher activity at WWT Llanelli today. Both male and female juveniles (I think from the first brood) stayed around for some time, and have learnt to fish well.

These birds, along with the others in the broods, will disperse a bit further once autumn gets a grip, and we then head in to winter. Other birds on the WWT site, in the more saline areas, will be seen on and off.

A beautiful sunny day can be a nightmare for photographing Kingfishers, ensuring you don`t blow the whites (very common in photos). Harsh shadows when the bird is turning means even more for the delete bin, so what looks good to the eye can be more tricky to photograph properly. 

New cards in the making ......

 

Front side of the new card, currently awaiting delivery 😀