Nature with Nev

Early Purple Orchid My main interest is the birds, but I also enjoy a range of other interests such as fungi, wildlife in general and the plant world. Of all the plants, my favourite has to be the Orchid family, and around this time of year my excitement grows as I know the Orchids will be poking their way through the soil for their brief growing season. There is an area of woodland I have been visiting for many years, and secluded within it are some special quiet areas, where only I know, and share only with the occasional Rabbits that venture through there and sometimes nibble away at the Orchids, but that is all part of nature. Today was no exception. This afternoon I walked amongst a carpet of Ramsons (Wood Garlic), which crunched softly underfoot giving off a strong but pleasant ' garlic smell. The tips of the plants were covered with the delicate white flowers, and there, in the same spot as I found them last year, and mixed in with the Ramsons, was a splash of deep p...

Recently at Goldcliff, I spotted the below Common Redshank which had a series of colour rings. I have seen this individual here before but this time I was able to get a half-decent photograph which I submitted the wader group.  I was very pleased to receive this update on the birds life history. It turns out that from the group of Redshanks that were ringed at the same time, this bird is the only one to have been recorded in Wales.  My thanks to Peter Potts for providing the update for me. 13/09/2014     Thorney Island, Emsworth, Chichester Harbour, West Sussex           Farlington RG Pete Potts et al  05/10/2014   Warblington, Chichester Harbour, Hampshire Peter Milinets-Raby  15/04/2015       Goldcliff lagoons, Newport, Gwent, Wales    Michael Thornton  10/05/2015          Goldcli...

The steely stare of a Grey Heron Today, my friend Kerry and I took a walk around Llangattock, taking in the escarpment and a nature reserve. As we headed across to the canal and the start of the woodland we saw House Sparrows, Rooks, Robins, Woodpigeons, Starlings, jackdaws, House Martins (my first of the year), Blue Tits, Chaffinches, Collard Dove and Dunnocks. The above Grey Heron was feeding around the canal boats before flying further along where it was mobbed by an out-sized and brave Song Thrush which no doubt had young nearby.  Entering the wooded area it was nice to see Bluebells, Wood Anemone, Lesser Celandines, Wood Sorrell and Greater Stitchwort in flower. The route takes us up into an open field that has never been fertilised and is only lightly grazed by Sheep at certain times of the year. As a result, there are a mass of flowers growing including Cowslips in large numbers, Lousewort, Marsh Valerian, Spearwort, Brooklime and Ladysmock.   Tiger Beetle ...

I was very lucky recently in that I was given some money to purchase a new camera. So many times I had taken photos of birds and wished the images were larger and more crisper, and that became a reality with a recently purchased Nikon P1000. I couldn't wait to try it out, and recently I got to visit Goldcliff Lagoons, where as luck would have it, a Spoonbill had turned up. What a perfect candidate to try the camera out on. I was amazed by the 125x zoom and the clarity, and I took many photos, probably just as well, as when I looked through them many had tails or the head missing, or were too far to the one side etc, but it's all part of the learning curve. There was no doubting though that the Spoonbill is an impressive looking bird, and makes for a good photography subject.  The breeding range extends across central Asia and includes the Indian sub-continent, and in the winter, birds move from southeast Europe to coastal wetlands around the Mediterranean. Outside of their n...

A flotilla of Avocet The one thing I love about Goldcliff is the close proximity you can get to the birds. For those of us taking pictures from the various hides and platforms however, it is not an easy task. In front of you is stock proof fencing which has extended posts and wires which are electrified, and you have to adjust your height, look through the gaps and persevere as the camera wants to focus on a strand of wire as opposed to your subject. But get past this and you have some lovely birds to look at - such as the Avocet with its characteristic ski-jump bill.  At the moment there are around ninety birds on the reserve, most in feeding groups and others feeding alone and going through the daily routine of life. Yesterday there were two that had colour rings on their legs, and I have submitted these findings and hoping to get a response as to the birds origins and movements. The ski-jump shaped bill is used sweep through the mud to search out tiny invertebrates,...