Nature with Nev

My favourite group of plants are the orchids, and the last two year's have seen some great additions to my list with the last one being the Bird's Nest Orchid. In the same area of my local site are records for Frog Orchids, and after picking the brains of several people I managed to narrow down roughly where they were. Unfortunately, Sheep graze the particular slope where they apparently grow, so this was going to be a hindrance. For the past three years each June and July I have been painstakingly searching the area, spending hours on occasion, and each time leaving feeling disappointed at not finding any. This year however, my friend who is a parks ranger had a tip off from a fellow ranger who said he had recently seen some Frog Orchid leaves, and we were given a better location. This was exciting news, and by Thursday afternoon I couldn't contain my excitement any longer and I was off, back to the area in question. I settle down to search for them, but they...

Back in the 1980s, a weekly nature magazine hit the shelves called the Living Countryside. I used to look forward to buying these and they were about £1.50 if I recall. I learned an awful lot from these information packed magazines and every now and then there would be a picture of something that would catch your eye and make you wish one day you would find one. One such plant in one of the editions was a Yellow Bird's Nest. It looked strange and had a strange name. I was hooked, I really wanted to see this species. I was really getting into my plants but as time went on I never seen one - until now. A site I know close to where I  live has a section of ancient woodland, mainly mature Beech trees, and this is where the Bird's Nest Orchids I had been photographing were growing. But walking through there on early evening this week, mainly on the hope of seeing a late orchid - I was astonished to find not one but a tight group of ten Yellow Bird's Nests. I knew str...

Goldcliff this week saw another early start and a good selection of birds, with migration slowly getting underway. En-route to the first hide were Stock Doves and a Chiffchaff calling with 6 House Martins flying around. A Greenshank was a nice surprise once I opened the shutters in the first hide, but a Grey Heron soon caught my attention. It had caught a three-quarter grown young Coot and stood at the edge of the bank trying to swallow it whole. This went on for several minutes before finally the Heron gave up and dropped it on the ground before flying off. I appreciate this is a part of nature , but it is horrible when you witness this close in. The Coot will soon become food for scavenging Crows and gulls. Two friends, Dan and Andrew from the Ross-0n-Wye area met me and it was lovely to finally catch up - the last time we had spoken was late March here. Next the Redshank Platform saw a lot more life - with a Sedge Warbler feeding in the foliage. Lapwing and Avocets we...

Well it had seemed like an eternity. My last waders were back in late March prior to the lockdown that saw travelling restrictions imposed, and for good reasons. I like many others had been waiting for news that travelling would allowed further than five miles, and with Monday 6th July being the set date I was off, arriving at Goldcliff at 04.30hrs. It was so nice to see and hear the waders again and smell the sea air. The visit was eventful and a great reintroduction to being back on the Gwent Levels. The Glossy Ibis showed briefly at 0510 after I had watched the Sun rise at 05.03. I had walked straight around to the sea wall to watch the sunrise then made my way down to hide three. From the sea wall were 11 Avocets out on the mudflats. A pair of Whimbrel from the hide was a nice surprise A Barnacle Goose dropped in briefly before flying off over the sea wall, 9 Swallows and 8 Swifts passed close by and Linnets were flitting back and forth. From the marsh platform 2 ...