Purple Haze

An excellent days birding produced a couple of goodies in the form of a Purple Heron at Dwyran, Mona and a male Ring Ouzel on slopes above Coed Aber.

First up on the bill was the Heron. After a little cross-country 'Eskimo' Murphy and I managed to relocate the public footpath we had lost before eventually finding ourselves scanning the a well vegetated pond with a couple of other souls.

We waited and we scanned. We scanned and we waited. And then we waited some more. And a little more, before finally a fellow birder located the bird stalking through some tussock grass.

Typical behaviour really, reflecting the skulking shenanigans of their subcontinental brothers I have been privileged to observe in India.

After watching a forty-five minute masterclass in amphibian ambush techniques it was time to mooch over to the wonderfully picturesque Aber Valley.

A slow ascent to the waterfall produced quite a few Willowchaffs and after reaching the top we parked our arses on a bench and began to scan the scree.

In a huge stroke of fortune I almost immediately picked up a dot sitting on a bush right at the top of the ridge. When viewed through the scope the black dot revealed itself to be a male Ring Ouzel.

It considerately stayed put for a good five minutes before a local Sparrowhawk started to strafe the area. It wisely made itself scarce.

Also notable today was the excellent numbers of butterflies on the wing. Species included Speckled Wood, Orange-tipped, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral and a ragged Painted Lady.

Until later.