April 2008
Swallows and House Martins have arrived
One Swallow does not make a summer but were very excited to see the house martins and swallows back again for the summer last Saturday. It is not always easy to tell them apart when they are swirling up high overhead but were sure we saw a couple of swallows as well as the house martins. Swallows have long tails and are sleeker. 
Swallows nest inside barns and sheds and our stables and House Martins nest on the outside of houses usually under the eaves.
More about the Swallow
More about the House Martin
Long Tailed Tits
Having never seen them before, we were thrilled to see a pair of Long Tailed Tits on our bird feeders for three consecutive days at the end of March and beginning of April. They are about the same size as a coal tit or wren but with a very long tail. They are pale pink with black go faster stripes along the body.
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Great Spotted Woodpecker
These have been with us all winter and are very striking birds with their flash of red on the rump. Recently they have been hammering on the electricity pylons. I thought that it would give them quite a headache and, as there are no insects in a metal pylon, that it was a stupid thing to do. However it was pointed out to me that it has nothing to do with getting insects out of trees but all to do with claiming territory. The noise from hammering on metal carries further than hammering on a tree.
More about the Great Spotted Woodpecker
Red Kite
These are indiginous to Mid Wales and we see them regularly. Today I saw three circling above the Cwm. I like to think that they are like the buzzards at this time of year and meet in large numbers to chat each other up before pairing off. They are a wonderfully acrobatic bird and always stop me in my tracks especially when the red colouring catches the sun.
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Tree Creeper
I stopped to look at the marsh marigolds by the pond when I saw a pair of tree creepers scuttle up the trees. They are torpedo shaped and unlike the Nuthatch they don't go down. Their white undersies are really striking. There was one on each tree scuttling up and then I thought I saw a couple together but it was the same ones. Marsh Marigolds are also called King Cups and are like big buttercups that live in boggy places. They have leaves like water lillies.
More about the Tree Creeper
March 2008
Siskins and Coal Tits at the Cwm
The Siskins are now here in great numbers and are very competitive with the Blue Tits and the Great Tits that have been here all winter. There are more little Coal Tits too which are very fast cheeky little birds, smaller than the Blue Tits, buff coloured with black on the head.
More about the Coal Tit
February 2008
Frogs Spawn
Valentines day and love is in the air, especially with the frogs. There are armfuls of frogs spawn in the pond, in the ditches and, this year for the first time, in the little brook pond. April 2007 was unusually very dry. We were worried about the tadpoles because their pools were drying up and they were drying out. Fearing they would die anyway, we rescued some tadpoles and put them in the brook pool. We did not see our tadpoles mature and thought that the running water was too cold for them. However this year there is lots of frogs spawn there. Some must have developed into frogs and returned to spawn. We saw the frogs this year too.
Snow brings the Bramblings
It is late February and we woke up to a covering of snow and hail. Is that snail? It is very pretty and has brought a flock of Bramblings to the garden to feed on the bird table. They look like chaffinches with orange shoulders.
More about the Brambling
January 2008
A Siskin arrives at the Cwm
This little bird was seen on January 27th 2008. They usually arrive for Easter but this one came early this year. We have not seen him since.
Siskins are a bit smaller than sparrows, a greenish yellow colour with obvious yellow flashes on the wings and black dashes on the underside of their white rumps. They look a bit like finches but have more spiky beaks. They are quite dominant birds on the peanuts in the garden.
More about the Siskin