Instruments of Torture

The release of the methods of torture Binyam Mohamed was subject to may have made the news headlines today, but my own personal instrument of torment was a set of bathroom scales I had a nasty encounter with a couple of days back.

In fairness the warning signs have been evident for a while, but the reading was still an unwelcome shock – I half expected the scales to quote the line from Get Carter “You’re a big bloke, but you’re out of shape”.

With the Welsh Uplands open for business in a couple of months, I decided some urgent action was required. After all, and to get back on the Mohamed theme again – “If the mountain won’t come to Mohamed…” well you know the rest and I’m not going to get a trip of Dotterel in my back garden am I?

So it was that ‘Operation Fighting Fit’ began in earnest today with a thirteen mile walk around Lake Vyrnwy – somewhere flat to ease me in!

I didn’t anticipate much on the birding front and I didn’t get much. Waterfowl seem to be able to smell a man made reservoir from a mile away and generally avoid them like the plague.

This rule rings true as much in India as it does in Wales – the massive Lake Periyar in Kerala has one species of duck on its list – Garganey – and that’s it.

All that I could muster today from six miles of open water was a Little Grebe, a Cormorant, and rather bizarrely a Shelduck that I kept telling myself must be Goosander, despite it being fairly obvious that it was not.

The woodland was not much better with a few roving tit flocks and a handful of Siskins – giving their distinctive wheezing call – all I could muster.

Walking around the lake at least provided me with the chance to look at the reserve close up and personal as well as affording me the opportunity to feel smug every time somebody passed me in a car.

What struck me about the area is how few stands of ancient woodland there actually are here – well over three quarters of the trees are non native and awful conifers to boot, whilst the invasive Rhododendron is rife.

Still, it’s a very scenic valley regardless, all that is needed is a good dose of spring migrants…

Until later.