Denbigh Moors

Glorious weather in Mynydd Hiraethog today - and not bad birds to boot! A pair of Whinchats feeding young on Cefn Du started the ball rolling, although I would have been more than happy listening to the masses of Meadow Pipits and Skylark.

Another Whinchat was seen – a single male – at the end of the bridleway near the ruins of the old shooting lodge at Bryn Trillyn. At this point I should have double-backed across the moor following the bridleway that passes over Moel Bengam, but perhaps driven slightly mad by the strong sun, I decided to extend my walk by heading for Pont y Nant.

This diversion took me along a series of minor roads, and although I did find a small number of Lesser Redpoll in a copse next to a small farm, the lanes were generally poor for birds.

After an exhausting walk across two steep valleys, I eventually met the Clwydian Way and the Afon Aled at a small farm called Hendre-Aled Cottage. As with many rural Welsh farms, it was unkempt, ramshackle and guarded by irascible sheepdogs. It is surprising how few actual farmers you see though; perhaps the isolation causes them to develop Robinson Crusoe-like fears of fellow man!

Once I had passed through the farmyard, I was instantly in picture-postcard Wales: a picturesque river valley cloaked in ancient woodland. Right on cue a Cuckoo began to call and very close it was too. This was followed by the curious bubbling trill of a female, but try as I might to find them, they remained hidden from view.

Eventually I emerged at the top of the dam at Aled Isaf. A family of Pied Wagtails, a clutch of Grey Wagtails and a pair of Wheatears were among the many birds using the pool under the causeway to drink and bathe.

The lake was also a hive of activity: a pair of Common Sandpipers was making a commotion; three Great Crested Grebes were busy fishing and two families of Wheatear were grooming the stones around the shoreline for insects.

Until later.