Bird Spotting

[Nugent]

Perverts OUT.

Not those birds, flying birds.

I've just ordered Collins bird spotting book.

I finish in Swansea next week, then I'm off up Brecon and have got digs.
I'm not travelling, its 1hr 32 on sat nav and I cant be arsed to drive 3hrs a day.

So I've been thinking, I spent too much time looking up at the stars and not enough what's going on on this little marble we live on.

So I'm taking my binoculars with me, the pubs will be closed, hotel has a large beer garden area, few cans and I thought I'll try looking at wildlife.


Anyone done bird spotting before?
Anyone seen anything rare?
What can I expect or hope to find in Brecon Beacons

 

[Knees up Brian Clark]

Look out for the Red kite Nuge wouldn’t want one of them shitting on yer head

 

[TH63]

Disappointing

 

[Eat Y'self Fitter]

Perverts OUT.

Not those birds, flying birds.

I've just ordered Collins bird spotting book.

I finish in Swansea next week, then I'm off up Brecon and have got digs.
I'm not travelling, its 1hr 32 on sat nav and I cant be arsed to drive 3hrs a day.

So I've been thinking, I spent too much time looking up at the stars and not enough what's going on on this little marble we live on.

So I'm taking my binoculars with me, the pubs will be closed, hotel has a large beer garden area, few cans and I thought I'll try looking at wildlife.


Anyone done bird spotting before?
Anyone seen anything rare?
What can I expect or hope to find in Brecon Beacons

What hotel you staying at?

 

[Arfur Ap Llewellyn Europe]

Not sure about Brecon specifically but we go to Slimbridge and you get all sorts of birds visiting there, all year round.

Definitely worth getting this app before you go, which is pretty accurate at identifying different species just from their sounds:

BirdNET:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.tu_chemnitz.mi.kahst.birdnet

 

[Nugent]

What hotel you staying at?

If you don't mind , I'll keep that to myself till I get there.

Cos I wouldn't put it past some sort of posters to phone them up and cancel it, seen as my name is widely used on here.

 

[Nugent]

Not sure about Brecon specifically but we go to Slimbridge and you get all sorts of birds visiting there, all year round.

Definitely worth getting this app before you go, which is pretty accurate at identifying different species just from their sounds:

BirdNET:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.tu_chemnitz.mi.kahst.birdnet

Thanks arf.

 

[TH63]

I played golf in Brecon couple of years ago, Cradoc.

Stunning place, incredible views and plenty of birds of prey, but I’m buggered if I know what they were. In places, it was utterly silent. No road noise, no people, just the sound of the breeze and the occasional bird call.

Quite majestic

 

[TH63]

If you don't mind , I'll keep that to myself till I get there.

Cos I wouldn't put it past some sort of posters to phone them up and cancel it, seen as my name is widely used on here.

 

[Eat Y'self Fitter]

If you don't mind , I'll keep that to myself till I get there.

Cos I wouldn't put it past some sort of posters to phone them up and cancel it, seen as my name is widely used on here.

Fair enough. We stayed in a hotel in Brecon with a big garden years ago & were the only guests. As a result they gave us a swanky room with massive windows over the garden.

A few years later they were on that hotel inspector program.

 

[Nugent]

I played golf in Brecon couple of years ago, Cradoc.

Stunning place, incredible views and plenty of birds of prey, but I’m buggered if I know what they were. In places, it was utterly silent. No road noise, no people, just the sound of the breeze and the occasional bird call.

Quite majestic

Hopefully, with nice weather, I get good views of the night sky too.

 

[Nid Dave]

Perverts OUT.

Not those birds, flying birds.

I've just ordered Collins bird spotting book.

I finish in Swansea next week, then I'm off up Brecon and have got digs.
I'm not travelling, its 1hr 32 on sat nav and I cant be arsed to drive 3hrs a day.

So I've been thinking, I spent too much time looking up at the stars and not enough what's going on on this little marble we live on.

So I'm taking my binoculars with me, the pubs will be closed, hotel has a large beer garden area, few cans and I thought I'll try looking at wildlife.


Anyone done bird spotting before?
Anyone seen anything rare?
What can I expect or hope to find in Brecon Beacons

It's the astronomer's day time hobby. But you have much better resources closer to home. Fforest Farm and Radyr Weir are the places to be. The only thing you won't see there is a Peruvian Condor and even then you don't know what might be thrown from a train.

 

[Nid Dave]

Thanks arf.

Slimbridge is a bit of a children's theme park. Frankly Newport Wetlands is a better place IMO

 

[Nid Dave]

Anyone done bird spotting before?
Anyone seen anything rare?
What can I expect or hope to find in Brecon Beacons

Empty vistas. If you want "exotic" stuff go to Fforest Farm. You are aware I take it that bird watching isn't about bird watching. Just like astronomy it's a Boy's Toys environment all about photography so you can depress you fellow twitcher by showing him a better photo of a hedge sparrow than he managed to take. 400mm lenses are the standard weapon of choice.

 

[Nid Dave]

Not sure about Brecon specifically but we go to Slimbridge and you get all sorts of birds visiting there, all year round.

Definitely worth getting this app before you go, which is pretty accurate at identifying different species just from their sounds:

BirdNET:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.tu_chemnitz.mi.kahst.birdnet

Ever visited The International Centre for Birds of Prey in Newent - https://www.visitattractions.co.uk/the-international-centre-for-birds-of-prey.html

Well worth a visit with three flying displays a day in the summer. Probably my most favoured day visit.

 

[Travis Bickle]

Empty vistas. If you want "exotic" stuff go to Fforest Farm. You are aware I take it that bird watching isn't about bird watching. Just like astronomy it's a Boy's Toys environment all about photography so you can depress you fellow twitcher by showing him a better photo of a hedge sparrow than he managed to take. 400mm lenses are the standard weapon of choice.

The quality of cameras and apo lenses required make it an expensive hobby

 

[Nid Dave]

The quality of cameras and apo lenses required make it an expensive hobby

Once you've got your gear the expense is limited. The secret is to get the right equipment at the offset and not faffing about until you learn by experience what you should have gone for in the first place. The satisfaction though is phenomenal.

 

[Jimmytaff]

Slimbridge is a bit of a children's theme park. Frankly Newport Wetlands is a better place IMO

Goldcliff, a few miles down the road from NW is superb. Spoonbill, glossy ibis, avocets, lapwing, marsh harriers and much more. Best hide I've been to locally. Llanelli wetland centre worth a visit. Bit like Slimbridge - some 'captive' exotica and some hides on to the Loughor estuary

 

[Jimmytaff]

Perverts OUT.

Not those birds, flying birds.

I've just ordered Collins bird spotting book.

I finish in Swansea next week, then I'm off up Brecon and have got digs.
I'm not travelling, its 1hr 32 on sat nav and I cant be arsed to drive 3hrs a day.

So I've been thinking, I spent too much time looking up at the stars and not enough what's going on on this little marble we live on.

So I'm taking my binoculars with me, the pubs will be closed, hotel has a large beer garden area, few cans and I thought I'll try looking at wildlife.


Anyone done bird spotting before?
Anyone seen anything rare?
What can I expect or hope to find in Brecon Beacons

My recommendation would be to go to as many different habitats as you can [lockdown permitting] and see what you can see. There's riverside, semiurban, forestry, mountains and moor habitats nearby.

 

[Norris Cole]

Look out for the Red kite Nuge wouldn’t want one of them shitting on yer head

I remember Jezza on Top Gear moaning about a metre long of bird shit on his Range Rover and there was traces of 7 cherry stones in the feces and must of been a red kite.