Amazing. Though I’ve never heard of a pryf cacwn before (or seen one, as far as I know)
1 Like
I happened to notice where a pair of deer seem to staying, the awkward part is i need to use rather a lot of zoom, the good bit is they seem to feel quite safe so are not to spooked by people passing.
The canal is between me and them but does not show in photo’s.
Dau garw Iwrch gwrywaidd ar y chwith, benywaidd ar y dde - Two roe deer male on the left female on the right.
Have no doubts that they know when i am looking at them.
Carw Iwrch gwrywaidd gyda chyrn newydd sy’n datblygu - Male roe deer with new antlers developing.
(click on images for full size, is it me or do those black marks on it’s lower jaw look like fangs/tusks, curiously, the Chinese water deer still have tusks).
On i’n lwcus iawn gyda tywydd bora hyn, - i was very lucky with the weather this morning.
dipyn o haulwen a mae’r tymherydd yn codi - a little sunshine and the temperature rose.
felly, wnes i weld fy gloyn byw gyntaf. - so i saw my first butterfly.
Mantell garpiog ar eithin - Comma on gorse.
and another snake.
Gwiber - Adder.
Another adder, i actually saw my first grass snake but it saw me at the same time and moved under cover. i have to walk with quiet feet as they sense ground vibrations as well as seeing/hearing, also i have to be carefull that my shadow does not cross them.
Cheers J.P.
6 Likes
Looks like you had a very good day @ramblingjohn. That pryf cacwn … waw! What time of day do you see the roe deer? There are some here but they are very swil & I only see them at dusk. Amazing to see, especially the males with velvety antlers. Gwych.
A snap from a bedroom window.
Aderyn du yn gweiddi, ‘tongue’ just visible. Do birds have tafodau?
6 Likes
The deer i see mid afternoon, but i feel i could see them any time of day there as they are somewhat trapped between the canal, railway and a major road, (they are in a long triangular meadow), i don’t want to go into the meadow to get closer as i may frighten them into running across the railway.
Map grab showing the field and, straight line of railway to the south, canal on north edge and road to the east. The only access to the field is under the major road beside the canal which at the moment has a locked gate!
As far as i understand birds have tongues (tafodau), some of the geese i believe have rasp like ridges on their tongues and beaks (would not be quite right to call them teeth), which of course is another photo to try for.
That is a very nice photo of aderyn du, diolch.
Cheers J.P.
2 Likes
A very beautiful photo!
2 Likes
Are you sure pryf cacwn isn’t ‘hornet fly’?
Not that my geiriadur is much help with this, just that cacwn seems to fit with ‘hornet’, bee always seems to be gwenyn.
(I read it as cacen first and thought, ‘oh, a fly that likes cake’!
2 Likes
Some pictures from Lofoten which I thought people might be interested to see. Don’t fancy the fish heads but the stokfisk is OK.
5 Likes
Buwch goch 7 smotyn - 7 spot ladybird.
Madfall - common lizard (just couldn’t get a clear image).
Trilliw bach - small tortoiseshell.
Llygad Ebrill - Lesser celandine.
Cheers J.P.
4 Likes
Well i put the two names as per Iolo williams book, but am aware there are other coloquial names as well.
No sound, (not really much to say and didn’t want to frightten the beauty), i’m gradually experimenting with the video.
I’m pleased the strangely coloured Titw Tomos las has survived the winter and looks to be getting better.
Clychau’r gog - Bluebell (a few starting to appear, soon be a carpet of blue in the woods).
Cheers J.P.
4 Likes
Gorgeous picture, Pippa, da iawn!!!
To @ramblingjohn You lied!! I distinctly heard the bee buzzing!! What you meant was “no extraneous sound”! Great pics as usual!!
We had a beautiful healthy nicos (goldfinch) on the fence ddoe, but he flew before I could get the camera there!!
p.s. Edit: We are getting a lot of sickly finches, puffed up and lethargic
@ramblingjohn Do you know what causes this? We have it often at all times of year!
2 Likes
Lwc!
On i’n paratoi fy 'nghoffi imi wedi cinio ddoe.
Outside, finches are eating under the bird table.
Whooosh!
I am staring eye-to-eye with the sparrowhawk who is now standing there with talons clutching an unfortunate chaffinch.
The moment freezes. The gaze is riveting!
Then
Whoosh
With a straight up zoom and a wing flip turn, hawk and chaffinch are gone!!
Yn wyr, dwi’n lwcus i byw 'ma.
Not so lucky was the finch!
1 Like
A wild/feral goat (gafr) and her kid (myn) taken in the early morning this week at Nant Gwrthyern - usually too nervous to hang around but perhaps they were enjoying munching the grass too much:
9 Likes
We had a problem with green finches looking sick a few years back now. Seems they had this:
Trichomonosis
We haven’t seen many since then but they are back in good numbers this year.
My worry is this little chaffinch with scabby legs. She was feeding this morning & not flying off like the others when disturbed. She looked like she just didn’t have the energy or inclination to do so.
I Googled it. It’s not something I’d recommend for the faint hearted. There were some really sad images of birds with bad legs. This is what the BTO has to say:
Growths on legs & feet
On a lighter note, & for comparison here is a chaffinch in the rain this morning, with healthy legs; quite a difference.
5 Likes
Ymyrrwr or rather, ymyrrwraig (gate crasher) at the bird feeder.
Female pheasant - ffesant (iâr)
Llyfr Natur Iolo:
“Mae’r ffesant yn bwyta blagur, hadau a phryfed a does dim dwywaith ei fod yn cael effaith andwyol ar blanhigion a phryfetach cynhenid mewn ardaloedd lle mae’n aderyn niferus.”
Roughly translates as ‘they can be a flipping nuisance’.
PS - through a window in the rain
7 Likes
Pasg Hapus i bawb 
While those of you who are in the UK are enjoying something that on your photos looks almost like summer, our modest spring has finally arrived. There are still big heaps of snow in the streets and no grass but the snowdrops are blooming and my favourite pussy-willows are covered with catkins. That’s my favourite period of the year.
Is there anyone here to whom the spring arrives later? Probably not:)
10 Likes
No, we are slightly ahead of you but nevertheless we woke this morning to see the hills have turned white in the night.
Roedd hi’n bwrw eira eto!
1 Like
Oh, that’s surprising, I was pretty sure we’re behind almost the whole planet!
1 Like
I suspect Norway and Alaska may be behind you!! Pasg Hapus, sorry it is late!
2 Likes
