A very exciting record came in earlier this month from Sorcha Lewis for a Ring Ouzel, recorded on their farm after their pastures were mucked. Ring ouzels feed on soil invertebrates which is why we encouraged mucking of pastures during the Elan Links Heritage Lottery Project and why we planted berry-rich trees on two farms. Ring ouzels pass through the Elan Valley in the autumn and feed on rowan and hawthorn berries here before heading to southern Europe for the winter. It has recently come to our attention that at least one pair has been nesting in the Elan Valley possibly every year since at least 2021.

Curlew records have been coming in from different parts of the Elan Valley, thanks to volunteers, tenants, staff and Tony Cross. Iona and Tony fenced two nests in early May with Tony fencing two further nests more recently. Our Elan Valley curlew have been acting oddly this year, possibly due to the lengthy cold spring but the fire will have further complicated the situation. Four breeding pairs have turned up elsewhere in the valley, one pair choosing a recently restored peatland which is thrilling. The massive fire which burnt almost half of the valley will have had an impact and displaced some birds.

Image: Tony Cross

Four breeding pairs have turned up elsewhere in the valley, one pair choosing a recently restored peatland which is thrilling. The massive fire which burnt almost half of the valley will have had an impact and displaced some birds.

Image: Tony Cross

We can also report that the first curlew eggs hatched on the bank holiday weekend and four chicks were observed by Tony Cross.

Image: Tony Cross

Meanwhile Pied Flycatchers returned to the valley in mid-April and are nesting in oak woods around the reservoirs. Our volunteers put up nest boxes in one of the wood pastures this winter and a local volunteer is monitoring them. All of the boxes have nesting birds and half are pied flycatchers which is wonderful. The nest boxes provide a secure place for the eggs and chicks, giving them a head start in the race for survival. We plan to put up more nest boxes in the Elan valley Trust woods this autumn.