Wetland Walk

Lovely day so decided on a walk at Newport Wetlands.  Hadn't been for a long time and thought the spring flowers would be putting on a show.  Sadly I was a bit early for that. 

 The Wetlands was developed as a home for the birds who were displaced with the development of Cardiff Bay a few years ago.  As far as I can see nobody told the birds and I see very few there.   But I really do like walking there especially on a sunny day like today.  

 It is built next to Uskmouth power station so my photographs today are mainly of that as there were not many flowers to see.  It is a coal fired power station and here you can see the big pile of fuel waiting to be converted into electricity.  

It occupies quite a big area with several large buildings. 

As you can see there are a large number of big pylons. To carry the power to wherever it has to go. 

After walking past the power station the path join the Wales Coastal Path.  

The coastline here is the Severn Estuary and on  the opposite side of the estuary you can see the Somerset coast and the islands of Steep Holm and Flat Holm.  Difficult to see them here but if you click on the photo to enlarge it you will. 

 Across the water you can see the Somerset coast and also here the rubbish that has washed up with the tide. 

Don't know what this is but probably some old fencing that has been exposed as the water levels have changed over the years.

I did see a few flowers and butterflies. 

 Saw a big patch of lady's smock by the power station and several butterflies but none of them stayed still long enough for me to photograph them. I saw small tortoiseshell, red admiral, small white and peacock. Did manage to snap this small tortoiseshell on a dandelion. 

Coltsfoot seed heads

Don't know what this blossom is but it looks very pretty.

The East Usk Lighthouse looks out over the estuary.

View of the power station  from the bird hide at the end of the lagoon.

The path through the woods

In the distance there are 2 wind turbines, much cleaner electricity than that produced at the power station. In the foreground is the reserve's visitor centre.

If the birds do ever find their way here they shouldn't have any problem finding their way home again.

 I did eventually see some birds.  A family of coots in the pond by the visitor centre. There were 2 adults and 2 cootlets.  This is the best photo I could get with only 2 of them in it. 

This sculpture of bull rushes is near the entrance to the reserve.  Couldn't see any information about who made it. 

I checked a map when I got home and noted that I had walked 6 kilometers. No wonder I was tired!

Bird nesting boxes

Today I emptied my bird boxes ready to clean them out before replacing them in the garden ready for spring.  Last year there were lots of earwigs and wood lice in them.   The first one I opened today had no insects in it.   Then I realised why when a rather large spider came crawling out of the nest. He had been feasting well since the birds left.

 This is the larger nest where the spider had been living.  It was nice and dry and made mainly of moss and feathers.  You can see some white cotton in there which I must have dropped in the garden when sewing outside in the summer.  Also in this one there were several filter tips from cigarettes which I think maybe the window cleaner had dropped in the garden.  It is surprising what they use for nesting materials. Last year I found what seemed to be horse hair in one of them.  I think both nests this year were made by bluetits.

The second nest was quite a bit smaller and very damp.  A big colony of woodlice had taken residence in the box.  Like the other this was mainly moss and small feathers.  The rain must have managed to get into it and the inside of the box has some white waxy looking substance in it which I think must be some kind of fungus. Perhaps I will need to buy a new one for this year.  I do have a robin nest box I bought at Christmas so maybe I can put that up instead.

This is the inside of nest box. The white substance is also on the base of the box outside.  I will let it dry out and see if I can remove it .