Discovering Nature: Our Winter Wildlife Walk at Hendre Lake

photos by Michael Field

The 8 am start was definitely worth it! We were greeted by a stunning sunrise at Hendre Lake during our Winter Wildlife Walk last week. The beauty of nature is truly captivating.

A Morning of Birdwatching

With our binoculars ready, we began our walk along Faendre Reen. We set up the scope to look for birds across the fields. Hendre Lake is a fantastic part of the Gwent Levels, offering a wide variety of birds. Some are residents, while others visit during winter.

Recently, there have been some very exciting sightings here. Unfortunately, we weren't lucky enough to see these few species this time. However, we continued our walk around the lake with our bird listener, Lee. He taught us about the birds we were hearing and seeing. It's always great to learn more and improve our bird call knowledge!

Exciting Bird Sightings

Using the scope, we spotted the snipes resting along the peninsula. For many of us, this was a first! Snipes are wading birds with long, straight bills. They feed on small invertebrates like worms and insect larvae. These birds prefer wetland, intertidal, and grassland habitats. They are medium-sized, adorned with stripes on their feathers from their heads.

Sadly, the UK population of snipes has been declining. It's fantastic that we continue to see them here every winter. Hopefully, the work we have been doing on the island is improving their habitat.

A Rich Variety of Birds

Throughout the morning, we saw or heard a total of 28 different birds! Here’s our list: Great Spotted Woodpecker, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Long-Tailed Tits, a Jay, Coots, Moorhens, Water Rails, Magpies, Blackbirds, Crows, Snipes, Black-Headed Gulls, Woodpigeons, Jackdaws, Robins, Goldfinches, Swans, Mallard Ducks, Cormorants, Wrens, Sparrows, Dunnocks, Starlings, Collared Doves, a Song Thrush, Bullfinches, and Redwings. There is so much to see!

Thank You for Joining Us!

Thank you to everyone who made the early start to join us for this enjoyable walk. We truly appreciate your enthusiasm! With the positive feedback we've received, we are excited to plan more fun and educational walks like this in the future.

Stay tuned for details about our upcoming Dawn Chorus Walk! We can't wait to share more moments in nature with you. A special thank you to our member and volunteer Michael for sharing your wonderful photos with us. Thanks again to our bird listener, Lee, for sharing his knowledge, and to our Park Ranger, Rhodri, for organising this fantastic event.

Photos belong to Michael Field and CVST.