We drove 10 minutes to Talybont-on-Usk and from there did a nice walk. Along the river – saw a pair of Mandarin Ducks – then climbed up through fields and old Oak woods.
Up on the hill we found a Great Spotted Woodpecker nest hole with chicks in it. We couldn’t see the chicks, but they were making a lot of noise as were the adults up in the canopy. Then down into Pencelli. Lunch and a pint in the excellent Royal Oak pub and then back along the canal. About half way along the towpath we met an Osprey group volunteer with a couple of telescopes keeping watch on a nest in the top of an oak tree about a mile away. She told us that the female was on eggs – we could just make out the bird through the ‘scope. The nest was built last year, but this year is the first year the birds have bred.
Then we went to Llangors Lake. First we parked on the north side and had a wander. We couldn’t get very close to the lake from here, but we did hear and see a Garden Warbler.
On the south side we parked by the church at Llangasty-Talyllyn and walked along the trail to a hide overlooking the reed bed and lake. The hide had a stained glass window.
Back at the hotel, we watched a Red Kite over the sheep field from the bedroom window.