​In just three days it is easy to visit a multitude of different habitats on the West coast of Wales. From the exposed, rolling white-capped hills of Snowdonia to the sunny and serene coastal towns such as Fairbourne, a variety of wildlife can be found. A particular highlight for me was visiting the Dyfi Osprey Project where Blue 24 had just returned in the previous week, no doubt havoc is imminent when the other ospreys return and fight for the nest. Another highlight was visiting Ynys Hir RSPB reserve where garden birds tussled for the seeds at the feeders. 

​Over the Easter weekend I was lucky enough to visit Lake Vyrnwy in central Wales. The Lake is surrounded by 24,000 acres of RSPB owned and managed land, meaning there are a multitude of different trails and hides to explore. By sitting in the Coed y Capel bird hide it’s easy to forget about the breath-taking scenery around you as there is never a dull moment from the hide itself. It would be easy to sit in the hide for hours on end without ever becoming bored as there is a constant flitter of dozens of woodland birds, mostly tagged by the RSPB. The photos I have published on this blog (that are labelled as being from the Coed y Capel bird hide) were all taken within just one hour, I cut the number of photos down from well over 400 to just 16 with photos remaining of Greater Spotted Woodpeckers, Coal Tits, Chaffinches, Siskins, Great Tits, Grey Squirrels and Bramblings. Various other photos were taken in the area surrounding the lake, spotting species such as the tiny Goldcrest and Treecreeper. 

​The late afternoon sun on the 25th was perfect in lighting up the rich colours on the red kites. This time of the year, red kites can be particularly active as one of the pair will be kept busy collecting sticks and twigs to build the nest and the other will roost at the site shooing any intruders away. 

At this time of the year you can see the small rabbits staying close to their warren on the steep hillside, making the most of the quiet grassy fields bathed in springtime sunlight. 

When hiding out in a tree house, I had the perfect view of the compost heap and garden trimmings pile. However, instead of seeing the usual garden birds which I was expecting to take photos of, this field vole caught my eye feeding on recently pruned Buddleia leaves in the evening light. 

The birds in the garden were enjoying the sun on what felt like the first day of spring.