GO BIRDING
MAX MILES ON FOOT: 15 MIN TIME : 4 HOURS
POW YS/MONMOUTHSHIRE
A beautiful hidden valley with superb birds and views
This is a route that you’ll do mainly by car (or bike, if you’re brave enough to tackle some big climbs), but there are several opportunities to stop and wander off the single-track road in search of birds, and the views can be breathtaking.
WHERE TO WATCH
1 Hay Bluff can get very busy in summer, but spring and autumn visits can be most rewarding, with lots of Wheatears, possible Ring Ouzel and Whinchat, plus Mistle Thrush, Raven and Buzzard, and the possibility of the odd upland wader such as Golden Plover.
2 The area around Capel-y-ffin usually has plenty of Stonechats, and there’s the possibility of all those species mentioned at the Bluff. Scan above the hills for other raptors, such as Red Kite and Peregrine. As you start to descend again, look for Whitethroats on roadside vegetation.
3 Park safely near the Priory, then walk along the lane and the nearby fields, checking the hedgerows and trees. Redstart is always a possibility in spring and summer, when there should be good numbers of warblers, including Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Garden Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat. Passage Wood Warbler and Pied Flycatcher are possible, and Spotted Flycatchers are sometime
