Siskin and Lesser Redpoll

The last day of our trip and the long journey home. We set off at 9am and arrived home at around 17:30, but we did have a 2-hour break at the Dyfi Osprey project in Machynlleth. We spotted the sign on the way up on Monday and when I googled it the decision was made! 
It's a lovely little reserve with a resident pair of ospreys that you can view from the 360 tower. The nest is around 200m away, so out of real reach of my camera. I did try a few shots, but they were nowhere near sharp enough. You can get a good view using the optics provided and they also have a live camera feed where you can see the nest up close and personal on the big colour screen. They have 3 chicks who were around 3 weeks old and doing well. They were a delight to watch and a great way to break up the journey and get a sandwich and a drink. 
There were also a couple of sets of feeders that you could watch and these were well used by the usual suspects - tits and finches, but it was very nice to see some other species that we don't see so often near us - siskins and lesser redpolls. 
We were also lucky enough to see a cuckoo that was pointed out by one of the volunteers (extras). It was displaying well in the sunshine. 

Pretty tired now, so not sure if I will fall asleep on the sofa or find the energy to do some thank yous and commenting later on maybe...let's see! 

Have a great weekend everyone.