A combination of poor weather, very good weather, other activity holidays and golf has restricted my opportunity for nature photography but we have returned to Wales on holiday full of optimism for the week ahead. However, the first two days have presented little opportunity as the weather has been poor.

Yesterday we took a deviation on our journey to our holiday cottage in Ciliau Aeron (south of Aberaeron) to visit the Llyn Brianne reservoir. We saw red kites, buzzards, ravens, kestrels and a meadow pipit but all quite distant and in very poor light. However, the scenery (even on a dull day) was well worth the detour.

Today it has rained for most of the day and so we visited Jane Beck Welsh Blanket shop at Ty Zinc, Llwyn-y-Groes near Tregaron and enjoyed the blankets and, as a keen birder and entomologist, her advice on where to visit locally. Luckily on the way home we stopped at a lay-by and I had the opportunity to photograph a red kite being mobbed by a corvid.

Maybe the sun will shine tomorrow.