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The beauty of a big sky

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Jody Bourton Jody Bourton | 09:13 UK time, Tuesday, 12 August 2008

August should have been a lot dryer than it has been and I wanted to talk about the swarms of caddis flies that should be around about now or going in search for dippers. Alas, the rain has been non-stop of late. Clouds have been a frequent reminder of this and today I got a real glimpse of their beauty.

welsh_clouds_446.jpg

Now I don't want to come across too whimsy and profound, but to see the Brecon Beacons with a weather front coming over them with swirls and smudges of grey was a beautiful sight.

The Beacons are as good a place as any to see a whole weather front as there is so much horizon and with the altitude you get to see it framed amongst the landscape.

I've had the pleasure of seeing this kind of 'big sky' a few times and have tried to capture it with my camera but the pictures really don't do it justice.

I've been really impressed by the photographs sent into the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Wales Nature group on and I'd love to see if anyone else has had some success in capturing some moody sky.

Or drop me a line using the comment form below to let me know about your favourite view.

welsh-clouds2_446.jpg

On another note I was amazed to come across a picture of a that had been found off the coast of Wales recently. Indeed there are some fantastic creatures that you wouldn't expect to bump into while having a swim off the Gower - but they are in fact frequent visitors to Wales.

The enigmatic leatherback turtle and the strange-looking sunfish do actually travel from afar to eat jellyfish off our shores and are often sighted, occasionally being mistaken for dolphins.

However - a blue marlin?! This is pretty spectacular and surely a one-off. No doubt some people will feel this as another indicator of climate change.

Update on the house martins. To be honest, I'm not a true birder and probably prefer bugs and slugs but I'm getting a tad addicted to the house martins. They're hilarious to watch when they're perched as a 'posse' on the telegraph pole. I really can't get enough. Saying that, I've only seen them once since my last posting and hope that they haven't already left.

Here are my tips for some wildlife to watch out for in the coming weeks.

If it warms up visit a river and witness adult caddis flies skating over the river surface en masse. A great sight if the evening light is right - especially if the trout join in and feed resulting in splashy rises. The river Usk is great for this. Also swifts will be heading off this month - so say your goodbyes while they're still here.

Here's my pick of this week's wildlife web:


And finally a couple of events to watch out for:
- 15-17 August.
, Torfaen - 15 August.

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