Thanks to
David at Wildlife Wales, we decided to re-visit Carmarthenshire's
Llyn Llech Owain Country Park at Gorslas near Cross Hands. We had been there once before, but it was a long time ago.
We particularly hoped to see
Goldcrests, and we wonder if we were successful since the birds we saw had the yellow-gold wing band that you can see on the juvenile
here on the RSPB site (you may need to click through to 'illustration 2').
We saw a number of
Goldfinches (see below) in the fir and larch plantations and on the scrubby heathland. My thanks to
David at Wildlife Wales for his help here.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE9slPN09DfaG-v88XLYZC1gSV3PVwnPzXu2C4ETh0Qd19ztulkOJrNNkIa4DJ72eXqVSD0mNajHNmKw9r6rfxFoFpxeADW0f78ip_D4W6ZdRAdUaaq3Ef5lWheRZh5-6m649MfmJd8Mg/s320/bl_goldcrest_crop_%3F0511.jpg)
We sat and watched Dragonflies and Damselflies from the hides. The spots of pink iridescence beneath the dragonfly below were extraordinary. I think the species is probably the Black Darter,
Sympetrum danae. I believe this one is a male, and would be grateful to know more.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAEkgXFhYE4cjACUPs7rCWYIAL-j-MJIhW0ESQ6P47X12JZzUBsa236fx2aZHbU7z_9FMKEfqphU-AVyKwgIbo3VExT8wakuk9NL0emtMHIKauaiJVHPoy32lntT-WXB90IgCByeZLlk/s400/bl_dragonfly_owain_crop*0491.jpg)
There were a number of butterflies, too, including the Small Copper on the heather in the photographs below.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSrEkAbOaUXWy2khHs2mADD3hld3mxRnPU5V8MxRutTvg7XsY83db9xDTXJ2OJfFrI_O2qKpAR1F4m4t3f3AnsBZ9QdNBDOc-6TSNeZbPhgdGIp0O69vkc1HZJCrNrMFmuzyRY-t7FCg/s320/bl_copper_owain*0431.jpg)
There was some very arresting fungus... On first inspection when I got home and uploaded the photographs, it looked like a
Yellow Coral fungus of some sort. I have yet to verify whether these grow in my neck of the woods! You can see an example of Meadow Coral
here.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbzNayBde8jn_6RzkS_4Lz_KhfieoD1MTD0XdpHJvOxcT7D-R_q0LtS10Fbn6ELbFqqQthkEFnLtt9PAvfF9uMi4a20RASGR7BnUrou6hmfW-FjhqvghPkGizi6ZtqBIKE_Y6-4lFpKc/s400/bl_fungus_owain*_05641.jpg)
We were particularly delighted with and surprised by our Herpetofauna sightings - two
lizards and two small frogs. I mistook the first frog for a large fly. I saw something like a Horsefly skittering about on the path in front of us, and then realized that it was actually hopping! I think it was a small
Common Frog. It was not warty enough for a toad!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyLM6LFBhLkfBYe0S1yPLBl14YJ8DA-4Any2XJzjJuhJSzM2cwE8yXhsiLwHpAdYZqxC_k3KQ4aIYL5GhOIgZuNYeFNkFnGLNFsHHQ8G2c1WSRC7l7Sv28pvXnD2UNEfT10JvLz27hcY/s200/bl_frog_owain0651.jpg)
It was not long before we noticed a second, though I seem to recall that the photo below is a second view of the first.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguchy00dxvzHm3EwimTX3oA4yVFnHFrBQc5V3olbi7asqgWzeBfhr0TJvh0DQbgm_fs62ULQ6hzgHASE9xZf_jQxfKKu20E6Tugdn3DQc-FUPuqNWP_b4qLSokCJRcUj-eYMHvXpeulJw/s320/bl_frogOwain*0671.jpg)
We were on the home stretch when we noticed a small dark
Lizard on the edge of the path.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimfCZrUweU6ttGkg5MedU-8CPXr1Fj4TKZXcBS3jp1jEO1TBkeAOlPE28dUqFDpBItLcNuXhLpOBPrX0Vn4ToRfmNzg8YRLUuiuYsku3gDWofW-BX6hbnzI4agifBLnp2KaUUEcXfhooU/s400/bl_lizard_owain*_0741.jpg)
I think it was a juvenile
male.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcEu0CL7tvtpzq6LTuEhtekycvaJQOpnjdxo9mpitbFwR0xpq-VAjXD8p46RdDqMaq-YfmTEQbxBY1TAZIKIGz9XCB9-F-_BIzLAlzEnH3Ygq6H0D92lieik06rUd49jEhFra8eAWfo8/s400/bl_lizard_owain0701.jpg)
We paused to let a family pass by, and soon caught sight of this last creature. He was considerably larger and lighter in colour than the first lizard, though I suspect they were both
Common Lizards.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW6DkSYPg8c6758bkw2qpL-gn7KWdjvT7AcuPOy-XMD0c0lWRmbr_zR9ndMhmGE-Sbk7v4vbHgJzDIwuULC48UDidKd2DlZwcDmRbAu5fx72e5SvhwgJ1YmYpT6hAz3S9MtoDPfRw5a60/s400/bl_lizard_owain_detail*0801.jpg)
This photo above reminds me of a
Pangolin!
Lizards in previous posts
Yellow Fungus in a previous post
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