Wildlife Art Competition

The Natur Cymru wildlife art competition is under way - entries needed by 30th April. Full details are on our website and can be found here.

Traditional notice boards are a good way of alerting people to the opportunity so if you have the time and opportunity there is an A4 poster which can be downloaded here or by clicking on the image.

Sponsors of the prizes are:

• WWF Cymru
• Snowdonia National Park
• Wildlife Trusts Wales
• Ken Bromley Art Supplies

Natur Cymru - online with the Wildlife Trusts

Read Inside

Online magazines or digital editions are knocking on the door but for the moment Natur Cymru is firmly fixed in print. Choosing when to intercept new technologies, and new commercial models, will be very important. We are definitely not an ‘early adopter’ magazine. Having said that, here is a link to a basic page turning version of our Summer 2012 edition which had a focus on the Wildlife Trusts to coincide with their centenary. Please pass it on to anyone you think may enjoy reading it.

The purpose of putting this edition online is to give potential subscribers a chance to sample before they buy. Just click on the caption beneath the front cover to 'Read Inside'.

Badger for sale

This original oil by Chris Chalk was commissioned for the front cover of the summer edition of Natur Cymru. The theme of the edition is the Wildlife Trusts in Wales hence the badger against a summery background ..... which looks somewhat different to the summer I’m enjoying!

The original is available unframed direct from the artist for £195. Chris can also supply it as a limited edition print.

Thanks Chris for a great cover.

Inspired by Nature prize giving at Dinefwr

Chris Kinsey was presented with a £500 cheque from WWF Cymru as the winner of the 2012 Inspired by Nature competition.  Gillian Clarke, both judge and presenter, said of The Hawk Moth Effect, the winning entry: ‘.... it wasn’t pretty or decorated, it was exciting, the prose ran, it had muscle, it had information, it had a story ....’ You can hear Gillian’s words in her own voice in this short film: 

In second place was John Harold with an article titled How I fell in love with the frog lady. His prize was a £500 voucher for the residential nature writing course at Tŷ Newydd. The first two articles will be published in the autumn edition of Natur Cymru.

Left to right: Liz, Chris, Gillian & Eloise 

The other prize winners were Eloise Williams who won an overnight trip for two to Skomer Island (sponsored by The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales) with an article titled I carry your heart with me. In fourth place was Liz Fleming-Williams who won a dolphin survey boat trip for two (sponsored by Dolphin Survey Boat Trips) for her article Snow on a Raven’s Wing. In fifth place was Rob Collister who won a meal for two at the Glasshouse Café in the Wildlife Centre at Cilgerran (sponsored by The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales) for his article In my backyard.

Ann Meikle, head of WWF Cymru, was unable to attend but sent this message of support:  ‘one of WWF's objectives is to inspire people to care for nature. At the same time, as more and more people around the world live in cities, it is important to use all media, particularly arts and literature to bring the joy and wonder of nature to people who may not experience it themselves. It is in that context that we are always pleased to sponsor this prize’.

David Parker, Chief Scientist for the Countryside Council for Wales and Chairman of Natur Cymru, said:  ‘Natur Cymru is an independent magazine of record about the wildlife and nature of Wales linked to the way we manage the countryside and to people, both local communities and the many visitors to Wales. A distinctive feature is the use of original art for the front covers. I would like to thank all the sponsors of the competition. I would also like to thank The National Trust, Literature Wales and Coracle for making us so welcome at Dinefwr Park and the first Literature Festival for Wales.’

A final thank you and welcome to all the people who became subscribers to Natur Cymru at the event. I hope you enjoy your quarterly read about what makes the nature of Wales so special. Final, final thank you to the BBC for laying on such environmentally friendly travel ...

Taking time out to travel to Dinefwr

Inspired by Nature - the winners

Chris Kinsey is the winner of the Natur Cymru Inspired by Nature writing competition sponsored by WWF Cymru, Tŷ Newydd, The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales and Dolphin Survey Boat Trips.

Andrew Forgrave, rural affairs editor at the Daily Post, said of The Hawk Moth Effect, the winning entry: ‘Can you remember that precise moment when you fell in love with wildlife? Chris Kinsey can. She was aged 10, and the object of her affection was an elephant hawk moth. With the gift of adult hindsight, she recalls the childish wonderment she felt with this “beautiful imago” that, to her astonishment, carried the gift of metamorphosis. Its “Alice-in-Wonderland transformation” from cigar butt chrysalis to moth world stealth bomber sparked a lifelong fascination with lepidoptera. And who can blame her?’

Gillian Clarke, the national poet of Wales and one of the judges, commented: ‘The best entries teach me something, and have a narrative. Good writing is clear, and avoids the temptation to add too many adjectives.’

Gillian Clarke will present Chris Kinsey with the £500 cash prize, donated by WWF Cymru, at the Dinefwr 2012 Literature Festival on 30^th June. She will also present the £500 voucher for the residential nature writing course at Tŷ Newydd to John Harold who came second with an article titled How I fell in love with the frog lady.

James Robertson, editor of Natur Cymru, commented ‘The competition elicited some wonderful pieces of writing. Luckily we had five prizes to give out: the judges agonised about the order of the final five, each having its strong points. Congratulations to all five winners, and all those who took part. Nature writing is clearly flourishing.’

Anne Meikle, Head of WWF Cymru, said: ‘WWF Cymru is delighted to have sponsored this year’s Natur Cymru writing competition. We hope reading such talented work will enthuse others into discovering the wonders of nature and some of the threats which they face.’

The other prize winners are Eloise Williams who wins an overnight trip for two to Skomer Island (sponsored by The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales) with an article titled I carry your heart with me. In fourth place is Liz Fleming-Williams who wins a dolphin survey boat trip for two (sponsored by Dolphin Survey Boat Trips) for her article Snow on a Raven’s Wing. In fifth place is Rob Collister who wins a meal for two at the Glasshouse Café in the Wildlife Centre at Cilgerran (sponsored by The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales) for his article In my backyard.

The first two articles will be published in the autumn edition of Natur Cymru. Prize giving at Dinefwr will be in the dining room of Newton House at Dinefwr at 2:15 pm Saturday 30^th June. This will be followed by a guided walk through Castell Woods led by Ray Woods and Lizzie Wilberforce.

Wildlife Trusts Wales - Natur Cymru summer edition

Artwork by Chris Chalk

• Wildlife Trusts in Wales - how did it all begin? Kate & Geoff Gibbs
• Cors Dyfi - one of nature’s jewels. Emyr Evans
• At the bottom of the garden - wildlife surveys in Cardiff. Rob Parry
• Wildlife gardening in north Wales. Anna Williams
• Running a Wildlife Trust. Huw Jenkins
• Dandelions of Cardiff. Tim Rich
• NATUR. Celia Thomas
• Fifty years ago - great black backed gulls on Skomer. David Saunders
• Lady Park Wood - the loss of ground flora. Kathleen Vanhuyse, Pieter Vangansbeke and George F. Peterken
• Coedwig ffosil Brymbo. Raymond Roberts                            
• The Denbigh plum - threats to native varieties. Oliver Prŷs Jones
• Is Pwyll y felin a turlough? Gareth Farr
• New Dyfi catchment and woodland research platform. Huw Evans
• Marine Matters - Protected or not? Mick Green
• Mammal news. Frances Cattanach
• Green bookshelf. Book reviews on bumblebees and slime moulds of Cheshire.
• A review of the Iolo Williams DVD box sets - The Secret Life of Birds and WildWales.

Publication date 22nd June (there was a slight delay as our printers, based in Aberystwyth, were victims of the recent flooding). Cover price £4.00. Quarterly by subscription £16 p.a. or £15 by direct debit. For further information visit www.naturcymru.org.uk or call 01248 387 373. If you would like to download an A4 poster for this edition please click here.

Wildlife Trusts – Natur Cymru special edition summer 2012

Original oil painting by Chris Chalk

·         Wildlife Trusts in Wales - how did it all begin? Kate & Geoff Gibbs

·         Cors Dyfi - one of nature’s jewels. Emyr Evans

·         At the bottom of the garden - wildlife surveys in Cardiff. Rob Parry

·         Wildlife gardening in north Wales. Anna Williams

·         Running a Wildlife Trust. Huw Jenkins

·         Dandelions of Cardiff. Tim Rich

·         NATUR. Celia Thomas

·         Fifty years ago - great black backed gulls on Skomer. David Saunders

·         Lady Park Wood - the loss of ground flora. Kathleen Vanhuyse, Pieter Vangansbeke and George F. Peterken

·         Coedwig ffosil Brymbo. Raymond Roberts                            

·         The Denbigh plum - threats to native varieties. Oliver Prŷs Jones

·         Is Pwyll y felin a turlough? Gareth Farr

·         New Dyfi catchment and woodland research platform. Huw Evans

·         Marine Matters - Protected or not? Mick Green

·         Mammal news. Frances Cattanach

·         Green bookshelf. Book reviews on bumblebees and slime moulds of Cheshire.

·         A review of the Iolo Williams DVD box sets - The Secret Life of Birds and WildWales.

                                                                                               

Publication date 15^th June. Cover price £4.00 or quarterly by subscription at £16 p.a. or £15 by direct debit. ISSN 1742-37400106 Format: 170 x 220mm, 50 pages, full colour.

For further information visit www.naturcymru.org.uk or call 01248 387 373.

If you would like to download an A4 poster for this edition please click here.

My International Day for Biodiversity

Unknown Wales was the title of the conference hosted in Cardiff by the National Museum and organised together with the Wildlife Trusts of South and West Wales. My job, together with Geoff Gibbs, was to promote Natur Cymru at the event, which was on the nearest Saturday to the UN’s International Day for Biodiversity.

Over 1700 people walked through the museum doors and ten of them signed up to become subscribers; a good result for us and them we hope. Other participants provided all sorts of wonders. I enjoyed watching a man from the museum feeding tasty treats to a table full of carnivorous plants, carefully placing a woodlouse into the open mouth of a hungry plant. By the end of the afternoon the plants were well stuffed and fast asleep. On the next stand was a beautifully restored ichthyosaurus skull, discovered at Penarth, and recently acquired by the museum; the skull was good but it was the enthusiasm of the museum staff which brought it to life, highlighting amongst other things an ammonite in its eye. Stars of the show were the two slow worms on the Flat Holm stand – they seemed to relish the attention, gracefully moving around the keeper’s fingers and flicking out their tongues.

After lunch I took a break, while Geoff took charge of the stand, and enjoyed two of the day’s seven lectures. Paul Kay’s photographs of marine fishes from around the Welsh coast were spectacular; he was able to coherently explain the finer points of differentiating between seventeen different species of goby! Paul is an advocate of photography for identification purposes as opposed to killing fish for analysis. I enjoyed listening to Vaughn Matthews from the Wildlife Trusts reporting back on a project to monitor the degree to which Tir Gofal had benefitted brown hares and water voles. Unless I missed a slide it seems, depressingly so, that Tir Gofal measures resulted in no significant improvements.

I drove the 150 miles back to Snowdonia and, after a bite to eat, took our dog for a walk. There was a noisy commotion high up in a Scots pine as resident crows shoved a young tawny owl off a branch. It spiralled to the ground in front of our barn and the crows swooped down upon it. We ran to scare off the black devils but we too must have looked threatening and baby owl did a pathetic, downhill glide into some reeds. Once more the crows attacked and we had to chase them away.

It was lying flat, looking pathetic, struggling to keep its eyes half open ... what to do? I tried to get it into a cardboard box as a temporary safe haven but, once again, baby owl sparked into life and managed a fifty metre horizontal flight to beneath the low hanging branches of a willow.  I watched for a while to check the crows had not seen or had lost interest and that seemed to be the case.

After dark I followed my ears uphill to Campbell’s Platform, on the Ffestiniog Railway overlooking the Scots pine, and listened to the plaintive calls of two young tawny owls calling out for food. Hopefully one of them was my rescued owl, my real contribution of the day for international biodiversity.