Walking the Lleyn Coast Path

Spring Squill on the cliff edge

May and June are great months to walk along the Lleyn coast. In May, slopes and streamsides the sheep can’t reach are carpeted with primroses, thrift and spring squill. Scrubby patches and gorse along the cliff edges are good for breeding whitethroats and stonechats, while the short well-grazed turf attracts migrant wheatears and feeding choughs. Other migrant birds along the coast include whimbrel on their way to Iceland or NW Russia (we saw 115 between Porth Ysgaden and Porth Dinllaen on May 8^th) and noisy Sandwich terns fishing close in. And when the sun comes out so do the butterflies – wall browns, small heaths and common blues.

Ynys Enlli from the tip of Lleyn

Our longest stretch so far this year was 10 miles from Porth Oer (Whistling Sands) to Aberdaron, right round the headland facing Ynys Enlli (Bardsey). We sat and ate lunch looking across to Bardsey, a sort of funny reverse experience for us!

Llyn Coastal Bus

One problem facing the coastal walker is how to get back to where you started – unless you are carrying a tent, of course. Walking the Lleyn Coastal Path in stages is much easier this year because of a special Minibus service for walkers. On four days each week until the end of October, a minibus runs every two hours from Abersoch to Aberdaron and  on to Nefyn, with a second vehicle doing the opposite. The fare is £1, and the driver will pick up or drop off passengers at any point on the coast the minibus can reach.

So if you enjoy walking on the coast of Wales, make sure you get to Lleyn this year, as who knows if the minibuses will continue in 2017. And as you walk along the path, remember to thank the National Trust and the Welsh Government for making the coast so accessible.

Good news all round! Natur Cymru Issue 59 Summer 2016

TWO great things have happened this week

First, our Fundraising appeal has been successful thanks to the great generosity of our supporters who have given either their money or their time or both. These include:

Iolo Williams, who has supported Natur Cymru right from the beginning

National Trust, Bodnant Gardens

National Trust, Llanerchaeron Gardens

Ty Newydd Writers Centre

North Wales Wildlife Trust

Dyfi Osprey Project

Denmark Farm Conservation Centre

Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales

Please try to support them in return, wherever you can.

This week also sees the publication of the Summer issue packed full of wonderful articles

 

The Welsh Rothschilds - places for nature ● Jonathan Mullard

It is 100 years since Charles Rothschild selected his proposed nature reserves in Wales

 

The end of the line for the Strandline Beetle? ● Mike Howe

Many environmental factors are working together to drive this rare beetle to extinction

 

Earthstar fungus Geastrum britannicum: coming soon to a churchyard near you ● Andrew Shaw

A new species, which only occurs in Britain, has been found in a number of Welsh churchyards 

 

Trelogan - a small Welsh village with a worldwide reputation ● Paul Day and Phil Putwain

How lead mining has led both to the study of evolution in action

 

A photographer’s journey - from landscapes to birds in their habitat  ● Jeremy Moore

A personal account of how bird photography grew out of a love of landscapes

 

Eryri - may na mynyddoedd - Ffair Bioamrywiaeth Eryri ● Gethin Davies

Taith Bioamrywiaeth Flynyddol o amgylch ysgolion Eryri

 

Do bats visit the Pembrokeshire Islands? ●  Rachel Taylor

New technology is revealing a great deal about hitherto unknown movements of bats

 

“I had seen nothing in nature so spectacular”  The Grassholm Saga ● David Saunders

The long and colourful history of this Pembrokeshire island is brought together for the first time.

 

Freshwater pearl mussels - Pearls in Peril ● Elain Gwilym and Jackie Webley

A four year project is now nearing completion with hope for the future of this iconic species

 

NODWEDDION ARFEROL / REGULAR FEATURES

Green Bookshelf ● James Robertson, Mike Howe

Marine Matters ● Ivor Rees

‘Seared Scallops’ - the implications of proposed scallop dredging in the Cardigan Bay SAC

Buglife ● Ryan Clark

There is life in dead wood!

From the Garden ● Bruce Langridge

Dancing to the rhythm of fungi – ballerina waxcaps

Discoveries in science ● Harriet Wood

Safeguarding the gems of a scientific collection

Plantlife ● Colin Cheesman

Great Orme - its botanical riches and management challenges

Woods and forests ● Nick Atkinson

The Long Forest - hedgerows and their management

Publication date: 15^th June 2016

Cover price £4.50, or quarterly by subscription £18 pa (individual) or £32 (group/organisation)

Enquiries: info@naturcymru.org.uk 0300 065 4867

Natur Cymru's Crowdfunding appeal



Iolo Williams, giving heartfelt support for Natur Cymru

There are big changes here at Natur Cymru HQ. If you're a subscriber you'll be getting a personal letter from us this week explaining what's happening, but here's a summary.

Earlier this year we learned that important financial support was being withdrawn. Since then we have been working hard to find ways to keep the magazine going. Without it, unfortunately the magazine will have to close after Issue 60 (Autumn 2016).
 
More time is needed to find a long term solution, and so we have decided to ask for donations to raise enough money to keep afloat until March 2017. We are seeking £12,000 to fund a further 2 issues – Nos 61 (Winter 2016) and 62 (Spring 2017). This will be used to fund staff time and office costs.

Supporters can donate online via the the Crowdfunder website, where Iolo Williams speaks from the heart about what Natur Cymru means to wildlife in Wales.
www.crowdfunder.co.uk/natur-cymru-nature-wales

Cheque donations are also very welcome - please make your cheque payable to Natur Cymru Ltd and post to Natur Cymru, Maes y Ffynnon, Penrhosgarnedd, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2DW.  Please remember to include your name and address.

Please note, cheques and pledges will not be cashed unless we reach our target.

WHAT ELSE CAN PEOPLE DO TO HELP?

• Subscribe to NC via our website www.naturcymru.org or by writing to us
• Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/naturcymru.natureofwales/ and Twitter @NaturCymru and share to interested parties so we can reach a wider audience
• Write to us with letters of support which will help with our bids for funding (or email info@naturcymru.org.uk)

 

If you belong to an organisation which might be able to help meet any of our needs, please contact us info@naturcymru.org.uk

 

Thank you everyone, and keep your fingers crossed!

Welsh Assemby elections - how will you vote?

With the Welsh Assembly elections in May drawing near, Natur Cymru decided to approached the six main political parties and asked them about some of the environmental problems facing Wales today.


Judging by what we know of our readership, many people in Wales feel passionately about environmental issues. But how easy is it to judge and compare the environmental approaches of the main political parties?


We asked for a general statement, and replies to 4 questions. In Issue 58 we summarised the responses we received, but you can  read their full replies on our website here.

QUESTION 1: What do you think are the main threats to the marine environment caused by human activities? How would you address these, and would marine conservation zones be a priority?

QUESTION 2: Do you think Pillar 1 of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is delivering significant environmental benefits for the taxpayer? Are there any ways in which you and your Party would seek to reform CAP and the way in which it is administered in Wales to deliver improved environmental outcomes and public benefits?

QUESTION 3: Do you think measures are needed to improve the performance of Natural Resources Wales (NRW) in fulfilling its duties and responsibilities towards wildlife and the natural environment, and if so, what would these be?

QUESTION 4: Sustainability of major land-use changes (such as the Circuit of Wales, M4 Relief road); do the stated advantages of the developments (some of which may not turn out as claimed) outweigh the permanent loss of key habitat?

We hope you find the results interesting and informative. They reveal many and varied points of view and policy intentions. We are extremely grateful to all those who provided responses to our questions, namely: Llyr Gruffydd AM, Plaid Cymru; Tom Sharman, Policy Communications Manager, Wales Green Party; Janet Howarth AM, Welsh Conservative Party; Martin Eaglestone, Welsh Policy Officer, Welsh Labour Party; and William Powell AM, Welsh Liberal Democrats Shadow Minister for the Environment & Rural Affairs. UKIP did not reply.

Goats in Bee Bole

The new kid is now 19 days old and finding its feet; quick and agile on steep slopes, but not yet able to cross over fences. For the time being the kid and its mum are separate from the rest of the gang, unable to get over fences, although today there was a second female or aunt in attendance.

This morning’s weather was foul, cold and wet. As I drove up the hill, the kid and its mum were on the drive in front of me, just above the lower hairpin. They stared at my car for a while, but as the intensity of the rain increased, it was time for shelter. They ran up the slope and took refuge in one of the bee boles. The mum ushered in the kid, then squeezed in herself; a tight fit with her horns touching the ceiling.

The bee boles were built for skeps, the baskets in which bees were kept before the invention of the beehive. It’s good to see old buildings put to new uses.

Natur Cymru 58 Spring 2016

Publication date: 18th March 2016

Cover price £4.50, or quarterly by subscription £18 pa (individual) or £32 (group/organisation)

Politics and Environment: views of the Parties
In the run up to the May elections, where do the main parties stand on key environmental issues?

Er clod i'n cloddiau cerrig ● Twn Elias, Dafydd Roberts a John H. Davies
Mae cloddiau yn rhan annatod o dirwedd Cymru ac yn amhrisiadwy i fywyd gwyllt

Travels in lichenology ● Tracey Lovering
The trials and addictive joys of learning a new subject

Native oyster restoration in Wales ● Andy Woolmer
Bringing back the native oyster to Swansea Bay

Enlightened, wildlife-friendly agriculture ● Ian Rappel
Colin Tudge speaks of the Campaign for Real Farming

Skokholm & Skomer 1946  ● David Saunders
After the Second World War naturalists were keen to return to the Pembrokeshire Islands

Pumlumon: a truly Living Landscape ● Liz Lewis-Reddy
Restoring wildlife, sustainable agriculture  and vibrant communities back to the Cambrian Mountains

When to intervene ● Rob Parry
A thought-provoking plea to do more for wildlife before it's too late

Discoveries in science ● Annette Townsend, Caroline Buttler & Cindy Howells
Moulding and casting a fossilised coral

Buglife ● Michelle Bales - Urban Buzz – creating wildlife areas for invertebrates

Green Bookshelf ● David Saunders, Andy Mackie

Dispatches from the hills ● David Elias

Rewilding the Ranges

Islands round up ● Geoff Gibbs
News from the Skerries, and overwintering on the offshore islands of Wales

Nature at large ● Audrey Watson
BASC programme of mink control to protect water voles

Woods and forests ● Rory Francis
How green is my city? The importance of urban trees

Life lines ● Russell De'Ath
Building a resilience: the principles of Sustainable Management of Natural Resources

Enquiries: info@naturcymru.org.uk 0300 065 4867

Films about conservation in Wales

Over the past year I had the pleasure of meeting a lot of interesting people at National Trust properties across Wales to make short films about their conservation work.

At Cwm Idwal we filmed early when the arctic alpines were blooming and later in the summer when everywhere was purple with heather. Amazing geology and incredible what a difference sheep grazing or the lack of it can make. Here is a link to the English and to the Welsh. 

Cwm Ivy is another magical place down on the Gower where a medieval seawall has been breached and a brand new salt marsh has been created. The transition from pasture to salt marsh was incredibly quick, new species quickly filled the gap. Here is a link to the film.

To give people an idea of the sort of work that goes into managing a National Trust woodland we filmed in each season to show the activities at different times of year. This film condenses a year in the life of Rhodri Wigley and the Dolmelynllyn Woodland into 15 minutes. Here is a link to 

the English and to the Welsh. 

In Ceredigion there are 9 sites which are part of the Save Our Magnificent Meadows project. This particular site was just north of Aberporth and a group of volunteers was being trained to identify plants and thus be able to monitor the progress of the meadows. Here is a link to the film. 

The Cregennan Lakes between Cadair Idris and the Mawddach are the best in Wales, the benchmark against which all other lakes are measured. This film incorporates dive footage which shows the plantlife growing at almost twice the depth of other lakes. 

The waxcaps at Llanerchaeron are beautiful and so is the soil analysis and DNA science which helps you detect which species are present without the need to see the fruiting bodies. Here is a link to the film. 

I always look forward to my visits to Pembrokeshire but as I drove down through the storms I thought it was going to be a wasted journey. Fortunately the Gods were on our side and we had 5 hours of filming before the heavens opened again. This is what they are doing on the Castlemartin Peninsula. 

At Hafod y Llan a second shepherd was appointed to control the sheep which were grazing the wrong parts of the mountain as soon as the first shepherd clocked off at the end of his shift. Here is a link to the English and to the Welsh. 

The geography of the Migneint is so impressive and vast but it still needs managing. This is what is being done to improve the conditions for species such as the Red Grouse. Here is a link to the film. 

I also had the opportunity to make some films about the Llyn Peninsula which were not commissioned by the National Trust but included a lot of their input. Here is a link to one of those films. 

New exhibition at Brymbo Fossil Forest

In Natur Cymru 43 (2012) Raymond Roberts wrote about the exciting fossil discoveries unearthed at the former iron and steelworks at Brymbo near Wrexham. There has been much work at the site since then, and Raymond has written about the developments in the latest issue of Earth Heritage, the twice-yearly geology magazine. You can download a copy for free here.

Fossil of giant clubmoss

One of the most important finds was that of a giant clubmoss from the Carboniferous Era, with the trunk and roots still connected. It was decided to extract this from the site, both for its own protection and to allow further access. After careful reconstruction the fossil will now be on display in Wrexham Museum from 30th January 2016.

Over-wintering on Welsh Islands

Here in North Wales we probably think we’ve had it pretty rough over the Christmas period, with roads flooded and closed, railways closed (Bangor to Holyhead a few days ago, Conwy Valley line closed for weeks to come) and difficult driving conditions.

Spare a thought then for those hardy souls spending the winter on two offshore islands, Ramsey and Bardsey (Ynys Enlli). Life on offshore islands is never easy, but at least staff on islands without livestock, such as Skomer and Skokholm, are able to leave for the mainland in early winter.

You can read about the adventures of Greg and Lisa Morgan on their Ramsey blog on the RSPB website. In addition to pictures of the little harbour being pounded by the gales 3 days ago and at the end of November, you will find out about the tidal turbine which was installed in Ramsey Sound in mid-December (in a calm spell!). To see how Lisa and Greg have coped over various winters, you can read their blog back to 2010.

The situation on Bardsey is a bit more complicated. The Porter family have been living on Enlli since 2007, but by October last year both children were away at University in Falmouth (some way away....). They were due to come back for Christmas, by which time when the island should have had another two new residents: Sian Stacey and her partner Mark Carter. Mark has been Assistant Warden at the Bird Observatory for several years, and Sian is the new Island Manager for the Bardsey Island Trust. Sian and Mark were all set to arrive at the start of December, but had to wait on the mainland until 27^th when the weather relented and Colin Evans was able to take them and the young Porters across.

You can read Sian’s blog about their adventures at http://bardseyislandlife.blogspot.co.uk, and see pictures of the whole gang bathing in the Cafn on January 1^st. Let’s see how they cope with the next three months!

My pictures taken at the end of September show that life on Bardsey can be easier, at times.

Cattle returned to the island in September

A September sunset looking towards Ireland 

Geoff Gibbs

Natur Cymru Issue 57 Winter 2015-16

'Twelve drummers drumming' (detail)
by Ann Lewis www.annlewis.co.uk

Publication date: 15th December 2015
Cover price £4.50, or quarterly by subscription £18 pa (individual) or £32 (group/organisation)

A box of matches and sheep's teeth ● David Elias
Conservation management on the North Wales moors

The Welsh uplands death or resurrection? ● Mick Green
Wildlife declines may require a new approach.

Planhigion meddyginiaethol Meddygon Myddfai ● Bethan Wyn Jones
Hynt a hanes meddygaeth lysieuol.

The Black Mountains - not such a black future ● Bradley Welch
Targeted use of the Welsh Government Nature Fund.

One farm’s flora: 30 years on ● Neil Ludlow
Vegetation changes on a Carmarthenshire smallholding.

Something like tundra.....unique Welsh highland habitat ● John Harold
Montane heath on the upland plateaux of Snowdonia.

The pearl-bordered fritillary in Wales ● Tammy Stretton & Russel Hobson
Conservation efforts along the Welsh border for this declining species.

The Llysdinam legacy ● Fred Slater
The story of Cardiff Unversity’s field centre in mid-Wales, and the studies conducted there


NODWEDDION ARFEROL / REGULAR FEATURES

Buglife ● Sarah Henshall
Exposed Riverine Sediments and the invertebrates found there

Discoveries in science ● Sarah Daly
Stuffed, Pickled & Pinned - an exhibition of the wonders of nature in Welsh museums

From the Garden ● Rob Thomas
Pollen analysis throws light on the creation of the Middleton Hall gardens two centuries ago

Green Bookshelf ● Ian Spence, Annie Haycock, Chris Fuller, David Saunders & Mandy Marsh

Lifelines ● Kathryn Hewitt
Natura 2000 - the natural wealth of Wales

Mammals round-up ● Frances Cattanach
An update on a whole spectrum of Wales' mammals

Marine matters ● Ivor Rees
Proposed Tidal Lagoon in Swansea Bay

Nature at large ● Gareth Cunningham
Welsh seabird colonies - how are they faring?

Plantlife ● Dave Lamacraft
Unearthing the secrets of the Celtic rainforest

News ● Hilary Kehoe - PONT - grazing animals project



Enquiries: info@naturcymru.org.uk 0300 065 4867

‘A year in the life of a National Trust woodland - autumn at Dolmelynllyn

Yesterday I returned to Dolmlynllyn to film ‘autumn’, the third season in ‘a year in the life of a National Trust woodland’.

Rhodri Wigley was an excellent guide and laid on several activities; removing sapwood from cleft fencing stakes, a dangerous tree survey, pruning of small trees, volunteers thinning an overgrown piece of woodland and the building of the village bonfire at Ganllwyd. Here are the short films in English and in Welsh:

Teifi Marshes: a small butterfly, a big badger and some buffaloes!

Nathan Walton wrote about the Teifi Marshes reserve (Wildlife Trust of S & W Wales) and the Welsh Wildlife Centre there, in the Spring 2015 issue of Natur Cymru. Kate and I arranged to meet Nathan at the reserve on our way down to Skokholm in early September; as his first job in conservation was with NWWT there is always plenty to talk about!

Brown Hairstreak. Photo by Maggie Sproule

The small butterfly is the brown hairstreak, one of five British hairstreaks. It has quite a limited range in Britain, but SW Wales is a hot-spot for them. The females lay eggs on blackthorn, avoiding hedges which are cut every year with a flail. We knew it was the right time of year and asked Nathan if we could see one; ‘Yes, on hemp agrimony outside the kingfisher hide’! Ten minutes later local entomologist Maggie Sproule was showing us our first-ever brown hairstreak. Maggie told us: ‘It has been a wonderful year for sightings at the Wildlife Centre, helped by the fact that so many are nectar feeding.  One day I was watching a female and waited to see how she would stay nectar feeding.  I first saw her at 14:00 on a hemp agrimony plant and kept checking every ten minutes.  She was still there, on the same plant but a different head over two hours later, and didn't leave until the plants were in the shade’.

After this experience we sat outside the Centre with a cup of tea and a bun, and enjoyed the view over the Teifi Marshes towards Cardigan town. The big willow badger certainly dwarfs the small boy!

On our walk round the 2-mile Wetland Trail we enjoyed seeing a group of water buffaloes. Nathan told us ‘we had eight females on site that arrived middle of March. Six of them were pregnant although it wasn’t clear as to when they would ‘drop’. Due to good herbage on the reserve, they developed quicker than anticipated and the first female gave birth in the middle of August. 

Blissful Buffalo. Photo by Nathan Walton.

It was decided to take them all off the reserve so as to allow birthing within farm buildings of the owner. The female and calf along with three others were easily rounded up. The other four were new to the reserve and so herding them into the pen was not so easy. They were extremely nervous and charged whenever we got near. Over a few days we managed to get them towards the holding pen by creating smaller compartments that were electrified and then shutting them in. They finally came off the reserve on 14th September after passing their TB test. They will be back next season and have done a fantastic job this year on the reserve, keeping vegetation managed and water areas open’.

The Teifi Marshes reserve and the Centre are readily accessible on foot or by bike from Cardigan over the old bridge; the Centre is reached by car via Cilgerran village.

Blogpost by Geoff Gibbs 24th September 2015.

Natur Cymru Hydref / Autumn 2015 - Rhif / Issue 56

Publication date: 15th September 2015
Cover price £4.50, or quarterly by subscription £18 pa (individual) or £32 (group/organisation)

Zero-till and cover crops – the new agri-revolution ● Mike Donovan. Agricultural management focussed on looking after the soil

Lovely Dyfi – progress in the Biosphere ● Andy Rowland. Community involvement in the extended Dyfi Biosphere Reserve.

Wentwood Forest revisited ● Colin Titcombe. The history and wildlife of this great Welsh forest.

The limestone grasslands of north-east Wales ● John Osley. Colourful grasslands in beautiful landscapes.

Spoilt rotten – the wonders of colliery spoil tips ● Liam Olds. The invertebrate wildlife of these rich and often overlooked habitats.

Sefydliad Morgan Parry Foundation ● Roger Thomas. Hyrwyddo addysg a datblygu cynaliadwy / Advancing education and sustainable development.

Weaving the web: towards a natural garden ● Malcolm Berry. A new approach to growing food and benefiting garden wildlife.

Dartford Warblers in south Wales ● Hannah Meinertzhagen. A study of the habitat types favoured by this new colonist of the Gower Peninsula.

NODWEDDION ARFEROL / REGULAR FEATURES
Green Bookshelf ● Julian Hughes, David Saunders, James Robertson & Rowan McShane

Discoveries in science ● Bob Griffiths, Iwan Edwards & Barbara BrownSpread of the New Zealand flatworm – a new citizen-science survey.

Islands roundup ● Ben Porter and Geoff Gibbs. Rare migrant birds on Ynys Enlli / Bardsey Island this spring.

Buglife ● Steven Falk. Promoting spring forage for invertebrates.

Woods and forests ● Rory Francis. Saving the Celtic rainforest at Llenyr

Life lines ● Ben Wray. Alien invasion on the Dee! The Chinese Mitten Crab

From the Garden ● Bruce Langridge. A Welsh mycological revival

Sand Martins, Seagulls and the Garfish

If you walk West along the beach towards Porth Dinllaen, there is a magnificent set of Sand Martin nests, tunnelled into the collapsing cliff bank. It was busy, busy towards the end of August. The chicks peering out of the nests looked big and hungry. When the parent returned with food, only 1 of 3 was happy.

While I was admiring the view across the bay, from just beyond the Tŷ Coch, a seagull struggled to take off from the sea, with a snakelike Garfish swinging beneath its wings. Quite a heavy load. On the sand the fish made several attempts to wriggle free. Juvenile gulls tried to share the prize but the catcher was feeling selfish. 

What slime mold!?

On the stump of a Scots Pine which was felled 19 years ago a beautiful slime mold has taken up residence. The shape and the colour changes each day. On the second day it had gone very pale but was colourful again a couple of days later.

Looking at photos on the web I thought it might be Red raspberry slime mold Tubifera ferruginosa and I've been told that if it develops into 'miniature cigars' that will confirm its identity. It could be a first for Maentwrog Nature Reserve!

Are these miniature cigars?

22nd August

23rd August

25th August

26th August

27th August

Llanfairfechan - end of summer

Small Copper

Back from the Bird Fair at Rutland Water, lovely sunny day here if rather breezy – no day trips to Ynys Enlli (Bardsey) today! The Robin breeding season is over, they have moulted and the pairs have split up. Heard several Robins singing, the function is to defend individual feeding territories – this is the autumn / early winter song which gradually fades out leading up to December. These singing birds could include females, whereas from Christmas onwards only male Robins sing. Read all about it in The Life of the Robin by David Lack.

Not all birds have finished breeding though – lots of House Martins and Swallows about (the Swifts have all gone), and Woodpigeons carry on singing (and laying eggs) until October. No luck with Turtle Doves though this year; when I was living in North Wales in the late 1960’s, Turtle Doves were common breeders in NE Wales and a few bred on Lleyn and Meirionnydd. Now these have all gone - read about it in The Breeding Birds of North Wales by Brenchley et al (2013). I haven’t seen a Turtle Dove anywhere in Britain this year.

Getting a bit late for good butterflies, but quite a few showy ones on our Buddleia including a Painted Lady the other day and several Commas. Then this morning a Common Blue appeared (very scarce round here this year and our first in the garden for 2015), plus a very smart Small Copper. This picture was actually taken just up the road in August last year.

Several Purple Hairstreaks seen on our butterfly transect route earlier this month, we try to do this every week for Butterfly Conservation. Viewing one of these individuals I even saw the ‘hairstreak’ mark on the hindwing, usually they are too high up on the oaks or ashes to see this. They lay eggs on the oaks and visit the ash trees for honeydew. 

Geoff Gibbs

Wasp scrum down

I was up on Mynydd Rhiw enjoying the summer weather with fine views across Llŷn. At the summit were loads of insects and on the rocks by my feet was a wasp scrum down. It looked a bit violent and I didn’t want to get too close in case I disturbed them.

Looking back at the film footage it looks like 6 or 7 wasps were killing a queen. Or were they mating?

In the middle sequence there was a pair of wasps stacked on top of the back of the queen whilst another stack of 4 wasps approached from the front. Was the wasp at the front a brave volunteer to confront the queen or a conscript?