Breeding Birds of North Wales

The Breeding Birds of North Wales book was launched last night at RSPB Conwy. Guests included the four editors (tired but happy – see picture), Anthony Cond from Liverpool University Press and Graham Appleton (BTO Director of Communications).

Photo by Richard Gallon of Cofnod

The next Natur Cymru will have an article by Graham about the BTO’s work on satellite-tagged Cuckoos which has produced such incredible results on where and when our Cuckoos go, outside the breeding season.

The book launched yesterday is the first on the birds of the whole of North Wales since Forrest in 1907. It is based on 5 years fieldwork (2008-12) by hundreds of volunteers, enabling the mapping of all breeding birds in North Wales at the 2x2 km scale. Each species account has this tetrad map, plus three 10x10 km maps showing how the distribution has changed in the last 40 years. And of course photos of all the birds and an excellent selection of habitats, plus introductory chapters about our changing birdlife.

Species accounts are written by the four editors and other knowledgeable individuals. Each species account is sponsored by individuals or businesses which raised the money for publication by LUP. The introductory chapters are fully bilingual as are the Red Kite and Greylag Goose accounts; all other species have Welsh summaries. Copies of the book are available this week (only) for £20 +delivery (£3.50 for first copy, 50p per copy for extra copies). £45 after this week (but no doubt less on Amazon). If you would like to place an order, ring Janet at LUP on 0151 794 2233 (office hours) and say Anthony said the offer is still on until Friday!

Natur Cymru Board visits Gilfach

The Natur Cymru Board attended the company's AGM in Llandrindod Wells recently, and then continued to the Radnor Wildlife Trust reserve at Gilfach Farm, just north of Rhayader on the A470. Here lunch was taken - see picture. From the left: David Parker (Chairman), Ivor Rees, Huw Jenkins (Development and Marketing), James Robertson (Editor), Mandy Marsh (Production Manager) and....(extreme right) Delcie Simkin (Company Secretary). In the background is the longhouse which was restored after the Radnor Trust bought Gilfach - see page 9 in the latest Natur Cymru (#43).

Part of the longhouse is open every day as a small information centre (with toilets). There is also a Visitor Centre which at present (summer holidays) is open from Wed - Sun from 1030. Tea/coffee and other light refreshments, also sales goods, books and information. See the Gilfach Farm website for details of special activities in the holidays.

After lunch the group walked down the road to the Otter Hide and then along the river, looking for otter spraints (droppings) and the Globeflowers which grow here. The Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary butterflies were (sadly) finished for the year, as they fly in June and early July. The valley is an excellent place for seeing Red Kites, and of course the Gigrin Farm Feeding Station is only a short distance away, on the other side of Rhayader.

The Gilfach scarecrow

Two final thoughts: 1. If you have never been to Gilfach - you must go! AND 2. - the Radnorshire Wildlife Trust is running a campaign to reach their target of 1,000 members - why not help by joining? You do NOT have to live in the county! You can join up by visiting the Radnorshire Wildlife Trust website.

On the way to the Royal Welsh

Natur Cymru does not have a formal presence at the Royal Welsh this year, but Kate and I will be on the Wildlife Trusts stand all four days and I'll be delighted to meet any subscribers and even recruit a few new ones! I'll have a few recent back numbers to sell.

On the Trusts stand you'll be able to see a story-telling chair, kindly donated by Sylvantutch who operate from the craft centre at Corris near Machynlleth. A week or two ago Kate and I took the chair down from North Wales to the reserve at Gilfach, just north of Rhayader. The picture shows Susie from the Radnor Wildlife Trust putting the chair to good use, an hour after it arrived there. We also called in at the kite feeding station at Gigrin, a few miles away, to leave a Natur Cymru display stand.

On the way back up to North Wales we visited the Mont WT reserve at Dolydd Hafren, on the Severn near Montgomery. Access is easy.......once you've found the small carpark! Butterflies were superb along the field margins as we walked to the hides, and the view over the Severn is really remarkable, with cattle in the water-meadows and even in the river. Reed buntings, reed warblers, sand martins and a common sandpiper, but we couldn't spot the little ringed plovers which breed on the shingle there. Brayton Holt gives an excellent account of Dolydd Hafren in Natur Cymru #22. It is one of the hidden jewels of the Wildlife Trusts in Wales (no shortage of those!).

Earlier this week I was able to pop in to another Mont WT reserve on the far side of Wales, to see the ospreys at Cors Dyfi. The three young seemed well-fed and not very interested in a flounder the parents had brought in. Do call in if you are passing, it's right beside the A487 and a couple of miles from the RSPB reserve at Ynys-hir (heard of that?). All the latest news about the Dyfi ospreys can be found via a link on http://www.montwt.co.uk/