Spring is sprung - for Purple Saxifrage at least!

We have certainly been waiting a long time for spring this year. At last, things have warmed up and migrant birds are arriving. Today, it rained for a couple of hours in the morning. As it eased off, I walked up the road to Nant y Coed (Llanfairfechan), hoping to hear a Pied Flycatcher sing. No luck, but by the stepping stones a small bird was flitting about, dropping down to the ground to feed. A female Pied Flycatcher, no doubt finding aerial food hard to find. I wonder whether they will be late nesting this year.

After lunch, the sun came out so we drove up through Bethesda to Ogwen Cottage, where the new Visitor Centre is still being built. Then up into Cwm Idwal, finding a few Wheatears beside the track and a pair of Gt Crested Grebes on the lake.  Halfway up the steep path leading to The Devil’s Kitchen (Twll Du) we found what we were looking for – a small clump of Purple Saxifrage, in flower. Bill Condry always made an annual pilgrimage to Cader Idris to see this plant - Chris Fuller describes this in his tribute to Bill in Natur Cymru 4 (2002). I don’t suppose they flowered in February this year. 

Snow still showing in the Nameless Cwm

                                             

March gales cause devastation at Coedydd Aber NNR

The gales of March 21^st/22^nd which brought deep snow drifts to North Wales also wrought havoc in Coedydd Aber National Nature Reserve. Many trees (possibly at least 100) have been blown down on the steep slope above the path from the carpark at Bont Newydd to the footbridge crossing the river. Mike Klymko and I visited today to assess damage to the nestboxes used by Pied Flycatchers here; Mike’s photos bear witness to the devastated scene we encountered. One tree has come down onto the footbridge, smashing the handrail on either side, so this section of path will be out of use until the rails are repaired.

Several sections of path leading to the nestboxes in this part of Coedydd Aber are blocked by fallen trees, and this probably means that the lowest 10 boxes cannot be inspected this season. Other boxes are still attached to fallen trees, with others no doubt smashed during the gales. The whole site shows the damage which can be caused by exceptional weather, and I fear that such events may happen more often as climate change really gets going. I suppose the only positives are that the Pied Flycatchers have not arrived yet, and the tits which also use the boxes will have been deterred from starting egg-laying by the very low temperatures.

Pied flycatcher of Maentwrog

It's non stop action at the pied flycatcher nest. I'm surprised they chose a nest so low down at eye level from our drive. A couple of years ago a startled squirrel ran away from my car into this hole and left its tail hanging out - a bit like head in the sand.