Snowdonia Society/Cymdeithas Eryri Magazine

One of the Editors for their excellent magazine is Rob Collister, a keen supporter of Natur Cymru; you can read his article on unwanted fencing in the mountains in #36 – it was a runner-up in our competition. Their latest magazine is all about outdoor recreation in Snowdonia. Rob invited me to write an article for them on the mountain birds of Snowdonia, which is on pages 18 & 19. It is based on a spring walk from Bethesda to Capel Curig, and the typical birds you can see along the way – some of which are quite special to Snowdonia. It includes photos of a Chough and a Reed Bunting, kindly provided by Malcolm Griffith.

The Editor chose not to use Malcolm’s Raven so I’m including this here instead. Other articles cover a wide range of outdoor activities in the Park, some of which may impact on the natural environment. Helen Berry writes about the feeling of wilderness and what she most dislikes in the mountains – discarded rubbish, low-flying jets, noisy groups of people, off-road bikes…..

There’s plenty of interest here and you can read all the articles by going to http://issuu.com/cymdeithaseryri/docs/snowdonia_soc_mag_spring_2012

Visit to a Raven Roost

I’ve just got back from a visit to the raven roost in Newborough Forest on Anglesey; back in the 1990’s it was thought to hold about 2000 birds. The occasion today was a Cambrian Ornithological Society visit, guided by Nigel Brown who has carried out research here with others from Bangor University. We met at 2pm and walked slowly through the conifers, watching a big flock of tits and goldcrests moving through the branches.
After a while ravens in ones and twos began to fly overhead, and as we reached the roost area along the rocky ridge small groups of ravens were flying in all directions, making an astounding range of sounds. A peregrine appeared and gave great views; maybe it was after one of the jackdaws which were arriving along with parties of rooks. By now the ravens were settling in the trees as we sat quietly, taking in the spectacle and the cacophony of calls.
Tawny owls hooted close by as we started to walk back at dusk, and finally a woodcock flew low over our heads to round off a memorable visit.