Slime molds are coming

2^nd weekend of October is walking weekend when friends from the south east come to enjoy or endure whatever the elements throw at us. One day was the Carneddau from Llyn Ogwen. Near the top of Pen yr Ole Wen we bumped into 6 other walkers and for a while followed them as they faded in and out of the clouds. Much later we heard a helicopter and the next day’s news included the rescue of 6 walkers stranded on a ledge overlooking Cwm Llafar. We saw no-one else all day - was it the same group?

On the other day we did a cross over from Ganllwyd to Barmouth via Cwm Mynach and Diffwys. For most of the ridge walk we enjoyed the inside of fast moving cloud and the partial windshelter of stone walls. Heads down views of wet upland and lots of hairy brown and orange caterpillars (were these Fox Moth - Macrothylacia rubi?) with waterproof properties superior to Goretex. 

Mucilago crustacea

But view of the day had to be the Mucilago crustacea slime mold. I won’t attempt any explanation of this but encourage you to read Natur Cymru edition 41 which will feature an article on slime molds written by Dr Bruce Ing (formerly of Mold!). He will also be describing them on the Radio Wales Country Focus programme in early November.                   

Natur Cymru Back Issue Offer

Natur Cymru back editions can be bought for £3 (subject to availability) but for new subscribers this is an expensive way to build a collection. We are therefore introducing a bulk purchase price of £1 per back edition subject to a minimum order of 5 editions inclusive of UK postage. This offer is open to subscribers only.

Some editions are not available (e.g.  No. 1) and others are in short supply so please get in contact before placing an order.  Call 01248 387 373 or email info@naturcymru.org.uk

If you are purchasing back editions you may like to consider buying Natur Cymru binders which hold 10 editions and cost £8.95 with a small discount for multiple binders i.e. 2 binders £16.95, 3 binders £24.95, 4 binders £31.95.

2011 Painters Challenge

On Sunday 9 October 2011 amateur artists are invited to join renowned Snowdonia artist Alison Bradley at Tŷ Hyll (the Ugly House) near Capel Curig for the 2011 Painters Challenge hosted by the Snowdonia Society.

Starting painting at 10.30am, artists will receive guidance and advice from Alison while creating a piece of work in any medium based on the theme 'nature'. Inspired by this beautiful setting, with five acres of garden and woodland and the Afon Llugwy nearby, artists have all day to create a masterpiece! At the end of the afternoon everyone will gather in Tŷ Hyll for refreshments, and Alison will award a £100 gallery voucher to the work of art she feels is most deserving. Two runners up will also receive an annual subscription to Natur Cymru magazine, which always features a unique piece of wildlife art on its front cover. 

This is a unique opportunity for local artists to come together and be inspired by the woodlands and wildlife garden that our volunteers have worked so hard to create, as well as this iconic house. We hope to make this an annual event, celebrating and encouraging creativity in Snowdonia!

The event is being held with the generous support of Alison’s Gallery in Betws y Coed and Natur Cymru magazine.

Please contact Frances for more information on 01286 685498 or frances@snowdonia-society.org.uk, or visit our website www.snowdonia-society.org.uk.

NATUR Fair 2011

The sun shone on the righteous at the first ever NATUR fair at the National Trust’s Llanerchaeron. 4 miles inland from Aberaeron it was a beautiful setting. It’s a shame that more people didn’t attend but those that did were very appreciative.

A steady trickle of people made their way to the Natur Cymru stand including several past and hopefully future contributors. It was good to put the faces to the names. Overall it was an incredibly useful networking event.

This is what it looked like ....

Cover Story - Autumn 2011

Original works of art on the front covers of Natur Cymru are a distinctive and much appreciated feature of the magazine. The artists provide their work free of charge and in return we credit them on the inside page.

Autumn 2011 had a particularly good ‘cover story’ with a painting provided by Paul Burgess titled ‘Bridge Over the River Wye’. One of our subscribers from Pembrokeshire was so taken with it that they bought it for £450.   

Happy subscriber, happy artist, happy ending.

Coastal Otter Survey on Anglesey

Coastal otters, like coastal people, are not a different species, it’s just a lifestyle choice. They enjoy the sea food but not the salt which clogs up their fur and they need to rinse themselves out in fresh water. So this is why estuaries are a good choice when selecting an area for a coastal otter survey.

We worked our way along the mouth of the estuary at Rhosneigr, then upstream through the dunes, past the busy and noisy RAF Valley runway, towards the golf course. It wasn’t until we got to the bridge by the clubhouse that we found our first spraints – 8 one end and 1 at the other. 

Was it a single otter or many otters? Dog or bitch? In a few weeks time we will know when the DNA has been analysed at the Waterford Institute of Technology, helping us to build up a picture of the otter population and the territorial ranges of individuals.  

What we were doing was being repeated by 6 other groups of volunteers around the coast of Anglesey all organised by Menter Môn. My group leader was Ceri Morris, project officer for MISE - Mammals in a Sustainable Environment, a project looking into a range of mammals (including bats, dormice, red squirrels and harvest mice) that runs on both sides of the Irish Sea.

As well as leading our part of the survey she took time out to record an interview for the BBC Radio Wales Country Focus programme broadcast Sunday 2^nd October. 

Here’s a short clip of Ceri and Dawn seeking out otter spraints - note the very elegant footwear!

Two Irish islands

As a change to our annual Bardsey trip, Kate and I took ourselves off to SW Ireland in early September. After an overnight in Skibbereen (County Cork) we headed for Baltimore and the ferry for Cape Clear Island. Cape Clear is in some ways a sister island to Bardsey, with a bird Observatory and strong Celtic traditions. It is the most southerly point of Ireland, apart from the Fastnet Rock which is 4 miles to the SW. Cape (640 ha) is considerably bigger than Bardsey (179 ha), has a population of around 120 and a daily ferry service 3-4 times a day from Baltimore. The boat is only cancelled in gales. Another difference is that farming on Cape is entirely based on the raising of beef cattle, which has led to the proliferation of electric fences along field boundaries (stone walls which have not been maintained). This makes it a bit more difficult to wander around birding! See photo of Kate getting under electric fence.

After 6 days staying beside the North Harbour on Cape, we headed further north to Castletownbere, a fishing port on the Beara peninsula, on the north side of Bantry Bay.
The next morning we crossed over to Dursey Island, at the tip of the peninsula, in (believe it or not) a cable car! This takes people and animals; 6 of us went across with a Texel ram. The islanders also get cattle across in the car, but the authorities are trying to ban this (gets in the way of the tourist trade). So cattle will have to swim. Watch this space!