Wales Feed

Feeling a bit ropey

2010-10-15T10:46:06+00:00

Good news for the reds on Anglesey as specially designed rope bridges are being proposed to help prevent the squirrels from becoming road kill.

A red squirrel by Alan Burfitt:

The technique has already been used successfully elsewhere and it's hoped that this will allow the squirrels to move safely between trees without the need to traverse busy roads. A number of deaths have already occurred over the last 18 months.

Volunteers needed for Anglesey clean-up

2010-10-07T09:14:18+00:00

The National Trust is looking for volunteers to help with a clean-up and maintenance project on the Anglesey coastline this autumn.

The volunteering days are each Friday up to and including 10 December, and the work will include work on footpaths and boundary maintenance.

"We have arranged a series of volunteering days which will allow people to come and help while also hearing about the work the team carries out on behalf of the National Trust," Bryn Jones the National Trust warden for Anglesey told the North Wales Daily Post.

Volunteers are requested to meet at 9am at Hen Blas Cemlyn near Cemaes Bay, and to wear appropriate stout footwear. More information is available by calling 01407 711178.

The Black Swan

2009-11-12T16:58:17+00:00

No, it's not your local boozer or perhaps it is... but in this instance it's an unusual bird sighting!

Black Swans are native to Australia and are the state bird of Western Australia so one to remember for your Black Swan pub quiz.

I wonder if I could hypnotise you....if I write the words 'Black Swan' enough in this blog?

Image courtesy of Ralph Hillard:

Black Swans were first introduced to Britain accidentally after ornamental birds escaped and you can now find them sharing the same types of habitat as our own native swans.

In Wales they aren't a common site though, so we were delighted when Ralph Hillard sent in these shots from Anglesey, taken on 4 November:

This particular swan was spotted at Cemaes Bay in Anglesey and was happily feeding, swimming, walking and taking short flights with it's white wing tips clearly visible.

Has it escaped from somewhere locally? Or did this individual fly in from further afield...

Thanks to Mike Thompson for passing on the information and photos.

Gull

Woman goes bananas on Anglesey

2009-10-28T09:42:55+00:00

Sorry, that should have read woman 'grows' bananas on Anglesey but I wanted to grab your attention. ;)

But yes it's true...

Kathryn Selfe and her husband have been successfully growing a wide range of exotic fruits including mangos, limes and of course, bananas. Their secret? Polytunnels...

Huw Jenkins, our community reporter has the full story.

Some quick banana facts:

Banana comes from the Arabic word for finger - 'banaana' or 'banaan'.
In the West, only the Germans eat more bananas than us.
Some banana trees keep on producing fruit for 100's of years.

Shades of grey

2009-10-16T14:20:04+00:00

The topic of grey squirrel culling seems to be something of a hot potato lately...

Love them or hate them, this problem isn't going to go away any time soon.

Greys are currently wiping out our native species of red squirrels but at what point do we intervene or do we just let nature take it's course?

A red squirrel, blissfully unaware of its impending doom.

Red Squirrel image courtesy of Alan Burfitt.

Not only are greys eating the precious food sources of reds and taking over their habitats, they are also destroying native wildlife - eating birds eggs, robbing feeders and generally breeding like rabbits.

If all this wasn't enough - they also carry a virus fatal to reds which gives them a rather slow, horrible death. It would appear as if the odds were firmly stacked in favour of the greys.

Natural selection perhaps? Has the species merely evolved? Should we intervene?

Celebrity chefs have done their bit over the years and every now and again we're encouraged to try cooking squirrel meat (greys not reds in case you're thinking about it!) and informed that its a very low fat, tasty alternative...to what I'm not sure?

But I bet it tastes like frogs legs...

A grey squirrel planning world domination:

Radio Wales have an item on red squirrels on Monday, 19 October from 9am -12pm on the Jamie & Louise show.

Have a read of this article in the Guardian online.

So should we be actively culling greys or do we opt for establishing 'safe havens' and buffer zones such as Anglesey for red squirrels where trapping has already had a profound effect on the greys population?

It's thought that greys will have disappeared from Anglesey within two years...

I have to say, when you see a young grey squirrel running across your lawn playing with a prickly horse chestnut in its paws, it's hard to imagine having to 'despatch it' in the name of conservation but if we don't, what's the alternative?

I was lucky enough to visit the Galapagos Islands a couple of years ago but there the problem wasn't squirrels - it was goats and rats.

Bird and tortoise populations were being decimated on some of the more remote islands so something had to be done quickly to save species from certain extinction.

This was a man made problem and for once it was up to man to clear up his own mess.

The answer was a brutal one - total extermination using traps and guns and by any other means necessary. I've a feeling they used traps on the rats rather than the rifles though...

Helicopters flew over the islands, carrying snipers armed with high powered rifles. The goats didn't stand a chance but the tortoise's food supplies (basically anything green) were made safe - species saved.

So what do you think we should do - Are you in favour of a cull?

Gull

Treat yourself to some squirrel videos

Read about the squirrel pox on Guardian.co.uk

Noble on nature: wild orchids

2009-10-14T15:27:32+00:00

Just a quicky to let you know that radio presenter - Roy Noble will be chatting to orchid experts - Pat O'Reilly and Sue Parker on Thursday, 15 October between 2.30 - 3.15pm on Radio Wales.

Here's a common spotted orchid, I photographed on Anglesey earlier this year:

The husband and wife team have visited many countries around the world in search of their favourite flower - the wild orchid, including Bulgaria, France, Portugal and Scandinavia.

They'll be telling Roy all about their travels and talks on orchid tourism taking place at the National Botanic Garden Of Wales.

Gull

Video clip of orchids at Kenfig Nature reserve

Photos of British Orchids

The Skerries

2009-06-09T17:15:33+00:00

The word "Skerry" is the Scottish diminutive of the Old Norse word "sker", meaning a small rocky reef or island.

We approached the small islets by rib and thankfully the crossing was light and breezy with no real dramas and within 20 mins we were on the island.

As we approached the mooring, thousands of terns took to the air before us with their trademark 'dread' resembling a scene from Jurassic Park.

The main island has a lighthouse built on it dating from 1717 plus a couple of out buildings but that's about it.

The only people living on the island are two RSPB wardens, Denise and Jenny who spend around three months of the year here monitoring the tern population.

The skerries are home to a vast number of arctic terns with a smattering of common terns thrown in for good measure.

The terns 'dread' regularly which involves them flying and swooping 'en masse' down one side of the island, out to sea for a few circles and then back again, bickering and pecking each other and us as they flew past.

If you were brave enough to show your face over the the relative safety of the lighthouse wall then all out attack ensued as well as rapid fire bird 'guano' being dispersed at will.

They seemed to find their targets with astonishing accuracy too!

Whilst on the island we also saw oyster catchers, great backed backed gulls, herring gulls, puffins, a few common seals basking, some rock pipits which were nesting in the lighthouse wall and a peregrine falcon which had recently reduced the local pigeon population by one.

Unlike cemlyn bay, there are no sandwich terns here and you can get within spitting distance of the birds who litter the floor here with eggs and nests laid out in a random fashion. I even saw eggs laid on a piece of tubular metal pipe...

It was tricky trying to avoid the eggs at times, especially when under prolonged air bombardment by hundreds of irate birds.

The RSPB accompanied us over and one of the wardens informed me that a visitor had once had his eye pecked as he glanced up, so I decided to don my sunglasses, keep my head down and go for a wander.

I'd only crept around ten feet from the sanctuary of the lighthouse wall before I was viciously attacked.

I was struck in the head and then pecked in the hand whilst I held the camcorder up to film so I made a hasty retreat!

Terns - 2, Gull - 0

I later found out that they go for whatever is highest up (nearest to them in the air) so I cunningly offered to carry the tripod back to the boat and extended the legs which worked beautifully.

Gull

Links

RSPB

The Skerries

Tern sandwiches

2009-06-09T08:42:13+00:00

One of the filming locations this year will be Cemlyn Bay. As you'll already know from my last blog this place is full of terns.

There are thousands of them here and they seem to enjoy dodging my camera lens and tearing along the shingle beach at 100mph, inches off the ground which makes photographing them quite a challenge.

The main species of tern found here are sandwich terns which thankfully, are easy to distinguish from the other species.

If you've ever seen an arctic and a common tern then you'll know what I'm talking about.

Common, arctic, sandwich and even roseate and sooty terns have all been spotted here although the common, arctic and sandwich are the most common species.

This year sandwich terns are definitely ruling the nest as far as numbers go.

The two islands in the lagoon at Cemlyn are home to thousands as well as a healthy population of black headed gulls.

The terns nest alongside these gulls for a reason. The black headed gulls are quite a feisty mob and although they will take a few tern eggs for food, they will also protect the area from larger predators such as greater black backed gulls.

It also struck me watching that there might be another reason: it can't be a coincidence that both the terns and gulls have black heads so I think they might also nest together for sheer safety in numbers?

When a predator flies over, the terns 'dread' which involves hundreds of them taking off at once and flying above the nest site which is very impressive to watch.

Sometimes they'll do this just for the hell of it but it's mainly done as a defensive tactic against birds of prey, gulls and grey herons etc

Roseate terns, little terns and even sooty terns have also passed through on occasion and the importance of this site can not be over stated as it is one of the last remaining locations in Wales where sandwich terns nest.

Gull

Blue lagoon

2009-06-08T09:31:13+00:00

Simon King will be broadcasting from this location sometime this week, so keep an eye out for the tern footage currently being filmed by our intrepid duo, Jamie McPherson and Jenny Price. More on that soon.

To the east lies Wylfa nuclear power station, which resembles a giant spaceship that has just crash landed at this wild location.

The pebble bank, known as Esgair Gemlyn, is formed by the process of longshore drift and alters shape as the tides and winds batter it each day.

Beyond the pebble bank lies a small, shallow lagoon filled with brackish water, containing two naturally occurring islands, perfect for nesting on.

Sea Kale:

Clustered on these islands, is a large and internationally important sea bird colony, including breeding common and arctic terns.

The site is home to one of the UK's largest nesting populations of sandwich terns, with thousands of birds descending here each summer.

I'll go into more detail on terns in a future blog so don't panic!

The reserve is home to many other species of birds.

An oystercatcher strolls along the lagoon shore line:

Shelducks, oystercatchers, merganser, ringed plover, herring gull, black backed gull, mallard and a variety of wading birds and ducks can also be found here as well as rare migratory species such as the sooty tern.

In addition to being a Wildlife Trust reserve, Cemlyn is a Special Protection Area, a candidate Special Area of Conservation and a Site of Special Scientific Interest

The crescent shaped bay at Cemlyn:

The shingle ridge and lagoon are owned by the National Trust but leased by the North Wales Naturalists' Trust, whose volunteers stand guard over the terns every hour of the day, scaring off any would-be predators and counting and monitoring the birds as they swoop in and out.

Gull

Links:

Cemlyn Bay on BBC Wales Nature

North Wales Naturalists Trust

Cemlyn Bay SSSI

South Stack

2009-06-05T14:40:02+00:00

With them all nestled up snuggly, side by side you can't help but wonder how they decide who stands where and how on earth they get their place back once they've flown off for a spot of fishing?

Some of them literally only have an inch of rock to hang their toes from and it can't be comfortable clinging onto that all day.

They must have very strong toes too and could probably win toe wrestling competitions if the whole sea bird thing doesn't work out...

Scattered among them are the stockier razorbills, with their thick black beaks and white stripe.

From grassy vantage points above sit the herring gulls, greater and lesser black backed gulls, all eagerly keepng watch - ready to ambush any eggs or chicks that remain unprotected for the briefest of moments.

If you look really hard and with a bit of luck you may also spy that famous clown of the sea - the puffin, with it's brightly coloured bill and bright orange feet.

Puffins unlike on many of the islands off the Welsh coast are very rare here.

The few that have made it here are forced to make do with small clumps of grass and boulders to nest in and around.

Unlike their cousins on Skomer Island, they don't have nice soft earth to burrow into. As a result there are only around 16-20 birds here in total. So far I've only seen two though!

Guillemots clinging on:

The 'chough cam' at South Stack is really worth a visit. I popped in to have a chat with the wardens there and they told me all about the nest site and seabird colonies.

The camera feed is displayed on a nice big plasma screen inside, so you can escape the weather and enoy the live action.

Initially there were five chicks and when you see the size of the nest, you begin to understand why, there's now only one left.

The remaining chick basically fills the entire nest, so who knows where the others would have sat!

It's thought that the rest may have fallen or been pushed (but I'm not accusing anyone) out of the nest as the other four chicks dissappeared over night a few weeks ago.

The nest itself, is situated deep within a sea cave, so the webcam provides a unique opportunity to see this shy, quirky bird at it's best.

While I was watching, both parent birds put in an appearance and fed the hungry fledgling.

The bird noise here is incredible as hundreds of hungry seabirds fight for their small patch of real estate, on uneven, vertical sea cliffs.

Beyond the cliffs lies a small island with the famous lighthouse neatly perched on top. Access is strictly controlled though so don't expect to get onto it anytime soon.

Porpoises are known to cruise past the lighthouse feeding, so we'll have our cameras trained, ready to record if we spot anything.

You may also see passing manx shearwaters on their way to Bardsey island as well as gannets out dive bombing helpless fish and the occasional peregrine falcon.

Gull

Links

South Stack - RSPB

South Stack video clips

Puffins - species guide

Gulls - species guide

The Isle of Druids

2009-06-05T14:16:28+00:00

We're not conquering though, the Romans have already done that. Instead, we come in peace, with a mission to find and record marine species and beam them straight to your living room!

The scenery on the way up through mid wales to the Menai Straits is indescribable.

My words simply won't do it justice, so hop in your car and make the trip sometime: mountains shrouded in mist, lush green valleys, lakes and rivers...

You get the picture; I certainly did as I had to keep pulling over to whip out my camera!

Rather embarrassingy, this is my first ever visit to this beautiful island but so far, it hasn't disappointed.

Spot the two guillemots under the water here:

Next week on Simon King's misson, we'll be focusing on marine life, both above and below the water, so it should be an exciting show!

We're now based at Treaddur Bay on the north west coast, a secluded little bay with a lovely sandy beach and rocky coves filled with crystal clear waters. You don't need to go abroad when the sun is shining on the west coast of Wales.

I went for a dip this morning at 6am and paddled out across the bay. The sea was absolutely pristine with fish beneath me and herons, arctic terns, oyster catchers and gulls occasionally buzzing me, before returning to their nests on the rocky outcrops.

The whole coastline here is awash with migratory birds, from manx shearwaters and gannets to the the slightly more unusal such as the arctic and sandwich terns, grebes and grasshopper warblers which we heard last night in the fields behind our hotel and like so many cleverly-named bird species - they do actually sound like the grasshoppers!

Gull

Links

Anglesey tourism website

RSPB - South Stack

Barry gets the groove

2008-11-01T00:00:00+00:00

Phew! We're already halfway through this year's series of Autumnwatch and we've been busy criss-crossing the country solving some of nature's mysteries. From Dorset to Petworth then to Birmingham and now we've just landed on Anglesey where we'll be taking a look at Britain's largest raven roost.

To see the fallow deer at Petworth in the rutting season was magical. It was fascinating hearing the noises made by the bucks - their deep Barry White grunting sounds being a constant soundtrack to our visit!

The science behind it all is equally interesting and I caught up with expert Alan Mcelligott who told me about his studies into the fallow deer rut.

Click here to listen to what he had to say.

I also stepped up to the rather strange challenge of making plywood cut-outs of muntjac and roe deer so that presenter Simon King could illustrate the difference in their sizes. It was like something out of the Apprentice - I knew that I had to make them look good and to the right scale. I was absolutely terrified I'd end up making something that looked like a loch ness monster rather than a deer. But following a quick dash to some hardware stores, I eventually managed to produce something that resembled a good job. In fact the muntjac cut-out is now called Munty and has become a bit of a mascot in our edit van!

Indeed, Munty's also managed to cause quite a stir. An hour or so before Wednesday's live show there was a cry of "record, record" as someone glanced a muntjac on one of the monitors. A closer look revealed that it was a muntjac - but unfortunately one made of plywood!

Muntjacs seem to have really caught the public's imagination and we'd love to hear from you if you've been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of one where you live. Just drop me a line via the comment form below.