Spring - official Spring

 Bore da pawb

Cyrhaeddodd dechrau'r Gwanwyn seryddol ar 20 Mawrth, diwrnod gyda diwrnod o heulwen di-dor ar draws y sir.

Clywais fy Sif-Saff cyntaf y diwrnod o'r blaen sy'n rhaid bod yn arwydd sicr o ddyddiau gwell i ddod.

Mae Siff-Saff a Telor y Helyg weithiau'n anodd gwahaniaethu rhwng rhai pobl sy'n mynd ar y llinellau bod gan Siff-Saff goesau tywyll o'i gymharu â Telor y Helyg, nid yw hyn bob amser yn wir fel y bydd unrhyw un sy'n modrwyo adar, o dan drwydded, yn tystio. Mae gwahaniaethau cynnil eraill rhwng y ddau efallai yn haws i'w gweld "yn y llaw" fel bod gan y Siff-Saff adain fyrrach yn gyffredinol, o bosibl oherwydd nad ydynt yn tueddu i fudo cyn belled â'r Telor y Helyg.

Aderyn arall y mae bron i ddeng mlynedd wedi cymryd i mi ddal i fyny ag ef yn Sir Gaerfyrddin yw'r Bronwen y Dwr, (nid wyf wedi trio mor galed erioed) aderyn sydd fel arfer o afonydd sy'n llifo'n gyflym, rwy'n gwybod eu bod i'w gweld yn ardal Dafen yn Llanelli, ond gwelais fy aderyn cyntaf ar afon Aman ychydig islaw ein gwarchodfa natur Ynysdawela.

 Bydd gwaith yn dechrau ar brosiect dal carbon / peillio yng Nghaeau'r Ŵyl yn ystod y dyddiau nesaf lle bydd deunydd gwastraff o'r diwydiant gwneud dur yn cael ei ddefnyddio fel y swbstrad lle bydd blodau gwyllt brodorol yn cael eu hau ynddo, gan ddisodli'r hyn sydd ar hyn o bryd yn ardal o laswellt amwynder gwerth isel gyda rhywbeth llawer mwy cyffrous.

Siff-Saff ----Chiffchaff 

Telor y Helyg --- Willow Warbler

The start of astronomical Spring arrived on 20^th March, a day with a day of unbroken sunshine across the county.

I heard my first Chiffchaff the day before which must be a sure sign of better days to come.

Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler are sometime difficult to distinguish between with some people going on the lines that Chiffchaff have dark legs compared to Willow Warbler, this is not always the case as anyone who rings birds, under licence, will testify. There are other subtle differences between the two perhaps easier to see “in the hand” such as the Chiffchaff having an overall shorter wing, possibly because they don’t tend to migrate as far as the Willow Warbler.

 Another bird which it has taken me nearly ten years to catch up with in Carmarthenshire is the Dipper, ( I haven’t tried that hard though) a bird usually of fast flowing rivers, I know they can be seen in the Dafen area of Llanelli, but I spotted my first bird on the river Amman just below our Ynysdawela nature reserve.

Bronwen y Dwr ---Dipper

 

Work commences on a carbon capture/ pollinator project at Festival Fields in the next few days where waste material from the steel making industry will be used as the substrate into which native wildflowers will be sown, replacing what is currently ab area of low value amenity grass with something much more exciting.

A fishy tale....

 

Helo bawb, diolch am gymryd yr amser i ddarllen blog yr wythnos hon.

Mae wythnos wych ar ôl treulio ychydig ddyddiau yn yr awyr agored ac i ffwrdd o'r cyfrifiadur.

Dydd Llun, rhoddais gludiant a chefnogaeth foesol i dîm Prosiect Morwellt wrth iddynt drawsblannu Morwellt a chwistrellu hadau i'r ardal yr oeddent wedi casglu planhigion rhoddwyr o tua deuddeg mis yn ôl. Tasg fwdlyd iawn, fe ofynnon nhw cynffonog  os fyswn i'n hoffi helpu!

 

Dydd Mawrth roeddwn ar gwrs wrth gefn sifil y Swyddfa Dywydd i gael gwell dealltwriaeth o rybuddion tywydd, a oeddech chi'n gwybod bod dau fath o rybuddion melyn, rwy'n gwneud nawr.

 

Roedd dydd Mercher yn brysur wallgof, ond llwyddais i gasglu Dyfrgwn o Ffynnon Helyg i'w archwilio dan ficrosgop digidol yn ddiweddarach yn yr wythnos.

 

Ddydd Iau gwelais fy hun a Rhea, fy swyddog prosiect, yng Ngwarchodfa Natur Ynysdawela yn clirio ffos i ganiatáu i ddŵr lifo oddi ar lwybr, aeth un ohonom yn fwdlyd iawn! Roedd y warchodfa'n edrych yn debyg iawn i'r gwanwyn. Cefais amser i archwilio'r hollt Dyfrgwn ac ar ôl gofyn i gwpl o arbenigwyr lwyddo i adnabod jawbone 99% yn sicr ei fod o Llysywen

 

Dydd Gwener, WOW am ddiwrnod yn ôl yn Ynysdawela gyda'n darparwr dysgu awyr agored, Hannah o Hiraeth y Goedwig a 135 o ddisgyblion o Ysgol Y Bedol a'u staff addysgu, rhaid dweud eu bod wedi cael amser anhygoel; Ni allaf ddangos lluniau o'r plant ond dyma rai o'r setup.

I hope I haven't pushed the translation to far this week!

Hello everyone, thanks for taking the time to read this week’s blog.

A great week having spent a few days outdoors and away from the computer.

Monday, I provided transport and moral support to the Sea Grass Project team as they transplanted Sea Grass and injected seed into the area they had collected donor plants from around twelve months ago. A very muddy task, they cheekily asked if I would like to help!

 Tuesday I was on a Met Office civil contingencies course to gain  abetter understanding of weather warnings, did you know there are two types of Yellow warnings, I do now.

 

Wednesday was a crazy busy, but I did manage to collect Otter Spraint from Ffynnon Helyg for examination under a digital microscope later in the week.

Thursday saw myself and Rhea, my project officer, at Ynysdawela Nature Reserve clearing a ditch to allow water to flow off a path, one of us got very muddy! The reserve was looking really spring like. I found time to examine the Otter spraint and after asking a couple of experts managed to identify a jawbone 99% certain it was from an Eel

 

Friday, WOW what a day back at Ynysdawela with our outdoor learning provider, Hannah of Hiraeth y Goedwig and 135 pupils from Ysgol Y Bedol and their teaching staff, it has to be said they had an amazing time; I can’t show images of the children but here is some of the set up.

The start of spring, not for me. 1st March 2025

 Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus.

Er, o safbwynt recordio meteorolegol, mae heddiw yn nodi dechrau'r gwanwyn mae'n well gen i aros am y equinox vernal ar 20 Mawrth eleni. Mae 'na ddigon o aeaf i redeg eto er gwaetha'r gwanwyn fel dyddiau'n hwyr.

 Mae hi wedi bod yn wythnos brysur sydd wedi golygu gweithio gyda'r tîm gwych o wirfoddolwyr yn trwsio ffensys ym Mhyrddiau Pen-bre ddydd Llun, ddydd Mercher fe welodd Veronica a fi yn gwirio safleoedd addas i osod reugia artiffisial ar gyfer Strandline Beetle  ar Gefn Sidan fel rhan o brosiect parhaus Natur am Byth; Fe wnaethom gyfarfod â Swyddog y Prosiect ddydd Gwener i gadarnhau'r manylion. Byddwn yn rhoi gwybod i chi sut rydym yn symud ymlaen.

 Although, from a meteorological recording view, today marks the start of spring I prefer to wait for the vernal equinox on the 20^{th of} March this year. There feels like plenty of winter to run yet despite the spring like days of late.

Strandline Beetle

It’s been a busy week which has involved working with the great team of volunteers fixing fences at Pembrey Burrows on Monday, Wednesday saw Veronica and me checking suitable sites to place artificial refugia for the Strandline Beetle on Cefn Sidan, as part of the continuing Natur am Byth project; we met with the project officer on Friday to confirm the details. I’ll let you know how we progress.

My translation may be a bit ropey this week some big words used !

A few Sand Martins have already been recorded at Sandy Water Park in the last few days and an early Sandwich Tern was seen  on at on the coast on 16th February

Sand Martin - Bird-Guides

ITVX an opportunity

 Bore da pawb

Wel, mae'r wythnos wedi bod mor gymysg ag erioed, gyda tipio anghyfreithlon, difrod, ac ymddangosiad teledu, a hynny ddydd Llun yn unig.

Bu cynnydd yn y tipio gwastraff adeiladu yn anghyfreithlon, y diweddaraf ychydig gilometrau yn unig o ddepo ailgylchu Trostre.

Mae cyfarfod defnyddiol gyda Jason, Swyddog Diogelwch Coed y Sir, yn ein Gwarchodfa Natur Leol Morfa Berwig i wirio rhes o Elms marw, yn rhoi dial dros dro iddynt rhag gorfod cael eu cwympo, byddwn wrth gwrs yn monitro'r sefyllfa'n rheolaidd, efallai na fydd y coed ynn gerllaw mor lwcus, gydag arwydd o'r clefyd y bydd angen iddynt hwythau hefyd eu monitro.

Yna, aeth i Barc Gwledig Llyn Llech Owain i gwrdd â Lewis, gohebydd gydag ITVX, a Liam ei ddyn camera am ddarn byr ar gadwraeth a bioamrywiaeth y Parc Gwlad.

Dim ond dydd Llun oedd hynny!

Why Llyn Llech Owain Country Park is a wildlife haven with a legend at its heart - Latest From ITV News

Well, the week has been as mixed as ever, with fly tipping, damage, and a television  appearance, and that was just Monday.

There has been an increase in the fly tipping of builder’s waste, the latest just a few kilometres from the Trostre recycling depot.

A useful meeting with Jason, the County’s Tree Safety Officer, at our Morfa Berwig Local Nature Reserve to check on a row of dead Elms, gives them temporary reprieve from having to be felled, we will of course monitor the situation regularly, the nearby Ash trees may not be so lucky, with sign of disease they too will need monitoring.

It was then off to Llyn Llech Owain Country Park to meet up with Lewis, a reporter with ITVX, and Liam his camera man for a short piece on the conservation and biodiversity of the Country Park. 

(Not sure about the tame Little Owl though!)

And that was only Monday!

Mixed week.

 Bore da Pawb

Mae'n braf cael rhywfaint o dywydd gaeafol, oer a sych, mae'r ddaear yn gyffredinol yn dal yn wlyb dan draed ond nid mor ddrwg ag i atal gwaith tir.

Wythnos gymysg sydd wedi golygu talgrynnu 20 o wartheg oedd yn meddwl bod cerdded ar y traeth yn syniad da ar brynhawn Gwener, er gwaethaf ein hymdrechion gorau fe gymerodd ychydig oriau i'w darbwyllo mai digon oedd digon, gyda'r ffermwr yn ennill y dydd.

Roedd hi'n braf mynd allan a gwneud cwpl o ymweliadau safle ym Mharc Gwledig Llyn Llech Owain a Pharc Coetir Mynydd Mawr, gan wirio ar y gwaith sydd wedi cael ei wneud dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf.

Yn Llyn Llech Owain neu'n benodol adran Carmel Cernydd roeddwn wedi arbrofi gyda chrafu'r tir i reoli rhedyn, mae un maes wedi dangos gwelliant tra bod un arall wedi trawsnewid o rhedyn i Heather, buddugoliaeth fach ond yn ddangosydd o reolaeth bosibl yn y dyfodol. Doeddwn i ddim yn rhy falch o weld adfywio Lodgepole Pine, mae angen mynd i'r afael â hyn yn fuan dim ond trwy dynnu llaw neu dorri i ffwrdd ar lefel y ddaear.

Its nice to have some winter weather, cold and dry, the ground is generally still wet underfoot but not so bad as to stop land work.

A mixed week which has involved rounding up 20 cattle who thought a walk on the beach was a good idea on a Friday afternoon, despite our best efforts it took a few hours to convince them that enough was enough, with the farmer winning the day.

It was nice to get out and do a couple of site visits at Llyn Llech Owain Country Park and Mynydd Mawr Woodland Park, checking on work under taken over the past few years. 

At Llyn Llech Owain or  specifically the Cernydd Carmel section I had experimented with scraping the ground to control bracken, one area has shown improvement whilst another has transitioned from bracken to Heather, a small triumph but an indicator of possible future management. 

Lodgepole pine

I wasn't too pleased to see regeneration of Lodgepole Pine, this needs tackling soon just by hand pulling or cutting off at ground level.

At Mynydd Mawr, I wanted to check the condition of the meadow area where previously most of the Willow scrub had been cleared in rotation - well as expected it needs doing again. Its such a big job that the most effective answer is to use machinery to cut and collect the arisings; this will probably be a job for the Autumn of 2025 rather than sooner, the meadow won't suffer from not being cut earlier, if you have never visited June is a good time to see the range of Orchids.

Heath Spotted Orchid

How it all started.

 

Croseo pawb,

Rwyf bob amser wedi bod â diddordeb dwfn yn y byd naturiol sy'n cael ei feithrin gan fy rhieni a brodyr a chwiorydd. Dylanwad mawr arna i oedd cyfres Ladybird o lyfrau, yn enwedig y tymhorau. Faint o ddarllenwyr hefyd oedd â'r llyfrau hyn yr oeddynt, yn eu hamser, y llyfrau mwyaf hygyrch ac rwy'n ddyledus iawn i'r awdur a'r artist.

Diddorol yw darllen rhai o'r sylwadau yn y llyfrau ac adlewyrchu sut mae ein byd naturiol wedi newid; Er enghraifft, cyfeirir at y telor cyrs fel "ymwelydd sy'n pasio i Loegr yn unig" pan ddechreuais wylio adar yn iawn Ystyriwyd bod Pwll Cynffig "ar eu terfyn gorllewinol o'u hystod" nawr maent i'w gweld ledled y wlad.

 

I have always had a deep interest in the natural world fostered by my parents and siblings. A big influence on me were the Ladybird series of books, especially the seasons. How many readers also had these books they were, in their time, the most accessible of books and I owe the writer and artist  a huge debt of gratitude.

It is interesting to read some of the comments in the books and reflect how our natural world has changed; for example, the reed warbler is referred to as “only a passing visitor to England” when I first started birdwatching properly Kenfig Pool was considered to be “on their western limit of their range” now they are found across the country.

I hope I haven't pushed my Welsh translation too far this week!

Despite still being in winter now is the time to start looking out for Frogs and possibly Toads being out, Frog spawn could be anywhere there is a pool of water whilst toad spawn will need water with some depth. As long as the weather doesn't turn "beastly" the spawn should survive. As I mentioned recently any area with Frogs or Toads could turn up the feeding signs of Otter, Polecat or  Mink all of which enjoy "frogs legs"

I recently watched a film on YouTube, Europe's lost paradise -The untold story of Hollands wild side, a great watch with a feeling of "why can't we have more of this in the UK- well worth a watch.

Something to watch out for, (a bit early yet but soon)

Mink sighted, or was it?

 Bore da Pawb

Rwy'n ceisio ysgrifennu rhywfaint o'r blog yn Gymraeg, y rhai ohonoch sy'n gallu darllen Cymraeg, cysylltwch â mi a dywedwch wrthyf pa mor bell i ffwrdd yw fy 

I am attempting to write some of the blog in Welsh, those of you who can read Welsh please get in touch and tell me how far off my translation is.

Rydym wedi derbyn adroddiad o Minc Americanaidd ym Mharc Gwledig Pen-bre, nid y cofnod y byddwn i wedi'i ddymuno, mae'n haeddu ymchwiliad pellach.

We have received a report of an American Mink at Pembrey Country Park, not the record I would have wanted, it does warrant further investigation.

Lets see how the Welsh translation has worked, before I do more!

There have also been, confirmed, reports in the last month of a Polecat, we know we have a healthy population of pure Polecats in the park and on the Pembrey Burrows LNR - did you know their eyes shine blue in torchlight!

Whilst on the subject of the Mustelid family it will soon be time for the annual decimation of the Common Toad population by Otters, how any toads survive at all amazes me when you see the carnage caused by the otters which we have filmed munching away on this amphibian - well that's nature. look out for the front half of the toads, the Otters don't eat the front end where the toxic substances are stored in glands behind the head, Polecats will bite in to the skulls, one way of determining who the murderer is!