Natural processes at work? 1st February 2017

By its very nature the coastline of the UK is in a constant state of change, no more so on the Welsh coast here at Pembrey Burrows.

Dune systems play a number of important roles in the protection of the hinterland, and therefore are at their best when allowed to be dynamic in nature, with the Burry Inlet facing the full force of most Atlantic weather systems it doesn't take much to impact the resilience of the dune system.

The fore-dunes at the eastern end of the reserve,

with an eroded face with displaced Sea Buckthorn on the beach

It can be quite awe inspiring to see the erosive effects on the  seaward face of the dunes with many metres being lost during a single storm.

Of course all this sand has to go somewhere and currently accretion is taking place in two main areas, one being "the Nose" on the eastern boundary of the reserve, the other is at one main point half way down the beach on the reserve's southern boundary. All of this is perfectly natural, or is it?

The "Nose" at the eastern end of the reserve where accretion is happening rapidly,

although a good storm can soon reverse the process

I pose that question because it is a natural process that produces the very best dune systems however what impact is climate change having, with more storms and confused seasons it will be interesting to see the longer term impacts, in dune systems, a few decades can be the "longer term".

Neil one of the stalwart volunteers spotted evidence of our largest mammal well away from its expected range, albeit a few tracks and a "dung pit" nevertheless very interesting.

Badger tracks and ""dung pit" or latrine, complete with Badger poo!

More than one nature reserve, Friday 27th January 2017

There are several Local Nature Reserves in the county, although my effort is mainly at Pembrey Burrrows.

The newest designation, as I've mentioned before is at Morfa Berwig, an interesting reclaimed industrial/brownfield site to the east of Llanelli, and near the WWT centre.

The entrance sign waiting for a coat of Linseed oil

I spent this morning there, and saw only one other person, it was overcast and quite cool with a steady breeze, there wasn't much to see but a handful of Teal, a Buzzard, Grey Heron, Little Egret and one Common Snipe.

Pond a year old, already well used

I hadn't bothered with wellies so didn't venture into the fields where I'm certain there would have been more Snipe, in hindsight it may have been interesting to see what sort of numbers there were.

Afon Goch, with great Cetti's Warbler habitat on the far bank

There are a mixture of habitats on the reserve, with dry/damp Gorse scrub, wet rushy meadows, reed beds, a small river and Willow Carr. These habitats hold a good range of birds including Marsh Tit, Bullfinch, Cettis Warbler, and in season a wide range of migrant Warblers.

Gorse a great habitat for invertebrates and in the spring holds good numbers of warblers

The site is well known for Water Vole, and is a stronghold from which individuals have been taken, under licence, for breeding in order to provide stock for other areas, including the Wildlife Trust reserve at Ffrwd Fen near Pembrey.

cute as a button, Water Vole.

How times change Wednesday 25th January 2017

There is currently tree thinning taking place in Pembrey Country Park, so it was interesting to go along and see the work taking place.

The trees being felled are Corsican Pine, planted many years ago, some are a good size, with one in three being cut to open up the forest and allowing the under storey to develop.

These days it's down to machinery, rather than a team with chainsaws, to do the job and with 33 trees being felled, snedded and corded in an hour it's a pretty impressive machine.

Whilst we were in the park we went and put the Barn Owl box, which had been taken over by Honey bees in the autumn, back into use.

There was another stunning sunset after a day of clear blue skies.

Thanks to Veronica for today's photographs

Corvids galore Monday 23rd January 2017

It pays to pop out at odd times, this evening I wanted to set the camera trap which meant I had to leave deployment until as late as possible to avoid the wrong type of prying eyes.

There were a surprising number of people about, even as the sun had set, however there were nowhere near as many people as there were Jackdaws in the pre roost gathering.

How many Jackdaws and Carrion Crows?

I estimate there were 700+ birds if anyone wants to count then feel free to let me know the answer, use the comments section.

Close up?

An update on the camera trap, tomorrow??


 

A shattered peace Sunday 22nd January 2017

It's such a shame that not all of the visitors to the Pembrey reserve and the eight mile long Cefn Sidan beach, appreciate the site for it's sheer simple beauty.

This morning I pulled into one of the car parks, and immediately noticed a van plus an empty trailer parked up, oh and then tyre marks across the sandy path to the beach.

I followed the trail and saw that it then veered off across the dunes QUAD BIKES!

tell tale signs

Sure enough two quad bikes appeared with dad + one and mum + one, totally oblivious to the issue, so what is the issue?

The dunes are a LNR, SSSI, and parts are a SAC, the beach is a SSSI, both areas are owned and managed by the local authority, supported by Natural Resources Wales.

Forgetting any damage that may be caused, there's the good old Health & Safety concerns, even at 9am there were quite a few walkers, dogs and horse riders on the beach!

They went on their way with a clear message ........, ironically it emerged they had a "farm" but the fields were getting muddy!!!

A real change in the weather today, with overcast skies all day and heavy rain for a while just before sunset, plenty of big skies ......

after the rain............

A decent bird at last, Saturday 21st January 2017

I was beginning to think that all the good birds had deserted me, but with a bit of persistence, or a case of right place right time, I had cracking views of a MARSH HARRIER.

Marsh Harrier

Marsh Harriers can be highly variable and my first thought was that the bird was a ♂, now I'm undecided, if it's not a ♂ then it must be an adult ♀, I welcome any thoughts.

Marsh Harrier

The Marsh Harrier was the highlight of a long day spent on the reserve, in glorious but quite nippy conditions. It's worth noting the bird went to roost in the reed-bed at around dusk.

A bit of ropey video.....

EVENTS

OUR NEXT EVENTS AT PEMBREY BURROWS

LOCAL NATURE RESERVE

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Guided Events

Sunday 12th February 07:15am

Bird  sea-watch * a chance to observe birds using the Burry Inlet

Sunday 19th March 10:00am

Beach walk and early signs of Spring

meet at the entrance to the nature reserve near CE53

call 07984788218 for more details.

* we will observe the sea  from the top of the dunes.