A nice find or two

 Bore da pawb

Another couple of busy weeks, with the chance to spend more time outdoors and observing what's going on.

Whilst looking for Strandline Beetles on Cefn Sidan a beetle with a mainly chocolate brown colouring but having an obvious creamy strip on each wing case, moved near my foot before running very fast and taking off. Enough time for a positive identification of Dune Tiger Beetle, Cicindela maritima the first record that I am aware of since 2017.

Dune Tiger Beetle - library image

Although this recent record was not on the Pembrey Burrows Reserve it was actually on the western end of Cefn Sidan it does provide hope that we can find the beetle active on the dunes.

Celery Leaved Buttercup - library image

During another survey, undertaken on 30th May I found Celery Leaved Buttercup, Ranunculus, Sceleratus, just two plants in Pembrey Country Park,  although much better recorded than NBN Gateway would suggest it looks like a a new site for this species in Carmarthenshire.

The Botanical Society Of Britain & Ireland, visited Pembrey Burrows last week , choosing a day without any rain. I could spend much time with them but they did find a new grass for the site, what's it called you ask, well when they tell me I'll tell you, (I forgot to ask). Like all experts in their relevant taxa these guys know their stuff.

There were also a lot of butterflies on the track leading to the bird hide, with - Green Hairstreak, Small Blue 40+, Common Blue 20+, Small Heath, Holly Blue 1, Small Skipper 2, Broad-bodied Chaser dragonfly 2 ♀. 

On the pond in F2 there were, Emperors, Board-bodied Chaser, Black-tailed Skimmer, Azure Blue, Common Blue as well as some stunning Southern marsh Orchids.

Southern Marsh Orchid

Conservation Team roadshow

 Bore da pawb

On Saturday, yesterday, the Outdoor Service Recreation events team held a Green Warrior Day at Pembrey Country Park.

There were several stalls promoting recycle reuse, sustainability, wellbeing and then there was our Conservation Team with our "roadshow"

Ably assisted by Veronica and Rhea we spoke to a lot of children and perhaps as importantly adults, showing them a wide range of natural objects from Carmarthenshire such as a Pilot Whale Skull, Minke Wale flipper bones, Sea potatoes, Spider Crab shells, Badger skulls although the winner this year was our "pond in a tank and tray" not forgetting a few spectacular Moths.

The ponds and lake at Pembrey Country Park support a great biodiversity so  a little pond dipping of my own soon had a collection to delight everyone, Toad tadpoles, a great hit, Leeches, an Eft, (I didn't identify it to species) pond snails, Caddisfly larvae in their different cases, dragonfly and damselfly larvae plus a few other wriggly creatures.

What struck me was how many adults bemoaned that when they were children they collected tadpoles, newts and fish and wished their children had the same fun theses days!

Also explaining that those wonderfully beautiful dragonflies that people see, start off life in water, utter disbelief from several people, but as ever it was watching and listening to the children being absorbed in the pond life, there is hope after all.

Enjoying the sunshine - work never stops

 Bore da pawb,

Well what a run of fine sunny, though sometimes chilly, weather we have been having. I hope you have been able to take advantage of this luxury.

Is it me or is the "season" early this year there are many plants in full flower that I would not expect for at least another week or maybe two weeks, Foxgloves, Digitalis purpurea, being a prime example of already being 3ft tall and flowering.

Morolwg

  The great work carried out by Bumblebee       Conservation Trust "Connecting the   Carmarthenshire Coast" project, at Morolwg in  the Millennium Coast  Park is coming along nicely, with what were bare banks of soil now  starting to spring to life and burst into flower.

Ephemeral pond Pembrey Burrows

I spent a useful few hours at Pembrey Burrows LNR, something which is difficult for me to do normally with the current workload, however I was able to identify a few problems that need sorting before they get out of control, things like Sea Buckthorn springing up in areas where there has been little growth for many years.  Japanese Rose spreading beyond acceptability and a lovely seasonally wet area being encroached by willow scrub. The work never stops.

Thrift, hard to see so go along and look 

The display of Thrift, Armeria maritima, in grazing compartment 2 , is one of the best I have seen for many years.

I am delighted to say that phase 1 planting of the Carbon Capture/pollinator project at Festival fields in the Millennium Coast Park has finally been completed due to enormous effort of the Celtic Wildflowers team WELL DONE GUYS, 

#Team Celtic Wildflowers, it was hard going (apparently)

This dry spell may have a sting in its tail, too much too soon could affect how many invertebrates cope through the breeding season, with the potential for their food sources, such as grasses and herbs being killed off early leaving any larvae without foodplants. Lets hope we do have some sensible reprieve. 

I'm going to to sign off for this week loads more going on....

Hi

 Prynhawn da pawb croeso

 

I've been struggling with ideas for the Blog, so here in no particular order is a roundup of the past few week.

On the project front I'm still waiting for full confirmation that the exciting projects I have lined up for Welsh Government's Local places for Nature fund, that the funding will come through, I'm sure it will.

This will allow projects to be carried out improving the hibernation/over wintering habitat for the Greater Horseshoe Bats, to provide mitigation for the eventual loss of the Burry Port East beach Sand Martin Colony, which, by the way is going to monitored weekly this season starting tomorrow another project for later in the year will be the restoration of a dune slack in Pembrey Country Park.

A highlight last week was to see my first Green-winged Orchids at Pembrey Burrows I expect that following the recent rain there will be many more in flower now.

On the bird front, the first Reed and Grasshopper Warblers are on territory on the coast whilst a Tree Pipit in full display flight at Llyn Llech Owain so great to see and to show to a group having a walk around looking at the Peat bog restoration work.

Oh you may have seen me on the BBC news on Good Friday, thankfully most of my interview was cut but Barry Stewart did a great job promoting the use of by-product from the steel industry to enhance bio-diversity.

I was lucky to see a displaying Goshawk at one of our sites this morning amazing bird.

The Strandline Beetle - conservation action Natur-am-Byth

 Hi all,

Usually the blog is a look back, but this edition is a look forward to some challenging work planned for tomorrow, Monday 7th April.

Working alongside the Natur-am-Byth project Natural Resources Wales / Natur am byth! Saving Wales’ threatened species  we will be installing a few different types of refugia along a quiet part of Cefn Sidan which was a regular haunt of this near extinct beetle.

Installation instructions

Using a mix of timber (old pallets), logs, roofing tiles, and maybe the odd car tyre f refugia sites will be located along 500m of beach. These refugia will be made as secure as is possible with signage asking visitors to leave them alone .

The volunteer conservation rangers will then monitor the refugia and gather what evidence they find, positive or negative.

Small flowered Catchfly

Another project now well underway (and attracting the attention of the BBC) is the Carbon Capture/pollinator/rare plant repository project now at Festival Fields in the Millennium Coast Park, (yes its expanded its purpose a bit) .

Initial preparation work is finished and the first delivery of 200t "boss-slag" from the Port Talbot Steel works arrives on Thursday. Once the deliveries are finished 5900 plug plants and several kilos of mixed native coastal plant seed will be planted, typically its too dry at the moment.

We are grateful to Katie Sutton, formerly of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust for providing the funds for the plants and seed, and for Sandra and Barry Stewart of Celtic Wildflowers for masterminding the plan.... Celtic Wildflowers, Garden Nursery Near Me, Order Wildflowers Online 

I'll keep you informed you never know we may need volunteers to plant those 5900 plugs!

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.