Natur Cymru

Issue 22

Read inside...

The ring ouzel in Wales

There are few sounds more evocative of the uplands in early spring than the call of the ring ouzel. It is sad, therefore, that the fortunes of such an appealing bird have been in decline in recent years. There is still much to learn before conservation measures to reverse this decline become even a possibility, as Mick Green reports.

Summary

Cader Idris - A Gleaming Landscape

The Guardian Country Diary has become something of an institution, and an important outlet for writers about Welsh nature like Bill Condry and Jim Perrin. A collection of diarists ascended Cader Idris to launch a book celebration a century of this institution. One of these diarists, PAUL EVANS, describes the scene, and the thoughts of nature, and language, which the experience stirred.

Reintroducing the beaver

Beavers have been creatures of fables, shadows of a dimly remembered past for many centuries. Once they supported a thriving industry. As the quality of their river habitat improves, could they make a comeback, restoring biodiversity and helping stimulate rural regeneration and tourism? ZIGGY OTTO explores the history of the beaver in this country, its ecology and its future.

Learning more about the journeys of gannets

Where do the gannets of Grassholm go to find food? Very little information has been available about this in the past. One thing is certain, it is not only fish that they catch on their journeys – they bring back plastic rubbish to the island to include in their nests, and this is dangerous for the birds themselves. ELINOR GWYNN describes recent research work, and research in the pipeline, to examine these two facets of the gannets’ lives on Grassholm.

This article is written in Welsh. A translation is available on request.

Across the boundaries of time…

The long, intimate association between people and the land, much of it rocky and mountainous, can be seen in the diversity and prominence of traditional boundaries in Wales. Here RICHARD KELLY gives an introduction to the historical and archaeological aspects of these important features in our landscapes.

Dolydd Hafren, a jewel on the Severn

A stretch of river provides the necessary conditions to attract and astonishing array of birds throughout the seasons. It also attracts an array of birdwatchers. BRAYTON HOLT reveals the secrets of a riverside reserve, a beautiful place with abundant birdlife, which does not need rarities to make it special.

Bardsey Island, its birds and Observatory

Bardsey has developed a reputation as a place of retreat, a site of near pilgrimage for the naturalist. Yet with so many places competing for our time, most of us only know this island of 20,000 saints by reputation. STEVE STANSFIELD provides a detailed portrait of the attractions of the island through the seasons, notably its birds, for the would-be-visitor.

Ecological Connectivity – developing natural connections

Nature conservation has always been about drawing lines on maps and trying to protect nature within set boundaries, so-called "special sites". But this has its limitations, not least because nature is dynamic, and species often need to move around. Here JIM LATHAM describes how, with climate change likely to greatly increase the problem of small and often fragmented wildlife sites, CCW is examining what needs to be done at a landscape scale to ensure that wildlife has somewhere to go.

A journey in biodiversity

Getting to know the wildlife of your patch is a source of great attachment and interest; but discovering nature in a new one brings unexpected excitements and insights, which may pass the resident naturalist by. Having uprooted himself from Angus and moved himself to Cardiff, DAVID MITCHELL is fascinated by the differences in the birdlife and wildlife he encounters in Wales.