LOCAL NEWS
Pedal Power!
A Newtown man is aiming to cycle 2000 miles to raise money for the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust. Philip Thomas will undertake the gruelling trip from Thessalonika in Greece to Tallinn in Estonia between 1st April and 10th May and hopes to raise at least a £1 for every mile for the Trust’s campaign to purchase Dolforwyn Woods. MWT currently leases the woodland but if the funds cannot be found to purchase the site it could be sold and used for commercial purposes. The nature reserve is a community wood used by local people for walking, horse riding and picnics, as well as being a haven for wildlife species such as Hazel Dormice and Herb Paris. For more information and to sponsor Philip, click here.
26 March 2013
Ministerial visit to Trust reserves
John Griffiths AM & Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development visited Glaslyn & Severn Farm Pond Nature Reserves today.
The focus of the visit to Glaslyn was to demonstrate ecosystem service provision being provided by the Pumlumon Project and to discuss the potential benefits for a Wales-wide approach. At Severn Farm Pond, the minister was introduced to a practical example of how wildlife and people can co-exist for mutual benefit. "From the blanket bog restoration work at Glaslyn Nature Reserve in the Cambrian Mountains to the urban nature reserve and soft flood management at Severn Farm Pond in Welshpool, it was great to see the ecosystem approach in action. We were made very welcome by staff and volunteers and were impressed by their enthusiasm and commitment to this work."
28 February 2013
Thanks to young fundraiser
Just before Christmas, Anna Higgins and a small group of friends braved the wet weather to carol sing on behalf of the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust. They sang until their carol sheets disintegrated from the rain, raising a total of £30! Thank you very much for your support, Anna & friends!
25 January 2013
Relief over withdrawal of hedgerow removal
News that farmer Fraser Jones has withdrawn his application to remove 11.3km of hedgerows, near Shrewsbury, is today welcomed by The Wildlife Trusts. more...
17 January 2013
Trust appalled by act of vandalism
Trust staff received quite a shock, when on arriving at work on this Monday morning, they found one of the hides at Severn Farm Pond had been totally destroyed.
It seems that the fire brigade was called to the scene of a fire on the reserve on Sunday evening, but being a small structure made entirely of wood, little could be saved. One of two on the site, this hide allowed visitors to watch wildlife on and around the pool without causing disturbance.
"This is very disappointing and upsetting." said Abi Crutcher, Education Officer with the Trust "The site is used extensively by schools and community groups, as well as local people and this act of vandalism affects everyone's enjoyment of the site. It is lucky that we have had such wet weather, otherwise the fire could have spread onto the neighbouring timber yard!"
14 January 2013
Young Osprey found dead
Ceulan, the only young Osprey to successfully fledge the Dyfi nest this year, has been found dead in Senegal. He was found by Dyfi Osprey Project supporter, Frederic: "At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, we found Ceulan's wings and all the materials in a fishermen camp near the Diawel river.... People said that they found Ceulan dead in their fish nets 8 days ago and gave us immediately all the remains of the poor bird.
This sad news is particularly difficult to hear as Ceulan nearly died in the nest, along with his siblings, due to the persistent bad weather they suffered after hatching. Ceulan was temporarily taken out of the nest by osprey project staff and revived, before being returned to the care of his parents and he went on to thrive. He fledged on Saturday 21st July, at the age of 53 days and set off on migration on Monday 3rd September, reaching West Africa just five days later at about 9:30pm, making landfall 38 miles west of Casablanca, Morocco.
The fact that Ceulan died three months after arriving in West Africa, just shows how many dangers Ospreys face, particularly in their first year and many of them man-made. As sad as the news is, it is important information which could potentially help Ospreys in the future.
16 December 2012
Elusive mammal makes a welcome return to wildlife havens
One of the UK’s most elusive and protected mammals has been recorded for the first time at Dolforwyn Woods near Abermule. Monitoring at the woodland nature reserve, managed by the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust, has confirmed that Dormice are resident on the site. With the support of a Biffa Award grant the Trust has been undertaking work on the reserve to return it to ancient woodland status and to provide suitable habitat for a range of wildlife, particularly Dormice.
"With the grant from Biffa Award we were able to erect 100 boxes on site in July and waited until the end of the Dormouse’s active season before surveying them in early November" says Tammy Stretton, Conservation Officer. "We were delighted to find two of the boxes already have Dormice nests inside. Many sites which have the correct food sources for Dormice lack the mature trees with cavities suitable for Dormice to nest. By putting up the boxes we are able to provide this missing piece of habitat."
This is the second Dormouse success story the Trust has encountered this Autumn. Boxes erected in March at Coed Pendugwm Nature Reserve were surveyed in October and a nesting Dormouse was found safe and warm in one of the purpose built homes, the first confirmed record for 9 years.
"Dormice are a protected species and even lifting a nest box lid without a licence could be an offence and can be potentially harmful to the Dormice." says Tammy "However, wildlife sightings by the public are always welcome and volunteers are vital to our ongoing monitoring work."
If you would like to get involved with the Trust’s monitoring or conservation work please contact tammy@montwt.co.uk.
14 November 2012
Dormice rediscovered at Coed Pendugwm
The Hazel Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) has been known at Coed Pendugwm Nature Reserve since at least 1990. However, despite the presence of nest boxes for the dormice, there had been no records since 2003. The existing boxes were decaying rapidly, so replacing them became urgent in order to monitor the presence of dormice on site, as well as maintaining nesting space.
With support from the Countryside Council for Wales, the Trust was able to purchase 100 new dormouse nest boxes and with the help of six volunteers, these were installed in March. From May, the boxes were checked monthly. A few were quickly used by Blue and Great Tits to nest in, but otherwise the only inhabitants were various 'minibeasts'!
However, the October visit proved more fruitful when an active dormouse was found snuggled in its nest in one of the new wooden boxes! Voluntary Reserve Warden, Tammy Stretton, takes up the story: "Having checked the boxes every month with no success, I was beginning to think we wouldn't find them again. So, I was over the moon on Saturday when I opened the lid and saw the nest and its little occupant! Hopefully this will be the first of many!"
30 October 2012
Warts & other growths in garden birds
The Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust has received a number of reports this Autumn of garden birds sporting strange growths. These largely fall into two types. Chaffinches have been seen with sometimes substantial growths on their legs and these are most likely a kind of warty growth caused by Fringilla papillomavirus. Other birds, primarily Great Tits, have been seen with grey, red, pink or yellow growths on their head, wings or legs; these are likely to be Avian Pox.
Epidemics of these and other avian diseases occur wherever large numbers of bird congregate. For this reason, it is vitally important to keep bird feeding stations clean, throwing away old, uneaten food and where possible moving the feeding station around the garden. Buying good quality food can also help prevent the spread of disease.
For more information about disease in garden birds or to report a sick bird, click here (external link).
15 October 2012
Transformation of Dyfi Nature Reserve thanks to HLF cash boost
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has announced an investment of £928,000 to transform Dyfi Nature Reserve into a year round, state-of-the-art wildlife facility.
The Dyfi Nature Reserve holds an important series of habitats that link the Dyfi estuary and its marine habitats to the western oak woodlands of Valley. The reserve is part of the UNESCO designated ‘biosphere’ and is one of only two in the UK, as well as being home to the only nesting population of ospreys in Wales.
This grant will enable the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust to create a new observatory, improve interpretation and install a series of remote camera feeds to give visitors unique access to the wildlife along the Dyfi estuary.
The project will create four full-time posts, including a new Conservation Officer, who will oversee a band of 250 volunteers expected to support the project.
Estelle Bailey, CEO of Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust, said: "We are thrilled to have been awarded the grant from Heritage Lottery Fund for our Dyfi 360 Landscape at Cors Dyfi. The grant will enable us to secure a future for the reserve’s wonderful wildlife for years to come while providing some fabulous new facilities to give people an amazing experience of getting up close to nature and the opportunity to learn about the surrounding internationally recognised Dyfi Biosphere."
"Cors Dyfi has come a long way from its former life as a forestry plantation. Cleared of trees in the late 90s, under the stewardship of the Trust, this site is now one of the best wildlife sites in the county. Visitors can look forward to seeing wildlife and the landscape like never before from a 360 Observatory and other wildlife watching points. New boardwalk and information boards will also be installed and there will be a Learning Officer and Conservation Officer on hand to bring people, landscape and wildlife together."
As of September 2012, HLF has made 239 awards in the Powys area, amounting to a total investment of more than £11 million.
Jennifer Stewart, Head of HLF in Wales, said: "The Heritage Lottery Fund is the largest funder of heritage in Wales and today’s announcement highlights what a huge difference Lottery money can make to our natural environment."
"Our grant to the Dyfi Nature Reserve will help to transform the reserve into a year round, state-of-the-art wildlife visitor attraction and increase visitors’ enjoyment and understanding of the site’s natural heritage."
A total of £2.3million worth of grants were awarded by the HLF’s Committee for Wales in September. From a nature reserve and a dozen places of worship, to two market halls and the display and interpretation of an extraordinary collection of antiques, paintings and tapestries, the diverse range of projects highlight HLF’s commitment to supporting all types of Wales’ heritage, as well as creating opportunities for people to get involved in the heritage which matters most to them and learn more about it.
For more information, click here.
25 September 2012
Montgomeryshire Barn Owl numbers increase
Montgomeryshire Barn Owl Group (MBOG) are very pleased with this year's breeding results. Following the recent 2 hard winters, numbers crashed to a low of 23 breeding pairs last year. This year, 40 breeding pairs were recorded, an increase of 74% on 2011. However the constant rain and low temperatures over the jubilee weekend caused some birds to stop hunting, resulting in many chicks being left to perish in the nest; even so 111 chicks were recorded fledging.
MBOG has a close working relationship with MWT, exchanging details of Barn Owl sightings. The increased number of sightings reported to MBOG over the last year has helped to build up a better picture of where to place nest boxes and given another mild winter, who knows how many boxes may be occupied next year!!
Special thanks to all the Montgomeryshire public who have taken the time to contact us. Please keep sending MWT your Barn Owl sightings. For more information on MBOG, visit www.mbog.co.uk.
Chris Griffiths (Montgomeryshire Barn Owl Group), 14 September 2012
Osprey project forms collaboration with Aberystwyth University
Collaborative research and teaching links are being developed between the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust's Dyfi Osprey Project and the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University. Areas of research include the Ospreys migration, feeding, wintering and nesting site preference, dietary studies, DNA and genetic analysis.
IBERS is sponsoring GPS tracking units which are fitted to the young Ospreys to study their migration between Wales and West Africa.
For more information, go to www.dyfiospreyproject.com. See also the September issue of BBC Wildlife magazine!
07 September 2012
Downy Emerald discovered in Montgomeryshire
On the 8th July, Anne Coker, the Montgomeryshire Dragonfly Recorder, discovered an exuvia of the Downy Emerald, Cordulia aenea, at a Local Wildlife Site lake in Montgomeryshire. This is really exciting news as not only is it a first for Montgomeryshire, it is only the third known occurrence in Wales!
The species needs ponds within or close to deciduous woodland with scattered bankside trees. These specific requirements mean that it has a scattered distribution from Devon to the highlands of Scotland, although it has a stong hold in the South East of England. For more information on the species and a distribution map, click here to go to the British Dragonfly Society website.
15 August 2012
Trusts dismay at National Grid announcement
The Montgomeryshire & Shropshire Wildlife Trusts have long been concerned about the cumulative effect of large-scale wind farm development. Of greatest concern is the huge scale of the new generation of wind farms currently proposed for large parts of the Mid-Wales uplands. These wind farms require major new infrastructure spreading across Montgomeryshire and Shropshire, including the new electrical substation and grid connection announced by National Grid today.
The Trusts are disappointed that National Grid have chosen the route identified in our response to the original consultation as having the greatest potential impact on special wildlife areas, such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Local Wildlife Sites and Ancient Woodland. We also question the wisdom of siting the electrical substation at Cefn Coch, a remote upland area which would require major alterations to the rural road network in order to transport the components to the site.
We believe there should be a more strategic and long term approach to meeting the UK’s energy needs. The grid connections announced today would simply not be needed if the proposed new large-scale wind farms were not constructed. The Trusts urge the Welsh Government to urgently and drastically re-think its policy on renewable energy which:
- concentrates wind farms into defined areas that are remote from sources of demand
- locates large-scale wind farms in areas not served by, or in proximity to, existing infrastructure
- place so great an emphasis on wind power as the primary form of renewable energy
The most cost effective and sustainable approach to meeting our energy needs is to reduce demand for energy through effective energy efficiency measures. This should be central to all energy policy and cover all sectors.
When considering renewable energy generation, the Trusts believe that the focus should be on micro-generation. Not only do these small-scale projects have a minimal ecological impact themselves, but they also do not require the massive infrastructure needed for large-scale developments.
31 July 2012
New partnership to restore river catchments
The Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust and the New Dovey Fishery Association have secured funding from Environment Agency (EA) Wales to work with the National Farmers Union and Farmers Union of Wales, restoring river catchments on the Nant Gwydol and Dulas South Rivers, near Machynlleth.
This is one of 21 successful new community projects aimed at improving the quality of Welsh rivers, lakes and waterways and creating a more vibrant and healthy environment for people and wildlife, given the green light by EA Wales.
Voluntary groups across the country will benefit from a significant £420,000 investment to enable them to work together to improve fish migration making it easier for fish to spawn; create better living environments for fish and wildlife; and restoring woodlands and wetlands.
Separately, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water has also announced today that it will match the investment being made and is inviting proposals for projects that will deliver further improvements to the environment.
Both investments will help implement the European Union’s Water Framework Directive, which encourages bodies to work together for the benefit of waterways and its wildlife.
4 July 2012
APPEAL TARGET REACHED
We are delighted to report that we have reached our £4,000 total required to pay for the live web streaming. Thank you so much to everyone that donated, a great effort. Diolch yn fawr i chi gyd.
We hope to make it even better for next year. How about a nest thermometer that will tell you the actual temperature live from the nest, 24hrs a day? How about streaming audio from the nest - in stereo? How about getting live pictures from multiple cameras so you never miss a thing?
Meantime, our tech guys, Andy and Oly, have been working hard over the last few days and have upgraded all sorts of different hardware to make the best use of the two BT lines we have. The video is now a lot more stable and is less prone to stuttering and freezing, and all without dropping the resolution which would have been the easy thing to do.
And all in time for Ceulan's birthday - three weeks old today! Brilliant job guys.
19 June 2012
Trust volunteer visits Highgrove
As part of the wildlife trusts centenary celebrations, long-term volunteer, Sue Bosson, was chosen to represent the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust at a reception at Highgrove. Prince Charles had invited a volunteer from each wildlife trust across the UK and Sue was delighted to be chosen; "I was very touched when the Chief Executive of MWT rang and told me that I’d been chosen to represent them and if I was ‘up for it’ could she put my name forward. Of course I was ‘up for it’; who wouldn’t be I thought."
The day started with a tour of the Highgrove estate, including an area of meadow not usually included on such tours. A champagne reception was then held outside the Orchard room, during which Prince Charles spoke to every volunteer. "As the only representative for Wales in my group he told me that he was ‘doing his bit’ with his country retreat in Carmarthenshire."
The day rounded off with speeches from the newly appointed Wildlife Trust Chairman Rene Olivieri and Stephanie Hilborne, the Chief Executive. "Finally, Prince Charles made an impromptu and unrehearsed speech about his passion for nature and organic methods of managing the land. He finished by saying that he’d accepted being called a crackpot all his life but that he knew he was right!"
5 June 2012
OSPREYS GO LIVE!
We are delighted to announce that you can now access a live video feed of our Dyfi Ospreys from the comfort of your desktop!
Unfortunately we could only get two, not four, additional telephones lines at the project to upload the live osprey video to you. So please bear with us, particularly for the first few days, if you encounter any problems; we'll get there!
To access the live feed click here. It has cost the Trust almost £4,000 to pay for this live streaming, so please do consider donating using the button on the live stream page. Thanks.
30 May 2012
Olympic torch comes to Montgomeryshire
With the Olympic torch relay coming through Montgomeryshire twice, there will be two opportunities for a great day out!
On Monday 28th May, the torch will be passing Cors Dyfi Nature Reserve, home of the Dyfi Ospreys. With the first Osprey egg due to hatch this weekend and a wealth of wildlife to see besides, the excitement will not be limited to the passing of the Olympic torch!
Two days later, on Wednesday 30th May, the torch travels through the east of the Wales, passing four very different Montgomeryshire nature reserves in the process. The prominent limestone cliffs of Llanymynech Rocks will tower above the relay participants, but with rare butterflies, such as the Pearl-bordered Fritillary and Grizzled Skipper on the wing right now, it is worth a closer look!
Slightly off the beaten track, but nevertheless worth a visit is Ty Brith; flower-rich meadows bursting with life.
Once in Welshpool, there are two nature reserves to enjoy. Severn Farm Pond is an urban oasis, a wetland packed full of wildlife, with boardwalks, hides and a sensory garden helping you get closer to nature. The large lake at Llyn Coed y Dinas attracts all manner of creatures as a home all year round, a perfect place to breed or simply a place to rest and have a meal. Rare and unusual birds often make a surprise appearance!
With such a diverse array of sites to visit, you may find it hard to choose, so once you’ve enjoyed the torch relay, why not visit all five?!
24 May 2012
County first at Dolydd Hafren
It’s been a fantastic start to the year for bird sightings in Montgomeryshire and this was highlighted when three Bean Geese were found at Dolydd Hafren Nature Reserve (by Paul Leafe & Marc Hughes) on 28th January. Bean Geese very rarely make it as far west as Wales and this is the first time they’ve been observed in Montgomeryshire. They’re usually found on the east coast of Britain during the winter months, but this winter has seen a handful of birds travelling as far as west Montgomeryshire, Shropshire, Cheshire and even Anglesey! The three Geese have adopted a group of 50-80 Greylag Geese and can usually be found grazing the fields between Caerhowel and Dolydd Hafren. Although there is still a bit of luck involved in seeing these geese on the reserve, the best chance of seeing them is getting there at first light or just before last light as they usually roost on the river bend by the second hide.
As well as the geese, there’s always lots more bird life to be seen at Dolydd Hafren. Birds seen on the reserve already this year include: Bittern, Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Green Sandpipers, 1 Woodcock, 100 Lapwing, 40 Curlew, 1 Oystercatcher, 13 Dunlin, 4 Little Egrets, 4+ Water Rails, 1 Pintail, 60 Wigeon, 20 Teal, 50 Goosanders, 1 Red Kite, 1 male Merlin, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, 1 Great Black-backed Gull, 5 Tree Sparrow, 3 Brambling, 200 Linnet, 150 Greenfinch, 100 Chaffinch and 20 Reed Bunting.
Paul Leafe, 16 February 2012
Click on the links below to see our archive news items:
2011
2010
2009
2008
