Natur Cymru : a review of wildlife in Wales

NÄTUR cutdru

A Review o/ WILDLIFE in Wales ^ Rhif/Number 5 ■ Gaeaf/Winter 2002

NÄTUR CyiDRU

A Review o/WILDLIFE in Wales

Golygydd/ Editor: James Robertson
Tel: 01248 385602
jm.robertson@ccw.gov.uk

Golygydd cynorthwyol/Assistant editor: Mandy Marsh
Tel: 01248 385574
m. marsh @ccw. gov.uk

Natur Cymru

Maes y Ffynnon
Penrhosgarnedd
Bangor
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Natur Cymru is published three times per year, at the
end of February, June and October (Spring, Summer
and Winter issues). It is supported by a partnership of
organisations which are members of the Wales
Biodiversity Group. They are: Countryside Councíl for
Wales, Forestry Commission, National Assembly for
Wales, National Museums and Galleries ofWales,

Royal Society forthe Protection of Birds, Wildlife Trusts,
Wales and WWF

Natur Cymru is intended to promote the exchange of
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The views expressed in this magazine are not
necessarily those ofthe sponsors. Please submit articles
for the next issue, in Welsh or English, by the end of
December 2002. If you have information, ideas for
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Llun y clawr/Cover photo: Ponies graze on Conwy mountain by Stewart Campbell

ISBN: I 86169 105 x

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Golygyddol/Editorial .2-3

■James Robertson

The pine marten in Wales - ourgreatest enigma? 4-8

■ Johnny Birks, Tony Braithwaite and John Messenger

Johannesburg - afuturefor nature, or business as usual? .. ... ... 9-11

■ Morgan Parry

In view of the wind ... 12-14

■ Malcolm Smith

Llên y llysîau - rhedytien gyfrdwy . ....... 15-17

■ Twm Elias

Seeing black grouse through the trees. 18-21

■ Patrick Lindley and Dave Smith

Opening up the forest - a new prospectfor Newborough . 22-26

■ James Robertson

How to house sparrows - colonial nest boxes boost house sparrow numbers . 27-31

■ Tony Jenkins

The history, status and control of common cord-grass in Wales 32 - 34

■ Peter Rhind

Re-introductions - the under benefits ..35 - 36

■ Ian Carter

Welsh islands round-up - north Wales 37-39

■ Geoff Gibbs

Wil Jones .40

■ Tom Pritchard

Hela’r carlwm . 41-42

■ Duncan Brown

Nodweddion arferol/Regular features:

Nodiadau o’r Cynulliad/Assembly notebook * Gethyn Williams 43

Green booltshelf /Silfflyfrau amgylcheddol ■ Andew Lucas/Jamc.s Robertson . 44

Marine matters /Materion morol .45 - 46

Biodiversity News .46

Natur y byd /Nature at large ■ Hywel Roberts. 47

Nature in resenre/Natur mewn gwarclwdfeydd ■ Michael Hughes. 48

Golygyddol

M ae’n fraint cael byw a gweithio yng Nghymru,
ac mae'n fwy fyth o fraint bod â swydd fel yr
un sydd gennyf i: rhoi cylchgrawn ynghyd ynghylch
bywyd gwyllt bendigedig Cymru, a’r materion sy’n
effeithio arno. Rydw i angen fy atgoffa fy hun, a
darpar gyfranwyr, mai eich diddordebau chi a ddaw
yn gyntaf- mae’r cylchgrawn ar gyfer eich pleser chi
ac er eich budd chi. Ond sut y gwn i beth rydych chi
ei eisiau?

Er mwyn cael ateb, anfonwyd dau gant o holiaduron
gyda’r rhifyn diwethaf, ac mae tua 100 ohonynt wedi
dod yn ôl. Mae pobl sy’n ymhél â marchnata yn
dweud wrthyf fod cael 30% o bobl i ymateb i
holiadur yn cael ei ystyried yn dda, felly mae cael
bron i 50% ohonoch i ymateb yn eithriadol o dda.
Gwell fyth yw ansawdd yr ymatebion, sydd wedi
rhoi i mi a Mandy gyfoeth o wybodaeth ynghlwn â
beth rydych yn ei hoffì orau a beth rydych yn ei hoffi
leíaf, a sut y gallwn wella’r cylchgrawn. Mae’n dda
gwybod bod Natur Cymru yn ymddangos fel pebai
wedi canfod y cydbwysedd cywir, ac wedi cael
cymaint o negeseuon o gefnogaeth. Diolch i bawb a
atebodd.

Y pwnc a oedd ar frig y rhestr o bethau poblogaidd
oedd rheoli cynefinoedd. Gellir rheoli mewn sawl
ffordd, gan gynnwys torri coed. Yn y rhifyn hwn
rydw i’n adrodd am freuddwyd a all, gyda
chydweithrediad a phenderfyniad, ddod yn
wirionedd; ailffurfìo a chrebachu planhigfa fawr sy’n
ymestyn ar draws un o’r systemau twyni tywod
gorau yn y byd. Bydd rhifyn y Gwanwyn yn adrodd
ar gyfres o brosiectau cyffrous i adfer cynefìnoedd ar
hyd a lled Cymru - storiau sy’n cynnau’r gobaith bod
cadwraeth o’r diwedd yn cael y sylw dyledus.

Ysgrifau yn sôn am rywogaethau oedd eich ail
ddewis, gyda nifer o geisiadau yn gofyn am fwy o
erthyglau ar adar. Yma gallwch ddarllen am

randiroedd aderyn y to, am gynnydd y rugiar ddu,
am ailgyflwyno’r barcud coch, am bele’r coed (sy’n
anodd ei ddal) ac am garlymod yn y gaeaf. Sonnir am
blanhigion mewn erthyglau ar y rhedynen gyfrdwy
a’r cordwellt.

Er y peth cynnydd a wnaed yn Uwch-gynhadledd y
Byd yn Johannesburg, ni fydd y materion a godwyd
gan chwe biliwn o bobl sy’n byw mewn un blaned
fechan werdd yn diflannu. Tra mae’r galw am ynni yn
cynyddu, felly hefyd y cynydda’r posibilrwydd o gael
newid cataclysmig yn yr hinsawdd oherwydd
llygredd. Efallai y byddwch yn dod ar draws un dewis
glân, sef ynni gwynt, ar arfordir cyfagos. Ond yn ôl
Malcolm Smith, dydi'r ffynhonnell ynni adnewyddol
alltraeth yma ddim heb ei phroblemau, ychwaith.

Does gennym ni ddim prinder o storíau da i'w
cynnwys, na phrinder o ysgrifenwyr i wneud
cyfìawnder â nhw, felly byddwn yn edrych ar y
posibilrwydd o gynyddu maint ein cylchgrawn gan
lunio pedwar o rifynnau bob blwyddyn o’r haf nesaf
ymlaen. Os na chawsoch holiadur, ac os oes gennych
unrhyw syniadau eraill ynghylch sut i wella’r
cylchgrawn, cofiwch gysylltu â ni. Pam nad
edrychwch ar ein gwefan newydd,
www.naturcymru.org.uk, a rhoi gwybod inni beth
rydych chi’n ei feddwl ohoni? Y cymorth mwyaf,
fodd bynnag, fyddai i chi gynorthwyo tanysgrifìwr
arall i ymrestru. Amgaeir ffurflen i chi ei phasio
ymlaen, neu pam na wnewch chi ei defnyddio i
danysgrifio fel anrheg Nadolig ar gyfer ffrind neu
berthynas?

James Robertson

Photo:

I t is a privilege to live and work in Wales, and even
more so to have a job like mine: putting together
a magazine about Wales’ glorious wildlife, and the
issues affecting it. I need to remind myself, and
prospective contributors, though, that your interests
come first - the magazine is for your pleasure and
benefìt. But how do I know what you want?

To look for the answers, two hundred
questionnaires were sent out with the last issue, and
nearly 100 have come back. Marketing people who
know about these things tell me that a 30% return
is considered good, so nearly half returned is
spectacularly good. Even better is the quality of the
responses, which have given Mandy and me a
wealth of information about what you like best and
least, and how we can improve the magazine. It is
good to know that Natur Cymru seems to have
found the right balance, and to have received so
many messages of support. Thanks to all who
replied.

Rhys Davies (left) is one offour WWF Earth Champions wlto
ihsìted South Africa suring the Summit.

The subject that topped the popularity list was the
management of habitats. Management can take
many forms, including cutting down trees. In this
issue I report on a dream that, with cooperation and
determination, could become reality; the re-shaping

and shrinldng of a great plantation that stretches
across one of the fìnest sand dune systems in
the world. Our Spring edition will report on a
series of exciting habitat restoration projects
across Wales - stories which give hope that
conservation has really turned the corner.

Features on species were your second choice, with
several requests for more articles on birds. Here
you can read about house sparrow tenements, black
grouse on the up, re-introducing the red kite, the
elusive pine marten and observations of white stoats
in winter. Plants are featured in articles on royal fern
and common cord-grass.

For all the modest progress at the Earth Summit in
Johannesburg, the issues raised by six billion people
living on one small green planet will not go away.

As the demand for energy rises, so does the
prospect of cataclysmic climate change due to
pollution. One clean option, wind energy, may be
heading for a coast near you. Malcolm Smith reports
that even this off-shore renewable energy source is
not without its problems.

With no shortage of good stories to cover, and the
writers to do them justice, we will look hard at the
possibility of increasing the size of the magazine, and
moving to four issues each year from next summer.
If you did not get a questionnaire, but have any
thoughts about other improvements we can make,
please get in touch. Why not lool< at our new web-
site, www.naturcymm.org.uk, and let us know
what you think of it. The greatest help, though,
would be to enrol another subscriber. A form is
enclosed for you to pass on, or why not use it to
take out a subscription as a Christmas gift for a
friend or relative?

James Robertson

The pine marten in Wales -

ourgreatest enigma?

Male pine marten in winter pelage Jeeding in a rowan tree.

The Principality’s rarest
mammal is so elusive that
some believe it to be
extinct. Gathering
convincing evidence of
pine martens under these
circumstances is a major
challenge for naturalists.
Johnny Birks, Tony
Braithwaite and John
Messenger of The
Yìncent Wildlife Trust
(VWT) explain the
current situation.

F or today’s naturalist there are few mysteries to rival the ethereal status
of the pine marten in Wales. Close to vanishing point for over a
hundred years, this agile, cat-sized member of the weasel family defìantly
refuses to join the list of extinctions. From Forrest and Bolam in the early
I900s, to CCW staff such as Duncan Brown and lan Morgan, naturalists
have confìrmed the persistence of martens in Wales (and, to a lesser
extent, the Marches) through the twentieth century. As Frances Cattenach
reported in Natur Cymru no.2, reliable records of Welsh pine martens
continue to trickle in at the start of the 21 st century. Although Snowdonia
has long been regarded as the marten’s Welsh stronghold, many recent
records come from further south, some of which we describe below.

Recent evidence

A marten encounter can be a moving experience for the modern naturalist,
as one of us can testify: Tony saw one in Brechfa Forest, Carmarthenshire,
one late May afternoon in 1999; the distinctive creamy throat and ear tips
stood out against the mid-brown body fur as the animal climbed with
astonishing speed up a steep bank. In September 1996 Chris Hall had a
famous torchlight encounter in the grounds of Plas Tan-y-Bwlch,
Meirionydd. The prominent ears, pale front and long bushy tail were

Photo: D. Balharry.

Photo: Frank Greenaway.

clearly visible as a large marten bounded across a track
in front of him, jumped over a wall and crossed a
ravine via a tree trunk. Reports come from a variety of
observers: Llandovery District foresters Steve Pococlc
(Brechfa Forest, 1997) and John Dodd (Crychan
Forest, 1999) enjoyed clear sightings of martens
displaying their remarkable agility up trees; while deer
stallcing near Golden Grove, Carmarthenshire,
gamekeeper Malcolm Bessant watched one in early
1997 moving from tree to tree; another ‘tree’
encounter involved farmer Brian Jones whose dogs
chased a marten up a tree near Tirabad, Brecknock
when he was moving sheep in April 1999. In places this
Welsh evidence extends over the border: forester
Tom Fairfìeld has seen martens three times in one part
of West Herefordshire over the past ten years.

Pinc martcns are agile tree dimbers,

These sightings are the latest links in a tantalising chain
of evidence stretching back to the early I800s when
the species was apparently better-established, though
probably uncommon even then. Whilst sightings
represent valuable evidence of rare species, they have
to be treated with caution because of the rislcs of
misidentification; corpses or photographs are more
valuable. Frustratingly, although corpses are still
reported from time to time, no specimen from Wales
has been retained for examination since November
1950, when an adult female was killed in a rabbit snare
at Glyn Collwn between Brecon and Methyr Tŷdfìl. The
only indisputable recent evidence is pine marten DNA
extracted from marten faeces from Gwydyr Forest
near Betws-y-Coed in 1996.

The pine marten situation is similar in northern
England, where sparse populations hang on in upland
areas such as Lakeland, the Cheviots, the Pennines and
North York Moors. But martens are not rare
everywhere: in the Scottish Highlands and parts of
Ireland a steady recovery is under way, offering hope
that we might one day see a resurgence in England and
Wales when conditions are right. Iwo important
questions face us now in Wales: how can we improve
our understanding of the pine marten and its needs in
the Principality? And what action can we take to
promote natural recovery in today’s populations that
may represent locally distinctive relicts that have
persisted since the lce Age?

Marten habitat

Nowadays the pine marten is so elusive that it is
impossible to study by methods such as radio-tracking.
This leaves us reliant on the observations of early
naturalists, and on gleanings from modern studies in
countries where the species is more accessible.

Caution is needed with both approaches, as much has
changed in the Welsh l'andscape since martens were
last common enough to observe readily; equally, huge
ecological contrasts exist within the pine marten’s
European range, making it unwise to assume that
behaviour observed in one area may be expected in
another.

We can learn lessons from our predecessors about
habitat selection. Over most of its European range the
pine marten is associated with extensive forest.

In Britain and Ireland, however, we cleared our forests
earlier and more completely than any other country
(down to less than 5% cover in Wales at its nadir),
forcing our martens to adapt or die. Fortunately our
topography provided alternative three-dimensional
habitats for martens to occupy, and many naturalists
noted the pine marten’s choice of mountains, cliffs and
crags in preference to forests. Forrest 1 wrote of the
marten in Wales "it has learned by experience that the
woods do not secure it suffìciently from its enemies,
for at the present day the marten has taken to the
rocks as a dwelling place rather than to the thick
woods...”.

Similarly, Bolam 2 refers to English and Welsh martens
“almost invariably inhabiting mountain tops, often far
away from trees”, and notes that this behaviour is
reflected in local Welsh names for the species: “In
Wales, the Marten is generally called
Pala-coed, or Bela-coed i.e. ‘Wood Marten’, but in some
districts Bela-graig, or ‘Rock Marten’, is the more usual
name". Many place names include bele, bela or pe/e,
attesting to the widespread historical presence of
martens in Wales and their place in local culture. Some
suggest associations with rocky places, such as Cerrig
Bela (‘Marten Stone’) near Llanddewi Brefì, and a rock
named Castell Bele (‘Marten’s Castle’) near
Dolwyddelan.

So, when searching for martens today, we should not
focus exclusîvely on forests. Even though forest cover
has grown since the early I900s (currently 14% in
Wales, compared with the EU average of 32%), the
legacy of an association with open, rocky country may
still influence the species' behaviour. This is especially
likely if our forests still fail to meet some of the
marten’s needs. For example, European studies have
stressed the importance to breeding females of
abundant arboreal cavities within forests. Suitably sized
tree-holes are preferred as breeding dens because of
their insulative properties and the protection they
afford against predators. However, such cavities are
characteristic of old trees that are rare in Welsh
woodlands due to their management history. Fox
predation is recognised as a further constraint on
marten populations in Europe, and in Britain this effect
is likely to be serious where foxes are abundant and
woodland cover is scarce.

Too elusive to survey easily?

Whilst passive recording has kept tabs on the pine
marten situation in Wales, systematic surveys have
foundered for the lack of distinctive fìeld signs. Two
recent surveys based mainly on systematic searches for
droppings or ‘scats’ drew conflicting conclusions: the
1987-88 JNCC survey, 3 which covered a wide range of
marten habitat and included a detailed collation of
recent and historical records, concluded that martens
in Wales were “thriving at the time of the survey, or at

least thriving in comparison with several of the English
populations”. A 1994 survey with a narrow focus on
forests and little reference to recent records concluded
that “there is no viable population of martens in Wales”
and that the species is “functionally extinct”. 4 The fact
that these two surveys, separated by only a few years,
should reach such different conclusions raises questions
about the reliability of the method, Recently, DNA
evidence revealed that a significant proportion of
‘marten’ scats collected by experienced surveyors were
from foxes or polecats, and the error rate was highest
in sparse marten populations. This revelation further
erodes our confìdence in scat surveys, at least until the
time when DNA determination is a cost-effective
option. Painful though it is to accept in this age of
‘quick and dirty’ status assessments, monitoring the
pine marten in Wales requires a very different
approach, involving a patient, open-minded willingness
to consider all evidence over a substantial tìme period.

Wdsh pine marten pehs.

MARTRECS -

The VWT marten records database

Since the mid-1990s the VWT has acted as a focal
point for reporting evidence of martens in England and
Wales. Using non-leading questions within structured
interviews we have assessed 320 post-1989 sightings

Photo:John Mcsscnger.

reported from Wales and the Marches {these must
represent only a tiny proportion of human-marten
encounters). Our approach enables us to attach a
confidence score (on a scale of I -10) to each record,
based upon the quality of the sighting and the
experience of the observer. Thus we can discriminate
between reports that were probably martens (score
> 5) on the evidence available, and those that were
probably not (score 5 or less). A subset of the former
involves ‘high confìdence’ sightings (score 8+) of
exceptional quality, typically reported by experienced
naturalists. The distribution of these 86 most reliable
sightings is illustrated on the map and shown in the
central column in Table I. This reveals the extent to
which reliable records are concentrated in the three
Vice Counties Caernarvon, Carmarthen and
Merioneth. The importance of Carmarthen may be
partly due to greater recording effort in recent years.
Nevertheless, it challenges the 20th century wisdom
that Snowdonia is the species’ main Welsh stronghold.

Watsonian

Vice County

Post 1989 Records

Score = 8+ All records

Anglesey

2

6

Brecon

6

26

Caernarvon

10

47

Cardigan

4

20

Carmarthen

24

52

Chester

0

10

Denbigh

5

30

Flint

0

1

Glamorgan

4

11

Hereford

3

16

Merioneth

14

35

Monmouth

1

10

Montgomery

6

15

Pembroke

1

6

Radnor

2

14

Salop

2

18

West Gloucester 1 1

Worcester

1

2

Total

86

320

Table 1 . The distribution of reported sightings of pine martens across
Vice Countíes ìn Wales ancl the Marches, showing (in bold type) the
three counties that have contributed the most records.

Are conditions right for the recovery of
the pine marten in Wales?

The persistence of sparse marten populations in Wales
indicates viability, yet the apparent lack of recovery
suggests that all is not well. For a species that thrives
best in extensive, prey-rich forests with abundant tree
cavities we can predict the main constraints in Wales:

• carrying capacity is low because a) forest cover
remains limited and fragmented within an
inhospitable matrix of managed agricultural land, and
b) many of the larger blocks are upland plantations
where prey diversity and biomass are low

• reproduction and recruitment are constrained by the
scarcity of secure breeding sites within forests

• rocky uplands offering an alternative refuge are
heavily grazed and prey-poor, thereby limiting
population productivity

• high fox abundance raises mortality rates among
martens foraging or dispersing in open country

• accidental mortalîty due to predator control (notably
traps, snares and poisons, legal or otherwise)
imposes an additional burden upon vulnerable
populations.

Action for the future

If this assessment is correct, then changes are required
before we can expect a natural recovery of the pine
marten in Wales. Equally, reintroduction is unwise if
conditions remain suboptimal, notwithstanding the
adverse effect it might have upon the genetic integrity
of Welsh martens. Put simply, the recovery of martens
in Wales lies principally in foresters’ hands.

In recognising that, we must patiently accept the
forester’s primary objectives and timescale. A large,
carefully planned increase in the area of natural forest
(see George Peterken’s article ‘Restoring networks of
forest habitats’ in Natur Cymru no.3), ideally
concentrated in zones currently occupied by martens,
should guarantee the species’ future in the long term.

In the medium term, management of existing woods
and forests needs to change slightly so as to provide an
adequate supply of old, cavity-bearing trees for
successful marten reproduction in future.

Photo: Johnny Birks.

In the short term, provision within forests of abundant
artificial structures that reliably mimic the properties of
natural tree cavities should improve reproductive
performance. Encouragingly, through its strategy
document ‘Woodlands for Wales’, the National
Assembly for Wales is committed to changes in
forestry practice that should benefìt pine martens.
What better measure could there be of the strategy's
success than the widespread re-establishment in Wales
of the Bele’r coed?

Pine marten den in a dead scots pine.

Reporting pine martens

The VWT welcomes all reports of pine martens from
England and Wales. We are especially keen to hear
about any preserved specimens of known origin since
the 1950s. Please contact us at The VWT, 3&4 Bronsil
Courtyard, Eastnor, Ledbury, Herefordshire HR8 IEP;
tel. (01531) 636441; email vwt@vwt.org.uk

References

1 Forrest, H.E. (1907). The \krtebrate Fauna ofNorth
Wales. Witherby, London.

2 Bolam, G. ( 1 91 3). Wild Life in Wales. Frank Palmer,
London.

3 Strachan, R., Jefferies, D.J. &Chanîn, RR.F (1996). Pine
marten survey ofEngland and Wales 1987-1988. Joint
Nature Consen/ation Committee, Peterborough.

4 McDonald, R., Bright, P W. and Harris, S, (1994) Base/ine
survey of pine martens ìn Wale s. Unpublished report
Contract FC 73-01 -91 from Bristol University to the
Countryside Council for Wales.

Ble mae’r Bele?

Mae ymchwil ddiweddar yn awgrymu nad yw’r
bele wedi diflannu o Gymru - ond mae’n anodd
iawn cael tystiolaeth bendant. Mae unigolion
profiadol wedi gweld yr anifail mewn coedwigoedd
yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwetha’ ac fe gasglwyd
sampl o DNA’r bele yn 1996.

Mae Ymddiriedolaeth Bywyd Gwyllt Vincent wedi
dosbarthu’r gwahanol gofnodion, gan nodi fod 86 o
rai eitha’ sicr ers 1989, yn benna’ yn siroedd
Caerfyrddin a Gwynedd. Er y gall addasu at dir
creigiog, y gred yw fod diffyg coedwigoedd llawn-
ysglyfaeth, prinder hen geubrennau ar gyfer magu a
bygythiad llwynogod wedi effeithio’n ddiwg ar y
bele. Yr ateb, felly, yw adfer coedwigoedd naturiol,
amrywio patrymau rheoli a chreu ‘ceubrennau’
artiffisial. Fe ddylai strategaeth goedwigaeth y
Cynulliad Cenedlaethol helpu yn hynny o beth.

The distribution of reported post-1989 sightings of pine martens in
Wales and the Marches that scored 8 or more on the VWT's
confidence scale.

Photo:

Courtesy Welsh Assembly Government.

Johannesburg - afuturefor nature,
or business as usual?

First Minister cm his hike at the Ivory Park Eco-village.

Morgan Parry reports
on the latest Earth
Summit, and the
emironmental challenges
which the world now
faces.

Meeting the Eco-viUage representatives.

T en years ago in Rio, world governments took a major step forward
by recognising the significance of biodiversity and its importance for
humankind. The Convention on Biological Diversity has shaped much of
our public policy and practical action on conservation ever since. As an
issue it was never going to be high on the agenda of this summer’s World
Summit though, and the final text from Johannesburg adds nothing to the
Rio accords. But the commitment of the Welsh Assembly Government to
the process of sustainable development, and the involvement of the First
Minister in Johannesburg, raises expectations that biodiversity will get a
higher profìle in economic decision making.

In the run-up to Johannesburg, against a global backdrop of continuing
species loss and habitat destruction, there had been pressure from a
number of NGOs (Non-governmental Organisations) to get biodiversity
debated. But with poverty alleviation occupying political minds, the UN
secretariat was determined that Johannesburg should not be ‘Rio + 10’
and would be a people-focussed world summit rather than an
environmental Earth summit. Since it already had an international process
in place, however imperfect, biodiversity took a back seat.

o

Photo: Courtesy Welsh Assembly Government.

The few words accorded to biodiversity in the fìnal
‘Plan of Implementation’ raise an interesting possibility.
They commit governments to ‘signifìcantly reduce' loss
of biodiversity by 2010, and one of the signatories was
the United States.The US had previously refused to
endorse the Convention on Biological Diversity, with its
target to ‘halt’ the loss of biodiversity by 2010, but its
acceptance of the weaker Johannesburg wording may
indicate a willingness to join the club. If it does so,
progress may be made on issues such as genetic
property rights and the funding of conservation
programmes in developing countries.

For many, the World Summit’s biggest challenge was to
tame the monster of globalisation, or (to use Summit-
speak) to make globalisation work for sustainable
development. The World Trade Organisation's powers
have multiplied in the ten years since Rio, and its
agenda has been the removal of all obstacles to free
trade. NGOs led by Friends of the Earth insisted that
environmental protection and development goals
should not be compromised, a position that won the
bacldng of grass roots activists in developing countries.
Most big issues were fudged in Johannesburg, but this
one was fought over to the death, and there were
some unlikely combatants. Ethiopia, which as one of
the poorest countries on earth is supposed to benefit
from free trade, was amongst those insisting that the
development and environmental agreements have
primacy. The US disagreed, and even after most
delegates had gone home they were quibbling about
what they had signed up to, but the wording was
retained in the fìnal statement. It remains to be seen
whether the WTO carries on as if Johannesburg never
happened, but an important principle has been
established.

For most of the issues addressed by the Summit, the
results reflect the narrow interests of a few powerful
countries, rather than the wishes of the many. An
overloaded agenda and a lack of focus on overarching
global challenges contributed to the sense of failure.
Many previous agreements, such as that on toxic
chemicals, were watered down rather than augmented
by the Summit. WWF was pleased that lobbying on

oceans recovery produced some positive outcomes
through recognition of the ecosystem approach, a
target for replenishment of depleted fìsh stoclcs by
2015 and the elimination of harmful subsidies. The
European Union now has the opportunity to be the
first region to meet the target, by reforming its
Common Fisheries Policy. Agriculture would benefìt
from similar reform, but the US, France and others
prevented agreement on subsidies in Johannesburg.

For a conference that was supposed to address
sustainable development, there was scant recognition
of the links between poverty alleviation and
environmental protection. Take the deal on water: the
Summit agreed to halve the number of people without
access to sanitation and dean water supplies by 2015,
a laudable aim. But where will that water come from?
Will massive dams and river diversions be the answer,
with all the habitat destruction and cross-border
conflicts that those entail? By failing to link this
agreement to one on river basin management, so that
this natural resource is utilised sustainably, the Summit
has failed to learn lessons from the past.

Action at home: a leading role for Wales?

The World Summit on Sustainable Development was
much more than a meeting of Heads of State -
it brought together local and regional governments,
business groups, academics and non-governmental
organisations. Assembly First Minister Rhodri Morgan
led a small delegation from Wales visiting, amongst
other places, a zero energy housing development
sponsored by WWF which may stimulate new thinking
back home. He also co-chaired a global conference of
regional governments to promote sustainable
development, leading to the signing of the ‘Gauteng
Declaration’. When we look back on Johannesburg, we
may fìnd that the progress of sustainable development
was better served by the involvement of lower tiers of
government such as the Welsh Assembly, than by the
largely empty gestures of the heads of state.

Sustainability will be achieved only if the sum total of
small decisions taken by public authorities, business and
consumers around the world combine to give

substance to global conventions and protocols. The
Assembly Government has considerable powers to
guide such decisions in Wales, and is aclcnowledging the
global impact of its decisions through the ecological
footprint project, an initiative no other government has
attempted.

Rhodri Morgan has claimed a leadership role for Wales
on sustainable development, but so far it’s the process
that’s been distinctive rather than the policies or
actions, although there are some promising proposals
in the pipeline. That process (arising from the
Assembly’s sustainable development scheme) has had
the support of a broad coalition of public agencies,
voluntary organisations, business people, academics and
politicians of all parties, and will soon be enabled by a
Sustainable Development Forum for Wales.

A huge responsibility now rests on the Assembly
Government to turn the process into real action, one
outcome of which must be the survival and vitality of
Wales’ wildlife and habitats. The Assembly has provided
solid support and encouragement to local authoritìes
and the Countryside Council for Wales, who
implement many biodiversity action plans at a local
level, but ultimateiy the fate of our wildlife depends on
more powerful forces which must be controlled.
Economic development is not about making Wales
competitive at the expense of other nations, and
environmental and social costs cannot be exported
overseas. A radical new approach to agriculture and
industrial development is required: these have been
highly damaging to Wales' environment and society in
the past, and the agencies which promote them must
be reformed. Sustainability has to become their
business, and their central organising principle.

There will be political debate about how those reforms
can be achieved, but the Assembly Government must
be courageous in turning its principles into actions. If it
comes back from Johannesburg with a ‘business as
usual’ agenda, its leadership role will be lost.

Morgan Parry is Director, WWF Cymru.

Johannesburg - gobaith i
natur neu fusnes fel arfer?

Os bydd Llywodraeth y Cynulliad yn parhau fel
o’r blaen ar ôl Johannesburg, bydd wedi colli’r
cyfle 1 arwain. Roedd presenoldeb Prif Weinidog
Cyrnru yn Uwch-Gynhadledd y Ddaear yn codi
gobeithion y bydd y pwnc yn cael rhagor o sylw
wrth wneud penderfyniadau economaidd. Mae
sgôp gan Lywodraeth y Cynulliad, ond y broses
sy’n hynod hyd yn hyn, nid y canlyniadau. Bydd
y broses yn cael hwb pellach gan Fforwm
Datblygu Cynaliadwy Cymru ond mae
cyfrifoldeb ar y Llywodraeth i droi’r dweud yn
wneud. Mae angen agwedd newydd radical at
amaeth a datblygu economaidd gyda
chynaliadwyedd yn rhan ganolog o waith yr
asiantaethau sy’n eu hyrwyddo.

Er nad ychwanegodd yr Uwch-Gynhadledd at
benderfyniadau Rio ym maes bioamrywiaeth,
roedd yr ychydig eiriau a gafodd y maes yn codi
pwynt diddorol. Er bod yr Unol Daleithiau wedi
gwrthod arwyddo Confensiwn Rio i “atal colli
bioamiywíaeth”, y tro yma, arwyddodd y
Cynllun yn galw am “leihau’n sylweddol” ar
golli bioamrywiaeth erbyn 2010. Diddordebau
ychydig wledydd cyfoethog sydd amlyca’ yng
nghanlyniadau’r Uwch-Gynhadlcdd gyda rhai
cytundebau cynharach yn cael eu glastwreiddio.
Ond roedd camu ymlaen wrth ystyried adfer y
cefnforoedd hefyd. Sialens fwya’r Uwch-
Gynhadledd oedd dofi bwystfil globaleiddio.
Roedd NGOs dan arweiniad Cyfeillion y
Ddaear yn mynnu na ddylai masnach rydd
beryglu’r nod o ddatblygu a gwarchod yr
amgylchedd.

Cafwyd cefnogwyr annisgwyl, gan gynnwys
Ethiopia, un o’r gwledydd tlawd sydd i fod i
elwa fwya’ o fasnach rydd. Prin oedd y
cysylltiadau a wnaed rhwng datrys tlodi a
gwarchod yr amgylchedd. Wrth alw am haneru
nifer y bobl heb ddŵr glân a charthffosiaeth,
methwyd â chysylltu hynny â defnydd
cyanliadwy. Wrth ediych yn ôl efallai y gwelwn
fod gwasanaeth gwell wedi’i wneud gan lefelau
is o lywodraeth, fel y Cynulliad Cenedlaethol,
na chan eiriau gwag penaethiaid y
gwladwriaethau.

The hunt is on for sources
of renewable energy to
replace fossil fuels , and
wind power is the front-
runner. As giant turbines
on Welsh hilltops have
proved controversial,
off-shore wind farms
may be the answer.
Malcolm Smith sets the
scene, and looks at the
merits of‘blades at sea’.

Y ear in and year out, tens of thousands of visitors to the sedate, seaside
resort of Llandudno venture by train, car or - more rarely - on foot to
the summit of the nearby Great Orme's Head, the massive limestone
headland that dominates the town, and marvel at the incredible sea views.

A grey-blue tablecloth of open water stretches north beyond the Isle of Man,
west to the Irish coast and east to the dunes of Formby and Southport.

Apart from a few passing ships and a distant gas production platform, it is a
view largely devoid of industrial development.

But that is about to change. Some of Britain’s fìrst - and tallest - electricity
generatìng wind turbines may soon dominate the sea views to the east of the
Orme. Thirty turbines are proposed 8 Idlometres off Abergele and another
thirty off Prestatyn. More may be planned.

Traditioml wind powcr.

According to the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA), 1,300 offshore
wind turbines could produce a little under 2% of the UK’s electricity needs.
They base their calculation on each one producing 2 megawatts of electricity
when it is turning. Each one would be the height of Big Ben, nearly 300 feet.

Well over three hundred smaller turbines - half the UK total - already sprout
from many of the rolling hilltops of mid-Wales. Another nine hundred or
more are at various planning stages. Many people fìnd these three-bladed,
wind-swooshing, giant white towers perfectly acceptable, even attractive.
After all, they emit no pollution and - compared with conventional power
stations - are much easier to decommission and dismantle. But there are
others who argue that the Welsh upland landscape of heather moors and
coarse, grass-covered hills has been industrialised in the frantic search for
greener means of generating electricity.

So could building large aggregations of turbines off our
coast be more acceptable, especially if they were
constructed in places where they were not in conflict
with cherished sea views or wildlife?

Any visitor to the British seaside knows just how windy
our coast can be. A European Commission study in 1995
estimated our offshore wind resource, within 30
kilmometres of the coast, as capable of producing around
three times our total electricity demand. We are
endowed with a third of the marine wind energy in
Europe. Lucky us. It’s why the BWEA claims that “an area
of sea roughly the size of London would be enough to
provide 10% of the UK’s electricity needs".

But there are no wind turbines planned in or around
London. Nor in Cardiff for that matter, even though
industrial areas nearby might be a very acceptable location
for some energy generating developments. Instead, the
most rural locations most distant from urban centres
where most of the electricity is consumed seem to be
constantly in the front line when it comes to producing it.
Perhaps that’s what ‘green energy’ refers to.

Wind turbine technology is moving on apace. Most of the
turbines turning in the wind on Welsh hills are relatively
small by today’s standards. Some of the earliest turbines
generate only 0.3 megawatts each. That’s enough to run
just three hundred single bar electric fìres. And they do
that, of course, only when the wind blows.

When it doesn’t, we still have to rely on conventional
power stations burning gas, coal or nuclear fuel. And
when it gets too windy, the turbines have to be switched
off because their gear boxes can’t cope with steady
generation if the wind is blowing too strongly. This is why
wind power needs to be a part of our energy generating
strategy but cannot do the whole job.

The Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) - the Welsh
Assembly Government’s adviser on wildlife, landscape
and access - is very concerned at the impact of air
pollutants from conventional power stations using fossil
fuels, in particular those burning coal. CCW therefore
backs wind energy provided that the turbines don’t
compromise precious landscapes and wildlife nor diminish
the experience of wallcing in the countryside.

In order to cut emissions of greenhouse gases and other
airborne pollutants, the UK Government has a target of
generating a tenth of our electricity from renewable
sources by 2010. In theory, technologies such as solar
panels, biomass, hydro generation using riverflow, and sea
wave energy are all in the frame. But the only renewable
source with the technology up and turning on a large
scale is wind energy. Hence it dominates the market and

“We support wind turbines at sea in principle, too,” says
Dr Maggie Hill, Head of CCW's Maritime and Earth
Sciences, “but we need to assess the impact of each
proposal in case they affect cherished sea views and
sensitive wildlife. Well sited and carefully designed, sea
wind farms could provide refuges for marine life, but if
poorly sited they could damage seabed features or pose
a threat if they are on the flight paths of seabirds. We

the arguments.

have done a considerable amount of cutting edge work

to draw up guidance for developers on where best to

Wind

Baglan Bay

2nd Severn

Worms

Pen Dinas

turbine

cooling

Crossing

Head,

Monument,

105m to

towers

maximum

Gower

Aberystwyth

blade tip

90m

height I37m

45 m

I9.8m

currently proposed for wind turbine construction. Three
of these are in Welsh waters; two off the north Wales
coast and one off Porthcawl.

In future, the bulk of wind-generated electricity is likely
to be at sea. At the moment there is only one offshore
wind farm operating in the UK. That’s at Blyth in
Northumberland with just two, albeit moderately large,
turbines. A second, much larger one with 38 turbines,
off the Norfollt coast, was recently given the go ahead.

How much of a visual impact large numbers of turbines
will make is difficult to gauge - even with computer
graphics - until they are built. Simon Reddy,

Greenpeace's renewable energy campaigner, is upbeat:

“We acknowledge that visual impact must be a
consideration, but their impact should be reduced if they
are at least fìve kilometres out to sea. We think that the
initial visual shock of seeing a new development like this
will subside”.

The advocates of wind energy point to its enẃonmental
benefits. If we generated a tenth of our electricity from
wind we would reduce the production of carbon dioxide
— a greenhouse gas — by around 5% and cut other
pollutants a little too.

On the other hand, at times when the turbines hit the
doldrums because there isn’t any wind to turn them, or
when the wind blows too violently for them to cope,
conventional power stations are still essential. Effective
energy conservation schemes in homes, offìces and
industry would reduce the need to produce so much
electricity in the fìrst place.

Nor do all wind energy developments need to be on a
monumental scale. Small generators, perhaps linked to
other forms of generation such as solar power or
electricity generated from wood burning, could be
developed in rural communities. There would need to
be a lot more of this, but several US States and one or
two European countries actively support such locally
based renewable energy technology. It’s a practical
example of acting sustainably and CCW has earmarked a

substantia! amount of grant aid money to help local
communities to start such ventures.

If the enẃonmental benefits of wind-generated
electricity are to be realised, and the environmental
drawbacks minimised, building large turbines well out to
sea in the least visually sensitive locations off our coast
may be a much better option than scattering them
across the hills of mid Wales.

Dr Malcolm Smith is a regular contributor on
environment, travel and gardening to The Ttmes and a
number of magazines. He is the Senior Director of
The Countryside Council for Wales. The views
expressed are his own and do not necessarily reflect
CCW policy.

Gweld y gwynt

Mae angen amrywiaeth o ddulliau gwyrdd o
gynhyrchu trydan ond gwynt yw’r unig
ffỳnhonnell sydd â’r dechnoleg yn barod i
gynhyrchu ar raddfa fawr. Er mai’r dinasoedd sy’n
defnyddio mwya’ o ynni, yng nghetn gwlad y mae’r
gorsafoedd ac mae hanner tyrbinau gwynt y DU
yng Nghymru. Bellach, mae cynlluniau am dair
gorsaf ger glannau Cymru hefyd.

Gallai gwynt o’r môr gynhyrchu tair gwaith y
trydan sydd ei angen ar y DU ond mae cyrff fel y
Cyngor Cefn Gwlad eisiau ystyried effaith
gorsafoedd môr ar olygfeydd a bywyd gwyllt. Er y
bydd golygfeydd yn newid, fe allai fod yn well í
osod tyrbinau mawr ymhell allan yn y môr na’u
gwasgaru nhw tros fryniau canolbarth Cymru.

Llên y llysiau

gan Twm Elias

Prosiect a gychwyrmwyd
gan Cymdeithas Edward
Llwyd yw Llên y Llysiau i
gofnodi pob math o
gysylltiad rhwng pobl
Cymru a phlanhigion.

Mae’n ceisio casglu
gwybodaeth am y
rhywogaethau o dan nifer
o benawdau, gan gynnwys
tarddiad yr enw,
cyfeiriadau llenyddol,
enwau lleoedd, cofnodion
hanesyddol, a’r defnydd o’r
planhigion. 0s oes
gennych unrhyw beth i’w
ychwanegu at y manylion
isod, cysylltwch â Duncan
Brown (rhifffôn: 01286
650547 neu e-bost:
dbrown.waunfawr@virgin.net).

- rhedynen gyfrdwy

Enw Gwyddonol: Osmunda regalis (L): Tarddiad ansicr yn dyddio o’r
Canol Oesoedd yw’r enw Osmunda. Ceir amryw o ymgeisiadau ffansiol
i’w esbonio, e.e. mai o’r Sacsoneg am ‘nerth’ y deillia, neu o enw
personol - crybwyllir ‘Osmund the waterman’, oedd yn Sacson a
guddiodd ei blant ymysg dail y rhedynen rhag y Daniaid, ac roedd hefyd
yn un o enwau Thor y duw Scandinafaidd. Posibilrwydd arall yw y
tardda o’r Lladin os (asgwrn) a mundare (glanhau), sy’n gyfeiriad at un o
ddefnyddiau meddygol y planhigyn. Ystyr regalis yw brenhinol. (1,2, 3).

Disgrifiad Rhedynen fawr braff hyd at 4 - 6 troedfedd, ond weithiau
hyd at 10 troedfedd gyda gwaelodion llafnau’r dail yn ffurfìo twffyn
trwchus. Y ffrondiau llystyfol ar rannau isa’r llafnau yn felynwyrdd, a’r
ffrondiau rhywiol ar y blaenau yn glystyrau melyngoch. Y dail yn marw
dros y gaeaf ac yn aildyfu yn y gwanwyn.

Dosbarthiad a Chynefin: Yr unig aelod Ewropeaidd o genws a
theulu’r Osmundaceae. Dosbarthiad eang ond gwasgaredig trwy
orllewin Ewrop yn tyfu ar gorsdir mawnog ac mewn coedlannau
gwlybion, yn enwedig ar lawr gwlad. Weithiau ar greigiau mewn
mannau cysgodol a llaith. Yn brin yn y gwyllt erbyn hyn oherwydd iddi
gael ei chasglu gymaint yn y 19g a dechrau’r 20g i’w thyfu mewn gerddi
ac oherwydd draenio corsydd. Cofnodwyd yn gyntaf yng Nghymru gan
John Ray yn 1670: ‘I have observed it in boggy places...in Wales.’ (4)

Enwau Cymraeg eraill: cyfrdwy, cyfrdwy brenhinawl, rhedyn
bonheddig, rhedyn cyfrodedd, rhedyn blodeuog, rhedyn y cadno,
rhedyn y gors, rhedyn y dŵr, rhedyn Crist, rhedyn Mair, rhedyn
bendigaid, lloer-redynen gyfrdwy, lleuadlys cyfrdwy, dibedoliad y
meirch. (5, 6, 7)

Tarddiad yr enwau Cymraeg: “Cyfrdwy” yn hen enw ar nifer o
redynnau ( kyffrdwy I6g (8)); ‘brenhinawl' a ‘bonheddig’o regalis;
‘cyfrodedd’ yn cyfeirio at natur blethiedig y dail; ‘cadno’ oherwydd lliw
ei ddail ffrwythlon. Yr elfennau ‘Crist’ a ‘Mair’ yn datgan ei bod yn
rhinweddol/feddyginiaethol, ond ‘lloer’ a ‘lleuad’ (cyfeiriad at ffurf
hanner lleuad y pinnae mewn rhai rhywogaethau o redynnau), yn codi
o gymysgedd tacsonomegol yn y gorffennol. Er enghraifft, yn Welsh
Botanology (1813) dosberthid y rhedynen fechan ( Botrychium lunaria ) -
y lloer redynen - i’r un teulu â’r rhedynen gyfrdwy dan yr enw
Osmunda lunaria (9), oherwydd tebygrwydd yn ffurf y dail ffrwythlon

Ffoto: Jonathan Cox.

mae’n debyg. ‘Dibedoliad y meirch’ yn gyfeiriad at
hen goel, ond am y lloer redynen, fel arfer, y byddai
march yn colli ei bedolau pe’i marchogid dros y
rhedynen hon (10).

Defnyddiau Meddyginiaethol: Ar dudalen 48 o
Y Gestiana (II) ceir y frawddeg ganlynol: ‘Byddai
cyrchu mawr o bell i Lyn Ystumliyn, am Elod,

Rhedyn Cyfrdwy, a Chyrs i wehyddion; hefyd am
amryw o lysiau prinion.’ Cesglid y rhedynen gyfrdwy
yn arbennig ar gyfer y llysnafedd gludiog geid yn y
gwreiddyn a bonion trwchus y dail i wneud amryw o
feddyginiaethau:

• Yn y llawysgrif o’r 16g a elwir A Welsh Leech Book
(8) ceir y rysáit: ‘Rhag torriad Assau. Gwna ddiod
or kyffrdwy.. .a dwfr a dod blastr o beillied blawd
haidd merlys a chagl devaid.. .ai roi yn blastr or tu
allan ar ddiod or tu fewn...ac iach fydd.’

Rhedynen gyfrdwy Osmunda regalis.

• Gwnaed eli neu bowltris ar gyfer cleisiau, yn
enwedig y briwiau geid wrth ymladd, a phan
dynnid cymal o’i le (2, 12). ‘...mae yn un o’r
llysiau rhagoraf rhag ysigiadau mewnol ac allanol,
esgyrn wedi eu tori, a chymalau wedi eu hysigo.’
(13), ac ‘,..i gryfhau esgyrn pan y byddont wedi
torri...iddynt asio yn gynt.’ (14)

• ‘Mae eu gwreiddiau wedi eu berwi mewn gwin
gwyn...yn glanhau yr arennau a’r bledren, a
phibau y dwfr o bob mân raian a cherrig.’ (13), ac
‘...i wneuthur dwfr yn helaethach i’r rhai sydd yn
ei wneuthur yn rhy brin’ (14).

• ‘Gwelaís hen bobl yn defnyddio llawer ar ei
wraidd i esmwythau y gwynegon a'r gewynwst.’
(13).

• Tybid bod potas ohono yn ‘...lladd pob math o
iyngyr (13).

Defnyddiau eraill:

• Arferid berwi’r gwreiddyn mewn dŵr i gael
startsh ac roedd galw mawr amdano ar un cyfnod
i galedu neu stiffìo Hín. (15).

• Daeth yn blanhigyn gardd poblogaidd yng ngerddi
plasdai’r 19g ac yn darged i gasglwyr rhedyn.
Parodd hynny iddi fynd yn weddol brin yn y
gwyllt.

• Bydd garddwyr yn defnyddio compost ( Osmunda
fìbre) o wraidd a bonion dail pydredig y rhedynen
gyfrdwy fel y cyfrwng gorau i botio tegeiriannau
tramor mewn tŷ gwydr. Mae’n gompost ffìbraidd
sydd ag ychydig o faeth ynddo, ond ddim gormod,
sydd hefyd yn draenio’n dda tra ar yr un pryd yn
cadw lleithder digonol. (16).

Coelion ac arferion:

• Yn Galway yn yr Iwerddon credid bod y rhedynen
gyfrdwy yn blodeuo yn y nos ym Mehefìn, ond
bod y blodau’n diflannu cyn y bore - rhaid bod
hynny’n wir oherwydd byddai’r ‘hadau’ yno erbyn
y bore! (II).

• Yn yr Alban roedd un math o swyn garu angen 9
coesyn o’r rhedynnen gyfrdwy (17).

Mae Twm Elias yn ddarlithydd a threfnydd cyrsiau

ym Mhlas Tan y Bwlch, Canolfan Astudio Parc

Cenedlaethol Eryri.

Cyfeiriadau:

1 Johnson, A.T a Smith, H.A., Plan t Names Simplified,

(i 986) [Cyh. gyntaf yn 1931]

2 Grieve, Mrs M,, A Modern Herbal. (1977). [Cyh. gyntaf
yn 1931]

3 Grigson, G., A Dictionary ofEnglish Plant Names. (1974)

4 Ray, J., Catalogus Plantarum Angliae. (1670)

5 Davies, D, a Jones, A,, Enwau Cymraeg ar Blanhìgion,
(1995)

6 Hayes, D., Planhigion Cymru a'r Byd, Gwasg Maes Onn.
(1995)

7 Geiriadur Prifỳsgol Cymru

8 Lewis, T (Ed.), A Ẃelsh Leech 6 ook, (1914), tud.7

9 Davies, H,, Welsh Botanology, (1813)

10 Baker, M., Discoverin g the Folklore of Plants, (1996)

I I Alltud Eifìon, Y Gestiana, (1892)

12 Vickery, Roy, Oxford Dictìonary of Plant Lore, (1995)

13 Price, R. a Griffìths, E,, Llysieulyfr Teuluaidd, (1858), tud.
159

14 Jones, TJ., Y Uysieulyfr Teuluaidd, (Arg. 1881), tud. 79.
[Cyfieithiad o weithiau Culpepper (I7g)]

15 Freethy, Ron, British Ferns, (1987)

16 Thomas, Maldwyn, (Dolgellau), cys. pers., (2002)

17 Darwin, Tess, The Scots Herbal, (1996)

« •••

• • •

• □*
v r*

• ••

• •• •
•••••••

d

/•

,••• *

• □ <T~

• Ui

■ • •
••

• • -••••••□ □ s

▲• ;• ••••••□

.* ••••: □ • □:

• • □ •

Dosbarthiad y
rhedynen gyfrdwy yng
Nghymru, ynghyd ä
dyddiad y cofnodion

• 1970-1995
■ 1950-1969

★ 1930-1969
. cyn 1950

□ a blannwyd rhwng 1970 a 1995

Royal fern Osmunda regalis

Regalis means ‘royal’ but the name Osmunda is of
uncertain derivation. It may be from the Anglo-
Saxon word for strength, or from a personal name -
Osmund the waterman was a Saxon who hid his
children from the Danes among fern-leaves and
Osmund was also one of the names of the
Scandinavian god Thor. Or it may derive from the
Latin 05 (bone) and mundare (to clean), and refers to
the medicinal uses of the plant.

First recorded in Wales in 1670, it grows on peaty
fenland and ín wet copses, particularly on lowlands.
A large, sturdy fern that grows usually to 4-6 feet,
the bases of the leaf blades form a thick tuft. The
fronds on the lower parts are yellow-green, and the
sexual fronds at the tips of the blades are reddish-
yellow clusters. The leaves die back in winter and
re-grow in spring.

In the 19th century it became a target for fern
collectors and was a popular plant in mansion
gardens. This, and the draining of fens, caused it to
become fairly rare in the wild.

Welsh names for the fern refer to it variously as
royal, noble, twined (from the plaited leaves), and
fox (for the colour of the fertile leaves). The use of
Christ and Mary in the name signify its medicínal
uses. Dibedoliad y meirch (horses’ unshoeing) refers
to an old belíef, usually relating only to the
moonwort, that a horse would lose its shoes if it
were ridden over tliis fern.

Medicinal uses

A viscous slime found in the roots and thick leaf
stems was used to make several kinds of medication.
Ointments and poultices were used to ease the pain
of internal and external bruising, rheumatism and
gout, and the roots boiled in white wine were
thought to cleanse the kidneys and bladder. A broth
made from it was reputcd to ‘kill all kinds of
tapeworm’.

The fern was particularly used for the mending of
broken or dislocated bones and sprained joints:

“For breakage of ribs. Make a drink of the royal
fern.. .and water, and make a plaster ot a measure
of two-rowed barley flour and sheep’s dung...
and apply it as a plaster externally and as a drink
internally...and [the rib] will be healthy.”

(H. Welsh Leech Book, 16th century).

Photo: © RSPB. Photo: © RSPB.

An ecosystem is a tapestry
of species and relationships.
Chop away a section,
isolate that section and there
arises a problem of
unravelling.

David Quatntneti

The Song of the Dodo

Black grouse displaying
provide a spectacular but
increasing rare sight. Now
help is at hand. Patrick
Lindley and Dave Smith
report on a remarkable
success story.

Male blach grouse displaying. Photo: © rspb.

can see four maies, and they are really having a good fight,” whispered
lolo, conservation manager with Forest Enterprise. I crouch down,
screened by trees, to witness the drama that has unfolded in the uplands
since the lce Age. A side step, neclc craned, one of the combatants jostles
and counter jostles and then performs the c oup de grace, a stunning strike to
his opponent’s scarlet eye comb. The loser, falling from grace, retreats to
the security of tall heather. Lost in the drama of the moment, both lolo and
I watch patiently, hands numb with cold as the April sun rises above the
darlcness of the moor. You may be forgiven for thinking that the event
witnessed was a territorial brawl between top predators. Not so, it is an
intricate display performed every spring on traditional mating arenas (leks)
by the thespians of the bird world - male black grouse. However, this
spectacle, often viewed by many as one of the ornithological wonders of the
uplands, is perilously close to disappearing.

A chronic decline

The black grouse is declining rapidly throughout large parts of its natural
range in Europe 1 ' 5 . This large-scale decline is mirrored in the UK where
black grouse may have undergone a 75% decline between 1990
(estimated 25,000 lekking males) and 1995/1996 (estimated 6,510 lekking
males). In Wales, historical population estimates of black grouse are vague.
Nevertheless, anecdotal evidence suggests a serious decline occurred in
the I9th century throughout the principality, except in Breconshire. With
the continued loss of fringe native woodland between marginal farmland
and the moorland edge, by the I940s blaclc grouse were in ‘free fall’

o

decline throughout Wales and were considered in all
counties to have an 'uncommon’ status.

However, it is generally agreed that post-war
afforestation in the uplands initially led to an increase in
the species’ range and numbers. With the exclusion of
sheep, important food plants such as heather and
bilberry flourished within these young plantations and
the open canopy structure provided shelter and nesting
cover. With a quarter of the Welsh uplands planted
predominantly with non-native Sitka spruce these large-
scale forests loolted attractive habitats but flattered to
deceive. The densely planted trees quickly grew and
shaded out favourable food plants. With many upland
forests reaching closed canopy in synchrony, blaclc
grouse began to be squeezed outside the forest to
occupy a niche devoid of tree cover - open moorland.

Figure 1 The number of dispbying male blackgrouse
in Wales (1986-1997)

Despite the surprising upsurge in numbers, by 1975
there was evidence of an equally dramatic decline. This
decline prompted the fìrst systematic survey of black
grouse in Wales in 1986 which recorded 264 displaying
males. 3 Repeat surveys in 1992 and 1995 showed
numbers had further declined and by 1997 black grouse
numbers had diminished by 50% since the fìrst Welsh
survey in 1986 (Fig /.) Various other causes of the
decline in black grouse have been identified; some
factors may result in habitat fragmentation and direct
loss of habitat, while other more subtle changes may
reduce breeding success and adult survival.

Blach grouse require a patchworb of different habitats.

Fighting species extinction;

The Welsh Blaclt Grouse Recovery Project

With the speed of population decline, there was
agreement by a group of Welsh conservation agencies
and organisations that unless a large-scale intervention
project was implemented to arrest the decline, black
grouse in Wales would be extinct within 10-15 years.
With this in mind, following successful grant applications
to the European Union (European Agriculture Guidance
and Guarantee Fund) and National Assembly for Wales
(Rural Development Grant), coupled with substantial
investment from RSPB, Forest Enterprise and the
Countryside Council for Wales, the Welsh Black Grouse
Recovery Projectwas launched in 1999. Following small
scale management initiated in 1997, between 1999-
2001 the recovery project integrated a comprehensíve
suite of habitat prescriptions at 6 black grouse sites
(termed key areas) in mid and north Wales (Llandegla
and Ruabon Moors, Clocaenog, North Berwyn, Pâle,
Llanbrynmair and Migneint/Dduallt). Collectively these
sites are referred to as the project core area and
comprised 80% of the remaining blackcocl< (male black
grouse) population in Wales in I997. 6

The recovery project had the following three key aims;

• In the short term (3 years), arrest the long-running
decline of black grouse.

• In the long term, increase the range and numbers of
black grouse.

• Develop public awareness of the plight of blacl<
grouse and the measures to reverse the current
decline.

«E>

Photo: © RSPB.

What do black grouse require?

The habitat requirements of black grouse are complex.
They are a sedentary species that require a continuous
mosaic of upland habitats such as wet heath, blanket
bog, and open forest for feeding, displaying, breeding,
roosting and moulting. The majority of black grouse in
Wales (over 90%) are now associated with upland
conifer plantations that have a mosaic of vegetation
communities along the forest edge with a well-
developed ground layer of heather and bilberry.

We know black grouse favour an open patchwork of
widely spaced trees with a regenerating ground layer of
bilberry, heather and grasses. The question facing the
project was how to replicate this environment? With a
legacy of mature, close ranked, impenetrable stands of
Sitlca spruce characteristic of many forest edges the
answer was more problematic.

Working closely with Forest Enterprise, Tilhil Forestry
and Canon Farm, the project identified 5 forests within
the core area that could be managed for black grouse
on a large scale (>50ha). Here we removed different
densities of trees (up to 90% removal at a maximum
height of 7m) over large areas to create the desired
‘feathering' along forest edges and rides. After tree
removal, the canopy is opened to sunlight and the vital
components of black grouse diet (heather, bilberry and
cotton grass) quickly regenerate. When completed, the
forest edge structure resembles the loose structure of
Northern Fenno-Scandinavian forests.

The next phase was to focus on managing the tall,
uniform, ungrazed ground layer within and outside
these forests. Extensive areas of tall, continuous
heather can hinder chick movement and may chill small
chicks leading to death during bouts of continuous cold,
wet weather. In the absence of natural forest
herbivores that would have grazed and browsed the
ground layer, the project used novel intervention
practices developed by the RSPB at their Lake Vyrnwy
Reserve. Mowing a patchworlc of small blocks and
strips of heather on the open moor and within forest
firebreaks, rides and tree-thinned areas, with either a
tractor mounted flail or manually operated brush-
cutters, created the mosaic of vegetation that black

grouse require. Mires and wet flushes, where sedges
and grasses predominate, are insect-rich areas and thus
important feeding areas for black grouse and broods.

As well as forest thinning and heather management, the
project has managed and reinstated some wet areas by
rendering drains and ditches ineffective.

During 1999 to 2001, 1,400ha were managed directly
for black grouse. All the habitat management within the
project core area was undertaken by hired contractors
(local where possible) and represented 3,052
contractor man-days or 14 man-years (I man year
equals 220 man days).

Figure 2. The number ofdisplaying male blackgrouse within the
project core area (Í997-2002)

Status of black grouse in Wales: census update

Because black grouse are secretive and elusive, the
only practical survey method to measure populations is
to count displaying males on their lek sites in spring 2 .
Systematic searches of all leks within the key areas
were conducted between 1997-2002, (except in 2001
- cancelled due to the outbreak of Foot and Mouth).
The leks were visited once between 15 April to 15
May and all displaying males counted to assess
population change.The lek counts between 1997 and
2002 show an increase of 94 males or 87% (Fig 2).
However, this comparison should be treated with
caution, due to incomplete lek coverage in 1997.

A comparison between 1998-2002, suggests a more
realistic population increase of 59 males (41 %).

Photo: © RSPB.

The 2002 lel< counts suggest the numbers of displaying
males within the project's core area are showing signs
of recovery and increase. The results from the Wales
2002 Black Grouse Census reveal that where no
favourable management outside the project core area
has occurred black grouse are continuing to decline in
numbers and range. Yet the census estimates a Welsh
black grouse population of 260 lekking males, (Lindley
e£ o/. in prep.), almost on par with the 1986 survey
population of 264 males. 3

Male black grouse at a ‘lek

Part of the success of the Welsh Black Grouse
Recovery Project is due to the behind scenes toil of our
project partners, land owners, farmers, game
managers, conservationists and local contractors. With
black grouse widely recognised as a Welsh forest edge
species, support from the Welsh forestry sector has
and will continue to be vital. Forests, upland heath and
marginal farmland, always changing in structure, will
require further conservation intervention to encourage
black grouse to stay and to re-colonise formerly
occupied haunts. RSPB Cymru will continue to work
closely with the farming, game and forestry sectors,
and we hope that blaclc grouse can once again be
observed through the trees.

Pati"icl< Lindley, RSPB’s
Black Grouse Officer
for Wales, has run the
recovery project
over the
last three
ycars,
assisted by
Dave Smith.

References

1 Baines, D, 1993. The Black Grouse Report: first approaches
towards the restoration of black grouse numbers ìn Britain.
Report to English Nature and Scottísh Natural Heritage.

2 Gilbert, G., Gibbons, D.W. & Evans, J. 1998. Bird
Monitoring Methods. RSPB.

3 Grove, S.J., Hope Jones, P, Malkinson, A.R. & Thomas,
D.H. 1986. Number and distríbution ofblack grouse in
Wales. RSPB Unpub. Report

4 Hancock, M., Baines, D„ Gibbons, D„ Etheridge, B. &
Shepherd, M. 1999: Status ofmale black grouse "letrao
Tetrix in Britain in 1995-96. Bird Study 46:1 -15.

5 Hughes, J„ Baines, B„ Grant, M„ Roberts, J„ Williams, I.
& Bayes, K, 1998. RSPB Conservation Revìew. 12.

6 Williams, l„ King, A„ Cowan, T & Hughes, B. 1997.
Black grouse in WatesSpríng 1997. Unpub. reportto
Countryside Council for Wales.

Adfer y Grugieir Du

Mae un o ryfeddodau byd adar yr ucheldir mewn
peiyg o ddiflannu - perfformiadau cystadleuol
ceiliogod y rugiar ddu. Mae’r aderyn yn cilio trwy
Ewrop, gydag amcangyfrif o ostyngiad o 75% yn y
DU rhwng 1990 ac 1996. Erbyn yr 1940au roedd
yn lleihau’n ddychrynllyd yng Nghymru ac, er fod
coedwigo wcdi’r rhyfel wedi helpu i ddechrau,
roedd niferoedd wedi haneru rhwng 1986 ac 1997.
Lansiwyd Cynllun Adfer Grugieir Du Cymru yn
1999, gan ddefnyddio cyfuniad cynhwysfawr o
ddulliau adfer cynefin mewn 6 saflc yn y
Canolbarth a’r Goglcdd.

Roedd tri nod:

• Atal y gostyngiad o fewn tair blynedd.

• Cynyddu niferoedd ac ehangu ardal yn y tymor
hir.

• Codi ymwybyddiaeth.

Mae angen brithwaith o gynefinoedd ar y rugiar
ddu ond mae hynny’n anodd lle mae coedwigoedd
pin yn ddwys. Felly, dewiswyd 5 coedwig i’w
teneuo er mwyn hybu llystyfiant sy’n fwyd i’r
aderyn. Y cam nesa’ oedd rheoli grug trwy ei dorrí
ac adfer rhai llecynnau gwlyb. Rhwng 1998 a 2002
bu cynnydd o 41% mewn ceiliogod yn ardal y
prosiect. Y tu allan iddi, tnae’r dirywiad yn parhau.

&

Opening up the forest -

a new prospect for Newborough

The plantation covers much of the former dunes..

Photo:John RatclifFe.

While the conservation of
nature has traditionally
been a rear-guard struggle,
a new age of ambitious
habitat restoration projects
is dawning. James
Robertson considers what
it would take to transform
a large plantation on
Anglesey into a mosaic of
trees and open duneland.

A nglesey is roughly diamond-shaped; at its southern apex, the ocean
has deposited a convincingly acute angle of sand, which trails into the
sea like the string of a kite, ending at Abermenai Point. Across the narrow
mouth of the Menai Strait, the sand dunes continue on the mainland, south
of Caernarfon.

This is the strangest of the angles of Anglesey; it is old, and yet has
constantly reinvented itself, changing its contours and at times inundating
human settlements and over-running farmland, a reminder of the dynamic
power of nature. ft is a sandscape of marram-covered hills, some gouged
out by the wind into moon craters, and low-lying slacks, which can turn to
shallow lakes in winter.

Common blue buttetfìy.

Until the middle of last century there were nearly 1,300ha, or five square
miles of this Lawrence of Arabia landscape, lying between the Menai Strait
and the Cefni estuary. Unstable and subject to wind-blows, the dunes were
ideal territory for those once scarce and prized food animals, rabbits. The
whole area was shown as a warren on the fìrst Ordinance Survey maps of
1850. At that time it also provided huge quantities of marram grass for the
manufacture of ropes and mats, nets and cordage, and even shoes.

The arrival of forestry and conservation

The abundance of rabbits, before myxomatosis decimated the population
in the I950s, combined with military use during the last war, resulted in a
period of great sand movement, raising fears of inundation

Photo: CCW.

in the village of Newborough. After the war the
Government handed the management of half the sand
dunes nearest the village to the Forestry Commissìon.
Their brief was to establish a forest of mainly Corsican
pines, which would stabilise the dunes and provide
local employment while producing timber.

The conver$ion of half of Newborough warren’s vast
acres to forest encountered hardly a murmur of
opposition. Timber production was a national priority,
and there appeared to be few drawbacks, such as lost
grazing, to offset the benefits to the local community.
The unplanted dunes still covered an enormous area,
and contained an abundance of rare plants and animals.
In 1955, the Nature Conservancy declared the
unafforested Newbororough Warren a National
Nature Reserve, only the second in Wales.

The young plantatíon, Whit Sunday, 1966.

Forty years later, in 1995, the dunes were put forward
as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the
European Union’s Habitats Directive. But the forest
was excluded from the SAC, apart from small patches
where the rare shore docl< was hanging on. This was
due to a reluctance to designate large and potentially
controversial areas. The review of SACs requested by
the European Union in 1999 has prompted a more
holistic approach to the SAC boundary definition at
Newborough, which now encompasses the whole sand
body in recognìtion of its ecologica! integrity.

Skylarks outside the dark forest

Step into this duneland world, and you will discover
how pulsating with life it is. Skylarks soar and hover,
their songs filling the air, while beneath them waves of
marsh orchids bring vivid splashes of colour to the
dune slacks in early summer. As the season progresses,
the scent of thyme grows stronger, and its purple
flowers attract brightly coloured six-spot burnet moths
and common blue butterflies which come to sip the
nectar.

The adjacent forest has fossilised 700ha. of dunes, so
that the sand dune landforms are frozen in time,
beneath a dark, silent cloalc of trees. Where trees are
planted up to the beach, they prevent natural recovery
and re-vegetation of the dunes after winter storms,
leaving steep sand cliffs between the forest and the sea.
Where attempts have been made to protect the trees
from the forces of erosion, through the construction of
a wooden ‘revetment’, of brushwood fences or by
thatching and re-profìling frontal dunes, these have
largely failed, and they cause unwelcome interference
with natural coastal processes. Conifer litter smothers
most of the natural dune flora leaving only sand sedge,
dune helleborine and round leaved wintergreen in any
abundance. As the forest matures and the soils
develop, brambles, lady fern and common woodland
mosses carpet the floor.

Most serious for the dunes which are not afforested,
the forest has sucked water from the aquifer just
below the surface and has dried out the unplanted
dunes. Winter flooding of dune slaclcs has decreased
over the last forty years and is now a rare occurrence,
limited to slacks furthest from the forest. Dune slacks
within the forest which were not planted fifty years ago
because they flooded in winter are now completely dry
all year round. Rainfall averages have not changed for
Anglesey over this period, but the loss of water from
the forest canopy (estimated at between 10.8 and
19.2mm/day) compared to that from the dune
vegetation (less than 2mm/day) may explain the
change.

Photo: Peter Rhind.

Re-shaping the forest

So is it time to think the unthinloble; that the forest
should be cleared, and the sand dunes restored to their
former glory? IMo-one is calling for the destruction of
the forest, which has become very much a feature of
the Newborough area, with its own conservation and
recreational value. But many conservationists would
like to see a re-shaping of the forest, with the area of
plantation being reduced by less than a half in order to
restore the water table and the mobility of the forward
dunes. This is the kind of bold, visionary project which
will prove that conservation and the ‘sustainable
development’ agenda have really come of age. It is
surely time to open up discussion about the future of
the forest. Elsewhere the Forestry Commission has
carried out forest redesigns to transform plantations
imposed on the landscape into forests which fit into it.

Fifty years after the first trees were planted, there are
new national priorities, and much has changed at
Newborough. The Government and Assembly have
drawn up a national Biodiversity Action Plan, in
recognition of the huge losses of habitats and wildlife
since the war. Many sand dunes, such as those along
the north Wales coast, have been lost to golf courses,
holiday developments and, of course, forestry. Sand
dunes are an exceptionally diverse and rare habitat
internationally, and special efforts are needed to
conserve what is left. Wales has some of Europe’s best
sand dune systems, Newborough being amongst the
top sites.

Six-spot burnet month.

Wildlife uses the forest, too. A small population of red
squirrels established itselí in the conifer plantations,
although it is now thought to be extinct. There is an
exceptionally large raven roost located near the central
rock rídge, which is free from disturbance and offers
good iook-out posts within the plantation. Great
crested newts and medicinal leeches are found in
forest pools, which have been created to provide a
source of water in the event of fìre, although these are
found in greater numbers in the dunes. Visitors to the
forest are often struck by the numerous, colourful fungi
which grow under the pines, such as the saffron milk
cap, and several rare species are only found under the
trees. Several rare dune plants hang on in the

At Newborough the Commission has a great
opportunity to restore the natural ‘sandscape' of this
unique corner of Anglesey, and increase its biodiversity
without losing some of the benefits which the forest
has brought.

For there are many attractions for visitors and wildlife
within the forest. Most of the quarter of a million
visitors a year come to the car parlc near the beach,
which gives easy access to the coast. Many walk along
the beach and cross the causeway to Ynys Llanddwyn.
Others walk along the various forest traclcs and
through the dunes. The shelter provided by the forest
is particularly welcome in winter.
A car park by the road also gives
access to the forest.

Photo: CCW.

Photo: Mikc Hammett.

plantation, but as the forest becomes darlcer and more
mature, many of these plants will probably disappear.
Insect life in the forest is mainly limited to common
species, and is not as rich as it would be if the trees
were removed.

Sand and trees - a new balance?

Fifty years after the fìrst trees were planted, there is a
wonderful opportunity to shrink the forest and bring
back the domain of the sand, without losing the
benefìts which trees bring to this windswept corner of
Anglesey. Trees near the frontal dunes could be
cleared, to restore the natural processes of sand
movement between the beach and the dunes.

Existing clearings could be extended, and new clearings
opened up, to allow light back into areas where the
origina! dune vegetation still clings on. The plantation to
the east of the rocky ridge could be cleared to restore
water levels in the dune slack$. Some of the most
recently planted areas to the west of the ridge could
be restored to dune grassland. Well established forest
areas could be managed for conversion to native dune
woodland, a rare feature anywhere in Britain. The
main car park could be located a little further inland to
allow natural movement of the fore-dunes without
threatening visitor facilities.

Most exciting of all is the possibility of re-establishing at
least some of the processes that underlie this
ecosystem rather than merely the static features.

These processes include the movement of sand, to
scour out new dune slaclcs; the unhindered movement
of water, to re-wet many of the old dune slacks; and
extensive grazing of the dunes and woodlands by large

Agor y goedwig -
dyfodol newydd i Niwbwreh

Mae Coedwig Niwbwrch wedi ei lleoli ar gornel
tywodlyd anghysbell o Ynys Môn. Plannwyd y
coed cyntaf hanner canrifyn ôl, ac erbyn hyn
mae’n llenwi tua hanner ardal y twyni tywod,
gyda’r gweddill yn Warchodfa Natur Genedlaethol.

Mae’r goedwig wedi dod â rhai buddion i fỳwyd
gwyllt a hamdden, ond mae hefyd wedi cael effaith
andwyol ar ddeinameg naturiol un o systemau
twyni tywod mwyaf Ewrop. Ceir cyfle yn awr, trwy
bartneriaeth rhwng Cyngor Cefn Gwlad, y Fenter
Goedwigaeth a’r gymuned leol, i beri i’r goedwig
esblygu’n raddol trwy symud rhai o’r coed oddi
yno i greu ardaloedd agored a thrwy ganiatáu i
goetir naturiol sefydlu ei hun mewn man arall.

Byddai hyn yn creu dyfodol newydd i Niwbwrch
gyda’r bwriad o ailddargantod prosesau natur.

herbivores, to re-create a dynamic landscape where
the distribution of dunes and woodland is defined by
natural processes, not by a draughtsman with a ruler
on a map.

Sensitively managed, this shrinldng of the dune
plantation and conversion of the remainder to native
woodland would not affect any existing interests,
except for a modest long-term reduction in low value
timber. Change will not happen overnight, and needs
goodwill and cooperation between the relevant
statutory and voluntary bodies, including the local
community council, which is sympathetic to the needs
of managing the site for conservation. Nature
conservation in recent decades has been on the
defensive. What better start to this millennium than the
restoration of one of the finest sand dune systems in
Europe?

James Robertson is an environmental writer and
editor, and has a small organic farm not too far from
Newborough warren.

&

How to house sparrows -

colonial nest boxes boost house sparrow numbers

Female house sparrow.

The house sparrow, a
symbol of our inner cities,
has been in decline for the
past twenty years. Now
help is at hand. Houses
have been provided for
house sparrows, built in
terraces or tenements to
encourage their colonial
nesting behaviour. Tony
Jenkins reports on the
experiment’s resounding
success.

T he decline of the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) over the last
twenty years has been well documented in Britain and Ireland with
the most severe declines noted from inner cities. Surveys such as the
British Trust for Ornithology's (BTO) Common Bird Census and Garden
Bird Feeding Survey have shown that the house sparrow population
dropped sharply in the early 1980s, followed by a more gradual but
continuing decline to the present day. For example, an 85% decline was
reported at Kensington Gardens in London between 1970 and 1995, while
numbers dropped by over 50% in rural areas during the same period 1 .
House sparrows are now rare in many parts of Brìtain and have all but
vanished from several city centres.

Other seed eating farmland birds have shown similar declines, perhaps
indicative of a common cause. Between 1968 and 1991, linnet (Carduelis
cannabina) and reed bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus) both declined in

&

Photo: Michael Smith.

Jmeníle house sparrow on the aíert.

numbers by over 50% while the tree sparrow
(Passer montanus) population decreased by over 85%
during the same period. The house sparrow decline is
not however uniform, but shows considerable regional
differences. Numbers in Wales and Scotland have
increased since 1994, while in England there has been
population variation, with some areas indicating stable
numbers 2 . However, across regions, house sparrows in
urban localities, particularly inner cities, have been hit
hardest. The disappearance of this once abundant
species from central London has stimulated much
public concern, as reflected in The Independent
newspaper’s campaign to fìnd out what has happened
to this emblem of coclcney life. Even in suburban
localities between rural and urban habitats, which are
traditionally thought to represent the best breeding
conditions for house sparrows, there has been a
15-20% decline over the period 1978-88 3 .

Causes of dedine

A number of possible causes have been attributed to
this reported dedine in the house sparrow population.
Crop spraying, selective herbicide application and
changes in farming practice (particularly the change to
autumn sown cereals) have all been implicated as
factors in rural areas, which have also been suggested
as the causes of decline in other seed eating farmland
birds. Predation, disease, garden pesticides, traffìc
pollution and a lack of nest sites probably represent the
major contributory factors in large conurbations. In the
absence of traditional sites, house sparrows sometimes

nest in dense hedges and conifers.
However, changes to modern house
design and renovation of older
buildings may have
signifìcantly reduced
the availability of
suitable nesting sites.

Study site

To breed successfully house sparrows require buildings
to provide nest sites and open spaces to furnish an
adequate food supply. Such conditions are present at
the National Wetlands Centre Wales (NWCW),
Pendacwydd, Llanelli, where nest boxes, bird hides and
outbuildìngs provide suitable breeding sites. The 16 ha
of landscaped grounds also provide a plentiful supply of
both invertebrate and grain food. The NWCW lies
adjacent to the Burry Inlet, an estuary recognised
internationally for its habitats and overwintering
waterfowl, that has the most extensive area of
saltmarsh (l,600ha) wholly in Wales.

Sparrow terrace

I began monitoring individuai nest boxes at the NWCW
in 1995 when most of the boxes were occupied by
blue tits (Parus caeruleus) and great tits (P major ),
although a few nest boxes with entrance holes larger
than 32mm diameter were taken by house sparrows.
They also used outbuildings, particularly the Flamingo
House, where nests were located on ledges provided
by the interior wooden framework. All nesting
attempts have been recorded on a weekly basis, and
the data submitted on nest record cards to the BTO.
Given that house sparrows often breed in loose

colonies 4 , the provision of multiple nest sites designed
exclusively for the species may help the breeding
success of local populations.

In 1997, Dr. DerekThomas (Glamorgan Regional
Development Offìcer, BTO) therefore designed a
multiple nest box to encourage house sparrows to
breed in adjacent nest sites and the ‘sparrow terrace’
was constructed and installed at the rear of the
Flamingo House prior to the 1998 breeding season.
The design incorporates twenty-four boxes in two
banks of twelve {dimensions: I40mm high x I95mm
wide x 2IOmm deep for each compartment) sited
2 metres above ground level and each with a 37mm
entrance hole.

Importantly, this hole size is larger than the more
typical 26-32mm diameter commonly used to attract
various tit species, because house sparrows are
generally excluded from boxes with such small
entrance holes. Unlilce conventional nest box designs in
which the roof is usually hinged to provide access for
monitoring, the compartments of the sparrow terrace
have hinged fronts that open from the centre line
between the two rows.

&

The terrace ofnest boxes, designedfor house sparrows.

Photo: TonyJenkins.

Photo: TonyJenkins.

Early days

I began monitoring the terrace in 1998 when two
compartments were occupied. These were located at
opposite ends of the terrace, suggesting that the
respective occupants obviously required extreme
privacy! Double broods were recorded in each box
giving a total of four breeding attempts. In 1999 only
one box was occupied although two broods were
recorded. After two years the experiment had not
proved to be a resounding success, with only limited
uptalse of the terrace by house sparrows. However,
this was about to change!

Cheching the nests.

Success at last

In 2000 no fewer than fìfteen of the boxes in the
sparrow terrace were used for breeding, ten in the
upper and fìve in the lower bank. One triple and four
double broods were recorded, all from the upper
boxes, and a total of twenty-one separate nesting
attempts were recorded (see table). The sparrows had
finally decided to move in to the ‘terraced houses’
en masse, and the following year proved even more
successful. Twenty boxes were occupied in 2001 that
included one triple and eleven double broods from
thirty-three nesting attempts. All but one of the boxes
in the upper row were occupied, together with nine in
the lower bank. Over the four year perîod of
monitoring to date, no other bird species has occupied

the terrace, although queen wasps appear to have a
penchant for starting new colonies in the boxes!

The results of nestbox occupancy in 2002 were
surprisingly identical to those of the previous year with
33 nesting attempts in 20 boxes. Again, eleven boxes in
the upper row and nine in the lower bank were
occupied. From the early days of 1998-99 this
experiment has proved to be a resounding success,
which clearly demonstrates both the colonial nesting
behaviour of house sparrows and the potential role
such multiple nest box designs could play in maintaining
the UK population.

Unlike other common nest box species, house
sparrows exhibit some unusual traits. Females shoot
out of the boxes whenever I approach the terrace
which at least makes counting eggs a relatively easy
task! Clutches are generally small (3-5 eggs) with an
average of 3.9 eggs per nest over the five year period
of the study. Nestlings do not have down feathers and
are naked until the primary feather quills are fully
formed. Adults are never observed carrying food to the
nests or seen in the vicinity of the terrace giving alarm
calls. Also, the young are very prone to ‘exploding’
from the nest ie. Ieaving prematurely before the flight
feathers are fully formed, which makes observations
towards the end of a nesting attempt somewhat
hazardous!

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

No. of boxes
occupied

2

1

15

20

20

No. of nesting
attempts

4

2

21

33

33

No. of eggs
laid

12

8

80

121

122

No. of young
fledged

4

5

45

67

61

% breeding

33.3

62.5

56.3

55.8

50.0

success*

* Percentage breeding success is calculated as the
number of successfully fledged young relative to the
number of eggs laid.

♦Ij>

The future

In gardens where house sparrows are regular visitors,
the provision of nest boxes with entrance holes of 32-
37 mm diameter may encourage this declining species
to breed, A smaller version of the sparrow terrace,
incorporating three compartments, ís currently offered
for sale by CJ Wildbird Foods in Shropshire. The
national press has also recently stressed the need for
garden nest boxes to provide entrance holes large
enough to attract house sparrows 5 .

At the NWCW future research will include a colour-
ringing scheme for nestlings to establish whether young
house sparrows return in following years to breed at
their natal sites.

Finally, the BTO’s theme for National Nest Box Week
in February 2002 was the ‘Plight of the House
Sparrow’. The decline of this species was highlighted
and the general public asked to provide nest boxes
with large entrance holes in the hope that the fortunes
of this once ubiquitous bird may be reversed.

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to Dr. Derek Thomas for his oríginal idea of a
sparrow terrace at the NWCW, which inspired my ongoing
study ofthis species, My thanl<s are also due to Dr, Geoff
Proffìtt (Curator) and Nigel Williams (Resen/e Manager)
both for assistance with the project and for permission to
access the study sîte. I also thank my son Richard, for his
constructive comments on the manuscript,

References

1 Summers-Smith, J, D. (1999). Current status of the House
Sparrowìn britain. Br, Wildlife, 10, 381-386.

2 British Trust for Ornithology, National Nest Box Week,
February, 2002.

3 Gibson, D.W., Reid, J.B. & Chapman, R.A, (1993). The
New Atlas of Breedìng Birds in Brìtain and Ireland: 1988-
9/, T & A.D, Poyser.

4 Summers-Smith, J.D. (1954). Colonial behayiour in the
House Sparrow, Br. Birds, 47, 249-265.

5 The Independent, 14 January, 2002.

Tony Jenlcins is a consultant hydrobiologist with a
longstanding interest in the role of nestboxes for
conservation.

Teras i adar y to

Fe allai arbrawf gyda nythod teras yng Nghymru
helpu i ddod ag adar y to yn ôl yn gry’ i ardaloedd
yn Lloegr. Cafwyd canlyniadau trawiadol o waith
sy’n digwydd yn y Ganolfan Wlyptiroedd
Genedlaethol ym Mhenclacwydd ger Llanelli.

Yn 1998, gosodwyd 24 o flychau nythu mewn dwy
res, gyda thyllau digon mawr i adar y to. Ar ôl dau
dymor siomedig, cafodd 15 o’r blychau eu
defnyddio yn 2000 gan godi i 20 yn y ddau dymor
ers hynny. Cafodd mwy na 60 o gywion eu deor 'yn
y teras y ddau dro hwnnw. Fe allai’r blychau gyda’r
tyllau mwy fod yn batrwm at y dyfodol ac mae
fersiwn masnachol eisoes ar wcrth.

Er eu bod ar gynnydd yng Nghymru ers 1994, fe
fu dirywiad mawr yn nifer yr adar to mewn
ardaloedd gwledig a threfol, er enghraifft yng
nghanol Llundain, lle maen nhw’n symbol o fỳwyd
y Cocni.

What will another year bring?

c*

Photo: Tonyjenlcins,

Common cord-grass imading mudjiats on Anglesey.

O f the three species of S partina found in Britain only one, common
cord-grass S partina anglica, occurs in Wales. This vigorous, fertile
plant was derived from the sterile hybrid between small cord-grass and
smooth cord-grass, which arose naturally in Southampton Water sometime
prior to 1870. Later at this site the species transformed itself into the
fertile common cord-grass through a doubling of the chromosomes of the
hybrid. It was deliberately introduced into the Severn estuary as a mud-
binder in 1913 at Clevedon in Somerset. From here it probably established
itself on the Welsh side of the Severn and was recorded in 1920 when it
was introduced to the Dyfi Estuary near Glandyfì. Today the species has
spread to virtually every saltmarsh in Wales. In the 1960s about 1 306 ha of
land dominated by common cord-grass was recorded in Wales, and by the
1980s this had risen to approximately 1,680ha.

Despite this rise there is both anecdotal and documentary evidence to
suggest that common cord-grass is now partly in decline. For example, a
recent survey (2000) of saltmarsh in the Dee Estuary showed that it had
declined by about 90% since 1983. There are similar reports for other
parts of the UK, and this has been attributed to various causes, inciuding
cessation of sediment accretion, oxygen defìciency, water logging,
pathogenic fungi and wave damage. It has also been put down

Common cord-grass arose
in Southampton Water
from a natural hybrid and
gives point to the term
‘hybrid vigour’. Originally
introduced to help bind
mud and accumulate
land, it quickly got out of
control and became a
conservation problem,
threatening mudflats
which were important for
wildlife. Much time and
energy has been spent
controlling it over the last
thirty years or more, but
has this effort been
worthwhile ? Signs are that
common cord-grass is
loosing its powers.

Peter Rhind reports.

&

Photo: Petcr Rhind.

Photo: Peter Rhind.

to an inherent loss of vigour within the species,
possibly due to its lack of genetic variation.
Nevertheless, despite over two decades of research,
the reason for this phenomenon has still not been fully
resolved, and dieback may be the result of several
factors.

Common cord-grass injiower.

Control measures

Efforts to control common cord-grass have been
carried out at many sites around Wales.

Malltraeth estuary, Anglesey

A control programme involving spraying and digging
was started in the early 1970s by the Nature
Conservancy Council. Although it was at fìrst
successful, the plant rapidly regenerated and grew
back. Further control, initiated in 1978, had produced
little effect by 1982, but by 1987 it had largely been
cleared from the lower saltmarsh and was being
contained in other areas. To keep the species in check
it was necessary to spray on an annual basis. This
control programme was ended in 1998 for two
reasons: fìrstly because the spray was also damaging
Salicornia and other saltmarsh pioneer species (now
listed as a qualifying SAC feature for this site), and
secondly because there was increasing acceptance of
common cord-grass as an integral part of the
saltmarsh.

Red Wharf bay, Anglesey

Two attempts have been made to control common
cord-grass by Anglesey Borough Council. The area was
sprayed in 1970-71, but although this may have slowed
down its rate of spread, it did not halt its progress. A
survey in 1980 showed that its overall area had
increased to about 2.6ha. A second attempt was made
in September 1982, but by 1983 the estimated area of
common cord-grass marsh had expanded to 5.02ha.

Conwy estuary, north Wales

Attempts to control the plant in the upper reaches of
the estuary were initiated by Aberconwy Borough
Council, but in the event only a one-day pilot study to
assess the effectiveness of hand spraying was
undertaken, and no follow-up work was carried out.

Borth-y-Gest harbour, Porthmadog

A more determined effort was carried out by Dwyfor
District Council. By 1977 common cord-grass had
spoiled a sandy amenity beach in the harbour, but
attempts to remove it by bulldozer and digging were
ineffective. Later between 1984-86 more success was
gained by spraying. The herbicides were applied using
backpack sprayers and by 1986 between 70-80% had
been eradicated.

Dyfi estuary

After a pilot project by the Nature Consen/ancy
Council to assess the effectiveness of spraying, several
plots were sprayed in Wader Bay in August 1989, but
no visible effects could be detected by june the
following year, when the programme was abandoned.

Blackpill, Swansea Bay

In one of the longest campaigns, Swansea City Council
spent some 14 years trying to eradicate common cord-
grass. At least three determined attempts were made
using a combination of herbicides and excavators.
Unfortunately, much of it appears to have been
unnecessary since recent geomorphological changes
have now made the area unsuitable.

Mawddach estuary, Snowdonia

Finally, the most ambitious eradication programme in
Wales was carried out by the Snowdonia National
Park. In 1989 approximately 54 ha were sprayed by
helicopter. The following season, ‘lcills’ of between 60-
80% were recorded in some areas, but other areas
were unaffected. One of these, Coed y Garth, was re-
sprayed in 1991, but this also proved to be ineffective.
A survey in 1993 indicated that some of the sprayed
areas had not re-grown, but in other areas rapid re-
colonisation had taken place and its rate of spread had
actually accelerated.

New controls

More recently, Englìsh Nature has pioneered a new
technique of control. It involves a form of ploughing
called ‘rotoburying’, which effectively turns the entire
plant upside-down and buries it to a depth of about
30cm. Early indications suggest that the procedure is
effective. 1 Six years after plots of the grass had been
rotoburied at Lindisfarne NNR there was no sign of it
returning. The newly formed mudflats have now been
recolonised by invertebrates, and waders have
returned to feed in the area for the first time in fìve
years. However, because the procedure requires the
use of a tractor and a stone-burying machine, it is
difficult to apply in very muddy situations.

Rheoli cordwellt

Mae cordwellt wedi lledu i bron bob morfa yng
Nghymru ers ei gyflwyno’n fwriadol ddechrau’r
ganrif ddiwetha’. Hyd yn ddiweddar, roedd ar
gynnydd, ond mae arwyddion bellach ei fod yn
cilio. Cafwyd sawl ymgais yng Nghymru i reoli’r
planhigyn, sy’n fỳgythiad i aberocdd cyfoethog eu
bywyd gwyllt. Cymysg fu llwyddiant y rheiny. Er
fod English Nature wedi arloesi’n llwyddiannus
gyda dull roto-gladdu, sy’n troi’r planhigyn ben
chwith lawr a’i gladdu, byddai’n anodd gwneud
hyn ar dir mwdlyd iawn. Beth bynnag, os yw r
tueddiadau presennol yn parhau, fydd cordwellt
ddim yn elfen amlwg o aberoedd gwledydd
Prydain yn y degawdau nesaf

Conservation implications

According to Doody 2 the nature conservation pros and
cons of common cord-grass can be summarised as
follows:

Detrimental effects

0 lnvades and degrades inter-tidal flats rich in marine
invertebrates utilized by overwintering waders and
wildfowl.

• Replaces more diverse plant communities.

• Produces dense, monospecifìc swards, which can
alter natural succession.

• Promotes the potential for agricultural reclamation.

Possible beneficial effects

Prevents coastal erosion and stabilizes mudflats.

• Aids reclamation for agriculture.

Contributes to the productivity of estuarine
ecosystems.

• Creates additional saltmarsh habitat via succession.
Has value for research.

On balance, though, Doody concludes that common
cord-grass must be regarded as a threat in estuaries of
high wildlife interest, both to bird populations and to
natural saltmarsh succession. However, if current
trends continue it should be considered a declining
threat in Britain, and it will become an insignifìcant
component of British estuaries over the coming
decades. Any large-scale control programme would
not be recommended.

Peter Rhind is Coastal Ecologist witli thc Countryside
Council for Walcs and editor of the recently published
Flowering Plants of Snowdonia.

References

1 Anderson, G. & Denny, M. 1999, The effects of
rotoburyìng Spartina anglìca at Undisfame. Report to
English Nature.

2 Doody, R J. 1990. 'Spartina - friend or foe? A conservation
wewpoírtt' in: Spartína anglíca - A Research Review

(Ed. A.J. Grayand PE.M. Benham). pp. 77-79. HMSO,
London,

Re-introductions - the wider henejits

Are re-introductions a
help or a hindrance to
wildlife conservation?
Nigel Ajax-Lewis got the
debate going in the last
issue. Here lan Carter,
who has played an active
part in the successful
re-introduction of the red
kite to England and
Scotland, strikes a
positẁe note in favour of
bird re-introductions.

Red kite chick,jrom a nest in the English Midlands.

Y ddadl am

T

ail-gyflwyno

1

that

Bydd llawer o adarwyr pybyr yn
teimlo siom o sylweddoli fod dyn
wedi ymyrryd i gynnal
rhywogaeth ond dyw’r cyhoedd
yn gyfíredinol ddim yn teimlo
felly. Elfen fach fydd ail-gyflwyno
beth bynnag - gwarchod a rheoli
cynefinoedd yw’r allwedd. Dyw
ail-gyflwyno diangen, sy’n rhoi’r
argraff fod atebion hawdd ar gael,
o ddim help i neb. Mae angen
ystyried y tymor hir. Am gyfnod
byr y bydd angen ymyrraeth fel
arfer ac mae ail-gyflwyno’r barcud
yn Líocgr, er enghraifft, wedi creu
diddordeb mawr a all helpu adar
ysglyfaethus eraill. O ran
barcutiaid Cymru, roedd eu
cronfa genetig yn wan. Heb ail-
gyflwyno rhywogaethau gyda
geneteg mwy amrywiol efallai na
fyddai eu dyfodol yn sicr.

he article by Nigel Ajax-Lewis in the Summer issue of Natur Cymru raises
some very ínteresting issues concerning species re-introductions, a subject
has long been controversial within conservation circles. Despite my
involvement in the red kite re-introduction programme, I found myself nodding
in agreement with many of the concerns that Nigel raised.

I was reminded of an experience some years ago when bird-watching in the
northern mountains of Majorca. My fìrst ever sighting of a black vulture started
out as a truly thrilling experience as this huge fiying-door of a bird came drifting
slowly towards me. Then I noticed the unmistakable rectangles of plastic, flapping
gently on the upper surface of the bird’s wings. As is the case with red lcites
released in England and Scotland, this bird had been wing-tagged. Suddenly, what
had been a hugely impressive symbol of those wild, rugged mountains, came to
represent the degree to which human activities had adverse!y affected the area’s
wildlife. Black vultures had once been common on the island but had been
persecuted to near extinction and, as I later confìrmed with a local naturalist, a
re-introduction programme was in progress to restore their population.

Some birdwatchers (and almost all photographers!) equally dislike the wing-tags
seen on released, and some wild-fledged, red kites in Britain. For them, the tags
highlight the fact that the bird has been handled by man and it is then viewed as
somehow less wild, despite its obvious free-flying state. As in the case of the
blacl< vulture, I suspect that for some people the pleasure of seeing a tagged red
kite is reduced because they are forced, perhaps sub-consciously, to confront the
appalling impact of human activities in the past - the fact that a bird once so
common and widespread throughout Britain was all but wiped out at the hands
of man, so necessitating the re-introduction programme.

&

Photo: Ian Carter.

The complaints I have heard about wing-tags, as weli as the
wider concerns about the justification of bird
re-introduction projects, have been voiced mainly by keen
birdwatchers or naturalists. It seems not to be an important
issue for the very many local people who derive great
pleasure from simply watching such a spectacular bird of
prey in their local countryside. Non-birdwatchers seem far
more ready to take the birds at face value, quickly
accepting that they would once have been a common sight
in the area and that human inten/ention was required for
them to make such a rapid comebaclt.

I believe that we should all try to take a long-term view of
what might be achieved by species re-introductions.

In most bird re-introductions, human intervention is
required for only a relatively short period of time. Once a
species has been successfully re-established in the wild,
increasing and spreading to new areas naturally, then the
part played by humans is increasingly forgotten. Not too
many birdwatchers think twice when they see a little owl
or capercaillie in Britain, yet both these species are only
present because of the deliberate release of birds in the
past.

It is also important to realise that re-introductions involving
high profile, attractive species have considerable knock-on
benefits to a range of other wildlife. Local people in the
release areas in England and Scotland have taken red Idtes
to their hearts and in the Chilterns projects have been set
up specifically to use the red kite to raise awareness of local
landscapes and wildlife more generally. Incidents where red
kites have been killed by illegal poison baits or as a result of
secondary poisoning by modern rat poisons have caused
considerable concern and prompted action to try to reduce
the threat from such poisons. This will benefit not only the
red kite but also other birds of prey and predatory
mammals that are affected by the same problems. The
disproportionate interest in impressive and easily visible
species may be unpalatable to some, but is a fact of life and
we need to adopt a pragmatic approach and make full use
of such species if the cause of wildlife conservation in
general is to be well served.

It may be of some comfort to those who harbour
reservations about re-introduction projects that they are
only ever likely to play a fairly small role in bird
conservation in Britain. Inadequate protection and

management of our remaining semi-natural habitats and the
increasingly intensive way in which the farmed landscape is
managed are the main threats faced by birds today. The
majority of birds have good powers of dispersal and are
perfectly capable of re-colonising areas where suitable
habitat is available within a reasonable period of time.
Unnecessary re-introductions do nothing to further the
cause of nature conservation, giving the impression that
there is aiways a quick-fìx available and potentially
distracting attention away from the main threats faced by
the species in question. The barn owl is one species where
re-introductions have perhaps been used to excess in the
past although following a recent Government review there
is now a presumption against issuing licenses to permit
further releases. In this case, Government accepted the
views of conservation organisations that releases did little to
improve the conservation status of the barn owl and that
there would be greater benefìts from focussing effort into
the restoration of suitable nesting and foraging habitats.

Returning to the red kite, I would like to end by scotching a
myth sometimes put forward by those opposed to the
re-introduction programme and to which Nigel Ajax-Lewis
referred in his artide. The restored populations in England
and Scotland, according to his line of argument, will
contaminate the gene pool of the native ‘British’ red kite
through interbreeding with birds from Wales. In reality, the
Welsh red Idtes are highly impoverished genetically, having
been reduced to just a handful of birds, and perhaps just a
single breeding female, in the early part of the 20th century.
This was the direct result of human persecution and so is a
completely unnatural situation. It is entirely possible that the
genetic make-up of the birds imported from Sweden, Spain
and Germany is closer to that of the 'old race of British red
kites than are the birds now present in Wales. As is often
pointed out, the Welsh red lcites would have spread to
re-colonise more suitable lowland habitats in England
without the reintroduction programme, although this might
have taken a very long tîme. What is less clear is whether
this would have provided the firm basis for the bird’s
long-term future that has now been secured through the
re-introduction of more genetically diverse populations
outside Wales.

lan Carter, whose monograph The Red Kite (Arlequin
Prcss) was published last year, is an ornithologist with
English Nature’s Bird Unit, based in Peterborough.

Welsh islands round-up - north Wales

Bardsey Island (Vnys Enlli) at sunset. Photo: Peter Hope joncs.

Compiled by Geoff
Gibbs, who has recently
returned to live on the
North Wales coast after
25 years of exile in Essex.

Bardsey Island

Bardsey (Ynys Enlli) lies 3km off the Lleyn Peninsula; the 178ha island is a
National Nature Reserve owned by a Trust established in 1979. Staff and
visitors at the Bird & Field Observatory have been studying the island’s
wildlife since 1953, and the Annual Report for 2001 contains the latest
fìndings. The best general introduction to the island’s wildlife is The Natural
History of Bardsey by Peter Hope Jones, published by the National Museum
of Wales in 1988.

Manx shearwaters

Although the Bardsey colony is not as large as those in Pembrokeshire,
sustained ringing over the years has produced an extensive data set. The
discovery in 2002 of a bird ringed in 1957 made the national press with
headlines like 'Britain’s oldest known bird’. As it was at least four years old
when ringed, this bird was at least 49 by 2002! Its annual movements to
and from the wintering grounds off Brazil have amounted to around a
million kilometres, the equivalent of a return trip to the moon. With only
one egg laid per year, and breeding not starting until they are at least four
years old, longevity is of course the order of the day.

Counting these nocturnal seabirds in their colonies is not straightforward,
but a well-organised census in 2001, led by Genevieve Leaper, produced a
fìgure of around 10,000 to 16,000 pairs. The lower fìgure is based on males

responding to taped calls played down burrows, the
upper on apparently occupied sites (by visual
inspection). This means that about 5% of all the Manx
shearwaters in the world nest here. Comparison with
previous surveys suggests that the colony continues to
grow.

Known predators of shearwaters on Bardsey include
large gulls and the breeding pair of peregrines (which
feed mainly on shearwaters). A new departure
reported in 2002 by Observatory warden Steve
Stansfìeld was egg predation by a pair of carrion crows.
Around 70 shearwater eggs were found under the
crows’ nest in one of the withy beds, with remains of
more eggs on the steeply sloping East Side. At least one
crow must have learnt to enter the occupied burrows,
get past the adult and remove the egg. As this habit is
obviously undesirable and could spread to other
individual crows, arrangements are being discussed to
remove this pair of crows next year.

A conservation conundrum

Seven pairs of red-billed choughs bred in 2001, around
4% of the Welsh population. Although they managed
to rear 20 young, the adults were observed making 40-
50 minute feeding trips to the mainland, suggesting a
shortage of their invertebrate food on the island.
Choughs feed mainly on short turf grazed by sheep and
rabbits. Although good numbers of sheep still graze the
island, the rabbits, which had been on the island for
over 600 years, died out after an outbrealc of
myxomatosis in 1996 (rabbit haemorrhragic disease
may have been involved also). A study of chough
numbers on the Calf of Man has shown that choughs
did best when both sheep and rabbits were present.

It was therefore suggested that rabbits should be
reintroduced. There are, however, some counter-
arguments: CCW point out that rabbits on other Welsh
islands have caused the collapse of banks, altered
sward composition, and contributed to over-grazing
which has led to animal welfare problems. If rabbits
were re-introduced, it is very diffìcult to see how their
numbers could be controlled. Further discussion of
these complex issues is obviously required.

Cetaceans

Although the Observatory birdwatchers make casual
records of these while watching seabirds, the
systematic observations in the 2001 report were made
by Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society volunteers
in August. Harbour porpoise and Risso’s dolphin were
the main species, with one unidentifìed whale in
Bardsey Sound on 16th August. As elsewhere round
the British coast, seabirds often feed in association with
these mammals and make them easier to locate.

Arctic tern.

Lichens and buildings

Tony Fletcher from Leicester Museum Service has
studied the lichens of Bardsey for many years, fìnding
about 280 species during the summer of 1977. One of
the most spectacular is the golden-hair lichen
Teloschistes flavicans which grows sparingly on the
flanks of the I67m ‘Mountain'. His records in the 2001
Report add a further 35 species. He stresses that a
conservation issue arises from the work of renovatìng
the buildings owned by the Trust. Several new lichen
records are from the slate roofs of barns, and Tony has
provided detailed advice on how to avoid potentially
damaging operations on buildings, walls and elsewhere.

&

Photo: GeofF Gibbs.

Photo: GeofF Gibbs.

Accommodation on Bardsey: residential
accommodation is available on a weeldy basis, crossings
on Saturdays (weather permitting). For the Bird and
Field Observatory, contact Alicia Normand (01626
773908, email: bob&lis@solfach.freeserve.co.uk).

To rent one of the island houses owned by the Bardsey
Island Trust, contact Simon Glyn, Coed Anna,
Nanhoron, Pwllheli, Gwynedd LL53 8PR.

Information on day trips is avaiiable locally.

Terns breed near the Sherries helipad.

The Skeiries

The Skerries are a cluster of low-lying, inter-connected
islands approximately 3km off the north-west coast of
mainland Anglesey. They consist of relatively low (max
height c20m) rocky outcrops with a shallow but stable
soil-cap supporting a limited but representative range
of coastal plant species such as common scurveygrass,
lesser sea-spurrey, red fescue and common sorrel.

The RSPB has been wardening the islands since 1989.
The society has an annual licence with Trinity House
which allows two wardens to occupy redundant
accommodation in the lighthouse buildings from early
May until mid August.

The islands had a history of supporting large numbers
of breeding terns until the 1950s. They were

re-colonised by arctic terns in 1980, by roseate terns in
1987 and by common terns in 1991. Although it has
been suggested that rats caused the original desertion
of the islands there is no defìnitive evidence for this and
it remains undear why the terns deserted and
subsequently re-colonised the islands.

Arctic terns have gradually increased to the 2002 total
of 1600 pairs, the largest colony in the Irish Sea. Their
productivity has been particularly good recently
(estimated at > 1.3 fledged young/pair in each of the
past 5 years). Common terns now number 100 pairs,
but roseate terns last bred in 1997 (I pair) and despite
regular summering by a few individuals have not
established themselves.

Around 250 pairs of puffìns breed, making this the
second largest colony in north Wales, after the Gwylan
Islands in Aberdaron Bay. Other breeding birds include
great and lesser black-backed gulls, and herring gulls
(800 pairs in 2002). As well as the bird interest on the
island there are also good numbers of grey seals
present - frequently 60-70 animals.

Thanks to Alastair Moralee (RSPB) for the Skerries
information.

Ynysoedd y Gogledd

Dangosodd cyfrifiad yn 2001 fod 10-16,000 o
adar drycin Manaw yn Ynys Enlli - 5% o’r holl
niferoedd trwy’r byd. Yn ogystal â gwylanod a
hebogiaid tramor, daeth yn amlwg fod pâr o
gigfrain yn eu difa ac mae bwriad i’w symud
oddi yno y flwyddyn nesa’. Problem arall i’w
thrafod yw ail-gyflwyno cwningod. Fe fyddai’r
rheiny’n help i greu amodau ffafriol ar gyfer y
brain coesgoch sy’n nythu yno, ond maen nhw
hefyd yn difrodi tir ac fe allai fod yn anodd i’w
rheoli. Ar Ynysoedd y Moelrhoniaid ger Ynys
Môn y mae’r casgliad mwyaf o fôr-wenoliaid y
Gogledd ym Môr Iwerddon a’r ail gasgliad
mwyaf o balod yng ngogledd Cymru.

Wil Jones

F e gwrddais â Wil Jones tua deng mlynedd ar hugain yn
ôl pan ymunodd â’r Warchodfa Natur fel warden ar
gyfer gwarchodfeydd natur cenedlaethol Maentwrog.
Daeth â sgiliau, agwedd a phrofìad i’r sefydliad - elfennau
prin iawn yr adeg honno - sef gwybodaeth wyddonol ac
ymarferol o ecoleg coetiroedd derw cynhenid a
gwybodaeth o fyd natur ynghyd â’r profìad o fod wedi
gweithio ar y tir a dysgu mewn ysgolion. Roedd yn aelod
newydd trawiadol o’n tîm. Yna datblygodd ffyrdd o
gyfathrebu sydd, erbyn heddiw, yn amhrisiadwy i gyrff
cadwraethol llywodraethol ac anllywodraethol sy’n
gorfod dibynnu mwyfwy ar ewyllys dda a chydweithio
rhwng pobl sy’n byw mewn cymunedau gwledig ac sy’n
ennill eu bywoliaeth trwy gyfrwng y tir. Llwyddodd i
gynnwys y gymuned yn yr egwyddorion a’r arferion a
gyfrannai at warchod natur, yn ystod cyfnod pan oedd
llawer yn gwrthwynebu’n gryf y syniad o gael
gwarchodfeydd natur a fyddai'n cystadlu â chynhyrchiadau
amaethyddo! a choedwigaeth fasnachol.

Rai blynyddoedd yn ddiweddarach, trefnais seminar er
mwyn dod â wardeniaid Prydain ynghyd i ganolbwyntio ar
yr angen i ddiffinio’n well swyddogaethau’r rhai oedd ar
flaen y gad o ran cadwraeth. Cyflwynwyd papur gan Wil
o’r enw Communìcation with the local community. Roedd
yn gampwaith, a bu’n sail i bolisíau wardenio’r dyfodol.
Ddarllenais ef eto rai dyddiau’n ôl. Mae’n dadansoddi’n
ddwfn strwythurau cymdeithasol cymunedau gwledig a'u
hagweddau tuag at yr amgylchedd naturiol, ac mae'r cyfan
mor fyw a pherthnasol heddiw ag ydoedd ugain mlynedd
yn ôl. Roedd Wil Jones yn feddyliwr gwreiddiol gyda’i
draed yn gadarn ar y ddaear. Hefyd, roedd ganddo allu
rhyfeddol i berswadio’i gydwladwyr i roi sylw dyledus a
blaenoriaeth i warchod y dreftadaeth naturiol a oedd o’u
hamgylch.

Roedd tri dimensiwn yn perthyn iddo o ran bod yn
gadwraethwr proffesiynol. Yn gyntaf, ei fagwraeth fel
siaradwr Cymraeg brodorol yng nghymuned wledig
arbennig Gwynedd. Cymraeg a siaradai o'r cychwyn
cyntaf; meddyliau Cymraeg a wibiai drwy’i ben; ac yr
oedd yn cyflawni ei waith o safbwynt ei brofiadau ef fel
Cymro Cymraeg. Ond fe sylweddolai mai tasg fyd-eang
oedd gwarchod y blaned. Doedd o ddim yn blwyfol. Yn
ail, deallai gymhlethdodau’r gymuned yr oedd yn byw ac
yn gweithio ynddi, ei naws a’i sensitifedd, ynghyd â hanes
a diwylliant y bobl. Teimlai fod yn rhaid iddo gynnwys y
bobl yma yn ei waith. O ganlyniad, daeth gwarchod natur

yn nyffryn Maentwrog, a thrwy De Gwynedd, yn
rhywbeth a oedd a wnelo’r gymuned gyfan, ac yn
weithgaredd pwysig a oedd yn cynnwys y bobl leol. Yn
drydydd, roedd yn briod â phostfeistres Croesor. I’r
Warchodfa Natur, ac yn ddiweddarach i’r Cyngor
Gwarchod Natur a Chyngor Cefn Gwlad Cymru,

Wil Jones ydoedd, warden uchel ei barch yng
ngwarchodfeydd Maentwrog. Ond i bobl Maentwrog, Wil
Post oedd o, sef gŵr un o’r bobl bwysicaf ym mywydau’r
rhai a oedd yn byw yng Nghroesor neu ger Croesor!

Ers dod yn ymddiriedolwr i’r Gronfa Loteri Treftadaeth,
rwy’n ymwybodol iawn o’r angen enbyd am fynediad
deallusol a chorfforol i dreftadaeth naturiol
gwarchodfeydd natur a thirweddau nas difethwyd. Enwau
rhai fel Wil Jones sy'n dod ar fríg y rhestr wrth i rywun
ddyfeisio a hybu polisi'au i wella mynediad o’r fath. Yr
oedd yn un o hoelion wyth y sefydliad treftadaeth naturiol
yn hyn o beth. Dangosodd i ni sut i fod yn agored a sut i
ddeall, gan ganolbwyntio’n arbennig ar Gymru, ac yn hyn
o beth chwalodd yn chwilfriw y syniad o wahardd
mynediad a nodweddai’r mudiad gwarchod natur yn ei
flynyddoedd cynnar. Parhau i gynyddu y mae ei
ddylanwad, ac y mae ei syniadau wedi eu sefydlu eisoes
yn y dulliau newydd o ymdrin â natur a chefn gwlad. Mae
ein colled yn fawr ar ôl y gâr bonheddig hynaws a
charedig yma. Roedd yn gyfaill ac yn gydweithiwr i lawer
ohonom. Braint oedd cael gweithio ag o, a gallwn
ymfalchi'o yn yr hyn a gyflawnodd.

Tom Pritchard, Cyfarwyddwr dros Gymru, Cyngor
Gwarchod Natur, 1973-1991

Remembering Wil Jones

Wil Jones, Warden for the Maentwrog Nature
Reserves, was born and raised in rural Gwynedd. He
had a natŵe’s instinctŵe understanding of his
surroundings and yet was never parochial; he saw his
work as part of the wider task of protecting the
planet. He involved his community in the principles
and practices of nature conservation and had an
uncanny perception of how to persuade his fellow
countrymen to give rightful priority to protecting
their natural heritage. He will be much missed by
his friends and colleagues.

Ffoto: Duncan Brown.

Hela’r carlwm

Roedd ffwr gwyn y carlwm
yn ystod y gaeaf yn cael ei
ystyried yn werthfawr
iawn am ganrifoedd. Ond
wrth i’r bydgynhesu, a
fydd y lliw yma i’w weld
mor aml? Moe Duncan
Brown yn gobeithio dod
o hyn i’r ateb.

Y m/sg yr anifeiliaid a’r planhigion y bûm yn eu cofnodi dros y

blynyddoedd y mae’r carlymod, yn enwedig rhai yn y gaeaf, ac yn
bennaf, y rhai sydd wedi troi’n wyn. Un yn unig welais i â’m llygaid fy
hun, ond cefais wybod am amryw gan fy ffrindiau.

Pan cofnodi carlymod gaeaf felly? Dyma rai o’r cwestiynau y gallwn eu
hateb o dderbyn digon o gofnodion:

Ydi’r carlwm y troi’n wyn yn y gaeaf:

• yn amlach ac am gyfnod hwy yn y Gogledd?

• yn amlach ac am gyfnod hwy yn yr ucheldir?

• yn llwyrach yn y Gogledd ac yn yr ucheldir?

• i raddau llai heddiw nag ers talwm (oherwydd Newid yn yr hinsawdd
efallai?)

Ffeithiau am y carlwm

• Hyd y dydd sydd yn rheoli pryd y bydd y carlwm yn bwrw ei flew ac
yn adnewyddu ei gôt

• Ei wrth pennaf oedd fel croen amheuthun i addurno clogynnau'r
uchelwyr

• Ar faner Llydaw, cynffonnau
carlymod/carlymod gwyn (ermin)
yw’r smotiau duon sydd i’w gweld
ar y sgwâr gwyn. Mae gan garlymod
gwynion gynffonau duon bob amser.

Pan gâi’r cwyn cyfan eu defnyddio i
wneud clogynnau, roedd y
cynffonau'n creu patrwm o smotiau
duon ar wisg a oedd, heblaw am hynny, yn wyn. Mae’r gwyn yn
cynrychioli purdeb i r dugiaid Llydewig (yr adeg honno, roedd Llydaw
yn dalaith annibynnol)

Yn yr (hen) Undeb Sofietaidd nid ydynt yn troi’n wyn yn yr ardaloedd
lle bydd eira yn gorwedd am lai na 40 diwrnod y flwyddyn
Mae’r benywod yn troi’n wyn yn amlach na'r gwrywod
• Ymadrodd ar lafar: “cyn wynned â charlwm”

Yn yr hen gyfreithiau Cymreig (I3G) dywedir:

Tri phryf ydyly y brenhineu gwerth py tu bynhac y llather, llostlydan, a
beleu, a charlwnc. (Tri anifail sydd o werth i’r brenin o’u hela, yr
afanc, y bela a’r carlwm)

Credir i’r gair carlwm darddu o cardd (carcharor, sef yr ysglyfaeth a
llwng (llwnc)

o

nifer a welwyd (1 980-2001 )

Ffigwr I. Carlymod Cymru yn y gaeaf yn ôl eu lliw
ac uchder uwchben lefel y môr lle’i gwelwyd.

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

I

0

0-99m 100-199m 200-299m 300-399m 400-499m

Gwyn/rhannol wyn ! Brown

medrau uwchlaw'r môr

LooUing for the stoat

So far I have records of 45 sightings of stoats in Wales.

I am interested to know whether stoats turn white
in winter:

• mainly in the North?

• mainly in the uplands?

• rnore in thc North than the uplands?

• less today than previously?

Facts

• Daylight lcngth determines whcn the stoat will moult
and rencw its coat

• The black spots on the Breton flag are ermine tails.

• More female stoats turn white than males

• “Kings should value three animals.. .the beaver, the
marten and the ermine.” (Welsh Laws, 13th century)

• It is thought that the Welsh word ‘carlwm’ comes
from ‘gulping prey’

Sightings in Wales

It scems from evidence so far that white/partially white
stoats arc seen at high and low lcvels, but that brown
stoats are seen mainly in the lowlands. However, more
data is needed, in particular about stoats that remain
brown during the winter.

If you see, or have seen, a stoat between Octobcr and
March, please send me details ofwhen and where, and
what the stoat was doing. Note thc colour, but
remember that all stoats have white chests throughout
the year, so a partial ermine will have white somewhere
other than on its chest.

Duncan Brown, CCW, Maes y Ffynnon,
Penrhosgamedd, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2DN.

Email: d.brown@ccw.gov.uk

Lle cawsant eu gweld yng Nghymru

Hyd yma llwyddais i gasglu 45 o gofnodion o Gymru.
Yn anffodus, i raddau bychan iawn y mae’r rhain yn
ateb y cwestiynau uchod. Mae Ffigwr I yn dangos
beth mae 33 o’r cofnodion hyn (sef y rhai sydd yn
cynnwys lleoliad manwl) yn ei ddweud am
ddosbarthiad y carlymod (y ddau liw) rhwng lefel y
môr a’r copaon uchaf.

Os yw graff sydd wedi ei seilio ar gyn lleied o
gofnodion yn golygu rhywbeth o gwbl, mae n
ymddangos ei fod yn dweud bod carlymod gwyn, neu
sy’n rhannol wyn, i'w gweld ar unrhyw lefel, isel neu
uchel, ond bod y rhai lliw arferol yn debycach o fod ar
yr iseldir yn unig.

I ateb y cwestiynau uchod yn iawn mae n rhaid

a) cael llawer mwy o ddata, a

b) cofnodi carlymod yn y gaeaf nad ydynt mewn
gwenwisg yr un mor drwyadl â’r rhai gwyn neu led-
wyn.

Felly, a fyddech cystal ag anfon cofnodion i mi ynghylch
unrhyw garlymod a welwyd gennych rhwng Hydref a
Mawrth, yn y gorffennol ac o hyn ymlaen. Does dim
gwahaniaeth pa liw ydynt, cyn belled â ch bod yn
cofnodi eu lliw. Ond cofiwch fod gan bob carlwm
fynwes wen drwy gydol y flwyddyn ac y bydd gan
garlwm sydd yn datblygu ei wenwisg aeaf rannau gwyn
mewn mannau eraill yn ogystal â'r fynwes. Wnewch
chi, os gwelwch yn dda, gynnwys y manylion canlynol:

• Eich enw a’ch cyfeiriad.

• Pwy welodd y carlwm?

• Pa liw oedd o (heblaw am ei fynwes wen), brown,
gwyn ynteu rhannol wyn?

• Pryd welsoch chi o (y dyddiad yn llawn NEU fis neu
flwyddyn os nad ydych yn cofìo).

• Ble welsoch chi o (enw'r lle a chyfeirnod grid).

• Beth oedd o yn ei wneud?

Diolch yn fawr iawn.

Duncan Brown, e-bost: d.brown@ccw.gov.uk

CCGC, Maes y Ffynnon, Penrhosgarnedd, Bangor,
Gwynedd LL57 2DN

Mae Duncan Brown yn gweithio yng Nghyngor Cefn
Gwlad Cymru fel Warden Gwarchodfa Natur
Genedlaethol Coedydd Aber.

©

Noàiadau’r Cynulliad/Assembly Notebook

gan/by Gethyn Williams

D yw gwyliau'r haf yn y Cynulliad ddim mor dawel â hynny.

Mae yna lawer i fynd â’r sylw y tu ôl i'r llenni, ynghanol y
paratoadau ar gyfer tymor newydd ac wrth i’r pedair plaid
wleidyddol geisio cael y pleidleiswyr i feddwl yn galed yn y cyfnod
cyn etholiadau’r flwyddyn nesaf.

Ers y Nadolig, rydym wedi gweld llond llaw o ACau yn cyhoeddi y
byddan nhw’n rhoi'r gorau iddi ym mis Mai. Mae rhestrau’r
pleidiau wedi dechrau siapio a bydd wynebau newydd yn dod i’r
Siambr y flwyddyn nesaf. Bydd rhaid aros i weld pa mor effeithiol
fydd y to newydd a faint o grebwyll y maen nhw wedi ei ennill o’r
tu allan yn ystod tymor cynta’r Cynulliad.

Rydym yn sicr yn gobeithio y byddan nhw’n llenwi esgidiau rhai y
bydd colled ar eu hôl: wrth i Dr Phil Williams o Blaid Cymru fynd,
bydd y Cynulliad yn colli cefnogwr huawdl i ynni adnewyddol, yn
ogystal ag un o aelodau mwy uniongyrchol a gwybodus y Pwyllgor
Datblygu Economaidd. Yn yr aelod Llafur, Richard Edwards, hefyd,
mae'r sector Amgylchedd yn ffarwelio â Chadeirydd Pwyllgor cryf
sydd wedi rhoi gwasanaeth da i’r Cynulliad gyda’i ymarferoldeb
egwyddorol. Bydd Tŷ Crughywel hefyd yn colli llaw ddiogel
Dafydd Wigley ar y llyw, gan fod ei brofìad gwleidyddol yn llawer
mwy na’r rhan fwyaf o'i gyfoedion.

I eraill, er hynny, dyw’r calendr erioed wedi bod yn brysurach.
Wrth ddod yn ôl i Lywodraeth y Cynulliad, cymerodd Mike
German gyfrifoldeb am bwnc newydd, Datblygu Gwledig a
Chymru Dramor. Tra bod swyddogion y Cynulliad wedi treulio’r
haf yn smwddio'r mân rychau yn swydd Mr German, roedd y
Gweinidog ei hun wedi mynd ati ar unwaith gydag ymweliad
uchel-ei-broffìl â’r Sioe Fawr yn Llanelwedd, tra’n mynd i’r afael â
phwnc pigog yr adolygiad canol-tymor o’r Polisi Amaeth
Cyffredinol (CAP).

Trwy argymhellion y Comisiwn Ewropeaidd, gallai’r DU weld
newidiadau yn agwedd y CAP at y farchnad, gyda symudiad oddi
wrth sybsidi uniongyrchol tuag at ragor o fodiwleiddio a
chynlluniau amaeth-amgylcheddol. Fodd bynnag, dyw manylion
argymhellion y Comisiynydd Fischler ddim wedi eu rhyddhau eto,
felly wyddon ni ddim faint o gyfle fydd hyn i amaeth Cymru ac, yn
ehangach, i gefn gwlad. Yr hyn sy’n sicr yw y gallwn ni ddisgwyl
gweld cynlluniau polisi arwyddocaol gan Weinidog sydd wedi dod
trwy’r felin ac sy’n awyddus i wneud ei farc cyn i Gymru a’r
Llywodraeth Bartneriaeth wynebu etholiadau. Bydd y Gweinidog
yn rhan o drafodaethau ar lefel y DU a’r UE - elfen y mae r
Cynulliad fel petai'n ymgyfarwyddo â hi. Yn wir, mae swyddogion y
Cynulliad wedi bod yn weithgar o fewn gweithgorau ar y pwnc
yma. I Mike German, i Lywodraeth y Cynulliad ac í’r Cynulliad yn
gyffredinol, mae'r mynydd yn tyfu o hyd.

Gethyn Williams yw Swyddog Gwybodaeth Cymru ar gyter
Cyswllt Bywyd Gwyllt a Chefn Gwlad Cymru.

S ummer recess at the National Assembly is not as quiet a time
as it may seem. There is much to distract us behind the scenes,
as preparations are made for the new term and the four political
parties will be seeking to concentrate the minds of the voters in
the run up to next year’s elections.

Since Christmas we have seen a triclde of AMs announce their
intention to stand down in May. Party lists have begun to grind into
action and new faces will enter the Chamber next year. It remains
to be seen how effective the new flock will prove to be, and what
sawy they have acquired as outsiders to the Assembly’s fìrst full
term.

We certainly hope they can fill the boots yacated by some, whose
departure is regrettable: in Plaid’s Dr Phil Williams the Assembly
loses a very vocal supporter of renewable energy, not to mention
one of the more direct and informed members of the Economic
Development Committee. In Labour’s Richard Edwards too, the
Environmental sector says farewell to a strong Committee Chair
whose principled pragmatism has served the Assembly well.
Crickhowell House will also miss the steady tiller of Dafydd
Wigley, whose political experience dwarfs most of his
contemporaries.

For others, however, the calendar has never been busier. Mike
German’s re-admission to the Welsh Assembly Government in July
saw him take on a new brief, that of Minister for Rural
Development and Wales Abroad. Whilst Assembly offìcials spent
the summer break ‘ironing out’ the finer creases of Mr German's
responsibilities, the Minìster himself hit the ground running with a
high profìle appearance at the Royal Welsh Show, whilst getting to
grips with the thorny mid-term review of the Common
Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Under European Commission proposals, the UK could see
changes in the market mechanisms on CAP with moves away
from direct subsidy and further towards modulation and agri-
environment schemes. However the detail of Commissioner
Fischler’s proposals has not yet been released, so how great an
opportunity this is for Welsh agriculture and in wider terms the
countryside, is still unlsnown. What is certain is that we can expect
to see some significant policy initiatives from a battle-hardened
Minister who will be keen to make his mark before Wales and his
Partnership Government go to the polls. The Minister will be
involved in negotiations at a UK and EU level, something the
Assembly seems to be getting used to, indeed Assembly officials
have been active within EU working groups on this issue. For Mike
German, the Welsh Assembly government and the National
Assembly as a whole, the learning curve gets steeper all the time.

Gethyn Williams is Assembly Information Officer for Wales
; Wildlife & Countìyside Link

Green Bookshelf

Andrew Lucas, James Robertson

Birders, Tales of a Tribe

Mark Cocker, Vintage 2002 £7.99 paperback
ISBN 0 099 289547

The Future of Life

Edward O. Wilson, Little, Brown 2002 £18.99 hardback
ISBN 0 316 64853 I

’ll admit it. As a ‘twenty something’ birder, I slept rough at the
Cley beach ‘hotel’, ate tonnes of bread puddíng at Nancy’s, and
jostled to the front of a crowd of Glastonbury proportions for a
Philadelphia Vireo. So this book, which concentrates on the
British, and particularly University of East Anglia, birding scene of
the 70s and 80s, held me from the outset. Between '81 and '84
I was, as they say, there.

Starting with a sighting of Satyr Tragopan in Nepal (the poignant
signifìcance of which is only revealed at the end of the book), it
charts the author’s own birding odyssey from his childhood in
Derbyshire to the Norfolls birding world. There are chapters on
binoculars and telescopes of the times, birding gossip and the
ultimate birding sin, stringing. Cocker defmes eight sub-clans of
the birding tribe, induding the sadly over-used term, twitcher .
That old canard about twitchers being mindless tick hunters is
comprehensively shot. Most of the time, he says, birders who
engage in twitching do what all bird people do...watching their
local patch - sending in their records - or rattling the tin for a
conservation charity’. Amen to that, Mark.

The demi-gods of the birder’s pantheon are all there: Richard
Richardson, who put Cley on the birding map, and inspired a
generation of birders; Ron Johns, Britain’s top lister; Peter Grant,
whose forensic identifìcation techniques revolutionised bird
guides. But it’s the birds that really shine, such as the Uist Steller’s
eider, the 1990 Pallas’s sandgrouse and the Lundy ancient
murrelet. But even species like common swifts get reverential
treatment. There’s no doubt that this guy loves his birds.

Only towards the end did I become a little frustrated. Am I
supposed to be awestruclc by the constant lists of exotic places
yisited by yarious birders, or their escapades with border guards,
hire cars and street robbers? Cocker describes a dique of birders
in Norwich at the time, as a ‘dynamo of birding energy -
committed world birder(s)’. Very true, but others may remember
them as introverted, excìusive and, occasionally, dismissive either
of other birders or those whose natural history interest lay
elsewhere.

There are minor omissions, like the absence of any real discussion
of the Isles of Scilly, or the impact of the internet. Nonetheless
Birders, Tale s ofa Tribe will appeal to all birdwatchers and,
nowadays, that means an awful lot of people. But every naturalist
should read Cocker’s atmospheric description of great bustards in
Spain. This is how birds, indeed how all wildlife, should be.

Quite whether B irders will be appreciated outside the tribe is
questionable, which is a shame, because it’s an exciting book
written from the heart. This is a book to enjoy by the f re, to
inspire you to get out birding the next day.

Now where are my bins?

A t times like these, faced with a sombre outlook for the global
environment, it is tempting to go along with the latest
philosophical fashion: the one that says we are a species like any
other, with no more control over our actions, and the effects we
have on nature, than polar bears in the Canadian sub-arctic, or red
ants putting black ants to slavery. The hope that we can save the
world is pure illusion.

Edward O. Wilson’s new book The Future ofLife should dispel such
conservation fatigue, and the moral side-stepping which goes with it.
Wilson has already tackled the influence of human biology on society
(Sooobiology), the value of nature (The Diversity of Life), the role of
the natural sciences in the unity of knowledge (Consilience) and the
înnate love humans have for nature (Biophilia). His latest canvas is the
thin membrane of organisms wrapped around the Earth called the
biosphere. He describes our position as the dominant species at the
centre of this web of life thus:

Because all organisms have descended from a common ancestor. it is
correct to soy that the biosphere as a whole began to think when
humanity was born. If the rest oflife is the body, we are the mind.
Thus, our place in nature, viewed from an ethical perspecẅe, is to
think about the creation and to protect the livin g planet.

Wilson artículates the moral questions at the heart of our world,
including the need to lift the poor out of poverty. As he says, science
and technology are what we can do; morality is what we should do.
In doing so, he deploys atreasure chest of scientifìc knowledge, and
his deep understanding of the non-human world underscores his
attachment to it. But his writing is not only lucid and eloquent, it ìs
also ambitious.

Take for example the prologue, a letter to Henry Thoreau. Wilson
talks directly to the great American author and naturalist at his cabin
at the edge of Walden Pond, and the fìve intervening generations
melt away. The personal way in which he links hands with Thoreau
and the natural history of this place, which has exerted such a hold
on readers of Walden, has a metaphorical resonance: natural history
is human history, too; precious indeed are the many fine threads
: which connect us.

Wilson is able to reínterpret an ant war that Thoreau observed for
what it was: a slave raid. Red ants capture blaclc ant pupae to put
them ínto slavery. Humans employ a similar strategy towards other
; humans, but the choice is ours to make. We understand the moral
case against slavery. Meanwhíle sub-arctic polar bears are scavenging
at human dumps, and entertaining tourists and locals. Do we
understanding the moral case against exterminating polar bears,
which are likely to be early victims of global warming?

Politicians are busy people, and few will have the time or mental
energy to read this book. What a shame. The extended family of
; nature, and our species in particular, might have a brighter future if
I the world's leaders had all read The Future ofLife before they met in
johannesburg.

Andrew Lucas

James Robertson

We will fight them on the beaches

ou know how it is - you’re strolling along the sand, sniffing
the breeze and enjoying the sea and tumbling clouds;
children and dogs are running in and out of the waves or
scrambling over rocks, and all seems right with the world.

You head for the spot of silvery sand between two outcrops,
thinking to sit for a while. And then there it is. Caught between
the rocks is a pile of orange twine, plastic bottles, paper, rags
and all Idnds of unmentionable sludge.

It’s an experience that’s only too common. Whether it’s
dropped by careless visitors or, more like!y, washed ashore,
litter on our beaches is a big problem. To try and combat this,
the Environment Agency are supporting a web site with quick
and easy access to beach quality information, so you can check
out your destination before you go: http://www.environment-
agency.tv/ye/qa-ea-doc/helpus/aesthetics/beaches/default.asp

Better still, be involved. The site is “hungry for data”.

If you would like to help with monitoring or surveying, contact
Greg Brina (Environment Agency) by email:

beaches@nalg.org.uk or fax 01225 468 935.

Phocine Distemper Virus

ln 1988 about 18,000 common seals died of this disease in
Europe, including many along the UK coast. An outbreak has
been confìrmed recently in the Wash off the east coast of
England. It is too soon to predict the consequences for seals off
UK coasts and in order to be well prepared a central
information point for recording and reporting on the progress
of the disease has been established. Common and grey seal
mortalities are being recorded in the UK by a network of
volunteers.

The grey seal Hatichoerus grypus is by far the most abundant
seal in Wales. In north Wales there are a very small number of
common seals Phoca vitulìna, the species currently suffering the
PDV outbrealc In 1988 grey seals were signifìcantly more
resistant to PDV but it cannot be assumed that this will be the
case in 2002. However, some grey seal mortality unrelated to
PDV is to be expected particularly during the pupping season.

National helpline

It is natural for seal pups to spend a lot of time on their own on
beaches while their mothers are in the water - they are not in
distress and need to be left alone. However, if you find a dead
or sick seal washed up on a beach please call one of these
numbers:

National helpline 08712 447 999

Welsh Mammal Strandings answer phone 01348 875 000

RSPCA central number 0870 5555 999

or email seals@strandings.com

Never approach a sicl< or dead seal - some diseases may
also be transmissible to humans. Infection by PDV reduces
the immune system, resulting in the seal becoming a
reservoir for other diseases

• Keep dogs well away - they could contract the disease

Further information

Department for Envìronment, Food and Rural Affairs:

www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/ewd/seals/seals.htm
Sea Mammal Research Unit: http://smub.st-and.ac.uk/

The Countryside Council for Wales INTERTIDAL TEAM
has been out and about this summer; here are some of their
findings

Severn Estuary

The Severn Estuary is one of Britain's largest estuaries and has
the second largest tidal range in the world. We have been
surveying the area since April, sometimes using a hovercraft to
cover vast expanses of mud and sand that are too dangerous to
visit on foot. We have found some very interesting hydroids and
sponges on lower shore bedrock within the Severn. We have
also visited Denny Island on the lower edge of the sandbanks
on the Welsh/English border. Here we found an old Sabettaria
reef, which unfortunately appeared to be dead.

Mud, mud, glorious mud.

©

Photo: CCW.

Dee Estuary

In June we began the survey of the Dee Estuary with some
very early mornings! The Dee Estuary is smaller and sandier
than the Severn. We have completed all the foot sites between
Point of Ayr (at the mouth of the estuary) and Flint. Using a
boat, we have surveyed some of Salisbury middle and all of
Salisbury bank where we saw a large colony of seals, boring
bivalves (we fmd them interesting), high densities of cockles
and clams and a nationally scarce crab Thia
scutellata.

Cetacean studies
in Wales
2002-2003

We are
planning
surveys of
harbour porpoise for
the north Anglesey coast and off
south Wales, as well as further surveys ì
of bottlenose dolphin, harbour porpoise
and Risso’s dolphin in Cardigan Bay. An
important element of the work involves
training yolunteers in species recognition and
recording methodologies. Disturbance to cetaceans, particularly
from recreational activities, is an important issue that is being
addressed by varîous groups, and we are making efforts to
develop a standardised approach to assessing its impact.

Thanks to Greg Brina. Mandy McMath and CCW’s
Marine and Earth Science Group.

Materion Morol

Sbwriel

Gallwcli ddysgu neu roi gwybod am gyflwr
traethau trwy wefan arbennig Asiantaeth yr
Amgylchedd.

Clefyd y Morloi

Mae clefyd wedi lladd morloi yn nwyrain Lloegr.
Mae rhifau ffôn i roi gwybod am forloi marw, ond
dylid cofio fod cenawon yn treulio llawer o amser
ar draethau heb eu mamau.

Arolwg

Darganfyddiadau tîm rhwng dau lanw’r Cyngor
Cefn Gwlad: Aber Hafren - hydroidau a sbwngiau
diddorol. Aber Dyfrdwy - llawer o forloi a chranc
prin iawn.

Morfilod

Mae arolygon ar droed o lamhidyddion a
dolffiniaid Rossi a thrwynbwl.

Biodiversity

news

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Where now for Wales? Debate, Decisions, Direction.

Time for Action - a Key National Follow-up Conference
to the World Summit on Sustainable Development

A major outcome of the Summit was a dedaration detailing the
way forward for sustainable development. Wales, with its
constitutional commitment to sustainable development, is in an
unprecedented position to become a world leader in turning the
concept of sustaínable development into tangible social, economic
and environmental benefits. Such change however requires a
commitment from all sectors towards this common goal.

The City and County of Swansea is hosting a conference entitled
‘Debate, Decisions, Direction’ at Swansea's celebrated Brangwyn
Hall on the 3rd and 4th December. The aim of the conference is
to bring together key thinlcers, decision makers, leaders, analysts
and advisors from all sectors to prioritise sustainable development
issues in Wales and actually influence how we as a nation take
these forward. Check out the conference website at
http://www.swansea.gov.uk/wssd

In addition to this national conference the City and County of
Swansea is supporting The Environment Centre, Swansea in a
grass roots sustainable development conference to be held at the
Guildhall, Swansea on the 5th December. For enquiries about the
grass roots conference contactjenny Newman, The Enẃonment
Centre, Tel: 01792 480 200

Kerry Curran

Nature Kimroo

“Ghoti" said George Bernard Shaw when discussing English
pronunciation, and he might have been taltóng about something in Natur
Cyraru. We are pleased to welcome many subscribers from outside
Wales and appreciate that non-Welsh speakers, wheresoever they may
be, may have difflculties with the Welsh language, not least the name of
the magazine itself, Take heart - unlike English, Welsh is a phonetic
language. If you learn how to pronounce the letters correctly they will
see you through the entire Welsh vocabulary (small print; except the
letter y. The management accepts no responsíbìlíty for the
mispronunciation of this letter.) Of course, not all the letters are easy to
pronounce (ch. II. u, si...) but at least they’re consistent!

Here are some notes which we hope will help:

Natur Cymru

The closest pronunciation in English (the Welsh u is particularly diffìcult
for those not used to it) would be:

Natur-To rhyme with ‘privateer’ and sounding nothing like ‘nay-chure'!
Cym - as in Harry Secombe.

Ru - as in Griffith (Anglicised spelling of the Welsh ‘Gruffydd',
pronounced the same).

Nateer Cumry - easy.

And what was GBS talking about? Try taking the ‘gh’ from tough, the 'o’
from women and 'ti' from action.

Natur y byd

Nid pawb sy’n gwirioni yr un fath -
ail-ddarganfyddiad yr Heboglys Eryri

Hywel Roberts, Warden Cwm Idwal

Y m mis Gorffennaf eleni ailddarganfuwyd yr
heboglys Eryri (Hieracium snowdoniense) yng
Ngwarchodfa Natur Genedlaethol Cwm Idwal yn
Eryri. Ar ôl chwilio dyfal ers rhai blynyddoedd gan
fotanegwyr, cafwyd hyd i’r planhigyn gan y
botanegwr Tim Rich o Amgueddfeydd ac Orîelau
Cenedlaethol Cymru a Scott Hand, Hywel Roberts a
Janet Bucldes o Gyngor Cefn Gwlad Cymru.

Hieracium snowdoniense.

Nid oedd yr heboglys arbennig yma wedi ei weld yn
y Cwm ers bron i hanner canrif, pan y’i cofnodwyd
gan Peter Sell a Cyril West. Roedd y rhain yn
arbenigwyr ar adnabod gwahanol fathau o heboglys.
Bu chwilio garw ers 1953 amdano, a disgrifiwyd cael
hyd iddo eto eleni fel “cael hyd i ryw fath o ddodo
Cymreig” gan Tim Rich.

Pleser o’r mwyaf oedd cofnodi’r planhigyn, sydd
efallai yn profi pa mor llwyddiannus yw’r rheoli sydd
ar bori yn y Cwm. Mae nifer y defaid yno wedi
lleihau yn arw ers 1998, trwy gytundeb â’r ffermwr
a’r tirfeddiannwr (sef Yr Ymddiriedolaeth
Genedlaethol). Awgrymwyd mai pwysau pori trwm
gan ddefaid sydd wedi achosi i’r planhigyn fod mor
anodd i’w ailddarganfod, trwy rwystro blodeuo a
chynhyrchu hâd. Adnabyddir y rhywogaeth yma o’r
hebogiys trwy nifer y blodau melyn/aur ar
ganghennau byr, tyn ar ben coesyn syth, gyda’r
blodyn ieuengaf ar flaen y clwstwr o flodau.

Gall dylanwad pori hefyd fod yn ffactor yn nirywiad
poblogaeth heboglys prin arall a geir yn Eryri sef yr
Hieracium holosericium - yr oedd Evan Roberts,
warden cyntaf Cwm Idwal yn y 1950au mor hoff o
gyfeirio at gael hyd iddo ar y llechweddau. Ym mis
Awst eleni, dychwelodd Tìm Rich a Scott Hand i
Gwm Idwal a chasglwyd hadau o’r planhigyn.

Y gobaith felly yw bod ffynhonnell o hâd tuag at
barhad y rhywogaeth brin yma yn ddiogel nid yn unig
ar lechweddau Cwm Idwal ond hefyd yn yr Ardd
Fotaneg Genedlaethol yn Llanarthne.

Nature at large

The rediscovery of the Snowdonia hawkweed

In July 2002 a rare species of hawkweed, the
Snowdonia ITawkweed ( Hieraciurn snowdoniensé)
was rediscovered at Cwm Idwal NNR, not having
been seen for nearly 50 years. It was last recorded
at the site by RD. Sell and Cyril West in 1953.
Hieracium snowdoniense is one of the approximately
400 microspccies of Hieracia currently recognised
in Britain. It is therefore typical of this group in
being very difficult to identify without detailed
knowledge of its structure and habitat. This micro
species is identified by its racemose flower head
structure (with the youngest yellow/gold flower at
the head of a cluster of flowers on the end of a
straight stem).

It is probablc that the discovcry of this flower is an
indication of the success of the recently
implemented grazing management at the NNR.

In 1998 an agreement was reached with the farmer
and the owner (National Trust) to remove sheep
grazing from thc site, and so benefit the rare and
typical upland vegetation. It is hoped that this
management will also result in recovery of other
plants including one othcr Hìeracium, namcly
Hieracium holosericium (Beautiful hawkweed),
which has been recorded there in the past. It
would be a fitting memorial to Evan Roberts, the
first nature reserve warden for Cwm Idwal, if this
plant which hc enthuscd so much about was to bc
re-found in the same way as Hieracium
snowdoniense.

Photo: Scott Hand.

Nature in reserue

Merthyr Mawr Warren declared as a
National Nature Reserve

T he coast between Porthcawl and Ogmore is dominated by the
rolling sand dunes of Merthyr Mawr Warren. This is a unique
landscape in Britain; the sand has been carried far inland over an
ancient limestone sea cliff, giving rise to the slightly spurious claìm
that the dunes are the highest in the country! In addition, lime-rich
springs emerge from the bottom of the buried cliff giving rise to
wide deep pools in the winter and ephemeral streams in the
summer. The largest of these springs is called Burrows Well and the
pools it feeds can be 2m or more in depth.

Though not as extensive as Kenfìg to the west, this is still a big dune
system with the full range of wildlife habitats associated with such
places. There are 32 different plant communities, plus a group
associated with the Burrows Well pools that defy dassification and
which may therefore be unique. From the statutory protection
standpoint however, it is the dune grassland and slack communities
that make the Warren a candidate Special Area of Conservation
under the European Habitats Directive. Another European feature
is the petalwort Petalophyllum ralfsii, a rare liverwort resembling a
tiny cabbage. What really attracts the eye though, and makes an
early summer visit to the Warren such an invigorating experience, is
the sheer exuberant abundance of flowers.

There are 437 different flowering plants at Merthyr Mawr including
14 nationally scarce species such as sea heath Frankenia laevis and
hutchinsia Hornungia petraea, and several locally scarce ones
including yellow bird s-nest Monotropa hypopytys, white horehound
Marrubium vulgare and birthwort Aristolochia clematitis. Excitingly,
there are also one or two plants which though extinct, might just
re-appear as a result of disturbance by natural sea erosion or
movement of the ephemeral streams or by the tender ministrations
of a mechanical excavator!

If this were not enough, Merthyr Mawr is one of the top sand dune
sites in Wales for both fungi and ínvertebrates. CCW’s invertebrate
specialist Adrian Fowles has described Merthyr Mawr as the best
sand dune site for insects in South Wales, particularly for beetles,
solitary bees, sand wasps and flies. There are 28 confìrmed Red
Data Book species with another dozen or so waiting confìrmation,
induding half a dozen flies new to Britain.

In short, Merthyr Mawr Warren is a very special place for wildlife, a
fact acknowledged a long time ago by local naturalists and the old
Nature Conservancy who designated Merthyr Mawr as a Site of
Scientifìc Interest in 1950, amongst the fìrst such designations in
Wales. Most importantly, the value of the Warren was recognised
by Jennifer and Murray McLaggan, who have had the often
thankless task of managing this valuable though economically
unrewarding land for many years. One of the less desirable features
of the Warren is the abundant presence of sea buckthorn
Hippophae rhamnoides, a shrub introduced in the nineteenth century
to stabilise the dunes. This was spreading at an alarming rate and in
1995 Mr and Mrs McLaggan asked the Countryside Council for
Wales (CCW) for advice and assistance with its control. This led to

an invitation to CCW to lease the Warren and to take on other
aspects of its management. Around 50% of the sea buclcthom has
now been removed and follow up work carried out to prevent re-
infestation and to control weeds.

Whilst it was possible to use a mechanical excavator fìtted with a
weed rake for some of this work, it has also been necessary to clear
significant areas with hand-held machinery, in order to avoid
damage to historical landscape and buried archaeological features.
Much of the Warren is scheduled as an Ancient Monument because
of these features and a wide range of fìnds - mesolithic flints,
neolithic pottery, bronze age burial mounds, iron age hearths and
Roman tiles and beads,

As well as leading to the restoration of a flower-rich dune grassland,
clearance of the sea buckthom is returning areas lost to the public
for family picnics, dog walking and other outdoor recreation. The
McLaggans have always welcomed people on foot and horseback to
the Warren, which is particularly popular with orienteers, athletes
and rugby players for training purposes. These activities will
continue on the NNR though some measures have or are being
introduced to ensure public safety, protect vulnerable wildlife and
archaeology and to preserve the quiet amenity value of the site.
CCW will also develop appropriate interpretation and education
facilities for the site.

Merthyr Mawr Warren was declared a National Nature Reserve on
3rd July 2002 at an event attended by Carwyn Jones AM.

Michael Hughes, Area Warden, CCW Soutli Wiles.

Natur mewn gwarchodfeydd

Gwarchodfa ym Merthyr Mawr

Ym mis GorfFennaf, cafodd Twyni Merthyr Mawr eu troi’n
Warchodfa Natur Genedlaethol. Mae’r safle’n unigryw yng
ngwledydd Prydain, gyda thywod wedi ei sgubo tros glogwyn
calchfaen a ffynhonnau calch sy’n creu pyllau dyfnion. Ond, yn
ogystal â’r 32 cymuned o blanhigion a chasgliad hynod o
amgylch un ffynnon, blodau yw gogoniant Merthyr Mawr gyda
437 o blanhigion blodeuog gwahanol. Yn eu plith mae 14
rhywogaeth sy’n brin ar raddfa genedlaethol a nifer sy’n brin yn
lleol. Ar ben hynny, dyma rai o’r twyni gorau am ffwng ac am
drychfilod, gyda 28 rhywogaeth yn y Llyfr Coch a dwsin arall
yn aros i’w cadamhau, gan gynnwys chwe math o bryf sy’n
newydd yng ngwledydd Prydain. Dyma pam fod pwysigrwydd
Twyni Merthyr Mawr wedi ei hen gydnabod. Ond, oherwydd
problemau gyda rhafnwydd, yn 1995, gofỳnnodd y pcrchnogion
jennifer a Murray McLaggan i’r Cyngor Cefn Gwlad lesio’r
twyni a helpu gyda’u rheoli. Roedd rhaid bod yn ofalus iawn
oherwydd pwysigrwydd hanesyddol y safle ond mae hanner y
thafnwydd wedi’i glirio gan adfer porfa flodeuog a chaniatáu
Uawer rhagor o ddefnydd hamdden o’r twyni, Gyda rhai
amodau, bydd hyn yn parhau yn y Warchodfa ac fe fydd rhagor
o adnoddau dehongli ac addysgu hefyd.

For photographs and illustrations, thanks to/diolch am y lluniau i:

Amec Border Wind, D. Balharry, Johnny Birks, Duncan Brown,
Stewart Campbell, lan Carter, CCGC/CCW, Jonathan Cox,

English Nature, Andrew Ferguson, Geoff Gibbs, Frank Greenaway,
Mike FHammett, Scott FHand, Peter FHopeJones, Tony Jenldns, Paul Kay,
LCC/WAG, Mandy Marsh, John Messenger, Tony Oliver, John Ratcliffe,
Peter Rhind, Alastair Robertson, RSPB, Michael Smith, WWF.