Llysdinam Newts and Caterpillars - & skimming stones at Lam Cam

Newbridge-on-Wye, Powys

 

Cardiff University Field Centre, Llysdinam

 

Thursday 20^th of August

 

Today we went to an old University Field Centre where people from Cardiff University used to come to study nature but it has recently closed down. My Dad used to go there a lot when he was young to see the students and watch them work with birds, newts, polecats, badgers and loads of other animals.

 

The pond is still there and is being re-worked. It has a new path and loads of life thriving in it. By the pond we found…

·         2 small Smooth Newts (Madfall Ddwr Gyffredin - Lissotriton Vulgaris)

 

 

·         Nuthatch (Delor y Cnau - Sitta europaea)   

 

 

·       2 Privet Hawk Moth Caterpillars (Gwalchwyfyn Yr Yswydd - Sphinx ligustri)

 

 

 

 

I am getting to know how the Nuthatch calls now. It has a whistling whoop-whoop sort of call.

                                                                                      

After visiting Llysdinam we went down to the Wye river and a bend near Llysdinam called Lam Cam (in Welsh it means sort of 'Big Bend'). It's a great place to see wildlife. But you need to be careful near the river.

We skimmed stones across the river and then saw a Yellow Wagtail (Sigldigwt) ...

and loads of Minnows (Crothell) in the small rock pools left as the river went down.

This huge old tree grows next to the river. The roots must be a great place for wildlife to hide. I think it was a Beech tree (Ffawydden)

Plenty of places for animals to hide...

Looking up at the huge gnarled mossy Beech tree

 

 

Interesting things again today. And all on our doorstep!

 

Hwyl! See yah!!

 

Glaslyn Ospreys

At Glaslyn Ospreys Nature Reserve

 

30^th of July

Afternoon

Weather: Sunny

On top of Wales! (but not so sunny)
 

 

After a tiring morning climbing Snowdon, we went to Glaslyn Ospreys Nature Reserve and saw some very interesting things. The reserve is now run by some of the people who live in North Wales.

 

We saw...

A GreaterSpotted Wood Pecker (Cnocell Fraith Fwyaf - Dendrocopus major) zipping along the river bank.

A Shorttailed Vole (again - like the one in Portmeirion) (Llygoden Bengron Y Gwair - Microtus Agrestis)

 

 

Many Chaffinch (Ji-binc - Fringilla coelebs)

 

 

Many Goldfinch (Nico - Carduelis spinus)

 

 

And some very busy Grasshoppers (Sbonc y Gwair - Caelifera)

 

 

The man at the Nature Reserve had recently found…

A DeathsHead Hawk Moth (Gwalchwyfyn Penglog - Acherontia Iachesis)

 

 

If this Moth is irritated it squeaks like a mouse! Wow!

He had also found a Horntail / Wood Wasp

 

 

At the back of its body it looks like a stinger but the female uses it to lay her eggs, they can’t harm you at all!

As well there were videos of the Ospreys LIVE and RECORDED  it was very interesting, thru the telescope you could see the pole and the cameras, the Ospreys huge nest and their heads popping out of the nest!

Here's me and my sister in an Ospreys nest! (not really :-)

 

Am ddiwrnod! What a Busy day!

Hwyl! See ya!