The start of 2010 has brought the first sighting of a bittern at Dow Corning Nature Centre! The bittern, is a very secretive bird which is very difficult to see! They often hide in the reeds, moving silently, hunting for fish, amphibians and insects! They are part of the heron family, Ardeidae and look like small brown herons with a shorter neck!
Picture by MJ Clarke
The distinct booming call of a bittern is often the first sign of their presence. Male bitterns start to boom as early as January in order to establish a territory and find a mate! When alarmed bitterns imitate the reeds by sticking their head straight up in the air and swaying in the wind.
The bittern is on the red species list. Reed beds are extremely important for the survival of this bird along with other species such as Cettis warbler, bearded tit and marsh harrier.
The bittern pictured above was taken by MJ Clarke at Kenfig, many wading birds struggled in the last month as they were unable to get to the water below the ice, excluding them from both their vital food source and from drinking water.
Habitat Enhancements in Bridgend
The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW) has been working closely with Bridgend County Borough Council (BCBC) and Laleston Community Council (LCC) to make recommendations for improving the conservation interest of one of the largest housing estates in the County – Broadlands.
The Broadlands estate comprises of over 2500 residential houses, located on the western outskirts of Bridgend Town centre, making the area one of the largest modern housing developments in Britain. As well as housing and associated gardens, Broadlands support a number of semi-natural habitats including broadleaved woodland, hedgerows and semi-improved grasslands.
WTSWW was approached in May 2009 by LCC and BCBC to undertake a survey of the whole estate and make suitable recommendations for the benefit of four main objectives:-
- Biodiversity
- Community Involvement
- Environment and
- Landscape
The survey identified 43 individual sites, where biodiversity enhancement schemes were recommended, ranging from small scale changes to the existing grassland mowing regimes, to the creation of allotments and orchards and night gardens for bats and moths.
In addition the biodiversity enhancements, most projects identified rely on the involvement of the local community to help first of all create the habitat and then to manage it in the long-term. The community spirit and volunteer time will be crucial in undertaking many of the proposed recommendations
It is hoped that with a continued partnership between WTSWW, BCBC & LCC coupled with the enthusiasm of the community real benefits to local biodiversity can be made.
An unusual visitor to Lavernock
A female Red Veined Darter has been spotted on our Lavernock reserve, near Cardiff. It is a migrant to this country and is normally resident and common in the Mediterranean and ranges widely in warm parts of Africa and Asia. Only the males have red veins in the wings. The sighting was at Lavernock Point Nature Reserve in September by reserve wardens Tony Messinger and Jeff Curtis – the sighting was verified and photographed by Mike Clark.