Emma Explores Redley Cliff
My name is Emma, a Media student with a love for wildlife. I'm a mission to explore Swansea's nature reserves by (mostly) public transport!
My name is Emma, a Media student with a love for wildlife. I'm a mission to explore Swansea's nature reserves by (mostly) public transport!
This tiny wading bird is most often seen in autumn, feeding on the muddy margins of wetlands.
The spiked shieldbug has fearsome shoulder projections or 'spikes' and a predatory nature. This brown bug feeds on caterpillars and other insects in woodlands and on heathlands.
The common rosefinch is a rare visitor to the UK, usually passing through in autumn.
The branching, finger-like projections of this fungus give it the appearance of an underwater coral. Its striking colour and form make it easy to spot, but it is scarce in the UK.
A fleshy herb of the wet margins of brooks, streams and ditches, Brooklime can be seen all year-round and provides shelter for tadpoles and sticklebacks.
Water figwort is a tall plant of riverbanks, pond margins, damp meadows and wet woodlands. Its maroon flowers are pollinated by the Common wasp.
The delicate, tube-like, violet-blue flowers of Skullcap bloom from June to September in damp places, such as marshes, fens, riverbanks and pond margins.
Our smallest breeding seabird, the storm petrel is barely larger than a house martin! They mostly nest among rocks or in burrows on small offshore islands.
Often growing in swathes along a roadside or field margin, the oxeye daisy is just as at home in traditional hay meadows. The large, white, daisy-like flowers are easy to identify.
This large shrike visits the UK in small numbers each year, passing through on migration or spending the winter here.