Iolo began by introducing a Teifi Marshes montage which depicted a tranquil autumn morning on the reserve. Light filtered through reeds as the river gently snaked its way around through the reserve. Mandarin ducks, mallards, and swans slowly awaken on the riverbank, preparing for the autumnal day to come. A kingfisher perches on an overhanging branch and flies out of frame, presumably off to catch his breakfast.
Next, Gillian tells the audience of her trip to Cardigan Bay with our Living Seas team. She joined them for a “real working boat survey”, in which they recorded double the previous highest number of harbour porpoise… could this be because our seas are getting warmer? Cody Ayre Higgins, Living Seas volunteer, explained what the team record during their surveys, and the importance of this kind of monitoring for conservation of a marine environment.
Whilst watching a clip of a male bat in a maternity roost, Iolo recalls the trials and tribulations of his youth. He tells the audience how, on a night out, he would face constant rejection to his “Do you want to dance?” question, but remained hopeful and would simply move onto the next person. We’re all hoping that the male bat remains similarly as resilient in the face of adversity!
Iolo Williams said “Fantastic to catch up with the Greater Horseshoe Bats, and amazing to see a male bat in amongst all the females… I have a feeling there’s more to come from him! And I’m pleased that we were able to show Teifi Marshes nature reserve in the morning light, at it’s very best.”
Finally, Iolo shares his nibbled nuts with the audience. The smooth rim of the nibble in the hazelnut suggests that a dormouse is the likely culprit. Here at Teifi Marshes, our reserve manager, Nathan Walton, has recorded a significant decline in our dormice population. He says that "Dormice numbers found in boxes surveyed have declined over the past decade. It is still uncertain if this is due to climate change with milder winters and less opportunity for a deep hibernation or, more positively, whether the habitat is good enough for them to find other opportunities for nesting without the need for the boxes. Further work with footprint tunnels and thermal cameras is being undertaken to gain a better idea of distribution and numbers."
Unfortunately, climate change is having a very real and noticeable impact on our precious Welsh wildlife. Tune in to this evening’s episode to experience even more of the incredible Teifi Marshes flora and fauna.
If you’ve been inspired, and fallen in love with our Teifi Marshes nature reserve, please consider becoming a member to help us protect wild places like this for future generations to experience.
