Cwm Clydach

Photo: Dippers 18 March 2013

Dawn & Jim — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 19:38:00 GMT

Taken above the river, about 3 meters, 4 dippers in the trees just before this. Must be some sort of mating dance.

Photo: Dippers along the river

Dawn & Jim — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 08:01:00 GMT

Several dippers (3 seen) were active along the river on 08 February 2013

Blog post: ...and pop went the weasel!

David Anning — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:18:00 GMT

I did a trail inspection today and cleared some over-hanging branches. The reserve was cold, wet and windy and only a flock of six bullfinches caused me to raise my binoculars. However, trugging back to the car with my head down against the wind I suddenly saw what looked like a large ginger mouse dive into a hole. I stopped, as it looked distinctly odd, and after a few seconds a weasel popped it's head out of the hole, barely six feet away from me! It stared at me for a good ten seconds until it decided that I was not going to be intimidated and disappeared back into the hole. Very exciting indeed.

Blog post: Volunteer Day

David Anning — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:20:00 GMT

Another busy day of volunteering on the reserve. The morning started with clearing the car park of leaves and unblocking various drains and culverts along the trail. The afternoon was spent coppicing an area above the public footbridge. This is an area where we hope to encourage willow warblers and bullfinches and the dense regrowth from the cut trees will provide ideal habitat for them. As we were working we saw dippers on the river, bullfinches in the trees and a green woodpecker was calling in the distance.

Blog post: Birds at Cwm Clydach

David Anning — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:55:00 GMT

A day spent supervising some tree surgeons saw me standing around the visitor trail more than usual. Over the course of the day I saw dipper, grey wagtail, bullfinch and green woodpecker. However, the highlight had to of been a female goosander which few within feet of me as I looked over the river bank as it just happened to be flying past.

Blog post: Another great volunteer work day

David Anning — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:00:00 GMT

A really smashing day. The weather was great and we had a good turn out. The day started well with a red kite and two bullfinches as we got out of the car at the top end of the Trusssler trail. We then set to work putting in a new bench dedicated to the memory of a previous volunteer, Mike Humphreys. After that was installed we made full use of the bench as we had lunch and admired the view. However, the view would have been better still, if it were not for a few small trees and so in the afternoon we coppiced these and then cleared the undergrowth from the large glade in readiness for next spring.

Photo: Young Sparrow Hawk

VickyRees — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 18:39:00 GMT

Young Sparrow Hawk in nest. Taken at RSPB Cwm Clydach By Ben Rees

Forum post: Lost African Grey

Lazza76 — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 12:12:00 GMT

PLEASE HELP LOOK OUT FOR OUR LOST PARROT

It is an African Grey. Grey body, red tail.

Metal band on leg with hatch date

REWARD offered if found

Lost on 27/07/2011

Blog post: Dippers in the rain

David Anning — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:05:00 GMT

I cannot believe it! Everytime I visit the reserve it seems to rain! Today I checked the reserves nature trails before having a meeting on site. The reserve looked great, which more than made up for my soaking.

The afternoon was spent felling a couple of trees on the visitors trail which had become damaged in the recent winds and trying to find the dippers on the river for someone who had never seen them before. Eventually we saw one in front of the New Inn pub, we are so lucky to have them being so obliging on the reserve.

Blog post: A prickly situation...

David Anning — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:17:00 GMT

Another great volunteer day, despite the weather!

Today we decided to concentrate our efforts on cutting back some undergrowth just beyond the reserves car park. This area was coppiced four years ago and the undergrowth has grown up into a thicket which is excellent for warblers. However, we also want open areas here so that wildflowers and butterflies can flourish.

Unfortunately this meant all of us standing waist deep in brambles cutting and clearing while the rain poured down. After a few hours work we had cleared two areas, the mosaic of open glades and thickets of brambles and young trees looks great and will be full of wildlife come the spring. Needless to say the volunteers and I did not look quite so great as we staggered back to the car park soaked and prickled, but it will be all worth it come the spring!

Blog post: Finished at last!

David Anning — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:46:00 GMT

After Tuesdays amazing effort the volunteers and I were at it again. This time we finished the bridge and successfully diverted the trail to a drier route. Spring was definately in the air as the birds were singing in the sunshine and the bullfinches were again calling from the dense scrub by the trail. Overhead the ravens were busy flying back and forth from their nearby nest site.

Next visit we will be again working on the main track, clearing some vegetation ready for the spring, surely it can't be far off now?

Blog post: Wet and muddy, but well worth it!

David Anning — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 13:22:00 GMT

We had another great volunteer day yesterday. Six of us went with a van load of wood to build a new bridge on the Trussler trail.

Despite it raining for most of the day and having to spend most of our time ankle deep in mud we virtually finished the job-incredable! With a little more work the boggiest part of the trail will be by-passed and I can save myself the embaressment of leading our visitors through a quagmire!

Although we spent all day sawing and hammering we did manage to hear a small flock of bullfinches through the rain, in a spot where I regularly see them. Hopefully the next time I'm there it will be dry and I can have a better look at them.

Blog post: A busy day on the Trussler Trail

David Anning — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:41:00 GMT

Yesterday was the first volunteer work day for 2011 at Cwm Clydach. We decided to continue last winters work on the Trussler Trail making a woodland ride through the trees.

After a mornings work we had made good progress and the ride we had made looked excellent. It is adjacent to the large clearing where we cut bracken last spring. Now rather than a sea of dead bracken in the clearing, there is far more grass and rushes, with some more work it will become a far better habitat for butterflies.

As we were working a buzzard and raven flew over head, but otherwise the wood was quiet. After lunch we started on making a new glade further down the trail, it is in a place where we usually have bluebells so maybe a bit more light will encourage more to grow, only time will tell...

Blog post: New Year resolutions

David Anning — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 16:10:00 GMT

First day back to work after the Christmas break and a brand New Year. Although I don't usually make New Years resolutions one can't help but think about what I want to do at Cwm Clydach this year.

Firstly it would be really good to make more woodland rides for butterflies and wild flowers, one of the first places I want to start is the reserve enterance, at the moment it is a bit dark, it would be great if it was light and flowery as you walk in from the car park.

Secondly the nature trail at the top of the reserve needs improving. It's such a great part of the reserve it would be good to make it more accessiable, may be some new signage and better boardwalks would help.

Finally, will this year be the year that we say goodbye to Japanese knotweed? Unfortunately, I feel that this too much to wish for, but it would be nice to think we could reduce it's strangle hold further.

Alas,it is easy to wish for these things, I know there will be many busy days ahead of us if we are to do this, but lets give it a try and make Cwm Clydach even better than it already is.

Blog post: Knocking the Knotweed

David Anning — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:19:00 GMT

I remember distinctly as a child having a romantic image of being a RSPB warden; protecting thousands of birds in some wild, wind swept place miles from anywhere. It's funny how life does not quite deal you the hand you were expecting and today I had one of those moments of contemplation.

There I was, covered in protective overalls with a bottle of herbicide in one hand and a pair of secateurs in the other trying to reach a particular nasty patch of Japanese knotweed. All around me were brambles and nettles and no matter which way I went I was doomed to be stung and prickled. 'What on earth am I doing here' I thought to myself as I pulled another reaching arm of briar from my trousers, surely there must be something better that I could be doing?

Then I looked around, the volunteer I was with was in a similar predicament , but as I watched another eight-foot stem of Japanese Knotweed came crashing down. Above me I could see where the contractors I had hired the week before had cleared a cliff that had been smoothered in knotweed and beyond that, through the trees was another glade where the voilunteers and I had spent two days solid fighting this invasive, evil weed.

As this moment of doubt passed I could see that this whole thing was bigger than my bleeding knees and I was just a cog in a bigger machine, with one simple aim to make Cwm Clydach a great place for wildlife and if that meant ridding the reserve of this exotic weed I had to carry on. I set off again through the undergrowth with new vigour; got stung terribly, but this time I managed not to swear!

Photo: more pics

onny — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:30:00 GMT

Photo: water features

onny — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:24:00 GMT

Photo: jay

onny — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:19:00 GMT

Photo: Recent visit

onny — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:13:00 GMT

pics taken from our recent trip

Photo: dipper

onny — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:01:00 GMT

pics taken from our recent trip