Almost three weeks have passed and the last episode of the BBC Springwatch series was broadcast last night. It has been a thoroughly enjoyable, exciting and educational journey for all of us here at Ynys-hir reserve and has made Springwatch addicts of us all.
We little realised, many months ago now, when we were first contacted by the BBC what the whole thing involved. Dummy cameras were erected in the heronry at the end of February, prior to the nesting season, to ensure that the herons were used to them.
Weeks before the first episode, ducts were buried through parts of the reserve leading to the main wildlife ‘hubs’ through which fibre optic cables were later blown. Other cables were then laid from the hubs to the cameras. Power had to be provided to the main hubs and slowly the whole engineering works were completed.
The Production Village was erected on a neighbouring farmer’s field and the crew and presenters finally arrived. From the very beginning the RSPB and BBC have worked extremely well together and this has made a great difference.
Check out our video to get the inside story from staff and visitors at the reserve.
Wildlife was the star of the show
From the first programme to the very last the wildlife and scenery of the reserve have been shown to great effect. We have followed the stories of the bird families and rejoiced in the wood warbler and grasshopper warblers fledging and have been dejected on the death of the two pied flycatcher broods.
Buzzards have surprised us in the range of prey taken in to the chicks, the grey herons chicks have been fascinating and the barn owl chicks wonderfully ugly from the start but slowly turning into the majestic beauty of the adults. Close shaves for wrens, writhing grass snakes on a compost heap, bobbing dippers and fleeting glimpses of badgers. Beavers in Scotland, the glory of Skomer and the unknown world of a land-fill site; we have enjoyed it all.
We have ensured that visitors enjoy the Springwatch experience too with guided walks pointing out nest cameras, the bird stars of the show like redstarts and buzzards and, when no live filming is being undertaken, the studio location. At the same time by concentrating guided walks, children’s activities like pond-dipping etc. on one loop of the visitor trails the rest of the reserve can be enjoyed by those who enjoy a quiet birdwatching experience.
It has been hard work, I must admit, but has been made much easier with the help of RSPB staff from both The Lodge and from RSPB Cymru and our wonderful, energetic and friendly team of volunteers. An extra special thanks to Caroline Offord.
With the departure of the BBC, Ynys-hir will get back to normal but with an increase of visitors because of the show's impact. We look forward to a break from it all but, to be honest, we cannot wait until they return next year!