It was great to see the official opening yesterday of a new hide at the RSPB Ynys-hir to celebrate the historic connection between the reserve and Welsh poet R S Thomas.
R S Thomas was arguably Wales’ greatest poet. Thomas is a fascinating character a fearsome patriot and passionate enthusiast of the welsh landscape its people and nature. He was vicar in the village church in Eglwysfach near the reserve between 1954 and 1967. A keen birdwatcher Thomas regularly sought inspiration for his poems by wandering on the privately owned Ynys Hir estate before the land was bought by the RSPB in 1969.
In his poem ‘Swifts’ he recalls how birdwatching on Ynys-hir allowed him to escape from the stresses of daily life; "The swifts winnow the air./ It is pleasant at the end of the day/ To watch them. I have shut the mind/ On fools. The Phone’s Frenzy is over”. I think this rather sums his character up.
However, when the wildlife may not be on show, you can check out the new and beautiful interpretation panels on the inside of the hide, which depict extracts from R S Thomas’s work.
The images that accompany the poem extracts are the work of pupils from Ysgol Bro Ddyfi, Machynlleth. Great poet great wildlife in one one of the most beautiful parts of Wales. What more could you want!
If you fancy seeing the art and visiting the new hide, RSPB Ynys-hir is open throughout the autumn and winter months, go towww.rspb.org.uk/ynys-hir you won’t regret it.
Below is a picture by Kyle Freeman fromYsgol Bro Ddyfi in Machynlleth which you can see inside the new hide.