In part one of this blog on Friday I rounded up what a fantastic summer of wildlife both Newport Wetlands and Conwy reserves had lined up for your delectation. Here I conclude that round up of what’s on near you in the forthcoming weeks.
Ynys-Hir
The home of Springwatch has a number of regular monthly events going on this summer.
Coming up in a weeks’ time (7th July) the local warder is running a Moth finding activity to see which species are found on the reserve.
On the 14th July a Wild Art event takes place. For children of five years and up this is a chance to turn your hand at having a go at pastels or screen printing of the natural environment of the reserve.
Finally every Wednesday throughout summer Wild and Wet Activities are going from pond dipping to nature walks and craft making.
Lake Vyrnwy
There are two events of note taking place at Lake Vyrnwy.
On the 28th July and 25th August up to ten people can accompany an experienced bird ringer as he captures and rings birds on the reserve. Having watched a demonstration of this at last year’s Bird Fair I can confirm this is an excellent way of learning a lot more about various species of birds and see them close up.
August 24th sees a Bat and Moth walk taking place, guided by an experienced volunteer.
Ramsey Island
Ramsey Island has a packed itinerary this summer.
If you want to do something special this summer I cannot recommend the Island Experience highly enough having done it last year. Words do not begin to cover the spectacular sight of thousands of Gannets nesting on Grassholm. If you are lucky (as we were), you may get dolphins chasing your boat as you head out from St Justinians and Ramsey, it’s something that will live with me for a very long time. The boat trips run every Tuesday throughout summer, and booking is essential. Also new for 2013, there is boat trip running studying the geology of the islands. Both events are all day events. If you fancy staying on the island then Dr Sarah Beynon is conducting Bug Hunts during the day. Dr Beynon regularly appears on Countryfile, Springwatch and Coast, and is an entomologist of some note. She has been studying the insect life on the island for the past four years. This is your chance to share in some of that extensive knowledge.
Thursdays feature a guided walk of the island; these are headed by one of the reserves wonderful wardens (surely one of the best jobs on earth!). Learn more about the Puffins, Gannets, Razorbills and of course the iconic Manx Shearwaters that all visit the island. You may be lucky to see seals and porpoises in the bays as you walk around.
South Stack
And so we end this tour of the reserves in Wales back where we started in North Wales, and the reserve of South Stack.
Sunday 7th July sees the South Stack Summer festival which promises to be a day of bird watching and activities at the reserve.
Wednesday’s throughout the summer feature hour long guided walks of the reserve by volunteers or wardens.
Finally on the 1st and 22nd August there will be a Snake and Lizard Safari taking place. South Stack is one of the best places in Wales to see basking Adders. Go out with a warden and try to find these wonderful creatures, as well as Slow Worms and other lizards that frequent the reserve.
I hope you enjoyed this two part round up of the huge amount of summer activities RSPB Cymru is putting on this year. Please remember to check the website for more details about the costs involved and the timing of events. Some of the events, such as those on Ramsey are on rough terrain; advice is given on suitable clothing on the relevant event pages.
Take some time out this summer and visit our wonderful reserves and make new friends, but most of all enjoy the incredible array of wildlife we have to offer in this wonderful country of ours... Wales!
© All Images – Anthony Walton