It's all kicking off...

Diggers
Things have really started to get busy for our Conwy Connections project this week, as you'll notice if you visit - there are a lot of big yellow 'toys' beetling up and down the field outside the Visitor Centre.  For a quick recap of the project, see our earlier blog and Bulletin.  We've talked about this project for a long time, have been fundraising for it for around three years, and so we got quite excited on Monday morning when the first low-loader rolled into the car park with a digger and a dumper truck aboard.  The first phase of work, over the next three weeks, will prepare the ground for all the other developments over the next 12 months, but now the team from Gwyn Roberts a'i Fabrication have started to lay some pipes, this is starting to feel real.  It does mean that there'll be some disruption over the next couple of weeks; access to the trails will always remain open, but the route across the field will change according to where they are working.  You'll also have noticed that the earth bank at the entrance to the car park has been cleared, in readiness for a new footpath that will improve access for visitors to the reserve. Huge thanks to our volunteers and staff from the Anglesey Wetlands for their help with this last week.

Carrier bags
ITV Wales filmed a piece for yesterday's evening news (view it here) about the project, because some of the funding comes from Tesco shoppers. Over the last year, many of the 5p carrier bag charges collected in stores across Wales have been donated to RSPB Cymru, which are helping a variety of wildlife projects, including the reserve at Conwy.  Read this to find out more about it.  The good news is that the levy has reduced bag use in Wales by around 90% since it was introduced 12 months ago, and we estimate that visitors to Conwy have reduced their use by 99% from our shop.  That's a lot less plastic being manufactured, then thrown into a landfill site.  Well done Wales!

Wishes
We're still raising money for the Conwy Connections project, and we're hoping that readers of the Daily Post will help us over the next few weeks.  They have launched their Wish 2012 fund, a £25,000 pot that will be divided between local charities according to the number of tokens that readers donate to each local group. Our Wish Box is in the Visitor Centre, and we'd be delighted if readers would give us their coupons, which will go towards new family-friendly interpretation for the Tal-y-fan Hide, which local schools will be able to use when they visit us.  If you have friends, family or neighbours who read the Daily Post, please ask them if they would help us too.

Going solar
The next part of the Conwy Connections project starts next week with the installation of solar thermal panels on the Coffee Shop. The rays of the sun will heat the water as it passes through pipes on the roof, which will mean we won't have to use as much electricity to heat up the water in the taps, boiler and dishwasher.  So we'll be doing another little bit to reduce the amount of greenshouse gases produced at the power station, and we'll save donors' money that we can spend on saving nature. It means that next Wednesday (10 October), the Coffee Shop will be closed for the day, while new water tanks are installed and the system is commissioned.

Fighting for Birds
The following weekend, on Saturday 13th October, Mark Avery, former Conservation Director for the RSPB, will be at the reserve to lead a walk and sign copies of his book, Fighting for Birds. It provides an insight into his 25 years at the RSPB, and describes the successes and setbacks, liberally scattered with anecdotes and wry moments.  Come and meet the man who shaped much of our conservation work today.

Wildlife
Just in case you thought we'd forgotten, there is still plenty of wildlife to see and hear.  The kingfisher has been putting in regular (but not very reliable!) appearances, and a couple of grey wagtails seem to have taken up residence.  Water rails have also been seen each day, and flocks of goldfinches are still scoffing through the thistle heads with their tinkling calls.  Summer migrants are becoming less frequent, though a little 'fall' of chiffchaffs this morning was nice, and we've had a common sandpiper here the last couple of mornings.  Up to 40 black-tailed godwits and a couple of bar-tailed godwits, golden plovers, greenshank, little stint and knot have all added to the wader mix, while two choughs flying over our bird-ringing demonstration morning was a bonus on Friday 28th.  Don't forget that you can keep up to date with all our sightings and other news on our Twitter feed.