A week since the new year began and during 2020 we are celebrating 50 years of wildlife conservation at RSPB Ynys-hir. Yes, it is just over half a centuary since talks, negotiations and then fund raising enabled the RSPB to purchase Ynys-hir and add it to its  growing portfolio of reserves. Much has changed in some respects within the organisation, not least the number of staff employed by RSPB Cymru now and the reserve staff team has grown a little at the reserve since William Condry (writer and naturalist) became the fiirst site warden but much of the rythms of the year remain similiar if not the same. One of those is that start of a new year and so for some, the start of a new list of bird sightings! This time of year the main focus is on the wintering birds on the pools, lowland wet grassland and the saltmarsh. A quick walk out at lunchtime by Dave, Site manager to marian mawr pools rewarded him with  the female smew along with four pintails, six gadwalls and a kingfisher. Domenlas had an incredibly tame little egret and a colour-ringed redshank.

The other highlight for today was lesser spotted woodpecker just behind the Visitor Centre. This weekend the tides are a good hieght 5 to 5.2 m so perfect for visiting Saltings and Ynys Feurig hides to see what ducks and waders are about.