Many of you will be familiar with a part of the reserve known as Y Foel. This is the hill that forms the stunning backdrop to the view from the picnic tables by the visitor centre. There are public footpaths up here and the walk is well worth it, not just for the stunning views over the main reserve, the Dyfi estuary and the southern mountains of Snowdonia, but alo for the wildlife.
News from Neil, our Assistant Warden
It’s good to be back on the Foel. The ponies spend a lot of time towards the summit, perhaps to catch the breeze and deter annoying flies, perhaps to enjoy the view, and perhaps to graze on bilberry and heather. I love the change and variety of colours as you climb towards the top, moving from the dark green, bracken dominated areas close to the Coastal path, through straw coloured molinia flushes dotted with bog asphodels, and up to the pinks and purples of flowering heathers – cross-leaved, bell and ling.
There were two male whinchats on the upper slopes last week, calling to hidden young/females within the heather and bracken. Whinchats are migratory, and these birds have travelled thousands of miles to breed on the Foel – an incredible journey when you consider they may weigh only 20 grams, which my kids assure me is about the same as a Sherbert dip dab.
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/whinchat/
Can you spot a whinchat in the photo?