Littering Gower
| 13:05 UK time, Tuesday, 30 June 2009
The Gower is a remarkable place and has won countless accolades over the years for it's stunning natural beauty, range of habitats and marine life.
Archives for June 2009
Merthyr Mawr
| 16:36 UK time, Monday, 29 June 2009
I'd followed Derek Brockway's exploits in his previous series of Weatherman Walking when he visited Merthyr Mawr in 2008 so decided to see the place for myself.
The heat is on
| 11:07 UK time, Monday, 29 June 2009
The highest
temperature recorded so far in Wales this summer was 27 Celsius, 81 Fahrenheit
at Rhyl, Denbighshire on 3 June but that figure is going to be beaten this
week.
Aurora Borealis?
Post categories: clouds
| 14:51 UK time, Wednesday, 24 June 2009
I had an email recently from a chap who thought he might have seen the 'Northern Lights' or Aurora Borealis.
Warmest day so far
| 12:56 UK time, Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Well yesterday was the warmest day in Wales since June 3rd with temperatures hitting 25 Celsius in a few spots, 77F.
The perfect brood
| 17:59 UK time, Tuesday, 23 June 2009
I was walking through the garden the other day wondering where my regular family of blue tits has disappeared to...
Glastonbury...sun cream & wellies
| 12:30 UK time, Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Well the Glastonbury Festival is upon us. I've thought of going but never quite gotten round to it...
Risk of thunderstorms
| 11:27 UK time, Tuesday, 23 June 2009
The MET Office have issued a severe weather warning for today as heavy rain is set to hit much of Wales.
Most of Wales will feel very warm and humid today with showers developing for north Wales this afternoon.
The longest day
| 12:43 UK time, Monday, 22 June 2009
Well, I hope you had a nice weekend although the weather could have been better!
Introducing a warm front
| 17:46 UK time, Thursday, 18 June 2009
Shwmae everyone!
Most of you will know me as Derek the weatherman from ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales Today and I'm about to embark on a blog for the very first time...
Cormorant versus eel?
| 15:14 UK time, Tuesday, 16 June 2009
It sounds like a Harry Hill sub plot but it actually happened!
Killers in Wales
| 09:51 UK time, Tuesday, 16 June 2009
Killer whales, minke whales, peregines, choughs and more. The islands off Pembrokeshire are bursting with life!
Farewell to Springwatch
Post categories: Springwatch
| 09:28 UK time, Monday, 15 June 2009
Well, I had an amazing few weeks following Simon King and the Springwatch O.B crew around various destinations in Wales.
It will take a while to try and digest everything I've seen and done during that time.
It was great to visit so many amazing places that I'd previously only seen on TV and to see so much wildlife right here on our doorstep.
Highlights for me were meeting 'Gelert' the young male goshawk, waking up at dawn and seeing Lake Vyrnwy for the first time with a rainbow stretched right across the lake.
The red kites at Gigrin were unexpected too. I'd seen the feeding many times before on film but I'd urge everyone to go and experience it (in the flesh - excuse the pun) at least once - as nothing can prepare you for the spectacle you'll witness in the skies above.
Racing over to Bardsey Island on one of it's 'dry days' and standing in a dark field at night for 5 hours, listening to manx shearwater landing all around me but not actually being able to see them.
Being dive bombed at once by thousands of artic terns is also something I won't forget in a hurry either, as well as being lucky enough to step foot on the skerries.
The crew and cameramen were excellent and I learnt alot from them just being in their company and seeing how they work on location.
It seems as if everyone working on Springwatch has an extensive knowledge of wildlife - I guess if you spend 8 years working on a programme surrounded by experts, some of it rubs off.
Anglesey was also very special and I'd recommend it to anyone. Stunning scenery, crystal clear waters and quiet coves with very few people. Not yet anyway...
I hope you enjoyed my blogs, photos and various videos I posted up from the field but this is not the end.
Wales Nature blogs shall continue with regular wildlife updates. And we've also got ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales' weatherman - Derek Brockway on board, who will be blogging about walking and the weather for us very soon, so watch this space.
Gull
It will take a while to try and digest everything I've seen and done during that time.
It was great to visit so many amazing places that I'd previously only seen on TV and to see so much wildlife right here on our doorstep.
Highlights for me were meeting 'Gelert' the young male goshawk, waking up at dawn and seeing Lake Vyrnwy for the first time with a rainbow stretched right across the lake.
The red kites at Gigrin were unexpected too. I'd seen the feeding many times before on film but I'd urge everyone to go and experience it (in the flesh - excuse the pun) at least once - as nothing can prepare you for the spectacle you'll witness in the skies above.
Racing over to Bardsey Island on one of it's 'dry days' and standing in a dark field at night for 5 hours, listening to manx shearwater landing all around me but not actually being able to see them.
Being dive bombed at once by thousands of artic terns is also something I won't forget in a hurry either, as well as being lucky enough to step foot on the skerries.
The crew and cameramen were excellent and I learnt alot from them just being in their company and seeing how they work on location.
It seems as if everyone working on Springwatch has an extensive knowledge of wildlife - I guess if you spend 8 years working on a programme surrounded by experts, some of it rubs off.
Anglesey was also very special and I'd recommend it to anyone. Stunning scenery, crystal clear waters and quiet coves with very few people. Not yet anyway...
I hope you enjoyed my blogs, photos and various videos I posted up from the field but this is not the end.
Wales Nature blogs shall continue with regular wildlife updates. And we've also got ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales' weatherman - Derek Brockway on board, who will be blogging about walking and the weather for us very soon, so watch this space.
Gull
Going underground
Post categories: Springwatch,Ìýbirds
| 11:08 UK time, Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Manx shearwaters are truly remarkable creatures, travelling millions of miles in their lifetime and living for up to 50 years, travelling from as far afield as South America to land on Bardsey Island to lay just one egg, in an underground burrow.
The Skerries
Post categories: Anglesey,ÌýSpringwatch,Ìýbirds
| 18:15 UK time, Tuesday, 9 June 2009
The word "Skerry" is the Scottish diminutive of the Old Norse word "sker", meaning a small rocky reef or island.
The aliens have landed
Post categories: Anglesey,ÌýSpringwatch,Ìýbirds
| 10:32 UK time, Tuesday, 9 June 2009
It was a cold, dark night when they came down from the sky....
Tern sandwiches
Post categories: Anglesey,ÌýSpringwatch,Ìýbirds
| 09:42 UK time, Tuesday, 9 June 2009
One of the filming locations this year will be Cemlyn Bay. As you'll already know from my last informative blog this place is full of terns.
Listen to sandwich terns at Cemlyn Bay:
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit µþµþ°äÌý°Â±ð²ú·É¾±²õ±ð for full instructions
Escape to Bardsey
Post categories: Springwatch
| 16:15 UK time, Monday, 8 June 2009
I recently had the chance to pop over to Bardsey Island on a 24 hr mission with Simon King and a small crew to film sea birds at night, which will feature on Springwatch soon.
Cliff hangers
Post categories: Anglesey,ÌýSpringwatch,Ìýbirds
| 12:44 UK time, Monday, 8 June 2009
Chris Watson has been out to South Stack to record the sounds of the nesting sea bird colonies.
Blue lagoon
Post categories: Anglesey,ÌýSpringwatch
| 10:31 UK time, Monday, 8 June 2009
Cemlyn Bay is situated on the northern tip of the Anglesey and consists of a crescent shaped pebble beach edged by sea kale, beet, thrift and other hardy marine plants.
Coastal carpet
Post categories: Springwatch,Ìýflora
| 11:06 UK time, Sunday, 7 June 2009
Besides the bird life, Anglesey is also littered with hardy coastal flowers of all shapes, colours and sizes including many rare orchids.
South Stack
Post categories: Anglesey,ÌýRSPB,ÌýSpringwatch
| 15:40 UK time, Friday, 5 June 2009
I've just returned from South Stack - an RSPB stronghold with a superb look out tower overlooking the sea cliffs, where nesting guillemots hang precariously to cliff faces, defying gravity.
The Isle of Druids
Post categories: Anglesey,ÌýSpringwatch
| 15:16 UK time, Friday, 5 June 2009
The springwatch army has marched north, to the isle of Anglesey or 'Ynys Mon' as it's known in Welsh.
Hiding from hawks
Post categories: Springwatch,Ìýbirds
| 13:16 UK time, Thursday, 4 June 2009
We've come to the end of our time here at Lake Vyrnwy and the concealed bird hides are gradually being dismantled.
Batty about bats
Post categories: Springwatch,Ìýbats
| 14:37 UK time, Wednesday, 3 June 2009
Bats were recently featured on Springwatch when the team here managed to sync up the thermal imaging cam with a device that recorded the sound of the bats echo locating, so it was audible to our ears..
Waterfalls and portaloos
Post categories: Springwatch
| 13:10 UK time, Wednesday, 3 June 2009
The more observant of you will have noticed that we've recently moved location. I know some of you were getting bored of the lake view but it's hard not to be impressed by the vista up here.
Choughed to bits
Post categories: Springwatch,Ìýbirds
| 10:00 UK time, Tuesday, 2 June 2009
We recently ventured over to Bardsey Island to film some rather special migratory sea birds but whilst we were there, Simon King heard the tell tale call of a chough in the hills behind us...
The krypton tractor
Post categories: Springwatch,Ìýbirds
| 14:43 UK time, Monday, 1 June 2009
You may have already read that we visited red kites at Gigrin Farm last week.
Giving the bird
Post categories: Springwatch,Ìýbirds
| 14:20 UK time, Monday, 1 June 2009
Chris Watson has been down to the conifer woods recording the second goshawk pair we're currently watching for Springwatch.
Scavenger hunt
Post categories: Springwatch,Ìýbirds
| 12:10 UK time, Monday, 1 June 2009
You'll see from the Gigrin Farm red kite video footage on Springwatch last night that it's not just the kites that enjoy a free feed.
There are also a number of species of the crow family present.
Dipper update
Post categories: Springwatch,Ìýbirds
| 10:55 UK time, Monday, 1 June 2009
Sad news after the weekend as the three dipper chicks all succesfully fledged but one drowned as it became entangled in the grill which the birds had to fly through, to escape to the outside world from the relative safety of their nest.
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About this blog
Welcome to the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales Nature & Outdoors blog, where you can discover all sorts of things to see and do around Wales. From wildlife and walks to the latest weather updates, we'll also bring you the latest news and views from the field.
´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales weatherman, Derek Brockway blogs about the weather, his weatherman walking exploits around Wales and all things meteorological. He'll also feature your best weather photos from time to time.
Martin Aaron, our nature & outdoors Producer, was born on a stormy night in the Irish sea and raised by dolphins. He blogs about wildlife, the landscape, surfing and outdoor life in Wales.
Radio and TV presenter, Rachael Garside has been a ´óÏó´«Ã½ news journalist, dairy farmer and agricultural correspondent but now presents Country Focus on Radio Wales.
If you have an interesting nature related story or photo you'd like us to feature, please get in touch.
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