´óÏó´«Ã½

with heavy rain, snow and gale force winds buffeting the country. North Wales was worst hit with some roads and schools closed. Parts of the coast including Llainfairfechan, were also flooded.

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The Gower peninsula, just to the west of Swansea, is set to become a mecca for star-gazers when a new 'dark skies' policy for the area is approved tomorrow by the city's Council cabinet.

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Why do we associate Easter with rabbits and eggs?

I'll get to that shortly but let's get you warmed up first, with a few facts about Easter.

Christ was said to have been resurrected on the 'third day' - two days after being crucified and Christians celebrate this on Easter Sunday (two days after Good Friday).

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British Waterways is after nature lovers who they see at their local waterway, be it canal, river or stream. And this year the organisation is placing special emphasis on the kingfisher, which may have suffered a decline in numbers because of this year's harsh winter weather.

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There is an old saying, 'If March comes in like a lamb it goes out like a lion or if March comes in like a lion it goes out like a lamb'..

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Hi everyone. Gull's away for a few days so I'll be taking the reins from him until he returns on Thursday. I'm James and I've been working behind the scenes on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales Nature for the last few years.

The annual took place on the last weekend of January and over 27,000 people in Wales took part. The elongated spell of cold weather Wales endured has meant a reduction in the number of small-bodied birds seen in over 14,500 gardens across the country.

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If you've got any plans for the weekend, I can promise plenty of dry weather. Some sunshine, but on Sunday there is a risk of rain in the south.

Cardiff Outdoor Group are holding the annual South Wales walk tomorrow. It starts from the Red Cross Hut in Fairfield car park, Abergavenny at 8am.

Some low cloud and hill fog is likely in the morning with the odd light shower but the weather will improve during the day. Becoming brighter with some sunshine. Top temperatures in the valleys 10 Celsius. Colder on the summits, around two Celsius at 800 metres, with a brisk breeze.

On Palm Sunday, a dry start but a little rain may spread into south Wales during the day. The north will be dry and bright with some hazy sunshine. Highest temperatures will be eight to 11 Celsius with mainly light winds.

Next week there are signs of a change. Some heavy rain on Monday, then turning colder and windy on Tuesday with some sleet and snow possible!

So it looks like we haven't seen the last of winter yet but on a more positive note, British Summer Time begins on Sunday so don't forget to put the clocks and watches forward by one hour. Unfortunately, this means an hour less in bed in the morning but at least the evenings will be lighter.

It looks as if the hunter will finally become the hunted as plans are given the go ahead for a trial involving the psyllid insect - Aphalara Itadori from Japan.

In Japan, the insect is a natural predator of Japanese knotweed, as they feed on the sap of the plant, stunting it's growth.

It sounds great in theory as I'm sure many of you will agree. I managed to fill three large bags with roots in my garden last spring...and I still couldn't get rid of the damn knotweed, twirling it's way up my roses! ;)

I think we all agree - it's not only a real blight on the landscape but a real threat to biodiversity in Wales.

However, the question I want to know is this - If the trials are successful and the insects are introduced into the food chain - what happens when all the knotweed has been eaten?

What will they eat next?

Your thoughts are, as always, very welcome - please login and add a comment.

.

Find out more about invasive plants in Wales.

Gull

Well it's turned milder recently, the daffodils are blooming, but after a very dry start spring has sprung a leak!

The gardens and allotments have all had a good watering and there is more rain on the way this week but with winds blowing from the south, temperatures will be above average in most places, especially on the North Wales coast.

Mind you, something tells me we haven't seen the last of winter yet and there is a hint that it may turn colder next week.

A host of golden daffodils at Resolven Lock in the Vale of Neath by Mike Davies:

Low pressure will be bringing rain and strong winds, and as temperatures drop I wouldn't rule out some sleet and snow!

Of course, cold snaps during the spring months are not unusual and frosts late in the season can cause a lot of damage.

Delicate plants can be wiped out and cold and wet weather in March and April increases the risk of hypothermia in new born lambs so sheep farmers will be keeping a very close eye on the forecast.

Derek

It does sound slightly bizarre when you say 'white water rafting' and 'Cardiff' in the same sentence but then again why not?

Nowadays we have mobile for surfing on, which can be moved around the world for competitions in land locked countries.

London has even hosted snowboarding events in recent years, so why not have a white water rafting centre slap, bang in the middle of the International Sports Village at Cardiff Bay!

I'll get some video up soon. In the meantime I've added a few frame grabs:

The course without water at 9.30am:

(CIWW) is the first on demand rafting facility in the UK so will no doubt attract visitors from far and wide as it caters for a range of sports from kayaking and canoeing to white water rafting and hydro-sliding (sliding around on a robust, spongey body board).

I was lucky enough to attend the grand unveiling earlier today and was one of the first to ride rapids over the 250 metre course.

I arrived early enough to witness the pumps firing into life and rapidly filling the dry arena. It can pump out a staggering 8 cubic tons of water per minute.

Initially, the water flows out of three gates and into a single shallow pool. Once full, the water pours out and over the sides, flooding the entire site within minutes.

Watch some video from News Online:

Having signed my life away on paper, I was then given a wetsuit, boots, life jacket, helmet and quietly led away...

You start at the the bottom in most things in life and this was no different, as we trudged off down, below the facility, towards a flat water area where our safety and raft training would take place.

After about 15 minutes were set loose on the course along with our instructor 'Elliot' who bellowed out commands from the rear - "forwards, backwards, lean right, lean left, down and STOP!!!" which was definitely his favourite.

As we paddled around the edge of the complex towards the entrance, we were greeted by a rather strange site - an enormous escalator which wouldn't have looked out of place in a 'Bond' movie, stuck on the side of a villain's house with a crocodile pit at the bottom.

Heading towards the escalator:
Ìý
All we had to do then, was carefully line up our raft up with the escalator and let technology do the rest.

Within seconds we were sliding to the top and onto the course, carefully avoiding the bright red 'stop' button with our paddles. I imagine it's not a good place to get stuck - school kids take note!

Heading up to the course:

After a few strokes we were off - flying head first into the first rapid, trying to avoid the bright blue barriers in our midst but still managing to plough into every one. We did improve!

These barriers/ stoppers act like artificial rocks, causing the waves to form and can be moved to completely alter the terrain, shape and flow of the course and there's been plenty of trial and error by the team in order to get it just right.

Negotiating the rapids:

I opted to film on our first run, to try and capture exactly how it feels to be shaken and stirred in a bright yellow raft, whilst swallowing the River Ely's finest drinking water.

We ended up spending two, fun filled hours on the course and did improve (honest) - even getting though some of the obstacles unscathed. I only witnessed three 'man over boards' and one was an instructor but whose counting?

Rapids on the last section:
Ìý
Towards the end sections, you encounter some really nice drops into a few bigger rapids followed by a corker right at the end. Our instructor decided to show us this in more detail and took us 'raft surfing'.

It wasn't quite the surfing I'm normally used to and involved us paddling hard across the rapid and then up onto it, blasting water into our faces before turning us sideways and flipping us and the raft over.

The crew prepare to abandon ship mid flip:

Some of us flipped, some of us didn't.

Naturally, I put myself in the line of fire and flipped over and out but for some reason the boat and instructor remained upright?

I was subsequently carried downstream at a rate of knots on my back, clutching two paddles whilst listening to 'Only Men Aloud' singing from the safety of their two rafts. Another day at the office! ;)

All in all a great experience and one I can highly recommend. We were only allowed to go around on half power so it must quite an adrenalin rush when the flood gates are fully open.Ìý

The new facilities are really well thought out, with plenty of room and all the kit you require, right there as you walk in. I can see this place becoming very popular with summer and the Olympics just around the corner.

More on this story on Wales Today tonight, so see if you can spot me. I'm the one in a bright yellow helmet!

Gull

The ospreys are back in Wales! No...not the rugby team, the birds!

• Hot off the press - Dana Thomas from RSPB has reported that the male and female were both spotted yesterday.

The male osprey was spotted in an adjacent field to the nest site eating a large fish, and the female osprey was spotted at this morning at 7am.

An osprey pic from 2009:


Osprey spend their winters in West Africa and travel thousands of miles to return to Glaslyn every year to breed and raise their chicks.

The chicks from 2009 - named Glaslyn, Glesni and Gwenlli by children from Rhosgadfan Primary School will stay in Africa for the next few years, perfecting their amazing fishing skills.

You can keep go and see them for yourselves every day from 10 am until 6 pm until the end of August and is free!

for more details.There is also an at the Cors Dyfi site near Borth so I'm sure they are all excited about this recent sighting as well.

Fingers crossed that the birds decide to stick around and raise some young.

If you've spotted the osprey then .

Not sure what to look for? Watch some osprey videos.

See pics of the ospreys in 2008.

Gull

The alarm went off at 5.45am and I crept downstairs, trying my hardest not to wake up my 7 month year old son...

For some reason - the quieter I try to be, the more noise I end up making! I blame the creaky stairs...

A quick look out of the window and I could confirm the wind was offshore - south easterly which in the surfing world is excellent news. I attach a little waterproof camera to my board to record my sessions for posterity:
It means the waves are held up slightly by wind blowing off the land and out to sea which means you get longer rides and occasional tube rides if the waves are nice and hollow.

A friend of mine was already at the beach and confirmed 3ft lines coming through and with the tide on the push, things could only get better.
The se wind was a little bit chilly first thing, especially when donning a cold, wet wetsuit...brrrr. I can almost sympathise with those Russian ice swimmers.

But the sight of perfect waves and blue skies above made me dig deep and slide into that cold, damp suit in record time.
It's high time someone invented quick drying neoprene though.

Two hours later and fatigue and cold water had finally taken their toll and I was falling off more waves than I was catching!

So it was a quick dash home for a hot shower and then into work.

Is there a better way to start the day? Not for me.

What about you?

Gull

Julie Roberts - Projects Officer for the will be live on air tomorrow, chatting to Roy Noble about the remarkable black grouse lek or 'love dance' as it's known.

Tune in tomorrow from 2pm to find out whereabouts in Coed Llandegla Forest, you can watch this incredible display.

Read my previous blog about the black grouse lek.

Gull

Yesterday, Hawarden in Flintshire was the warmest place in Wales. The temperature reaching a high of 16 Celsius, 61 Fahrenheit.ÌýSix degrees above the March average!

The wettest place yesterday was Capel Curig in Snowdonia with 13.4mm of rain. The most rain we've had so far this month...

I had hoped it would be dry this afternoon for the Gold Cup Race at the Cheltenham Festival but rain seems likely to arrive sooner than expected.

spreading north into southern Britain.

It's tied to an area of low pressure which is heading our way, bringing a spell of wet and breezy weather.

Some heavy rain likely too, 15 to 25mm (up to an inch) on the Brecon Beacons.

Tomorrow is the Spring Equinox and will occur at 5.32pm in the UK butÌýremember - theÌýclocks don't go forwards until next weekend on Sunday,Ìý28 March.

The equinox refers to the moment that the sun crosses directly overhead at the Earth's equator and some people consider this to be the first day of Spring in the northern hemisphere.

The word equinox derives from the Latin words aequus (equal) and nox (night). It means equal day and night. But in reality, the day is slightly longer than the night at an equinox.

This is because the sun is not a single point of light, but appears to be a disc. So when the centre of the sun is still below the horizon, the upper limb is already visible and emits light.

Sunrise over Stonehenge:

The atmosphere also refracts light downwards, so even when the upper limb of the sun is still below the horizon, its rays already reach around the horizon to the ground.

This combination makes the day slightly longer than the night.

In Wales, day and night were almost equal on March 18th before the Spring Equinox.

At the North Pole, polar bears will be celebrating the first appearance of the sun in 6 months but at the South Pole the penguins will be preparing for 6 months of darkness! Imagine that?

Here in Wales, I can't promise much (if any) sunshine tomorrow. The skies will be full of cloud with showers and longer spells of rain.

So if you're in Cardiff for the rugby tomorrow, an umbrella will come in handy although some drier spells are likely too and it will feel mild with a high of 13 Celsius.

Sunday looks better. Dry and bright for a time, some hazy sunshine in the morning, but more rain will move in from the west during the afternoon and evening. The wind picking-up as well.

Derek

This weekend, the National Trust are opening up their houses, gardens and beach car parks for free across Wales and the UK so make the most of it.

Simply go to the website and print out the

Existing members will get special discounts.

Read more on this on our ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales History portal.

I spent a nice couple of hours yesterday afternoon exploring in the company of Bran Devey from the Countryside Council for Wales, Kevin ¶Ù³Ü±èé - Reserve Manager and Dana Thomas from the RSPB.

The reserve is a partnership between the Countryside Council for Wales, Newport City Council and the RSPB and located a few miles south east of the city, right on the banks of the River Severn.

It's been on my 'to do list' ever since it first opened back in 2000 when it was created as part of a compensation package for loss of wildlife habitat, when the Cardiff Bay barrage was built.

Kevin and Bran:


The site is located on former farmland and waste ground from the nearby Uskmouth power station, and as a result - much of the site was initially covered by layers of ash.

This created it's own problems as the ash made the soil very alkaline but within just a few years - the reeds had taken hold. Small clumps quickly turned into acres, growing like wild fire, across the 65 acre site.

The beds are carefully managed and cut at regular intervals. Some of the lagoons are shallow, and some deep, so the staff use a small motorised punt to reach reed clumps in need of a trim.

The habitat here is diverse - ranging from the muddy estuary and salt marshes to reedbeds and saline ponds (where rare avocet have been seen). There is also farm and woodland bordering the edges of the site where barn owl nest and marsh harriers cruise by in search of their next meal.

Even yesterday on a fairly overcast day, the views were amazing - a mixture of wilderness and industry giving the whole place a sublime feel.

You stand in this little wildlife haven - fixated by little grebe fighting, only to realise that you're being overlooked by large power station stacks a mile or so away. It's amazing how quickly nature can move into an area.

A view over one of the reed beds:


The swanky new visitor centre opened in 2008 and I've been reliably informed that it will eventually look like it's floating - once the reeds grow up around the edges. The cafe overlooks a large pond so a nice spot to have a cuppa and watch birds from.

I only saw around a third of the site but in the short space of time I was there, I saw: coot, great crested grebe, little grebe, shellduck, curlew, black headed gull, reed bunting, little egret, mallard, pochard, tufted duck, garganey, snipe, mute swan, greenfinch and blue tit - not bad for an hours walk!

I also heard cetti's warbler several times but never came close to seeing one of these shy little birds as they stay well hidden in the dense reeds. I also heard water rail calling but they too were staying well out of the limelight.

The East Usk lighthouse, constructed in 1893 and still going strong:

Crossing over one of the floating pontoons, Kevin pointed out some fresh otter spraint and told us he'd seen some fairly tame otter here on a few occasions, so that's great to hear.

Bittern arrive in the summer, once there are a few more fish around for them to eat but are not breeding at the reserve yet. Time will tell...

The fabulously exotic looking does however breed here - one of the few sites in Wales, so I'll definitely be going back to try and spot one.

A highlight for me on this visit were seeing the small, but incredibly agile - bouncing up and down in the wind on thin reed stems, whilst feeding on the seed heads.

Seeing a little egret, sat on a bed of reeds in the middle of a pond was great to see too. It's just a shame I took my wide angled lens by mistake, as it would have made a nice photo!

Feeling lazy? You can also cycle around a large section of the reserve on a designated track but don't forget to stop and look at the birds as you go!

A pile of old pallets is transformed into an insect hotel:


The site is popular with families and there are plenty of activities for the kids - including a children's play area (rare for RSPB sites as noise and birdwatching don't always go hand in hand!).

There are also raised ponds for kids to pond dip in safety from and various 'insect hotels' scattered about the place.

Pop into the reserve to find out more or visit the .

There's no postcode for the reserve so your Sat Nav won't be much use but here are the. It's near Cardiff and only a stones throw away from Newport so give it a go one weekend.

Gull

Watch a video clip about Newport Wetlands Centre

We've seen a change in the weather today with moist south-westerly winds bringing milder and moister air in from the Atlantic.

And for most of Wales it's been the warmest day of the year so far today. At Hawarden in Flintshire the temperatures rose to 15 Celsius on a par with Rome, Ibiza and Santorini!

However, on the south coast, Mumbles could only manage 9 Celsius with a breeze off the sea, which is still quite cool.

There's more mild weather to come this week but with rain at times. Some welcome rain too for the gardens and fields given the ground is very dry.

Tomorrow is ladies day at the , most of the day will be dry with bright skies but expect rain Later in the afternoon. Top temperatures a mild 15 Celsius with a freshening southerly breeze.

The rain will clear tomorrow evening leaving a dry night.

Friday morning will be dry but more rain will spread from the southwest during the afternoon and evening with a damp start to the weekend.

Derek

Happy St Patrick's Day to our fellow Celts across the Irish Sea, who incidentally, sailed over and snatched poor old Patrick from right under our noses in the first place!

His birthplace is still up for debate as some scholars believe him to be Scottish and others Welsh, but we'll stick with Wales for the sake of this blog.

The pirates who snatched St Patrick then sold him as a slave and he was set to work farming in County Antrim. He spent the next six years tending sheep and pigs before finally escaping back to Wales on a ship.

He found his calling though, was later ordained as a bishop and returned to Ireland to spread the Christian gospel. By the 8th century he had come to be revered as the patron saint of Ireland.

A keen nature lover...St Patrick allegedly drove all the snakes out of Ireland. Although it's unlikely there were any there to begin with...but their loss is our gain as Wales is home to two delightful species of rare snake - the adder and the grass snake.

An adder basking in the sun by John Fisher:
Ìý
One theory is that the 'snake' reference refers to 'serpents' which were seen as a symbol of evil and widely used by the Druids.

The 'driving out of the snakes' refers to the Pagan religion being driven out of Ireland and replaced with Christianity.

I'll be visiting Ireland shortly on a surf trip so will try and inject a bit of Paganism back into the old country ;)

In the meantime, enjoy your day and have a glass of stout for me. It's true what they say - the Guinness does better over there!

Slainte

Gull

Read an article about early Christianity in Wales on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales History portal.

Last winter may have been cold but it was also drier than normal.

In Wales only 324.2mm of rain fell during December, January and February (the long term average is 445.9mm) although we had plenty of snow!

This month has been very dry so far with numerous grass fires across the country:


During the first two weeks of March, only 1mm of rain has been recorded.

The long term average for rain this month, here in Wales is 118.8mm so we have some catching up to do.

The driest March ever recorded was in 1944 when only 21mm of rain fell.

The current dry spell is set to come to end this week with rain expected on Thursday.

The rain will no doubt come as a relief to farmers and gardeners, given that the ground is so dry at the moment.

Derek

Here at ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales Nature and Outdoors we're always striving for excellence, pushing the boundaries and delivering the latest nature scoops straight to your desktop or inbox (if you subscribe to our blog...)

We've recently had our first bee pictures of 2010 sent in.

Steve snapped this early riser back in February in Penpedairheol, Rhymney Valley:


This lovely macro shot comes from Ann Riggs in Haycastle:


'Oakwoodlott' spotted this bee stocking up on much needed nectar from a crocus, on St David's Day in Caerphilly:


Our native bees need all the help they can get. If our bees vanish then we're all in real trouble.

Besides not having any tasty honey on our toast in the mornings - much of our agriculture would be lost as there'd be no cross pollination.

In the U.S alone, the value of bee pollination is in the region of 8 billion pounds every year.

We can all do our bit though by planting bee friendly plants and flowers in our gardens and creating homes for bees.

Traditional cottage garden plants and wild flowers are best as they contain the most nectar. They're also very hardy and in some cases - slug resistant, so try growing some this summer.

Viper's Bugloss is highly recommended and flowers from June through till August.

Find out how to make a bee house for your own garden.

Have you seen any bees out and about yet? And do you have bees nesting in your garden?

If so let us know in the comments area.

You'll need to sign up to ´óÏó´«Ã½ ID if you don't already have an account, but it only takes a few seconds and is fairly painless!

Gull

On Saturday, I took advantage of the dry weather and went for a walk on the Black Mountain in Carmarthenshire.

When I left home it was fine and sunny but I was glad I packed my thermals as on the mountain top it was freezing cold with a brisk wind, hill fog and old patches of snow on the ground!

Picws Du - Bannau Sir Gaer (2,457 feet high) with snow on top:


It was a reminder of how different the weather can be on the hills compared to the valley below. As a rule, the higher you climb, the cooler, wetter and windier it gets.

Me overlooking Llyn y Fan Fach lake:


The rate at which air cools or warms depends on the moisture content of the air.

If the air is dry, the rate of temperature change is 3°C per 1000 feet whereas if the air is saturated, the rate of temperature change is 0.6°C per 1000 feet.

So always check the weather forecast before you go walking and be properly prepared!

Derek

I hope you all enjoyed the sunshine this weekend and spoilt your mums on Sunday ;)

Make the most of the sunshine as it's not going to last much longer. Low pressure is set to move in this week, so good news for surfers who've been suffering during this recent spell of high pressure!

The animals have been making the most of it too and getting friendly in more ways than one.

I was down at Bosheston Lily Ponds on Sunday for a nice walk and was followed most of the way, by a pair of friendly robins who'd become incredibly tame due to people feeding them.

I stuck my hand out with some bread on it, (that I'd found on the floor) and a robin hopped straight onto it without any hesitation.

We stood perfectly still for a minute or so eye balling one another before he became bored and hopped back onto his branch a few feet away.

Quite a few pike fisherman out too - casting their plugs & lures and trying to dodge the overhanging trees.

The pathways are much wider and clearer now than they used to be though and the entire route is now 'wheel chair friendly' so worth knowing. The nearby Mencap Centre also does great fruit and veg.

At one point, my mum saw a splash and had convinced us that she'd seen a kingfisher feeding until we rounded the bend to find another fisherman casting out a large pike lure. She was subsequently taken off 'spotter duty' ;)

Plenty of other wildlife on display including mallards, coots, mute swans, grey herons fishing, a buzzard swooping low through the woods and black headed gulls.

Our wildlife explodes into action at this time of year as the daylight hours increase and the weather begins to warm up.

Sex is never far from their minds as the quest for survival begins. The aim is to produce young, soon enough for them to flourish during summer whilst food is plentiful and the weather is still mild. I said mild...not dry!

So the battle lines are being drawn as mates are sought out. Songbirds become more vocal, hares start to box, adders wrestle in the sun and deer begin to butt heads!

Here's a selection of springtime images from our Flickr group - sent in this weekend.

Frogs mating by 'Brackenb' :

We've enjoyed plenty of fine weather this week with plenty of sunshine and some cold nights - thanks to high pressure.

On 8 March, temperatures at Hawarden in Flintshire and in Snowdonia dropped toÌý -8 Celsius whilst on the following day, Aberporth in Ceredigion was the sunniest place in Britain with 11 hours of sunshine!

You may have caught a shower today but prospects for the weekend look reasonable in Wales.

Cloudy at times andÌýI wouldn't rule out a light shower but most places willÌýremain dry and I can promiseÌýa bit ofÌýsunshine too.

A touch of frost is possible at night but day time temperatures will be around average, 9 to 11 Celsius with light to moderate west to north-westerly winds.

In Dublin, the weather will be good tomorrow so dry and bright for the rugby at .

Weather wise you shouldn't have any problems if you're travelling by air or sea. Gull reliably informs me that the sea state is calm (no surf)Ìýso ferryÌýcrossings will be smooth.

Temperatures will rise to around 10 Celsius with a light breeze.

Full coverage of the match can be found on ´óÏó´«Ã½ One Wales, Radio Wales and on Radio Cymru.

Next week, there may be a few spots of rain in the northÌýon Monday but Tuesday butÌýWednesday should be dry and a little warmer.

Derek

Stress busters!
Recent studies have shown that 78% of people in Wales feel stressed on a daily basis but fortunately 70% found that escaping to the country helped them feel instantly relaxed.

Being by the sea side, walking and having sand between our toes were the top stress busting sensations. We've got plenty of walks and places to go on offer across Wales so take a look next time you're feeling stressed!

The National Trust has over 140 miles of spectacular coastline to explore. .

Grass fires
this week, stretching fire crews to their limits.The largest fires have occurred in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Bangor, Gwynedd and on Gower.

The fires are all thought to have either been started deliberately or have occurred when controlled burns by land owners have got out of hand.

What on earth?
A wildlife life survey looking at five of Britain's most threatened species has been launched today. All of the species are found here in Wales and include - the corncrake, bluebell, hazel dormouse, greater horseshoe bat and stag beetle.

To get involved visit www.whatonearth.org.uk

Saving the sewin
Bangor scientists are beginning a scientific survey looking into sewin (sea trout) numbers which have been in decline in recent years. aims to discover more about the lives of these mysterious fish, highly prized by Welsh anglers.

Noah's Ark
Students are helping create a new rare breeds centre in North Wales with an emphasis on farm animals with Welsh origins. TheÌý £1.8m facility will form part of the development at Deeside College. The existing unit already houses 100 species of animal which is set to expand and include more exotic species.

Mista ferret
And finally a ferret belonging to a local escape artist has escaped and is currently on the run in Cardiff. The ferret known as 'Mista Ferret' has his own group and is described as being 'streetwise'.

If you've got something you'd like featured in this blog then get in touch.

Gull

Yesterday I mentioned that it would be a nice morning for a walk in Llandudno and sure enough -Ìýit was.

Gareth Pritchard climbed theÌýLittle Orme and took this lovelyÌýphotograph of Llandudno Bay and the Great Orme:

Lots of sunshine there with temperatures reachingÌýa pleasant 9 Celsius.

Spring has also sprung in Carmarthenshire. Dot Griew from Llangunnor spotted this ewe and her new lambs enjoying today's sunshine and not a trace of Kate Humble anywhere!

Higher up in the mountains though, winter still remains. Snowdon is still covered in snow and ice with temperatures below freezing.

Carl Pierce from Llandegla braved the cold conditions to take this photograph from the Glyders where crampons and snow axesÌýare still required:

Derek

Just spotted this story on News Online about a taking place on Flatholm Island and it brought back a few memories.



I was given a two day castaway adventure with courtesy of my wife for my birthday a couple of years ago. I think she probably wanted a couple of days of peace and quiet!

I'd actually wanted to do a course for years though and have always enjoyed watching survival programmes from the likes of Ray Mears, Les Hiddins (the Aussie with the funny shaped hat) and Mr Bear Grylls.

I can never work out how Ray stays so plump though, when he spends his entire life walking around, existing on meagre handfuls of grubs and plants?

He's either a very good forager or makes up for his lack of food, in between expeditions...

My castaway adventure was meant to begin on a boat off Gower but sadly the weather intervened - sad but true.

The sea was too rough (try telling that to a real life castaway whose ship is going down) so we couldn't land on the remote beach, ear marked for our course.

Instead we met up at the on Gower and hiked to our make shift camp, a few miles away in the woods.

I say camp - we had to build our own shelters for the course and it took me straight back to my childhood - spending hours out in the woods, building traps and dens and eating burnt sausages over camp fires with friends.

I'm not sure kids do this any more - do they? They're definitely missing out.

Our shelters however, had to be weather proof as we were sleeping in them. And it even rained, so I was glad I added that extra layer of leaves on top. I now know how a hedgehog feels in winter time.

My home from home:


During the course we were taught the basics of survival and bushcraft - what we could eat as far as local plant life was concerned, foraging techniques, whittling tools (I made a very sorry excuse for a spoon), knife handling and making rope from nettle fibres.

Most people are familiar with nettle tea - it tastes pretty horrible and is painful to collect. But making rope on the other hand gives nettles a whole new use.

It's amazingly strong stuff - so much so that our instructor informed us that he'd once been asked to fashion a length of nettle rope, around 6ft long to hang from, over water for a film shoot - to see how strong it was, compared to modern fibres.

However, despite repeated efforts, the damn stuff refused to break so he ended up having to cut through it!

Some nettle fibres drying out by the fire, ready to be weaved into rope:
Ìý

The highlight for me though was learning to make fire, using a friction fire lighting technique.

There's something very primeval about making fire. It's why we jumped down from the trees all those years ago and began cooking steaks - leaving the apes to their bananas. It's what makes us human.

Fire provided our ancient ancestors with warmth, protection, a means to cook food, dry out animal skins, create charcoal for cave art, land clearance for farming etc.

I hadn't however realised how hard it would be! The first thing to do was to assemble a fire kit:

• 1 piece of hardwood as a base.

• 1 piece of straight wood such as hazel with a carved tip on one end.

• 1 piece of preferably bent wood resembling a bow shape.

• 1 shoe lace for your bow string. You could always use your nettle rope instead!

• 1 limpet shell.

• 1 small slug - I'll come back to this

• A solid resolve
  

After an hour or so of searching for odd shaped sticks in the woods, you're ready to get started. Once assembled, it takes a serious amount of elbow grease to get a fire going.

This is achieved by carefully pushing and pulling your bow string back and forth - with your piece of hazel wood, looped in vertically through the middle of your bow string.

It's a bit like playing a violin on it's side and difficult to explain in words...

The movement of the bow and string causes the hazel wood to rotate and drill into the hard wood base below to produce charcoal powder.

The limpet shell goes on top of the upright hazel stick and your hand sits firmly on this to keep it all in position. Without the shell, you'd end up with a nasty blister on the palm of your hand.

Image of a bow drill by :

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You then need to step it a gear on the bow in order to produce a tiny, glowing ember - barely visible to the naked eye. This is where it gets interesting...

Carefully, (as if your life depends on it) place your charcoal and (hopefully still glowing) ember onto dried grass or some other tinderling (wool, wood shavings, dried fungi, old bracken etc) and gently bring it to life with a few breaths of air.

I grew a beard to keep warm - just in case the fire lighting didn't work out:

It's at this point that you will either achieve the impossible or fail miserably. A gust of wind now, can reduce a man to tears.

When that first flame finally licks the air though, it's a special feeling and you're filled with an enormous sense of pride.

Yes, a match would have been easier and half an hour quicker!

But I now know that if ever on a plane that goes down and I survive the impact, sharks, long swim to shore and bears...I could, after a few hours of swearing and bleeding - possibly light a fire before dark.

As for the slug - that was used as a lubricant between the limpet shell and wood! You could always use moss or mud if you prefer ;)

Gull

Read An article about Flatholm Island on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales Nature & Outdoors portal

A sun dog or sundog (scientific name parhelion, from the Greek ±è²¹°ùŧ±ô¾±´Ç²Ô - meaning 'beside the sun'; also called a mock sun) is an that creates bright spots of light in the sky, often on a luminous ring or halo on either side of the sun.

Halos around the Sun are formed by light being reflected and refracted by ice crystals in thin high clouds such as cirrus.

In addition to circular halos, ice crystals can also produce various arcs (partial circles like rainbows) and parhelia (also called mock suns or sun dogs).

Sun dogs may appear as a coloured patch of light to the left or right of the sun.

They can be seen anywhere in the world at any time of the year and are best seen when the sun is low.

Mike Davies took this photo of a sun dog over Neath on 4 March:

I love this shot - so simple and yet so effective.

An everyday scene, familiar to all of us but beautifully captured.

Image by Dilwyn Lloyd:

You may know that the Met Office has decided to scrap its UK seasonal forecasts. I can't say I blame them and personally I think it's the right decision.

I have enough on my plate trying to get the next few days right, and when a forecast does go pear shaped, it is me who has to pick up the pieces and explain why!

After two disappointing summers, last year's prediction of a BBQ summer got most people hopes up but July turned into a washout with more than double the average rainfall.

The winter forecast for 2009/10 was way off the mark too.

Mind you, the Met Office did say there was a one in seven chance of a cold winter and like a horse running in the Grand National there is always the possibility of an outsider winning the race - in Wales it was the coldest winter since 1978/79.

Of course, the Met Office is an easy target, forecasting the future is not easy, especially in Wales where the weather is notoriously changeable.

No two days are quite the same and the weather can vary greatly from one place to the next. It can be sunny in Newtown but pouring down in Caersws.

A crashing wave onÌýHolyhead by Al Preston:

The Met Office was established back in 1854 by Admiral Robert FitzRoy to help save lives at sea. .

His forecasts were later published in the Times newspaper but he was ridiculed when they were wrong, so some things never change!

Thankfully, meteorology has come along way since then and short term forecasts are much more accurate than they used to be.

Forecasts for 24 hours ahead are correct about six times out of seven, and today's three day forecasts are as accurate as one day forecasts were 20 years ago.

Seasonal forecasts are relatively new and a developing area of meteorology and they do provide vital information for some parts of the world.

It is important that the Met Office continues to try and improve long range forecasts because we will all reap the benefits in the future.

If Admiral FitzRoy were alive today I am sure he'd be proud of how the Met Office has evolved.

Hopefully, this summer will be better than the last three in Wales...but don't quote me on that! Cold winters are not always followed by hot summers.

Derek

That's what the sign above a low door in my old local pub used to say...

But I'm happy to report that we're definitely talking 'grouse' today and lekking to be precise.

N.B. This is not to be confused with licking. I'm sure grouse taste nice but it's probably illegal.

Lekking is the term used to describe the courtship dance which male grouse perform to the females in order to attract a mate.

From 14 March - 9 May you'll be able to see the elusive black grouse and watch these rare birds perform their dramatic dance off but you'll have to be up early as they start at 5.15am.

So... a perfect gift for any insomniacs out there and 'Mother's Day' is just around the corner ;)

To make things simple the RSPB have built a purpose built hide in Coed Llandegla Forest in Denbighshire.

Black Grouse lek by Chris Gomersal - RSPB images:


The 'date with nature' scheme is aimed at bringing people closer to nature and will allow people to see male black grouse gather at dawn on the edges of the forest to strut their stuff, flash their tail feathers and impress the girls.

The results of an survey of displaying black grouse in 2009, showed mixed fortunes for these charismatic birds.

The lek seen from Coed Llandegla Forest holds up to nine lekking black grouse males, the species is red-listed in Wales, which means it is of the highest conservation concern.

This walk and others throughout the season costs £5.75 per person, and an experienced guide is on hand to take you on the paths that weave through the forest to the viewing hide.

Booking for all walks is essential as places are limited to 15 per walk. To reserve your place, please telephone RSPB Cymru on 02920 353008 or e-mail vera.mccarthy@rspb.org.uk

Useful links:

Learn more about grouse on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales Nature & Outdoors.

on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Local North East Wales

You can watch on the RSPB website.

Gull

I've just returned from a week's skiing in the Alps and thankfully have no broken bones despite a few near misses with the local snowboarders!

On the way out, our plane was diverted from Chambery to Lyon because of gale force winds. The landing was a bit bumpy and everyone cheered when the plane eventually landed safely!

The weather during the week was very mixed. We had snow, strong winds, sunshine and thick fog.

I stayed at La Rosiere in France where you can ski over to La Thuile in Italy, if the mood takes you.

One afternoon we left Italy in the sunshine to arrive back on the French side of the mountain to find thick fog all the way down to the village. The journey back to La Rosiere was a bit tricky to say the least!

Back home in Wales, it's been another glorious day with unbroken sunshine - perfect weather for walking with crystal clear air and excellent visibility.

Lance Tucker from Little Mill sent in this picture of Talybont Reservoir, taken today:


With clear skies, the nights have been very cold recently... Last night temperatures fell to - 5CÌý at Pembrey on the Carmarthenshire coast and - 8C in Snowdonia.

So after the coldest winter for 30 years, spring is finally on the way but we haven't seen the last of Jack Frost yet.

DerekÌý

You'd be forgiven for thinking that this photograph had been taken in Antarctica or Greenland but it was actually snapped at Llyn y Fan Fawr in Wales this weekend by '.

The only thing missing is a penguin!

Llyn y Fan Fawr translates in Welsh as 'lake of the big peak' and was formed during the last Ice Age by glacial movement.

It's a natural lake in Powys and lies at the foot of Fan Brycheiniog - the highest peak of the Black Mountain range within the Brecon Beacons National Park.

The entire area is littered with ancient stone circles, burial cairns and standing stones so well worth a visit.

has some useful information, map references and photographs on it for anyone interested in archaeological sites.

To the West in Camarthenshire lies Llyn y Fan Fach where the .

Watch some Brecon Beacon video clips from our Nature & Outdoors portal

Some walking sites covering this area:



Gull

Volunteers at a bird sanctuary have started the painstaking process of cleaning 23 swans covered in cooking oil at a lake in Swansea.



The birds were rescued by the RSPCA and taken to the Tinker's Hill Rescue Centre in Amroth, Pembrokeshire.

Well, it's been a cold and frosty start for some of us today but it will turn brighter throughout the day.

The early mist and frost soon clears (a cloudier picture further south) but it will be another largely dry, day.

Sunny spells in the north will become widespread so a brighter afternoon for all of us.

Not particularly warm though with top temperatures between 6 and 7 Celsius but lighter winds should make it feel quite pleasant in the sun.


Another cold night to come followed by some sunshine on Friday morning. It will be bright and dry further south but will cloud over from the north - thickening during the day.

There's a small risk of drizzle anywhere north of Powys and Gwynedd later on. It will be fairly breezy and still chilly though, with top temperatures between 6 and 9 Celsius.

And that's the pattern for the next few days...Saturday's looking bright with a small risk of a wintry shower but it's generally dry air.

ÌýMore sunshine on the way for Sunday with high pressure in charge, so that means brighter days but cold nights

So not a bad weekend

Sue

The RPSB are asking young people to get involved and establish safe havens for sea creatures of all shapes and sizes - from dolphins to starfish.

New laws now commit the UK, Welsh and Scottish governments to creating more nature reserves at sea.

The RSPB, along with other organisations, is campaigning for the UK, Welsh and Scottish governments to act on these new powers and create a network of well protected marine areas.

These areas will help creatures as diverse as basking sharks, seabirds and corals, and their habitats, to recover and prosper with less threat from human activities.

Unlike on land where nature reserves successfully provide protected areas for wildlife, only a tiny percentage of our seas are protected.

A mere 0.0008 per cent of the UK's seas are fully protected with just over three square miles being designated as "No Take Zones".

This is currently the strongest possible protection available and bans any commercial activity within the designated areas but more are needed.

Every young person who raises money to help the 'Wildlife Explorers: I'm on the sea's side' appeal will get a certificate and a set of special stickers as a thank you.

Visit to download a sponsor form, money box and other fun stuff.

Alternatively write to: RSPB Wildlife Explorers, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL or e-mail: explorers@rspb.org.uk and the RSPB will send them to you.

Schools in Wales will be able to take part in the appeal in September when a special bilingual information and fundraising pack, designed especially for teachers and school children will be available to download from the RSPB website.Ìý

I'm away skiiing in the Alps currently, so Sue Charles has kindly agreed to step in and keep you up to date with the weather:

Well, after a sunny start to March it's turned much cloudier and cooler than we've had overÌýthe last few days.

This afternoonÌýwill be cloudyÌýwith only brief bright spells or hazy sunshine, further east.

Staying dry thoughÌýwith just a chance of drizzle maybe for Pembrokeshire.

Highs between 4 and 6 celsiusÌýwith brisk easterly winds making it feel cold.

So a cold, cloudy but dry startÌýif you're heading to the Liberty stadium tonight.

Ìý

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Wales' friendly against Sweden kicks off at 7.45pm and live coverage as usual on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Wales and Radio Cymru.

This evening it will remain dry and cloudy with light winds. Skies clearing from the north, so maybe a chance of frost away from the coast in Flintshire and Denbighshire. Temperatures here will fall to -3C overnight.

Tomorrow then, a cloudy start in the southÌýbut another dry day. Sunny spells in the north will become more widespread throughout the day, so a brighter afternoon for all of us.

Lighter winds and top temperatures between 6 and 7 Celsius. (45F)

The outlookÌýisn't too bad for the next few days. FridayÌýshould haveÌýsome sunny spells in the morning - maybe a few spots of rain later in the day.

Saturday's looking largely dry and bright with a chance of a wintry shower but the trend is for things to turn colder into the weekend.

Sue

'Rosepix' from our sent in two lovely video clips of an otter hunting and swimming along, totally unperturbed.

"My batteries ran out as it got near! My worst photographic nightmare, but I managed to get the other set in, just before it swam past."

Sometimes it must be nice being a bird. You can come and go as you like, no passport required and no border controls to negotiate - just the odd plane to avoid!

The following have all been photographed in South Wales recently. Who needs to go on holiday to see exotic bird life when you can go to your nearest wetlands area instead.

It may not be as warm but the colours are just as vivid.

The gadwall breeds in Northern Europe, Asia and Central North America and was photographed by Tony Llewellyn:

The spoonbill occurs in North East Africa, Europe, Asia and Japan and was snapped, dancing on water by Moses Davies:

A coscoroba swan - the smallest member of the swan family flew in from South America and was photographed by Tony Llewellyn:

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And finally the most exotic of them all - a flamingo by Tony Llewellyn:

Ìý

Cliff Benson from the has been in touch. They plan to mark St David's Day as the beginning of their sea going coracle build.

Known in Welsh as a 'cwrwgl' and in Irish as a 'currach' these boats made of hazel, willow withies and cow hides would have been a familiar sight on both sides of the Irish Sea in St David's time.
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As boats are traditionally given feminine names she will be named 'Non' after St David's mother.

Builder Peter Faulkner, an expert in constructing skin boat thinks 'Non' will be finished in around 10 days time.

The coracle is being built at the so that the public can go along and watch as the build progresses.
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Once completed 'Non' will be on display at the Ocean Lab and will also be used to promote a number of forthcoming events.

A coracle from 1948:


Sea Trust volunteers Tony Lucas and Ian Hotchin will complete the build team along with Peter, Gaynor Mc Morrin of Fishguard Arts Society will be filming the project along with ITV Wales.

Time lapse photography has been arranged by Mike Isted of Pembrokeshire County Council.

The whole project has been supported by the Countryside Council for Wales, The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and Pembrokeshire County Council.

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Happy St David's Day everyone - And what a great start to March?!

Spring is finally here - it officially runs from March through till June although our summers seem to occur in May these days. So perhaps someone needs to rewrite the rule book on seasons for this country?

The weather is stunning weather across much of Wales today as high pressure looms out in the Atlantic, so we should be seeing some nice blue skies this week with the weather improving as we head towards Friday.

You can find out more about Dewi Saint on our history portal.

I've not actually seen a daffodil up yet? I guess I'm not looking hard enough but there seem to be a lot of crocuses springing up and my lawn is almost purple this year!

'Brackenb' photo submitted this shot to our wildlife photography group on .

A nice plump frog hugging her freshly laid spawn sums up spring perfectly for me:



Other spring news...the tides are huge once more as the moon is 99% off being 'full' and is said to be in it's 'waning gibbous' phase.

This means that the will be particularly good over the next day or so and surfers from all over the world will descend on the River Severn.

I believe ´óÏó´«Ã½ Countryfile are also heading down there to film the event so keep an eye out for that one.

I've surfed it twice now and it is great fun!

It's nothing like surfing in salt water though and the river is freezing but the whole experience is quite surreal. My last ride was around the 2.5 mile mark so I was pretty pleased with that as most people fall off within the first 50 yards!

The record currently stands at just over 7 miles, and was achieved by Steve King back in April 2006.

The first thing that struck me was the sheer volume of people who actually turned out to watch as well as participate in the event.

Coach loads of people arrive and there are literally hundreds of people lining the banks of the river to watch the spectacle unfold at the more well known spots (near the pubs!).

Here's a shot of me surfing it in 2007 (blue & orange surfboard):


The river has various twists and turns where the water is compressed into narrow, shallower sections and produces a larger, better looking wave - favoured by surfers.

The wave speeds up, slows down and changes shape rapidly according to the contours of the river bed so it's a real test of skill, courage and knowledge to stay with it as it surges towards Gloucester.

It's all very cloak and dagger though as these spots are rarely mentioned by the local surfers (yes there are locals) who surf the bore regularly.

The bore actually breaks every month but the 4* and 5* bores are few and far between over the year.

You can also surf the bore at night with head torches on but it's not for the faint-hearted as all sorts of heavy duty flotsam and jetsam are washed upstream with you, including - beer barrels, bits of broken boat, fridges, dead farm animals, tree trunks etc so you get the picture.

You can in theory have three attempts at surfing the bore should you fall off or be left behind by the wave, which happens often especially on your first attempt.

Staying on the wave can be extremely tricky but isn't helped by the fact that other people are all trying to do the same thing - bumping into each other and clashing against each others surfboards.

demonstrates well; the chaos involved!

Should you fall, you can in theory paddle in to the bank, hop in your car and drive 10 minutes or so, up river and rejoin the wave as it trundles past.

This sounds simple but is actually a logistical nightmare as the bank is incredibly slippery so physically clambering out with a 9ft longboard in tow is difficult.

You then have to negotiate the traffic and finally find somewhere to park, preferably near the river.

Goodluck to all the bore riders this year. If I can get my hands on a longboard in time, I might just join you!

Gull