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The weather has been dry and settled recently with high pressure bringing us plenty of sunshine and frosty conditions over the weekend.

You'll be pleased to know that Aberporth in Ceredigion was the sunniest place in Wales yesterday with 8.1 hours of sunshine!

Last night the temperature fell toÌý -6 Celsius in Cardiff,Ìý -8 in Tredegar, -9 in Capel Curig andÌý -10 at Llysdinam in Powys - the lowest recorded this month.

It was so cold over the weekend that sea water even froze on the Menai Strait!

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Frozen surface sea water on the Menai Strait at Traeth Melynog by Gareth Roberts.

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Paul Glover took these whilst walking the dog on Saturday at the mouth of the River Alaw, near Holyhead.The river water was freezing as it went into the sea.

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But the cold and frosty weather is on its last legs. A change in the month tomorrow (February 1st), will also see a change in the weather.

Winds from the Atlantic will bring milder air and some rain at times. The wind will pick-up during the week and into the weekend - becoming strong to gale force at times and there should be plenty of stormy weather to keep surfers happy.

At the moment, Thursday looks to be the driest and sunniest day of the week ahead.

Derek

Although slugs are not considered to be the most exotic of creatures, their cousins the sea slugs are a completely different prospect.

A recent report by the (CCW) about sea slugs at Skomer Marine Nature Reserve (MNR) has revealed that sea slugs are flourishing - with a huge variety of these attractive, striking species being recorded (66% of UK species represented in an area of just 13.2 square kilometres).

CCW Assistant Marine Nature Reserve Officer Kate Lock said: "Sea slugs are specialised predators, each having their own particular food choice, which can be either plants or other animals".

Crimora papillata pair. Image by CCW.

"The high number of sea slug species means that there must also be all the different foods present too. This is a great indication that the health of the Marine Reserve is really good and that the conservation of this part of the sea is proving a huge success for wildlife".

During the 2010 survey a wide range of habitats, in all conditions, were searched to find the sea slugs. Some can be hard to find as they are both very small and well camouflaged, and quite often the only clue to their presence is their eggs or prey species.

There are some from CCW too.

Coryphella lineata by CCW

Visit Skomer MNR's exhibition at to see the beauty of the underwater world and find out more about techniques used to survey and monitor marine wildlife.

Opening times: From Easter to November - 10.00 until 16.00 everyday. Winter opening times vary, but normally 10.00 until 16.00 on weekdays.

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Watch a video clip about widlife on Skomer Island.

The cold weather is going to stay with us over the weekend. I can't promise wall to wall sunshine, there is more cloud on the way, but much of the country will stay dry thanks to high pressure. Some frost is likely with night-time temperatures falling as low as -2 to -5 Celsius. The odd fog patch possible too. Temperatures during the day will remain below average, between 1 and 4 Celsius, with a light to moderate east to north-easterly breeze.

If you're an early riser, the international space station will be going over tomorrow morning. Look for a bright star-like object. It will appear in the WSW at 06:54, cross the sky and then disappear in the East a few minutes later. The space station travels at over 17,000 miles per hour and is over 200 miles high. At the moment, there are 6 astronauts on board - give them a wave - you never know they may see you!

Sunday generally cloudier. The odd spot of drizzle is possible in the east otherwise it will be dry. A few or bright or sunny intervals are likely in places, mainly in the northwest. Cold with light winds, highs between 1 and 4 Celsius.

Monday will be dry but a change of month will bring a change in the weather. Tuesday will turn milder and breezy with some rain.

By the way, Llangunnor Carbon Zero Project are having an Open Day at Llangunnor Primary School, near Carmarthen tomorrow between 11am and 3pm. Find out about the Community Council's project to create a Carbon zero community and improve the local environment. All can help by volunteering to plant trees at Llangunnor Park on Saturday 5th February. A total of 2000 trees are to be planted in various locations in the community during February.

Have a good weekend

Derek

Yes, it's that time of year again when the returns to a garden near you, over the weekend of 29-30 January.

I mentioned this last year and we had a huge response, so hopefully this year will be just as successful if not better and with all this cold weather, I'm sure the birds will be out in force.

Greenfinch and a goldfinch on a bird feeder. Image by Brian Mottershead.

How to take part:

All you need is a pen, some paper (or a print out of theand an hour to spend watching the birds in your garden on either Saturday 29, or Sunday 30 January 2011.

Then simply record the highest number of each bird species seen in your garden, or local park (not flying over) at any one time, and let the RSPB know what you saw.

How to submit your results:

From Sunday 29 January - 18 February you can, to submit your sightings.

This survey is vital in helping the RSPB to understand what is happening to our feathered friends and in particular our more at risk bird species.

In recent times we have lost more than half of our house sparrow population and three quarters of our starlings.

If you want to attract more birds to your garden, have a go at making these simple garden feeders from your old kitchen waste:

How to make a garden bird feeder:

What you'll need: plastic drink bottles, scissors, string, bird seed, yoghurt pots and milk cartons (make sure they're clean)

• Cut a hole in the side large enough to allow a free flow of seeds, but in such a way that it won't all fall out on the ground in the slightest puff of wind, and won't get wet if it rains.

• Make a few small holes in the bottom of your feeder to allow any rainwater to drain away.

• Hang it with wire, or even strong string from a tree or your washing line.

• If your feeder starts to wear out or the food in it goes mouldy, recycle it and make another one.

Remember to keep your feeders well stocked, especially over winter as birds come to rely on them and will go hungry if you forget to top them up.

We've also got some great feeding tips videos on our website.

Feeling peckish? Try making this speedy bird cake.

What you'll need: Good quality bird seed, raisins, peanuts, grated cheese, suet or lard, yoghurt pot, string, mixing bowl, scissors.

• Carefully make a small hole in the bottom of a yoghurt pot. Thread string through the hole and tie a knot on the inside. Leave enough string so that you can tie the pot to a tree, bird table or washing line.

• Allow the lard to warm up to room temperature, but don't melt it. Then simply cut it up into small pieces and put it in the mixing bowl.

• Add the other ingredients to the bowl and mix them together with your finger tips. Keep adding the seed/raisin/cheese mixture and mixing it in until the fat holds it all together.

• Fill your yoghurt pots with bird cake mixture and put them in the fridge to set for an hour or so.

• Hang your speedy bird cakes from trees or your bird table. Keep an eye out for greenfinches, tits and possibly even great spotted woodpeckers.

Feel free to let us know how you got on by leaving your comments here in the blog, but don't forget to visit the RSPB website to submit your findings from January 29 onwards.

Gull

It's feeling chilly out there now, but it's going to turn even colder over the next couple of days.

We're not in for another big freeze, so no heavy snow! But temperatures are going to drop and there will be some frost about too.

The good news is that I can promise plenty of dry weather for a change!

Today, temperatures reached 7 Celsius in Cardiff, which is about right for this time of year but it's much colder, over in Scandinavia where it's minus 11 Celsius in Oslo and some of that colder air is heading our way...courtesy of the north-easterly winds.

Cloud amounts will vary each day but apart from the odd spot of light rain in places and a few snow flakes it will stay dry.

The sun will break through at times with the best of the sunshine being in parts of the north and west. In the shelter of the mountains and where skies are clear at night, you can expect some frost.

The dry weather looks set to continue over the weekend and into next week thanks to high pressure and the winds will stay light.

Last weekend I was in North Wales and walked to the top of Conwy mountain on Sunday. It was cloudy but dry and not too windy with wonderful views along the coast and beyond.

A paraglider launching off the top of the mountain. Apologies for the blurry image but I only had my mobile phone on me at the time!

Today is a special day as it's St. Dwynwen's Day or Dydd Santes Dwynwen in Welsh. It's not the best weather today for a romantic stroll but the next few days will be much drier!

Wrap up warm though as it's going to turn much colder as brisk north-easterly winds are set to bring a drop in temperature from Wednesday onwards and the odd snow flurry is also possible.

Otherwise it will be dry with plenty of cloud and a few bright intervals. The best of the sunshine will be in the west and around Cardigan Bay.

Daytime temperatures will rise a couple of degrees above freezing but it will feel much colder if you're out walking in that biting wind.

At the moment, the weekend looks dry with high pressure taking control again and the wind will fall light as well. Some frost is also likely where the cloud clears overnight, so keep an eye on any delicate plants.

So, in summary we'll see a dry end to January with February also starting off dry and settled but low pressure is never far away.

Derek

It's the last episode of the current series of Weatherman Walking on iplayer currently so I hope you find time to watch it and try out the walks for yourselves - the maps are available online to print off.

For the first trek, we visited Blaencwm at the very top of the Rhondda Valley for a walk up through a wooded valley towards a stunning waterfall and the summit of Penpych with amazing views over Treherbert and beyond!

Kerry Rees and I enjoying the views over Treherbert.

Once at the top we headed down through a muddy conifer plantation towards the source of the River Rhondda and over the metal footbridge.

After a quick bite to eat whilst sat alongside a crystal clear pond and the stunning Nant Melyn waterfall, we continued on our way.

From there we trekked up a boulder ridden valley towards the Iron Age settlement of Hen Dre'r Mynydd and its crumbling stone huts.

Along the way we had some great view down over the two former coal mines that once worked the seams beneath these hills.

I sunk my boot in a boggy patch, getting my feet well and truly soaked!

With the Rhigos mountain road (A4061) on our left we followed the track down, back towards town and the car park where we began.

For the second walk tonight, we visited Abergynolwyn in the After a quick blast on the local steam train, we got down to the serious business of walking, heading over a wooden footbridge and river towards the village.

This was the last section of the walk before we made our way down through the mountain oak forest and back to the village.

Walking past the old quarrymen's houses we quickly reached the outskirts of the village and saw where the two converging rivers of the River Gwernol and the River Dysynni met.

The walk then opened up into spectacular views as we trudged our way down through a wide valley towards Castell y Bere. Have a look at the photos from this walk if you have time.

Next up we visited the nearby St Michael's Church and village where Mary Jones once lived. Mary was a local girl who walked from here to Bala in her bare feet! (25 miles), just to get her hands on a Welsh bible. I decided to keep my boots on though and kept walking!

The glamorous life of a weather presenter! This was a stream we had to wade through during Abergynolwyn walk. Luckily I only had to go through it twice and we go the shot!

From there, we walked past more pristine waterfalls and headed into yet another impressively, steep sided valley with incredible views.

Once at the top we could see over Mynydd Cedris and Mynydd Rhugog which stand guard over the River Dysynni and Tal-y-Llyn Lake below. Then it was downhill, through a forest of mountain oaks and back into the village via a country lane.

It's been great fun doing the walks and we even had some beautiful blue skies and sunshine for these last two walks, so take a look and I hope it inspires you to give them a go!

Don't forget - you can watch all the episodes from this new series again on ´óÏó´«Ã½ iPlayer.

Derek

The weather has been very quiet and settled this week thanks to an area of high pressure and as a result - we've enjoyed plenty of blue sky and sunshine, but the nights have been cold with plenty of hoar frost.

Last night the temperature at Llysdinam near Newbridge on Wye dipped down to -9 Celsius making it one of the coldest places in Britain!

Plenty of Hoar Frost and mist today in Rossett, Wrexham. Photo by Lisa Jones.

There have also been a few freezing fog patches in places which have been slow to clear and lingering all day in some parts of the country.

Sunset at Worm's Head taken on 19 January 2011 by Ian.

A north to north-easterly breeze will bring more cloud which means less fog and frost but we'll also have less in the way of sunshine.

The latest weather chart from the Met Office showing high pressure over Wales.

Next week high pressure will give way slightly and north-westerly winds will bring cloud and a little light rain at times but only small amounts.

At the moment, it looks like January will end on a dry note with high pressure giving a dry and settled start to February.

Derek

As you're probably aware, red squirrels are an endangered species here in Wales and the rest of the UK with only a few pockets of resistance left in parts of Scotland, Wales and Southern England.

Grey squirrels may be cute to look at (we have 100's of photos sent in to our Flickr group each month) but they're actually a fairly destructive American import known as the North American eastern grey squirrel.

Now, it's not their fault that they are so successful at adapting to life in the UK but it comes at the expense of our own native species - the red squirrel; which in a beauty pagent would win hands down over their larger, loutish cousins.

Greys out compete reds for food by feeding on the ground and by being able to digest readily available acorns, which the reds can't.

As if that wasn't enough, they also carry the deadly pox virus - SQPV which they're immune to, but which kills reds, so the evolutionary scales are well and truly tipped in their favour!

To give you an idea of the scale of the problem, the Forestry Commission estimates that there are approximately 140,000 reds left in the UK - and most of them are in Scotland.

Now that might sound like quite a few but not when you compare it to the number of rampant greys, with over 2.5 million of them on the march.

Habitat is paramount in this fight to the death, as red squirrels prefer dense conifer forests where they spend much of their time high up in the canopy, hopping from tree to tree and rarely stepping foot on the ground to feed.

A red squirrel by Alan Burfitt.

could hold the key to the survival of the red squirrel by carefully creating suitable habitats suitable for them.

In Wales we're now fortunate enough to have a red squirrel stronghold on the island of Anglesey, thanks largely to the red squirrel project known as . There have even been reports of reds crossing over the Menai Straits to recolonise parts of Gwynedd which is excellent news.

More good news may be on the horizon though as scientists have made a breakthrough in creating a vaccine against the deadly SQPV squirrel pox which could be administered to red squirrels in as little as five years time.

But many believe this alone is not enough to save the species and that the only way to effectively save the red squirrel is to carry out controlled and targeted culling of the greys, a notion which doesn't sit comfortably with all conservationists.

So what do you think?

Should we let nature take its course and allow the red squirrel to vanish from our forests forever like other species such as the bear, wolf, lynx etc or do we take the approach that it is our mess (we introduced greys in the late 19th century) and should therefore clean it up?

We have after all intervened before by removing (hunting to extinction) and then reintroducing former native species. as well as other species such as the goshawk which were driven to extinction centuries ago but are now making a welcome return to our countryside.

Gull

It's great to see the sun again today after all the recent wind and heavy rain!

292mm of rain fell near Near Capel Curig (so far) this month, so nearly a foot of rain and above the January rainfall average.

But the good news is that it should be the last of the rain for a while, as high pressure is set to dominate our weather over the next few days. This will keep things dry and settled with plenty of sunshine and light winds.

At Hawarden in Flintshire the temperatures rose to very mild 14 Celsius last Saturday - the highest temperature recorded there since last November.

Sunset at Dunraven Bay/ Southerndown by Chris Aylward.

The next few days will be colder with some frost over the coming nights so watch out for fog patches if you are travelling, as these may be dense and slow to clear.

Take care in the mornings too as there have been plenty of icy patches on the roads recently.

Next weekend looks like turning cloudier and breezier but apart from the odd spot of drizzle we should have more dry weather to come - a welcome respite from all the recent heavy rain and flooding!

Derek

Efforts to safeguard the population of a very rare winter flower, the Radnor Lily, have been stepped up by the (CCW).

Radnor lily. Photo courtesy of CCW.

The flower's sole UK habitat is the Stanner Rocks near New Radnor, which are 700 million years old. The rocks are managed by CCW and is a distinctive rounded hill clothed in part by woodland of native trees and pockets of important grassland.

Andrew Ferguson, CCW's senior reserve manager of Stanner Rocks, said: "The Radnor Lily has been found, with its very occasional small yellow blooms, along with several other rare species including mosses. They flourish on the relatively arid rocky outcrops and thin soils that create a marginally suitable environment for a selection of wild plants that more typically would grow in northern Mediterranean regions.

"Sites like Stanner Rocks deserve special treatment and that's just what the management plan devised by and the CCW has been delivering. We identified the need to fell blocks of non-native trees and to manage the undergrowth in order to encourage these species to flourish. So a lot of shade was removed from the hill top, thus providing new areas for some rarities to spread."

The felling project has also had the benefit of assisting in providing an improved habitat for the Stanner Rocks' other rare species, the Hazel Dormouse and the Southern Wood Ant.

"The dormouse's woodland habitat, particularly food and shelter, is provided by plants such as hazel, bramble and honeysuckle that flourish here where there is sufficient light," said Ferguson. "The felling of some heavily-shading trees has allowed light to reach towards the woodland floor, such that hazel nuts and blackberries can ripen for food."

"Not only is [the project] good news for many of the special wildlife features of this site, it also provides an outstanding viewpoint for the public from the top of the hill. Walkers can freely access the top via public footpaths that lead from the A44 trunk road without entering very sensitive and potentially hazardous parts of the National Nature Reserve [NNR]."

The NNR beyond the level parts of the quarry floor and below the top of the hill is not open to the public. Access within the NNR should be arranged in advance through the Countryside Council for Wales enquiries desk on 0845 1306229.

We've had a respite from the heavy rain today but there is more to come this evening.

for southern counties from Swansea across to Cardiff, Monmouthshire and The Valleys.

Another 15 to 20 mm of rain is likely with 30 to 40 mm on higher ground and given that the ground is already saturated, there is a risk of more flooding to come.

Most of the rain recently has fallen in the south, west and Mid Wales. At Pant Mawr on the River Wye over 120 mm has fallen in the last 48 hours (just under 5 inches) but it's not been wet everywhere.

Hawarden in Flintshire has only had 5 mm as most of the rain there falls on the mountains, leaving the north coast and the north east drier.

Currently there are 17 flood alerts in force and 4 flood warnings. The flood-line number 0845 988 1188 or take a look at the .

Friday morning will start cloudy with some rain across the country but generally drier in the Marches and north east. During the day, the weather will gradually brighten-up, turning drier.

There will be a few scattered showers but the sun will break through in places and visibility will improve too. Top temperatures 10 Celsius with a south-westerly breeze.

As for the weekend, I'm afraid there's more rain, drizzle and strong winds on the way.

On Saturday the heaviest rain will be in the north west and it should be drier in the south and east. It will feel mild but windy with a strong to gale force south-westerly wind.

On Sunday the rain will spread south east - some of it heavy with a risk of more flooding but it will clear up later.

That's it for the time being.

Derek

Ros Bayliss submitted this remarkable video clip to our . It features a barn owl out hunting but watch how close it flies to the camera!

I've decided I don't like January - it's dark when you wake up and dark when you go home at night. Roll on Spring I say and hopefully some better weather too!

The rain I promised yesterday has well and truly arrived with up and down the country.

In the 12 hours leading up to midday today, 24mm of rain has already fallen at in Swansea, so just under an inch.

20 mm of rain was recorded at Capel Curig in Snowdonia and there's plenty more rain to come so some large rainfall totals are expected.

The heaviest rain will be in the south and west and Mid Wales. Typically 40 to 60 mm by the end of today with over 100 mm on higher ground in Powys, Ceredigion and Gwynedd.

Some rivers are already swollen and at the time of writing, there are in force across Wales and this number is set to rise.

The River Dee at Llangollen during the floods in 2009. Image by Dave on Flickr.

The reason for the current heavy rain is an active front spreading through southern England tomorrow, bringing plenty of moisture in from Atlantic.

Tonight the heavy rain will ease but more heavy rain is expected tomorrow in South Wales.

Based on the latest information, another 60 - 80mm of rain is predicted in the Neath, Port Talbot and Bridgend area with a risk of 100 mm (4 inches) in the south west Brecon Beacons with extensive low cloud, mist and hill fog so drive carefully.

For Mid Wales, the north and east should be drier tomorrow with some drizzle in the west.

Friday will bring some respite from the rain with drier, brighter conditions and the odd blustery shower.

On Saturday, more rain is expected with the heaviest rain falling in the north and west accompanied by strong to gale force winds.

Sunday will start wet and windy but it should turn drier and brighter during the afternoon.

Take care

Derek

Last year was drier than average in Wales. Dennis Smith from Llandeilo recorded just 39 inches of rain over 12 months but it's going to be anything but dry over the next few days...and we could expect to see up to 6 inches falling on higher ground.

It is however going to turn milder (which will help with the heating bills) but very wet at times with a risk of flooding.

The rain will be heaviest on high ground in the south and west and in Snowdonia. Rainfall totals between 75 to 150mm are possible. That's 3 to 6 inches and the Met Office has issued weather watches for the .

On Friday, the rain should clear bringing sunshine and showers in the afternoon.

Saturday will be mild but wet and windy with gales although the south east may well be drier.

So, most of us are in for a good soaking over the next few days with many rivers becoming swollen.

Hopefully you won't need it but the Floodline number may come in handy - 0845 988 1188, or visit the for details of any flood watches and flood warnings that are issued.

Derek

A lot of our weather this winter has come from the Arctic and Scandinavia hence the snow and ice but this week it's back to normal.

It was a cold start this morning with some frost and icy patches but the weather pattern is now on the change.

The jet stream is going to move north towards Britain over the next few days, so it will turn milder but wet and windy at times with south-westerly winds bringing plenty of rain from the Atlantic.

So it's good news for surfers as this area of low pressure will produce some big waves towards the end of the week with 3-4 metre swells forecast for South Wales.

The winds however will be mainly onshore, south westerly but sheltered spots should be good according to Gull.

The for parts of South Wales and Powys this afternoon:

The weather will improve on Tuesday but I'd make the most of any dry weather and sunshine because more rain is on the way tomorrow night.

The rest of the week will remain mild and unsettled as low pressure brings spells of wet and windy weather with the rain being heaviest on the hills and mountains in the south and west.

By the end of Saturday, rainfall totals could be around 100 to 125 mm, (4 to 5 inches), so there is a risk of some flooding as the ground becomes saturated.

Frost is unlikely this week as it will remain mild but the waterproofs will definitely come in handy at times.

Episode Two of Weatherman Walking is on telly tonight at 7.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ One Wales. Find out all about the two featured walks as well as maps & photos on the new website.

thanks

Derek

Nature can be cruel but a bird's got to eat and unfortunately for this heron, starling was on the menu at the , Llanelli yesterday.

Look away now if you're squeamish...

Steve Gunter from our (you need to be logged in to view) sent in these remarkable images and had this to say about the deadly encounter:

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"The heron grabbed the starling whilst it was on the ground in the grass just behind the two. It then proceeded to attack and drown the starling."

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"This played out over about ten minutes. The heron had several attempts to swallow the starling but just couldn't get it right. He did eventually swallow the poor thing though."

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It's not uncommon for herons to do this as they're not particularly fussy when it comes to eating but it's rare to capture it on camera. Their normal diet consists of frogs, fish, small mammals, small water birds and fish but they're also partial to the odd starling!

Gull

This year the celebrates100 years of working in Wales and has come a long way since its humble beginnings.

The charity's work protecting birds, wildlife and habitats in Wales started in 1911 with a Mr and Mrs Jones carrying out a small project to look after roseate terns on the island of Llanddwyn, off the coast of Anglesey in North Wales.

Llanddwyn Island on Anglesey. Image courtesy of the RSPB.