St Madoc Winter Bird Walk – 08/03/1

We booked the nice weather for our winter bird walk – our first wildlife event of the year - and it arrived just on time!  Our nine guests were able to appreciate our grounds in their full splendour, with stunning views across the estuary and as far as Worms Head and Llanelli. 

The clear skies meant ideal hunting conditions for buzzards, and we were treated to a constant aerial display from these big raptors, including some territorial disputes with crows. We used the brilliant ‘Birdvoice’ gadget to play bird songs in the woods, and attracted some replies from our resident birds, which at this time of year are just getting ready to establish territories and nests. On leaving the woods we watched oyster catchers and lapwings on the marsh, and meadow pipits flitting about on the sand dunes. 

A good time was had by all, and we increased our appreciation of this unique angle on Gower and its birdlife.

What's been happening: Autumn

When the St Madoc Centre started to offer activities and catering to schools in 2009 our school season consisted of one full week. This year’s school season was somewhat longer, with 26 schools and classes enjoying our food, accommodation and activities. That’s over a thousand pupils, from infants to college age - not forgetting their hard-working teachers! To think we’ve had an impact in that many children’s lives is absolutely amazing, and all of the staff at the St Madoc Centre are looking forward to 2014, which already promises to be busier still!

This year we were especially pleased to have been donated some money by Warburton’s and the Four Winds Trust which meant we were able to keep offering massively reduced prices to children requiring free school meals. This means we were able to continue giving a fantastic experience to children who may otherwise never have had an opportunity to have a holiday and enjoy themselves like they do with us.

‘For many of our children it will be their first 'holiday' and time away from their home. In fact very few of our children have ever experienced a sleep over!’ ... ‘That is the impact of your work, it can change a life, change an attitude, develop a dream, inspire a community.’

Primary School Headmaster

This year we’ve also spent a lot of time working on a science programme, aimed at year 4 and 5 pupils. This programme contains a lot of different activities, like pond-dipping, rock-pooling and strand-line surveys. These activities were tested out by a very helpful local primary school over a four day stay and despite a few Autumn showers their stay went very well, with everyone enjoying themselves immensely.

Sadly, this Autumn saw the departure of two of our longest serving members of staff, Rob and Chris. Both worked incredibly hard during their time at the St Madoc Centre to make us what we are today. They both were a major part of the success of our school’s work, as well as maintaining our facilities and keeping them at the high standard they are in now.

Thanks for all your hard work, guys!

This Summer and Autumn we have held various different events. In August we held a Bat Discovery Evening, for the second time. Once again it was well attended, and using various electronic bat detectors we found a variety of different bats. Our second annual Apple Day was held in October, a celebration of all things appley, with pies, cakes and games. Hayley Watts’s delicious apple pie took home the first place prize in the Pie Competition, and over twenty people attempted the William Tell Archery Challenge, with two people actually managing to hit the apple! The Volunteer Day in October went well, with plenty of work getting done; the pig pen is being prepared for new pigs, and our ever-growing orchard was prepared for the winter. Many thanks to all our volunteers!

Autumn has also been an interesting time of year for wildlife discoveries, with two species new to the St Madoc Centre being discovered. The Four-spotted Chaser Dragonfly is common across the UK, but was seen flying above our wildlife pond for the first time. The second, slightly more exciting, sight was a flock of six Choughs seen feeding on Craneflies near the headland. Choughs are rare across Britain, so to see six on our land was brilliant. We also held our second reptile and amphibian conservation course, which was again very well attended, firmly putting the St Madoc Centre ‘on the map as a good site for reptiles’, according to our Conservation Ranger, Sarah.

Events at the St Madoc Centre

ECO-TRIBE

Every second and fourth Sunday

3-5pm Call Mark on 07455677711 for details

Outdoor environmental activities for children & parents/carers.

SATURDAY 23RD NOVEMBER
AN EVENING OF SONGS, TUNES & TALL TALES

8pm at Llanrhidian Church, Gower

Mike O'Connor & Barbara Griggs are great fun. They make music of breathtaking beauty on fiddle, concertina, viol and harp. They have a unique repertoire, both original and from historic Cornish manuscripts.

Call 01792 386291 or email sarah@stmadoc.co.uk for tickets in advance, tickets also available at the door.

Tickets cost £8, or £4 for under 16s, with glass of wine or juice.

Raising funds for St Madoc Centre

SUNDAY 1ST DECEMBER

SONGS FOR ADVENT

Doors open 6:30pm, singing starts at 7pm

With the Cantorion Llanmadog presenting an evening of light music.

Tickets cost £12, including a meal, bar available. Get in contact with us to book your ticket.

SATURDAY 7TH DECEMBER

CAROLS AND CRAFTS

10am-3pm

Our annual Carols and Crafts event. Live music, hot food and free mince pies. Free entry.

Volunteer at the St Madoc Centre:

We are always very happy to work with volunteers, no matter their age, skill or ability levels. If you are interested in volunteering at the St Madoc Centre, or would like more information about any of the events listed in this newsletter please contact us using the details found below.

Phone: 01792 386 291 Email: info@stmadoc.co.uk Website: stmadoc.co.uk

What’s come in with the tide?

June began with an investigation of the sandy shore beside St Madoc Centre.  Marine biologist, Bob Sluka led a party of volunteers and SMC staff to look at ways of including the marine environment in their work with schools.  Rock-pools were explored including the remains of an extensive prehistoric forest, exposed at low tide.  Tracks across the sand were dug up revealing burrowing worms, crabs and shrimps.  A large number of shells, crab exoskeletons, cuttlefish bones, and much more were identified along the strand-line and a handling collection was started for staff to use with schools.  From the data collected, new sessions will be designed for use with primary schools.  Nathan Holland, Education Ranger said “It’s amazing how much there is to see.  The children will gain a better knowledge of the marine environment and have fun at the same time.”

Sarah will be working with Bob to look at how St Madoc Centre can contribute to marine research.  This could involve local students undertaking their own projects.  If you are interested please get in touch with Sarah:  sarah@stmadoc.co.uk

Wildlife at the St Madoc Centre 2012

Welcome to our first annual wildlife report – an annual digest of a year’s work encouraging local volunteers to monitor and encourage wildlife.

Our equipment was kindly funded this year by Environment Wales as part of our Wildlife at St Madoc Centre project. St Madoc Centre also liaises closely with A Rocha on environmental matters as a Partner in Action.

BUTTERFLIES & MOTHS

Weekly butterfly surveys were made between 1st April and the last week of September. The same route (transect) was walked each week noting the species and quantities (frequency) of each butterfly seen.

The summer was one of the wettest on record and combined with the cool temperatures, the year was very poor for butterflies and many other insects. Low numbers of individuals as well as only a handful of species were recorded. The exception was the Meadow Brown being the most numerous butterfly all summer. This may be because they require grasses to lay their eggs on, the adults feeding on a wide variety of different flowers. Common Blues rallied, but in the UK numbers were down 50 per cent. Day-flying moths were also recorded being the Cinnabar and 6-spot Burnet (requires confirmation).

We had a new species for St Madoc Centre, the glamorous Dark Green Fritillary (see right). Only one individual was seen on the transect and probably flew in from Cwm Ivy Tor where they can be seen feeding on its sunny slope between June and August.

Using the new Robinson moth trap, moth species were added to the list for the site including two nationally scarce species- Shore Wainscot and Four-Spotted Footman. The latter species may have been an immigrant blown in from overseas. We also had a locally scarce species called Rosy Footman. A Hummingbird Hawkmoth was found at rest (not in flight) in the small polytunnel. The trap attracted an adult Privet Hawkmoth and a larva of the same species was also found in grass near the chapel.
All results were sent to Butterfly Conservation.

OTHER INSECTS

An important discovery was made during the very hot spell at the end of March when we found a colony of Colletes cunicularia. This is a rare mining bee which feeds on Creeping Willow in the dunes. Presumably the unseasonal weather brought them out of their nesting holes in the sand dunes as they usually start to fly from early April. The record was sent to BWARS (Bees, Wasps & Ants Recording Society).

The pond continued to develop well with a lot of dragonfly and damselfly activity on sunny days. An Emperor Dragonfly was seen resting, waiting for its wings to pump up after its recent emergence from the water. Southern Hawker (dragonfly) and Large Red Damselfly made first appearances.
A Great Green Bush Cricket was seen in the fixed dunes – a first for the site. Glow Worms were seen in small numbers in July, glowing in grassland beside grassy paths on the headland and, for the first time, in long grass beside the volleyball pitch. An individual was also found under a rock by the large polytunnel.

PLANTS, LICHENS & FUNGI

No new plants were recorded, but the wet weather produced many Shaggy Inkcaps in the archery area. A good number of Dark Purple Earth Tongues (right) emerged in the short turf around the volleyball court. This is on the NERCA Section 42 list for Wales as are many other species found at St Madoc Centre. The headland was noticeably short on fungi this year as the grass is too thick and requires either an annual heavy winter graze or an annual late summer hay cut by machine.

REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS

Reptile surveys were carried out weekly or as often as possible between April 1st and the end of July, but time was a constraint during the busiest period of the year. All 70 refugia, made of roofing felt or carpet, were surveyed each time.

Good numbers of Adder (see left. Picture credit: A Rocha), Grass Snake and Slow Worm were found. They all tend to use the same areas each time. This year it was clear that the most frequented areas were adjacent to rocky outcrops and stone walls.

The refugia were used as part of education sessions with Eco-tribe and primary schools, providing a lot of excitement and interest.

About 30 Palmate Newts were extracted from the woodland pond during an Eco-tribe session. Parklands Primary School also took part in pond-dipping activities as did children attending Trailblazers, an environmental playscheme organised by Swansea Council.

BIRDS

A bird survey using a set route was completed once during most weeks in 2012. 44 bird surveys were completed, recording 67 species. Many new species not previously recorded before were added to our list. New species were: a male Pied Flycatcher (middle woods), Cuckoo, Coal Tit and Woodcock. The stars of 2012 were a pair of Black Redstarts. These were easily observed on the football field and are on the RSPB’s Amber List. There are fewer than 100 breeding pairs in the UK so this was an important record.

Other interesting sightings: a Red Kite carrying a Rabbit over the headland. A pair of Tawny Owls bred in old trees near the stone steps and one special sighting of a fluffy chick was seen sitting on a branch. A pair of Buzzard also bred in our tallest Ash trees.

Data were sent to the British Trust for Ornithology via BirdTrack (online facility) and Barry Stewart, the county bird recorder.

BATS

Three Greater Horseshoe bats were found in torpid state (hibernating) hanging from the (woodland) Bone Cave walls in March as part of a winter roost inspection by Rob Colley (W Glamorgan Bat Group). Small numbers of Common and Soprano Pipistrelles were detected during the very successful bat walk of 11 August. About 15 local people attended.

GENERAL HABITAT MANAGEMENT

Bracken control was the focus of our efforts over the summer. A large area of Bracken was cut for the first time using a BCS Tracmaster powerscythe funded by Environment Wales. This is part of an ongoing plan to cut as much Bracken as possible in suitable areas, repeating the cut in the same places each year. The fixed dunes have been targeted owing to their being dominated by Bracken with causing a large decrease in flora diversity. In time it is hoped that cutting will weaken the rhizome and that Bracken density will decrease. In time it is hoped that Bracken rolling may also be used in areas which can be reached by tractor or quad bike. Cutting will continue in areas which are inaccessible to vehicles.

CONCLUDING COMMENTS

Although the weather was disastrous for many species overall, 2012 was a good year for building up records at St Madoc Centre. Reptile survey methods require refinement. Small mammal data using traps and Odonata (dragonfly and damselfly) data should be collected in 2013.

Our volunteers are very important to us. If you have a group or are an individual wanting to get involved at St Madoc Centre, please do get in touch.

Thanks to all our volunteers & experts who helped with observations & practical conservation work in 2012:

Geoff White, Andrew Cole, Peter Sturgess, Jacob Sturgess, Barry Stewart, Veronica Shenston, Sarah Leedham, Rob Colley, Len Moran, Cameron Morgan-Beattie, Jared Cutliffe, Colin Conroy, Nathan Holland, Rob Hooker, Laura Miller, Heather Coats, Alan Kearsley-Evans, Nick Edwards, Bishopston Comprehensive School, Gower Conservation Volunteers, Coleg Sir Gar, Criminal Justice Intervention Wales, Eco

The Lesser-Spotted Blog (Blogimus Rareideae)

Hail and greetings!

Here be a blog! - Just in case it's been so long that everyone has forgotten what one looks like.

We had snow! It was practically blizzard worthy! In fact, it was definitely blizzard worthy. There was no snow at 6 am, but by 8 am we had 6 inches worth... and the snow didn't stop falling until about 5 pm.


This greatly pleased the school group we had on site, since they got to pelt their teachers with snow balls. It did, however put a bit of a dampener on the activities we had planned, since fire lighting is quite hard in the snow.

Instead our activities we attempted to sledge down the sand dunes, since the beach was completely covered in thick snow too. Apparently sand/snow sledging is a bit trickier than just snow sledging, either that or certain members of our staff are rubbish at sledging. It may have been a little of both.


We wandered over to a semi-frozen Blue Pool, through scenery which looked more like the Alps than Broughton Bay, but good fun was had by all, and the hot chocolate with squirty cream and marshmallows was well worth the slightly chilly toes.

Our Autumn/Winter Newsletter

After an incredibly hectic summer period, with groups of all shapes and sizes using the St Madoc Centre none stop - amongst other things, our very busy staff were looking forward to a well-deserved quieter autumn. Instead of a restful period we happily received a far busier season than we had anticipated. 

One of the largest jobs of our autumn was preparing for our latest VisitWales inspection. We received a four star evaluation for our first inspection, which we were incredibly pleased with as it meant our accommodation was the highest rated bunkhouse in South Wales. After 3 years of constant use our dormitories required a little bit of care and attention to meet the standard we had set previously. Our mammoth repainting, scrubbing and fixing of the entire building was interspersed by visiting groups who enjoyed the smell of wet paint and tried their very hardest not to get mud on the sparkling clean floors.
After two solid weeks of getting covered in off-white emulsion we were rewarded, not only with cake, but also with the four stars from VisitWales we had worked so hard to keep.

The option to have St Madoc staff cater for your stay has become more and more popular, with a 200% increase in groups being catered by our staff. This increase brought with it an inspection by Enironmental Health who increased our kitchen rating from three to five stars, which was quite nice of them really. :)

This Autumn we also had two school groups from Cardiff come and stay on site. A lot of the children from these groups came from families with a high level of social and financial deprivation and were reliant upon a bursary grant to be able to come. Many of the children who came hadn’t slept away from home before and some hadn’t been to a beach before. We were treated to surprisingly good weather for October, with most of the days being cold, but dry. The children enjoyed a vast array of activities, from scavenger hunts and outdoor cooking, to archery and wide games, which took place in a variety of locations, from the beach and sand dunes, to our playing fields and Cwm Ivy woods.

At the end of the children’s stay everyone, including the teachers, left tired, but happy. The head teacher, who bravely stayed for both weeks of the Primary School’s stay, rebooked for the following year as he left and sent us a very positive email, with the following comment within:‘...That is the impact of your work, it can change a life, change an attitude, develop a dream and inspire a community...’

Praise such as that, and the smiling faces of the children as they sprint down the sand dunes, or hide amongst the trees and experience these things for the first time make an already fantastic job all the better. These experiences remind all the staff at the St Madoc Centre why we do what we do.
We have recently been joined by two new members of staff. Geoff White, pictured, who joins us thanks to our links with A Rocha. Geoff will be working outdoors, with and without a chainsaw, to maintain the sizeable St Madoc Centre grounds, working alone and with volunteers. Our second new staff member is Haydn, who is mysteriously absent whenever the camera is out. Haydn is being worked hard as our new Caretaker, but seems to be taking it all in his stride.

We held our first Apple Day on the 16th of October. Having busied ourselves beforehand making pies, squashing apples and stuffing a mannequin with straw for our William Tell Challenge, we were very pleased with the number  of attendees. We arranged various different appley activities, like a quiz, apple squishing, painting and a baking competition. The event was well received with many people asking for it to become an annual event. 

We are also extremely thankful to the groups of volunteers we have had coming to help us look after our land. Volunteers from the Community Justice Intervention Wales organisation as well as several different secondary schools on the Welsh Baccalaureate programme have been working brilliantly on various different projects across our 76 acre site.
Upcoming Events:

Saturday 1st December: Carols and Crafts for Christmas
Our annual Carols and Craft event will be on the 1st of December this year. With live music, hot food and free mince pies. The event will be on from 10am-3pm and entry is free.

Friday 4 January  6.30pm-9.30pm  Star Party 
– free entry
We are pleased to welcome Swansea Astronomical Observers for a fantastic night of cosmic fun!  See impressive interactive presentations about the universe and see the heavens through telescopes.  Book your soup & roll in advance by calling 01792 386291 and pay £3.50 on the night.  The evening will take place whatever the weather!  Funded by Countryside Connections and Swansea Rural Development Partnership.

2nd Sunday of every month: Eco Tribe: 3-5pm
We have been running a new Sunday afternoon youth group at the St Madoc Centre since 2011. The group is for children and young adults and is called ‘Eco tribe’. The group undertakes a mixture of wildlife and outdoor activities, as well as fun and games. Over the last few months we have been pond dipping, star gazing, tree planting, snake hunting and eating toasted marshmallows over a bonfire. Eco Tribe runs on the second Sunday of every month. If you or anyone you know is interested in coming along get in contact with the centre.

Last Sunday of every month: Archery Club: 3-4pm
The Drawforce Archery club meets in the sportshall at 3pm on the last Sunday of every month. Suitable for children and adults. The first session is free. Ring us for more details!

The Ash Grove

Written by Sarah Leedham, Environmental Coordinator.

It’s a lovely sunny day here at St Madoc Centre and many flocks of birds are passing over our land on migration.  It’s that time of year when, everywhere you look you are reminded of autumn.  Bright green mosses are asserting themselves in the dunes and weird, black Earth Tongues are pushing through sand by the volleyball court, like fingers of liquorice.  Leaves in our woods are turning spectacular crimson, orange and amber tones.  But, wind may bring us Ash dieback disease.  If you pray, please pray that its arrival won’t become a UK disaster.  We want our children to know what the lofty, lichen-clad Ash is, not what it was.

The ash grove how graceful, how plainly 'tis speaking

The harp through its playing has language for me.

Whenever the light through its branches is breaking,

A host of kind faces is gazing on me.

The friends from my childhood again are before me

Each step wakes a memory as freely I roam.

With soft whispers laden the leaves rustle o’er me

The ash grove, the ash grove alone is my home.