Cardiff Naturalists' Society

On these pages we'll endeavour to bring you a number of highlights from the area or news relating to society events. Please tune in for updates.

In other links in this section you will see similar notes from prior years. Notes and news like this can be a useful archive and we would welcome any information on unusual wildlife events (either natural events or man made or organized events) so please let us know about anything you hear about and we'll update everyone else

We are currently putting our 2008-9 Programme together This is normally ready in the summer - please come back soon for an update.

Spring 2008 - A selection of Wildlife news from around the area and the world

Many of us pick up snippets of local or National Wildlife News. Here are some spotted by our members. If you spot something that you thing we may be interested in please let us know through the contacts on the contacts page

Cardiff University Otter Project

CNS had a most informative talk on the 20th March 2008 on the Scientific work that is going on at Cardiff University in relation to what can be learned from Otters unfortunately found Dead in the UK. This is an area you can help with by being altert and informed as rapid responses to finding dead Otters has saved a number of litters of cubs For more information see out links pages or go directly to

Cardiff Otter Project

Local Garden Birds

The CNS is happy to be able to offer you a selection of excellent bird Photographs taken in Newport South Wales

Please take a look at the gallery of Local Garden Birds

MBE for Dr Mary Gillham

The Cardiff Naturalists Society is proud to be able to contratulate Dr Mary Gillham on being awarded the MBE in the New Years Honours List

Or to put this more formally as can be seen on Page 16 of the listings document on the The UK Honours website
To be Ordinary Members of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order of the British Empire: Dr. Mary Eleanor Gillham. For services to Nature Conservation in South Wales.
Please see the publications pages for more details of her books available from the CNS

What To Look Out For November/December 2007/January 2008

Whilst the Winter period is quiet for most wildflowers and insects, there is still plenty to see in the countryside. Mild winters allow many flowers to continue flowering and you can expect to find Hogweed, Red Campion, Red Deadnettle and Green Alkanet amongst others in the fields and hedgerows. The first flower to start blooming is Winter Heliotrope with a scent described by some as vanilla-like but which is becoming a problem as it crowds out native species of wildflower.

A mild day will often encourage bats to have a forage and both Noctules and Pipistrelles could be on the wing. You could well find the odd insect about and Ladybirds are often seen in gardens, although it is less good news if these are the invasive Harlequin Ladybird which has started to appear in South Wales.

Birdwatchers can find Winter to be a peak spotting period, particularly for waders, ducks and geese and visits to reservoirs, the Glamorgan heritage coast, Kenfig nature reserve and, not least, Cardiff Bay can be rewarding.

News October/November/December 2007

December saw a flurry of excitement with Wales's first sighting of a Pechora Pipit at the Goodwick Moor nature reserve near Fishguard but nearer home we had the overwintering Spotted Sandpiper at Lisvane reservoir. With the Autumnal arrival of Cattle Egrets, one was spotted at Kenfig Pool and a Common Rosefinch was seen on Gower.

Gwent Wildlife Trust's latest appeal is for funds for the purchase of Wyeswood Common, 104 acres of land next to their existing Pentwyn Farm Nature Reserve, due to be visited as part of this year's Field Events programme. Existing wildlife includes Hawfinch, Spreading Bellflower, Barn Owls and Lesser Horseshoe Bats and if the plans are realised it is hoped that species to recolonise the area could include Red Kite, Shrill Carder Bee and Green-winged Orchid.

Visitors to the National Museum Wales in Cardiff can now see the Red Lady of Paviland, a skeleton of a man dated to over 29,000 years old which was found in Goat's Hole Cave in Paviland on Gower in 1823 and is normally kept at Oxford University. There are three CNS Field Trips to Gower in 2008, two in the Oxwich area covering flora and marine life and one to Southgate looking at wildlife in general. Please see the Outdoor Trips Pages for more details

For More information on Paviland Cave, the Red lady, The Exhibition and the National Museum of Wales please follow the links<

Another New book

A new book by Cardiff Naturalists' Society member Dr. Mary Gillham has been published.
Entitled Island Life: Discovering Britain's Offshore Gems, it describes Mary's adventures and the wildlife she encountered on visits to a number of her favorite islands around the UK.
The text is interspersed with illustrations and both black-and-white and colour photography.
Islands covered include, Skolkholm, Penbrokshire; Cape Clear Co Cork; The Skelligs Co Kerry; Garnish Island Co Cork; The Arran Islands Co Clare; Inishborn and Achill Island, Connemara; The Isle of Man & Walney Island, Cumbria

The book is available in good bookshops or via Amazon.co.uk.

News from other Sources

Salmon back in the Taf, but under pressure from poaching - take a look at This story from the BBC

Biomass Fuel stations? Not a strightforward environmental issue, both local and national issues bear some thingking about in this, other story from the BBC "