Rowden Meadow

 

A green lane or old track leads between the fields from the NW of Stokeclimsland, to finish these days at a lane. In the past it continued towards the extensive woodlands of the Tamar Valley upstream from Gunnislake. These woodlands are mainly coniferous now but were in the past heathy ridges above a steep valley-side clothed with ancient oak woods. The track must have originally continued through what is now a strip of rough meadow becoming increasingly narrow, until it come to another lane, but it is supposed by local historians, to have been an old droveway to the heathy land at the crest of the deep valley.

Rowden Strip Meadow in March '21. Looking down from entrance gate.

Until a few years ago this narrow strip of meadow was used by a local woman to graze horses but it has subsequently fallen out of use and the Parish Council has taken it over for the community. This has led to a variety of suggestions from interested parties, from dog-walkers to horse riders, an open classroom for children or students, but it has been recognised as a valuable wildlife site because of its comparative lack of management. The hedges running the length of the strip on the north and south sides have a great variety of shrubby and tree species. The part to the west is dominated by tussocky Cocksfoot grass and the further end has an increasing stand of bracken. Among and below this coarse growth is a variety of other herbaceous plants supporting a rich diversity of moths, as already indicated by a few moth trapping events during the last two seasons. Other invertebrates are also no doubt abundant

.Last autumn for example, the area of cocksfoot tussocks was adorned with magnificent Orb Spiders' webs draped across the clumps of tall grass, spangled with dew which shone like jewels in the low morning sun.

Moth Trap.

Many moths have been trapped, identified and then released in several moth-trapping nights over the past 18 months, including this Privet Hawk Moth, the largest native British  moth..

Its caterpillar eats Ash leaves as well as privet.

Bank voles are frequently seen under mats about 18" square laid down to shelter such creatures

.

Walks through the strip at different seasons have shown a variety of beetles, butterflies, day-flying moths, deer, and foxes.

Occasionally, a Roe Deer may be startled, and will swiftly leap into the next field.

Bloody-nosed Beetle, so named because when it's alarmed it exudes a red unpleasant-tasting liquid from its joints which deters birds from eating it.

It is a flightless beetle, generally  seen in spring. It's larvae eat mainly Hedge Bedstraw.

Five-spot Burnet. This is a day-flying moth emerging in June. It's caterpillars feed on Birdsfoot Trefoil.

It has five spots on each wing. In this picture the fifth spot is mostly covered by the overlapping wings. It closely resembles the related Six-spot Burnet.

In early spring the central part of the meadow is a carpet of the golden stars of Lesser Celandine.

Later in the spring, the hedge bottoms and banks are dominated by the red, white and blue of patches of Greater Stitchwort (seen above), Bluebells and Red Campion.

The species-rich hedges of the Rowden Meadow are punctuated by the white blossom of Blackthorn and later, with Bullace, and then Hawthorn, Guelder Rose and Wild Apple (pictured above)

Bright yellow Brimstone butterflies can be seen flying up and down the meadow in search of the paler yellow female. Their caterpillars feed on Alder Buckthorn, another species of shrub to be found in the Rowden hedges.

The warmth of summer days encourages insects such as this Buff-tailed Bumble -bee.

Later still, the brambles are flowering and attract hoverflies such as this big Bumble-bee mimic.This Volucella bombylans is a nectar-feeder and neither bites nor stings.

Autumn brings its own bounty of hedgerow fruit, such as this Spindle, with dark red Haws, purple Sloes, acorns and these bright shiny Guelder Rose berries.(below)

It has been recognised that the wildlife in this strip of meadow needs to be identified and recorded for two or three years during different seasons, to get an idea of what is there, before any management or intervention is done.

The present variety of habitat, with richly-diverse woody species in the hedges on each side of this strip, and the unimproved grassland within it, will arguably hold a greater diversity of wildlife than if it is in the future, completely un-managed and closed natural woodland develops .Already, without grazing, seedling Oaks and Willow, and suckering Thorn are appearing within the grassy area; Bramble and Bracken are encroaching; all signs of the natural succession of plants in their inexorable efforts to revert to woodland when there is no human intervention. 

At some time within a few years, a management plan needs to be instigated and executed, because the size f this meadow strip is too small to be 're-wilded'. 

The current hot topic of 're-wilding' as exempilfied on the Knepp Estate and some  areas in Scotland, is more appropriate when practiced in large areas of land, with sufficient space for a mosaic of vegetation  of different ages to develop. These habitats are  created by the free grazing of a limited number of various animals, each favouring different feeding strategies, from ground-disturbing foraging by pigs to grass-eating and browsing herbivores.

A Short Spring Visit to North West Wales

 

Wed 11^th May’22

Arrived yesterday evening (see previous Blog.)

Walked up the field to see the lambs at the top of the field, and then down to see the pond, new last year. It’s got huge numbers of toad tadpoles, the odd water boatman and pond skater and whirligig beetles. The plants sparse but settling in nicely. Stone surrounds still being added. Swallows flying over and a House Martin. Whitethroats singing.

This year's twins (mum on left, Grandma in front)

Whirligig Beetles, Pond Skaters and Water Boatmen have settled in the pond, nd there are great numbers of black Toad tadpoles.

(Kim e-mailed a day or two ago:' Birds are enjoying the pond, Swallows dunk then preen on the fenceposts; Dunnock, Spadgers, Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Goldfinch coming to drink ; and sundry Corvids to wash and brush up or drink.

A Swallow just now was flying all round back and forth just above the surface getting-what? pond- skaters or flies?')

In the afternoon we walked up the field again and onto Bywchestyn. Fields each side at the top have been ploughed by Gareth. Looking across to the west Kim saw what looked like a Hoodie. Martin from Cae Cryn was standing by the gate and he and Kim chatted a bit.(He e-mailed her later to say he’d seen a couple of hoodies with some rooks about where we’d seen that one which was a nice confirmation.)

The Parwyd, looking across to the site of the Peregrines' nest.

We walked across to the Parwyd where there was a flock of about 40 non-breeding choughs wheeling around and perching in places. Saw one of the nesting peregrines being chased by crows and the recently-fledged Ravens who had nested there just above the Peregrines, were perching and soliciting vociferously. Lovely clumps of Thrift and Sea Campion. 

Thrift.

                                 Sea Campion

Raven.

                                              Chough

Intermittent rain in the evening.

Thursday 12^th May’22

Bright sun first thing. A bit less wind. We walked across to Pen y Cil to look for Wheatears. Lovely thrift. Dirty sea. We saw them as we sat on the rocks. Kim saw some Manxies but I didn’t pick them up.

Male Northern Wheatear.

In the afternoon Kim and I walked, after driving to Pwll Cyw which is covered with Bog Bean in flower.

Pwll Cyw. The Council dredged this pond a few years ago but it has soon covered with (mostly) Bog Bean.

Close-up of Bog Bean.

Then drove on a bit to the top of the lane with the two little cottages.

                                                            Bryn Caned

Cae Crin

and then on down the track past them, towards Porth Melyn. Found what looked like a tennis-ball sized fine grassy spherical nest in the bottom of a tuft of long grass. SEE THE END OF THIS BLOG!

Cock Stonechat. He was keeping a close eye on us as his family were scattered among the nearby gorse bushes.

Several Linnets were flitting around on the short turf on the clifftop.There were patches of Spring Squill making a blue sheen on the grass.

Friday 13^th May’22

Set off early to go to Anglesey. Kim wanted to show us a wetland reserve they went to last winter.

We crossed the Menai Strait on the Britannia bridge, built by Robert Stevenson in the mid 1800s.

A few miles along the road is a wide shallow valley running NE to SW with low ridges to the north and south. The valley is formed by the River Cefni, the principal river of Anglesey. Eleven miles long, it runs out to sea in the SW of Anglesey at Malltraeth. The valley bottom contains the RSPB Reserve of Cors Ddyga, a mix of wet, marshy meadows, extensive reedbeds and areas of open water.

                                                      Cors Ddyga Information Board.

We stayed out of these wet meadows as we didn't want to disturb the ground-nesting birds. A Skylark was singing overhead. Going down a steepish track through woodland to reach the valley there was a chorus of Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff song.

The stony track ran through the reedbeds and we stood and watched a male, later joined by a female Marsh Harrier flying low over the reeds. Greylag Geese and Lapwings were also flying across the far end.

  

Male Marsh Harrier.

                                            Female Marsh Harrier

We were treated to the most prolonged sedge/reed warbler recital I’ve ever heard, though still none the wiser as to which. Too much wind for them to be climbing up the reeds to give us views.

This is a Reed Warbler.

Sedge Warbler is much more streaked over the wings and back and has a noticeable white streak above the eye.

            A Male Reed Bunting sang his little song.

We passed or were passed by about 16 people altogether. It’s a good big round walk round the periphery of the whole reserve but we just did the first leg to the River Cefni and back. Skylarks singing. Bitterns have been seen/heard but no luck today.

Caernarvon is now by-passed by a new road but we chose to drive home through town and passed the castle

Caernarvon Castle

and then drove along the coast of the Menai Strait. A few gull were foraging among the stones on the shore and we saw about 14 Whimbrel feeding before they flew off in a little flock.

Whimbrel has a shorter beak than a Curlew, distinct white crown stripes and a distinctive call.

.

Sat 14^th May’22

Pottering day. No wind. Hazy, becoming sunny. Potted up my courgettes and other plants.

We were seeing Small Yellow Underwings on the Mouse-eared Chickweed in their bottom meadow . My first for UK. Also one or two Common Blues.

Mouse-eared Chickweed

                                             Small Yellow Underwing

(Kim emailed today June 2nd to say they had counted 21 of these little moths in the meadow today!)

We sat in the little clearing in the garden; a real sun-trap. Watching the holes in the block of wood that Gwydion had drilled last year for the leaf-cutter Bees to nest in, this time we were seeing Red Mason Bees showing interest in the holes.

Red Mason Bee interested in holes in wood.

Up the cliff this afternoon to look at the spherical ‘nest’.(See the end of this blog.)

Watched a Hairy Sand Digger Wasp at the side of the track up  above  Bryn Caned..It was covering what we supposed to be a nest hole in sandy gritty stuff at the side of the track, carting bits of grit, sand and grassy stuff, over the nest position .Interrupted by a roystering labrador.

Hairy Sand Digger Wasp burying its nest hole with particles of grit.

The uncontrolled dog unfortunately stopped the video and destroyed the wasp's efforts.

Porpoises in the Sound.

Put the moth trap out down in the top corner of the bottom field as the wind had dropped a good deal.

Sunday 15^th May’22

Opened up the moth trap. A modest catch.

A Brimstone Moth was roosting in the grass beside the trap. his often happens ; they seem to be attracted to the light but prefer to roost outside over night.

.Quiet morning. In afternoon we drove up the Rhiw road as far as Penrhyn Mawr where we parked and walked along a pretty bare stony track with a lot of reddish plants of Crassula tillaea.

Crassula tilaea belongs to the Stonecrop family. Easily overlooked in dry stony places, but these red patches were quite conspicuous. It will quickly become desiccated in a dry summer and disappear.

 Then crossed two fields from where we could look across Aberdaron Bay towards Pen y Cil and Bardsey, or directly south to the Gwylans. Using the ‘scope we could see Guillemots, Shags, Cormorants , Herring Gulls and Puffins standing outside their holes and lots especially on the sea just off the islands.

                The Gwylans (Gull Islands) Gwylan Fawr is in front and partly hiding Gwylan Fach.

The Puffin is an engaging bird. The beak loses its bright colours in the winter.

Through the scope we could see plenty of Puffins standing outside their burrows and there were even more bobbing about in the water just off the islands. Guillemots were standing by chicks and eggs on a flat rock slab, gulls were wheeling above and we remembered our annual visits there when the children were small.

Looking west from Penrhyn Mawr. Bardsey in the distance.

Monday 16^th May’22

After lunch we made a short visit to Porth Oer (Whistling Sands.) This beach gets its name from the strange squeaking noise as you walk on the sand. The particles are small and round and as they rub together under foot, they squeak.

                                                     Looking north east across Porth Oer.

this time we didn't go on the beach; instead we walked along to the headland on the southern end of the beach and stood on the clifftop. As we walked back to the car through a small piece of woodland, Kim caught a glimpse of a Spotted Flycatcher and we watched it among the leafy branches.  Perhaps they had come in the previous night, because when we got back to Ty'n Gamdda, there was another in the fruit trees down the drive!

These migrants are becoming less frequent and it was a fitting end to yet another fascinating visit.

PS. THE 'NEST'

When we looked at it again, we decided it was in low vegetation where the strong winds had made a little vortex and whirled the fine grass round and round to resemble a nest! 

It makes a good trick photo!

s