Wales only has around 3 million people (compared to around 60 million people in England). But it’s teeming with wildlife, although like England, birds and mammals and sea creatures have suffered due to loss of habitat, pollution and climate change.
BBC Welsh presenter Iolo Williams is happily recovering after a serious heart attack, but notes that due to his job, ‘death doesn’t affect me one bit. I know that life – a mayfly, an oak tree, a fox or a human – comes to an end’.
He says when his time comes, he would like to be placed in a linen sheet and somebody plant an oak tree on him, so his energy will go back to help nature! Iolo is a big critic of massive offshore wind farms for their effect on nature and birdlife.
He’s not a fan of Boris Johnson either, after the latter tried to stop newts being protected for industry and when the former Prime Minister wanted to build a bypass on an inter-tidal zone of saltmarshes, flats and sands along the Severn Estuary’s north coast, Iolo wrote ‘Keep your money-grabbing mitts off the Gwent Levels’.
Sea Parrots on Isle of Anglesey
Puffins are common on the Northumberland coast, and also on the island of Anglesey (the route that makes you seasick, if taking the ferry to Ireland).
These birds spend most time at sea (diving for 30 seconds at a time, using their wings to ‘fly through the water), coming ashore to raise ‘pufflings’ who live in burrows underground (adult beaks are dark grey, only changing to orange during mating).
Despite their comical appearance, our puffin friends are in serious decline, due to climate change, over-fishing and rising sea temperatures (having to dive deeper, to find food).
Most puffins lay one egg yearly with the same lifelong mate, then spend six weeks keeping the egg warm, until hatching into ‘pufflings’ which live on oily fish, to survive.
In England, there has been a recent ban on sandeel fishing to protect dwindling numbers of both puffins and kittiwakes. This is being fought by the EU (so presumably Ireland has not had a ban, as it is still a member of the European Union).
The Beautiful Isle of Angelsey
Many of us in England, only know Angelsey as the ‘place where you take the Holyhead ferry to Ireland’, if you’re not flying to the Emerald Isle. And puffins! But it’s got a lot of useful lessons to teach us, despite being right up at the tip of north Wales.
Anglesey stands out for its untouched landscapes. Ynys Llanddwyn, with its sweeping sandy beaches and rare wildlife, shows the rewards of strong environmental care. The protected dunes and pine forests in Newborough help rare birds and plants thrive.
One creature that thrives here is the red squirrel. Not due to grey squirrel culls, but because the pine forests are intact, providing native homes for shelter and food. In England, only Northumberland really has a thriving population, as its pine forests are not logged.
Read more on how to help both red and grey squirrels.
Gardening on your ‘Patch of the Planet’
Patch of the Planet is a lovely training centre for wildlife-friendly permaculture, run by a couple who specialise in ecological design. Alongside cosy campsite holidays, the courses including caring for soil, grafting apple trees and permaculture design.
The good news if you can’t visit Wales is they offer an online course ‘10 Steps to a Nature Garden with e-books and video tutorials.
Create a thriving environment for you, wildlife and the planet, with support from a passionate online community. Access a lesson for free!
Use no-dig gardening to protect wildlife (avoid netting). Read more on pet-friendly gardens and wildlife-friendly gardens.
If you’re a fan of nature, you’ll love the writings of the co-founder’s brother Paul Kingsnorth (who Aris Roussinos called ‘England’s greatest living writer’).
