A Prestatyn haven for nature is taking shape to craft support for local wildlife
The Council’s Countryside Services are continuing to develop land at Parc Bodnant to help and improve biodiversity in the area.
Work started on the land early this year as part of the Council’s Woodland Creation Project and commitment to tackling the climate and nature emergency.
Ffordd Parc Bodnant has seen nearly 1,500 trees, including hedgerow trees, planted at the site through the support of the Council’s Climate Change team, Countryside Services staff and volunteers who came out to support the work.
The trees include fruit trees, wildlife hedgerow and widely spaced native trees to help provide shade and keep the parkland habitat setting.
Work has carried on throughout the year and the site now includes new additions designed to boost nature.
A new pond has been added to the site which is designed to hold a low level of water to provide optimum conditions for many species to thrive.
Alongside the pond is a unique, locally crafted wooden outdoor classroom which has a bat roof to give the nocturnal mammal a place to roost.
Countryside staff have also continued work to improve an orchard at Parc Bodnant and also develop a wildflower meadow to allow native species to thrive at the site.
Councillor Barry Mellor, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said: It is fantastic to see this site grow and develop through the care and commitment of our Countryside Services. The growth would also not be possible without the support of the volunteers, some I met early this year during the tree planting and their dedication to the environment is really giving back vital help to local nature here.
“The outdoor classroom is also a fantastic asset to the site and I hope that residents of all ages can come and learn about and enjoy the site.”
2023: Another successful little tern season!
Denbighshire Countryside Service manages Gronant Dunes, which together with its satellite colony at Point of Ayr, is Wales’ only breeding colony of little terns. The little tern is the UK’s smallest species of tern. The colony is the second largest in the UK, and one of the most successful, with Denbighshire having managed the colony since 2005.
Little terns spend the winter in Africa, before making the journey to western Europe to breed every summer. They arrive in May, and breed on the shingle of a few select beaches, before returning to Africa in August. Their nests consist of just a scrape in the sand, where pairs will take turns in incubating 1-3 eggs. Little terns feed exclusively on a diet of sand eels, which they fish for out at sea.
Little tern chicks, which are fed a diet of sand eels, are very well camouflaged. Photo: David Woodfall
With the help of volunteers from North Wales Little Tern Group, staff from Denbighshire Countryside Service set up for the season in April. This involves constructing over 3km of electric fenced pens, further outer fencing, a visitors’ centre and a hide. Its purpose is to protect nests on shingle from predators, as well as disturbance from visitors.
Staff and volunteers constructing pens on the shingle to protect little tern nests
It was then over to Countryside Service staff, predominantly Little Tern Wardens Sam, Jonny and Jordan, to ensure a daily presence on site. Their role involved maintaining electric fencing, which is switched on at night-time to protect the terns from ground predators including foxes, weasels and stoats. The wardens were also on the look-out for aerial predators – mainly kestrels and peregrine falcons, as well as engaging with the many visitors who come to Gronant each year. The wardens keep track of the number of nests on the shingle, and later in the season, the number of fledglings, which gives an indication of the season’s success. This season, 155 fledglings were recorded at Gronant, which gather on the shoreline before making the journey back to Africa, at only a few weeks old!
Denbighshire have been working with licenced bird ringers, with over 35 years’ experience of working with little terns. The ringers are collecting valuable data which will build a more in-depth understanding of these birds. For instance, ringing at Gronant helped to discover the oldest known little tern, at over 25 years old!
Gronant is popular with groups of visitors, and I have taken a number of these out to the colony myself this season. One of the first visits was a group of Young Rangers from Loggerheads Country Park. School groups from Tir Morfa sixth form and Ysgol Bodnant primary also enjoyed their visit. Numerous groups of adults have visited Gronant this year, including the Prestatyn Walking Festival, Nordic walkers and KIM Inspire. The colony is popular with individual visitors: some experienced birdwatchers, and other beachgoers who are fascinated to learn about little terns! Visitors to the colony could view the little terns from the visitors’ centre and the bird hide, as well as from the beach, keeping outside of the fenced area.
A group from the Prestatyn Walking Festival enjoyed watching the little terns through the telescope!
Ysgol Bodnant birdwatching from the visitors’ centre
At the time of writing, we are just finishing the deconstruction of the setup for the year. Denbighshire County Council has a no-trace policy at Gronant, meaning all equipment is taken off for the winter. We’d like to thank the volunteers for their hard work this year and look forward to another successful season next year!
If you would like any more information on Gronant’s little tern colony, or to volunteer, please contact claudia.smith@denbighshire.gov.uk or 07785517398.