Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Fauna
Offering opportunities for unexpected encounters, Wales is less of a wonderland and more
of a wild card when it comes to wildlife. Atlantic grey seals headline the fascinating coastal
wildlife, delivering around 1000 fluffy white pups on Pembrokeshire's shores in late
September and early October. Twitchers, meanwhile, head for Pembrokeshire's offshore is-
lands, a haven for seabirds from April to mid-August. Grassholm Island, in particular, has
one of the world's largest gannet colonies, with 39,000 pairs nesting there during breeding
season (April to September). Colonies of guillemots, razorbills, storm petrels, kittiwakes
and puffins crowd the rock faces of Skomer and Skokholm Islands and together with
nearby Ramsey Island they play host to 50% of the world's Manx shearwater population.
Rare red-billed choughs can be seen on Ramsey and at South Stack on Anglesey.
One of only two semiresident bottle-nose dolphin populations in the UK can be found in Cardigan Bay.
Sightings occur year-round, although numbers increase in summer, peaking in late September and Octo-
ber. Common and Risso's dolphins are found further out to sea, along with minke whales.
In North Wales numbers of hen harriers and Welsh black grouse are increasing, and ot-
ters are re-establishing themselves along the River Teifi and in the border area of northern
Powys. Pine martens and polecats - staples of Welsh wildlife - are found almost every-
where.
RED KITE COUNTRY
Doggedly fighting its way back from the verge of extinction, the majestic red kite (
Milvus milvus
) is now a com-
mon sight in Mid-Wales. This aerobatic bird with its 2m-long wingspan was once common across the UK and was
even afforded royal protection in the Middle Ages. However, in the 16th century it was declared vermin and merci-
lessly hunted until only a few pairs remained.
The red kites owe their reprieve in part to a 100-year-long campaign in the Tywi and Cothi Valleys of Mid-
Wales, the longest-running protection scheme for any bird in the world. Despite persistent threats from egg-hunters
and poison intended for crows and foxes, more than 400 pairs of red kites navigate the Welsh sky.
An ecotourism initiative, the
Kite Country Project
(
www.kitecountry.co.uk
)
was launched in 1994 to encourage
visitors to see the red kite in action without disturbing or endangering the species. It runs five designated informa-
tion points throughout Mid-Wales, where visitors can watch kites being fed at close range.
