Conservation Volunteers of St.Mellons & Trowbridge
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Welcome to our summer newsletter!
Every season we will share updates on how we have been helping wildlife and our green spaces in St Mellons and Trowbridge. We’ll also share what wildlife is out and about in our local area.
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It’s been a fun-filled and busy summer for the Conservation Volunteers group. We kicked off the summer with the Hendre Lake Open Day in June which was a huge success! Hundreds of local people joined us for nature walks, activities, and a chance to learn about nature at Hendre. Artist Sharon Magill taught us all how to do cyanotype leaf art. We also had our first Annual General Meeting, sharing updates from our first year as an official group. Bird Listener, Lee, gave a fascinating talk about birdsong. We also welcomed him to the Committee alongside our existing Exec who were voted back in: Kayleigh, Alan, Nicola, Sally, and Julia.
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In July, we teamed up with Cardiff Rivers Group to clear litter in Cath Cobb Woods, an amazing team effort! In August, we had a session cutting back along a path at Hendre Lake to help keep it clear of vegetation and created a dead hedge after removing an old fence. Later in the month, some of us joined in the fun at the St Mellons Emergency Services Fun Day. We had a stall raising awareness of the Conservation Volunteers group and our local wildlife.
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A huge thank you to all of you, our volunteers, who have joined us in making a positive difference for our wild spaces!
We’ve got more coming up in autumn, read on to find out more about our exciting events!
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A hot dry summer in St Mellons & Trowbridge
We have experienced beautiful weather over the summer. This has been great for bees and butterflies. There have been plenty of shrill carder bumblebees about which, as our local rare species, we’re always excited to see! However, the lack of rainfall has been challenging for nature too, especially for our trees and meadows.
Over the summer, a few of us having been getting together every fortnight to monitor the presence of hazel dormice around Hendre Lake. We’ve seen less activity this year than last year, possible due to the heat, but we are thrilled that we have again collected lots of dormice pawprints. The dormice are still around and it’s wonderful to know that they are thriving amongst Hendre Lake’s trees and hedges.
Our Bird Listener, Lee, has been out and about listening to wildlife. As we reach the end of summer, birds are quiet as they have been moulting and resting after a busy few months raising young. But Lee has been hearing and recording lots of grasshoppers - Meadow, Lesser Marsh and Long Winged Coneheads. There’s also been lots of bush crickets singing too including and Dark Bush Crickets.
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Other news........
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Green Hay Trial
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We have a Green Hay Trial taking place at some of the meadows at Hendre Lake. These meadows are cut and lift areas, part of the management plan to help improve floral diversity. Surveys show an improvement so, with more help from this trial, we hope to see a bigger increase in wildflower biodiversity next year.
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Protecting Trowbridge Meadow​
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Trowbridge Meadow on Hendre Road is a large and special site for wildlife in our community. It is home to rare and protected species. However, much of the area is designated for housing and has no protection. As a group, we are looking into campaigning for this site to get the much-needed protection it deserves.
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Upcoming events.....
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Volunteer with Cardiff Rivers Group
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Come along to Hendre Lake Park on Sunday 7th September, where we'll be doing some habitat management with CRG. There will litter picking too. Meet at 9:45am in the car park, CF3 0RG.
Hendre Lake Bat Walk
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On Saturday 13th September join us for a family-friendly bat walk with the community Park Rangers at 19.30. With bat detectors in hand we will discover the bats feeding at the lakeside.
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