Welcome to the Rangers' Corner of the Vale! Discover exciting updates from our parks and countryside, where conservation and community come together. From wildlife-friendly grazing at Cosmeston to woodland projects at Porthkerry, our Rangers are dedicated to preserving the Vale’s natural beauty...
FEBRAURY UPDATE:
Cosmeston Lakes
February is the last chance to complete habitat works before the nesting Season so are volunteer groups at Cosmeston have been busy helping the Rangers with several tasks. The latest jobs were cutting and raking the reeds around the ponds along the boardwalk. All works are carried out under licence and approved by Natural Resources Wales NRW.
The ponds have been bursting into life with water voles being seen regularly, frogs, toads and newts are laying their spawn and aquatic vegetation all starting to grow (Pics attached)
The ongoing Ash die back works will now cease at the end of February until the autumn of 2025and once again where possible pollarding of the Ash trees will be the first option if possible, this entails pruning back to the main trunk of the tree in a hope that the tree can develop resistance to the disease.
The Heritage Coast
The Rangers have been working for Butterfly Conservation undertaking Habitat Management for the High Brown Fritillary butterfly and adder (See photos of a high brown fritillary butterfly, adder and the robocutter).
Using the robocutter to clear bracken and scrub to create a number of rides and scalloped areas. Areas were cut to allow dog violets to emerge, which is the food plant for the larvae of the high brown fritillary. The cutting of rides also creates areas for the high brown fritillary butterfly to lay eggs.
Porthkerry Country Park
Rangers: The ranger team has been tasked with cutting 13inland public rights of way routes. They need 2 cuts per year, a winter and summer. The Porthkerry ranger team have successfully completed their winter inland cut. At the park the rangers have been busy prepping and servicing machinery ready for the springtime cutting. The rangers have also been planting several trees throughout the park to help replace the ash trees that have been removed due to ash dieback.
Contract work: True Service-tree (Sorbus domestica L.) is an extremely rare and only spontaneously occurring tree species in the British Isles. There are roughly 60 records of S. domestica in the British Isles with16 of these based at Porthkerry. Contractors have been busy cutting Holm Oak that surround and crowd out the true service trees to help protect and enhance the current population. Volunteer sessions: Volunteers have been busy helping the rangers on their inland cutting as well as clearing and creating habitat piles behind contractors who have been working in the woodlands throughout the park. Wildlife: The first adders of the year have been seen and recorded by the rangers and Porthkerry wildlife group.
JANUARY UPDATE:
Cosmeston Lakes:
Winter time is ideal for habitat management and the volunteer groups at Cosmeston have been busy helping the Rangers with several tasks. The latest jobs were cutting and raking in the wetland around the West Lake and the Dragonfly Pond. All works are carried out under licensee and approved by Natural Resources Wales NRW. The volunteer sessions were well attended with everyone enjoying the outdoor work which also included a break for coffee and biscuits.
Ongoing tree works have also taken place on many Ash trees which have been identified with Ash die back. Where possible pollarding of the Ash trees has been undertaken, this entails pruning back to the main trunk of the tree
The Heritage Coast:
Wales Coastal Path: The Ranger team have been undertaking a Winter cutback of scrub on many areas of the Wales Coastal Path from Aberthaw to Ogmore by sea (Aberthaw, Summerhouse Point, Tresilian, Cwmmawr and Ogmore)
St Donats Roll Back: A section of the Wales Coastal path at St Donats has recently been moved further inland and new fence line installed by a contractor
Storm Damage: The Rangers have been out felling and clearing fallen trees that were blocking footpaths on the Penllyn estate and Castle upon Alun after storms.
Porthkerry:
Contract work: External Contractors have been busy working on carpark improvement works. Work is still on schedule to be finished by the end of March. Car park works proceeding well with kerb stones being laid for the new layout.
Rangers: The Porthkerry Rangers organised and hosted a full team clearance day with rangers from Southerndown and Cosmeston joining to help. During the day the rangers managed to clear six large fallen trees that were causing blockages to paths and streams. Where they can, rangers are leaving fallen trees in the heart of the wood as habitat. Porthkerry rangers have finished cutting their 6-mile section of the wales coast path. The rangers have also begun planning their inland public rights of way cut. The Vale of Glamorgan has approximately 586km of public rights of way. Most of these paths are cut and maintained by the Ranger Service.
Volunteer sessions: Our weekly volunteers have been helping with habitat management including pond/stream clearance. This will help ready the ponds for the summertime school pond dipping sessions. The volunteers have also been busy tiding behind our tree felling contractors. They have been creating habitat piles of brash throughout woodlands. With some of the brash our volunteers have also started creating a dead hedge located at the top fields area of Porthkerry.
Wildlife: Below we have a picture of a little egret taken by one of the Rangers at Porthkerry. The little egret was once rare to the UK but is now resident across South Wales and England. It is a small white heron which feeds on fish and other small animals and has distinctive yellow feet. Often found visiting Porthkerry in the wetter months of winter they can regularly be seen on the site of the old golf course searching for food in and around the new ponds. Large amounts of frogspawn have also been spotted in ponds throughout the park adding to the overall success of the once void of wildlife golf course.
Problems: Although the weather has been cold there has been an increase in camping and fires that are not permitted in the park. These campers are leaving bags of litter and discarded barbecues in the park.
DECEMBER UPDATE:
Porthkerry:
At Porthkerry Country Park, car park improvement work is now underway thanks to funding from the Welsh Government's Brilliant Basics grant, with work set to continue until the end of March.
The Porthkerry Ranger team has been focusing on managing encroaching Sea Buckthorn along the Wales Coastal Path, ensuring the trail remains accessible and welcoming. Conservation grazing has also been successful this season, with 10 sheep grazing paddocks near the top fields and bottom car park. While the sheep have now been taken off-site, they will return for summer grazing.
Wildlife monitoring has been a highlight for the team, with wildlife cameras capturing activity from otters, badgers, and foxes throughout the park. Five bullfinches have also been spotted making use of the park's hedgerows, adding a vibrant splash of life to the winter landscape. Porthkerry’s weekly volunteer groups have been invaluable, assisting with park maintenance and off-site efforts, such as shrub clearance at Aberthaw Nature Reserve. However, a growing concern has been the noticeable increase in dog fouling, particularly in the top fields, with some waste bags being discarded in trees. Visitors are reminded to keep the park clean and enjoyable for everyone.
Cosmeston Lakes:
Funding through the Local Nature Partnership (LNP) has been secured to install a new bird hide overlooking the quieter West Lake at Cosmeston Lakes. The new bird hide will have seating and interpretation to inform visitors of the wildlife they are likely to spot. It is hoped the project will be completed and installed by the end of March 2025. An example showing the type of bird hide design that will be installed can be seen in the picture below. Even with the December holiday period our dedicated volunteers still offered over 65 hours of their time to help with habitat management works at Cosmeston lakes.
The Heritage Coast:
With the help from volunteers the heritage Coast Rangers fitted a new bridge at Cwm Mawr on the Wales Coast Path. As can be seen in the before and after pictures the new bridge will make the access much easier for those walking the route. The team also carried out some habitat management works at Monks wood for Sustainable Wick Community Group and the Local Nature Partnership. The work consisted of, management of grassland, woodland and Scrub encroachment. Some bracken cutting and thinning was also carried out for Restore the Thaw Project.
NOVEMBER UPDATE:
Cosmeston Lakes:
At Cosmeston Lakes the livestock have returned once again for a second year, conservation grazing is taking place with small numbers of both cattle and sheep. The cattle which include Aberdeen Angus, Hereford and Short Horn can be seen in the Dovecote fields. The sheep which include Shetland Herdwick and Scottish Blacks are in the field next to the Medieval Village. Signage is in place at all access points advising visitors about livestock, for more information on conservation grazing please follow the link HERE!
Cosmeston has also seen the creation of two new ponds with grant funding from the Local Nature Partnership and consultation with Amphibian and Reptile Conservation. The ponds which are located in the Dovecote Fields took 5 days to create and after the heavy rains have already filled to the brim. For more information on lakes and ponds please follow the link HERE!
Porthkerry:
Porthkerry Country Park has received support from the Woodland Investment Grant Scheme(TWIG) and as part of the project we welcome our new Woodland Project Officer,Matt, to deliver on the aims.
Matt said, "I am enormously grateful to be part of the Porthkerry team and help manage their 84 hectare historic woodland. The TWIG funding will allow us to improve woodland access for all, engage with the local community and increase woodland biodiversity. Please look out for our upcoming woodland events and volunteering opportunities"
@HeritageFundCYM #NationalTreeWeek
The Heritage Coast:
The Rangers at the Heritage Coast have been putting a new remote controlled machine ‘Robocut’ to the test. Robocut was used to cut the parish field in Graig Penllyn near Cowbridge (Cae'r rhedyn SSSI) The parish field is managed as a hay meadow with the cuttings raked off by volunteers in the community
Let our parks and gardens inspire you:
Header Photo credit: @bnfwlr1989
