Reflections on the Snowdonia Ecosystem Project

**Scroll down for Welsh**  **Rholiwch i lawr i weld y testun Cymraeg**

Welcome to our brand new blog page – How exciting!

There’s always plenty to talk about going on in Snowdonia from our own volunteering days to interesting local stories.  An ideal way to start this blog is to reflect on the past six months, which have seen the launch of our new project “the Snowdonia Ecosystem Project” (the hugely successful Conservation Snowdonia Project is now retired!).  In recent months we've seen many firsts for the society thanks to this new project:

* Our first sea mammal survey in partnership with Sea Watch, proved a very popular event and one which we would like to see repeated.  Unfortunately no dolphins or porpoises were seen but we were lucky enough to be privy to fantastic views of a peregrine falcon as well as a series of gannet dives!  Hopefully next time we’ll be lucky enough to spot that elusive fin….

* A group of eager volunteers took to the rivers on a sunny day to help the MISE (mammals in a sustainable environment) project to survey for otters.  Paddling bare foot in the water on a hot summer’s day whilst looking under branches and on boulders for otter poo – what nicer way to spend a day?

* Thanks to funding from CAE and NRW we were able to put on a free 2 day plant ID course for volunteers – which received such terrific feedback we’ll be running it again in the not too distant future.

* We’ve also run “old faithful” workdays such as Himalayan balsam bashing, Rhododendron clearance and footpath workdays.

We had a particularly exciting time in October, when we carried out an Autumn woodland Bioblitz.  A big thanks goes out to all volunteers and experts who helped in the collection and recording of fungi, plants, mammals, birds, lower plants, bats, invertebrates, moths….Many interesting specimens were found and the data has been passed on to Cofnod.  Once it has been collated we’ll be able to let you know how many species were found!

Thank you to those of you who have volunteered and helped to make this project possible, if you've not volunteered why not start now?  It’s never too late!

Croeso i’n tudalen blog newydd sbon – dyna ichi gyffrous!

Bydd digonedd o bethau'n digwydd bob amser yn Eryri i sicrhau digon o destun trafod inni, o'n diwrnodau gwirfoddoli i hanesion lleol diddorol.  Ffordd ddelfrydol i gychwyn y blog hwn yw adfyfyrio ar y chwe mis diwethaf, pan lansiwyd ein prosiect newydd “Prosiect Ecosystem Eryri" (mae’r Prosiect Cadwraeth Eryri hynod lwyddiannus bellach wedi ymddeol!).  Yn ystod misoedd diweddar, mae'r Gymdeithas wedi arloesi â nifer o bethau, diolch i'r prosiect newydd hwn:

* Roedd ein harolwg cyntaf  o famaliaid y môr mewn partneriaeth â Sea Watch yn ddigwyddiad poblogaidd iawn, a hoffem ailadrodd hwn yn y dyfodol.  Yn anffodus, ni welwyd dolffiniaid na llamhidyddion, ond roeddem yn ddigon ffodus i fwynhau golygfeydd bendigedig o hebog tramor yn ogystal â chyfres o blymiadau gan fulfrain gwynion.  Gobeithio y byddwn yn ddigon ffodus i weld yr asgell wibiog honno y tro nesaf....

* Aeth grŵp o wirfoddolwyr brwdfrydig i'r afonydd un diwrnod heulog i helpu prosiect MISE (mamaliaid mewn amgylchedd cynaliadwy) i wneud arolwg o ddyfrgwn.  Padlo’n droednoeth yn y dŵr ar ddiwrnod braf o haf wrth chwilio am faw dyfrgwn dan y canghennau a’r clogfeini - dyna ffordd hyfryd o dreulio diwrnod!

* Diolch i gyllid gan CAE ac ANC, roeddem yn gallu cynnig cwrs adnabod planhigion 2 ddiwrnod am ddim i wirfoddolwyr – cafwyd adborth mor wych,  byddwn yn ei redeg eto yn y dyfodol agos.

* Rydym hefyd wedi cynnal diwrnodau gwaith sy'n “hen ffefrynnau”, megis brwydro Ffromlys Chwarennog, clirio Rhododendron a chynnal a chadw llwybrau.

Roedd mis Hydref yn neilltuol o gyffrous inni, pan gynhaliwyd Bioblitz yn y coetir.  Diolch yn fawr iawn i’r holl wirfoddolwyr ac arbenigwyr a gynorthwyodd â’r gwaith o gasglu a chofnodi ffyngau, planhigion, mamaliaid, planhigion is, ystlumod, infertebratau, gwyfynod...Canfuwyd nifer o enghreifftiau diddorol ac anfonwyd y data at Cofnod.  Pan fydd yr holl ddata wedi’i gasglu ynghyd, byddwn yn gallu rhoi gwybod ichi faint o rywogaethau a ganfuwyd!

Diolch i bawb ohonoch sydd wedi gwirfoddoli a chynorthwyo i wireddu'r prosiect  hwn. Os nad ydych wedi gwirfoddoli o’r blaen, beth am gychwyn nawr?  Dydy o fyth yn rhy hwyr!