Royal Ordnance Factory Pembrey

After spending the end of last month around ancient castles we found ourselves exploring some slightly more recent history on Saturday. Our destination was Pembrey country park which is today a haven for recreation with large grassy fields, expansive forestry and even a dry ski slope. Back in 1886 however you'd have been wise to steer well clear of the area as a dynamite factory occupied some 155 acres of the present day park. With the arrival of WW1 a shortage of shells for the war effort was becoming a serious concern so in 1914 a TNT and propellant factory was also constructed, the first such purpose built facility in the UK. In all 15,000 tonnes of TNT and 20,000 tonnes of propellant were produced before the site was decommissioned. In 1938 however construction started on a new munitions factory which again provided an important supply of TNT throughout WW2 and beyond until its eventual closure in 1964.

The buildings where over three thousand people once toiled are long gone, swept away as part of the regeneration of this once heavily fortified coastline, but there are still many signs that hint towards those darker times. Principle amongst these are the huge earth covered concrete bunkers that sit surrounded by blast embankments near the forestry. These were used to safely store munitions prior to being loaded onto the sites internal railway system, the rails of which can still be seen set into concrete on the bunker floors.

Each bunker follows a similar design with a main tunnel for the railway off which several storage rooms reside. A couple of these are small enough to suggest that they may have been offices, but most are cavernous spaces well protected from any aerial bombardment. Whenever I explore old military installations its always the details I like to focus on as they are what really bring to life the fact that these rotting concrete structures are part of the reason we have our freedom today. Fuse boxes, phone interchanges, light switches, wiring conduits and door frames all help to tell the human story of those that worked there.

Graffiti, both old and modern, adorn many of the walls but unfortunately much of it is just mindless vandalism. Every now and again though you do stumble across a piece that shows real intelligence and skill from the artist such as the example below. For those in doubt the message is political in nature and expresses displeasure at the way in which a lot of our famous British names are now under German ownership.

As you walk deeper into the park further signs of prior use continue to peak through the forest floor, usually in the form of rail lines that must have proved difficult to reclaim. Pillboxes are also dotted around, their once open views now obscured by maturing trees. Of particular interest to me was the brick built example below with concrete peep holes, a pillbox construction method that I have not seen used all that often.

Despite these man made intrusions nature has done an exceptionally good job of reclaiming the land but the bunkers still prove to be a magnet for those of us curious about their history. It's probably not a surprise that there are several ghost sightings associated with them, and after having taken shelter in one during a particularly heavy rainstorm I can confirm that you are never quite at ease in their presence.

Castling Sunday Part 2 - Carreg Cennen

Carreg Cennen occupies a dominant position overlooking the village of Trapp and is widely regarded as one of if not the most dramatic of the Welsh castles. The original structure dates back to the twelfth century but it was heavily remodelled by John Giffard a hundred years later into the design we see today. Throughout it's history Carreg Cennen swapped between English and Welsh ownership as power ebbed between the two warring nations, but it was under English stewardship in 1461 that it finally met its end. At that time a dynastic civil war for the throne of England was raging, a period known as the Wars of the Roses. Carreg Cennen became a stronghold for the Lancastrian faction but ultimately fell to a Yorkist force who subsequently paid five hundred men twenty eight pounds to demolish it stone by stone. Fortunately the money must not have been sufficient as although its interior is long gone, the exterior walls have stood the test of time well.

A well marked footpath circles Carreg Cennen and its surrounding valleys and it was this that we followed throughout the afternoon. As always when embarking on a new walk you never know quite what you will find, and this trip was to be no different. After a few miles of walking through pristine Welsh countryside we came upon the following sign. Am I the only one that finds such warnings an invitation to go and investigate further?

Having read the sign and decided we could handle the danger we followed a very narrow track above a fast flowing river to the object of our potential doom. As the trees opened out we came upon a stone cliff at the base of which an underwater cave was spewing what we later discovered to be the source of the River Loughor. Amazingly our house overlooks the mouth of the very same river. If I'd studied the map in more detail I probably would have realised what we were heading for far earlier, but in a way it was more enjoyable to simply stumble across it.

A few meters away from the cave lies the post medieval ruins of Llygad Llwchwr limekiln and its associated quarry. At one time lime was a valuable raw material used for construction, lime washing buildings and improving the quality of soil. Though tranquil today the valley must once have reverberated to the sounds of men and their tools whilst the heat and smoke from the kiln would have been distinctly unpleasant.

Throughout our walk Red Kites were a constant companion as they called overhead and soared across the valley. This one in particular did a couple of circuits before gliding effortlessly out of sight.

Fungi were also relatively abundant with my ever favourite and much mentioned Yellow Brain Fungus being the most common. The Gorse did hold one other species in the shape of this as yet unidentified colony.

By the time we made it back to the castle a bank of cloud that had been slowly creeping in from the west had finally succeeded in its goal of blotting out the sun. The result was a noticeable drop in temperature so we were somewhat surprised to find this Small Tortoiseshell fluttering around the ticket hut.

Given that the butterfly was continually shivering its wings I would guess that it was extremely cold, a feeling that I can sympathise with as so was I. Hopefully this sighting marks the start of another successful butterfly season in which I hope to pick up a few of the less common species after my initial forays last year. If the weather forecast is anything to go by though there may be a blip on the way with a cold snap forecast in the next few days. What was that about it being spring?

Castling Sunday Part 1 - Dryslwyn

I have been mentioning the coming of spring on this blog off and on now for the last couple of weeks, but after last Sunday I feel confident in saying that for me at least spring has definitely arrived. The first clue has been the increasingly vocal displays from our local House Sparrows who have now retaken their perches on the guttering and have been engaging in verbal warfare with the next territory over. As we left the house on Sunday morning they were at it again and so distracted that for once they didn't pop out of sight as soon as they saw me standing below with the camera.

Our first destination of the day, and the focus of this entry, was Dryslwyn Castle a few miles away in the neighbouring county of Carmarthenshire. We visited the same location earlier in the year while looking for Whooper Swans, but this time it was Tree Sparrows that we had our eye on. Tree Sparrows are the much rarer relatives of my noisy friends above, so we were pretty amazed to find three feeding in a mixed flock of Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Great Tits and Blue Tits in the small castle car park when we arrived. Unfortunately something must have spooked them as they disappeared over the hedge a few moments later and were not seen again despite the other species returning. The birds were being attracted to seed that had been spread on the ground, a feeding position that left them somewhat exposed and probably accounted for their flighty nature. Only this Robin and couple of the Blue Tits ventured towards us.

Walking up to the castle we had a commanding view of the river valley beneath us where flocks of Canada Geese, Greylag Geese and Mute Swans were taking their fill from the surrounding fields. Much like our last visit some hundred plus Wigeon were chilling out on the river banks along with a couple of Cormorants and three Great Black Backed Gulls. Above and around us a pair of Ravens were defending their territory in the only way they know how, which much to my annoyance didn't involve flying past suitably slowly for my camera focus to get a lock. Fortunately there was no such problem with the view which was as stunning as ever and moved at a speed much more to my liking.

Back down on the lower slopes and some freshly flowered Gorse held the real signs that spring was upon us. A brief glimpse of an unidentified butterfly was accompanied by plenty of pollen laden bees, so out came the macro as I started my reacquaintance with just how spiky a Gorse bush can be. Most of the open flowers already looked to have been plundered so the bees were actually forcing their way past the closed petals of the rest. It was a fascinating spectacle to watch up close, and it definitely looked like several legs were a distinct advantage to tackling the job at hand. The first photo below shows a Honey Bee, but the identity of the next two is a mystery.

Also to be found amongst the foliage were several Seven-spot Ladybirds. These are our most common ladybird species and usually seen from March onwards, so these were a little ahead of the game.

I had hoped to take some shots of Daffodils and Snowdrops with the castle as a backdrop, but it seems that we were a little too early for them despite the same species having flowered a couple of weeks ago back at home. It just goes to show how variable conditions can be within a few miles of each other. Instead we headed further up the valley to our second castle of the day, Carreg Cennen.

Leap Year Sunset

Today for the first time this year I was home from work before the sun had disappeared below the horizon. I had just enough time to dash up the hill behind our house with the camera before an errant bank of cloud blocked the developing sunset from view. Given that it is such an easily accessible location I have always bemoaned its lack of foreground material when it comes to photographing sunsets, so to find this perfectly positioned tree was very nice indeed. Now I wonder if the farmer would be willing to remove that fence.....

Sunny Day at Kenfig NNR

For once the weekend turned out to be glorious across both days with blue sky, warm sun and a gentle breeze reminding us all that we do get nice weather occasionally. I was on my own for the bulk of Saturday so headed over to Kenfig NNR to see if I could snag a Bittern or two. To my surprise I found water levels across the reserve way higher than I can remember for a good while, with the 'beaches' around Kenfig pool completely submerged and some of the paths back under water. Not only did this mean that I was back to taking increasingly indirect detours through the dunes, but it also rendered the reedbed cuttings completely unsuitable for feeding Bitterns. Instead I turned my attention to the gathered waterfowl which was surprisingly varied considering the mild conditions. Gadwall, Great Crested Grebe, Wigeon, Pochard, Tufted Duck, over 200 Coot and three Goldeneye were all present but too distant for photos. Instead I turned my attention to the resident flock of Canada Geese. They often get a lot of stick for being an introduced species in this country but I find them quite engaging.

One particularly aggressive individual, possibly trying to assert its dominance before the breeding season, also allowed me to add to my occasional collection of "shouting bird" photos.

The old barbed wire fences that run into the water at a couple of places around the pool always provide ideal perches for a variety of species, and this visit was to be no exception. Common Gulls and Black Headed Gulls were the most numerous perchees but at the ruined boat house there were also three Cormorants drying their wings in the sun. The lighting was just about perfect (well perhaps a little bright if I am being picky) which allowed each feather to be picked out in detail. Not always an easy feat on a big black bird.

While photographing the Cormorants a familiar song drifted across to my ears. Although I couldn't locate the culprit flying way above my head its identity is no mystery. It would seem that the Skylarks have started singing again!

The walk out through the dunes was relatively quiet, as was the beach, but on the exposed rocks towards Sker Point Oystercatchers, Curlew and Turnstones were all busy feeding. I took the opportunity to take a shot looking back towards the huge steelworks at Port Talbot. I always find it a remarkable contrast that I can be standing in a huge nature reserve looking back at the temple of Welsh industry.

At Sker Point itself a receding tide had revealed the fascinating structures built by Honeycomb worms, a species I have covered on this blog several times in the past. What may at first appear to be brown rocks turn out under closer inspection to be countless hollow tubes with walls only a single grain of sand thick. The worms themselves reside within, safely protected from the outside world at these times of exposure.

Honeycomb worms are a relatively uncommon species around the UK thanks to their very specific habitat requirements and vulnerability from trampling, burial under shifting sand and storm damage. Therefore to have what appears to be a healthy colony locally is a very nice thing indeed.

Turkeytail Fungi (Trametes versicolor)

As part of a continuing effort to expand my knowledge of all things natural I photographed the above fungi during my Whitford walk a few weekends ago. My in the field identification skills seem to be currently stuck on Yellow Brain Fungus so the plan was to look it up when I got back home. Unfortunately for me I forgot a few key basics when it comes to identifying these often tricky species. Not only did I not note it's texture, the tree it was growing on or look at its underside, I also didn't take a photograph showing the colony as a whole. From the image above you get the impression that this was a solitary specimen when in fact it was just one particularly good example in layers upon layers of overlapping cups. All school boy errors I'm sure you'll agree and mistakes that left me in a bit of a quandary when it came to pinning down the exact species. 

After hunting through the excellent "Collins complete mushrooms and toadstools" I was sure this was a Turkeytail (Trametes versicolor) - sure that is until I looked a little further down the page and saw Trametes ochracea staring back at me. On the face of it the two species looked very similar to me especially when considering the large colour variation that each can apparently exhibit. At this point the various guides I checked started referring to all those lovely differentiating features which I had so handily forgotten to take note of.

In the end I have gone with my first impression after trawling through plenty of pages on google image search, a large proportion of which are probably tagged incorrectly anyway. The Turkeytail has commonality and the manner of growth in its favour, so I can be fairly certain that I'm correct. This being the internet though please feel free to correct me, or at the very least chastise me for getting in a muddle over what is apparently one of the UK's most common species of fungi.