Nature Ramble & Photography at RSPB Conwy – North Wales

Grab your camera and join us on our Nature Ramble – Photography at the RSPB Conwy Nature Reserve in North Wales, guaranteed to help ease you into Autumn while capturing the beauty from what can only be described as a stunning environment. The Conwy RSPB nature reserve is a wetland on the Conwy estuary, created from material dug out during the construction of the A55 road tunnel. It is now home to a variety of wildlife, and a great place for photographers and their cameras. there is always something to see and photograph, from landscape to macro, flora and fauna and, of course, birds. Your Welshot Masterclass will be learning how to work with light and shutter speeds to capture stunning compositions and movement.

September… Those crisp sunny mornings which beckon us outside to soak up the last moments of summer warmth. For nature, it’s a time of transition, with many birds taking to the flyways and animals stocking up for the colder months.  Want to capture something a little different in your camera – there is a good opportunity to catch the Carneddau ponies grazing nearby which helps to keep the habitat in good condition for the orchids when they arrive.

Follow the trails through mixed scrub and grassland, dotted with temporary pools – loved by dragonflies and butterflies – and colourful with orchids in summer. Look out for the rare coccinea form of Early Marsh-orchid and the bumblebee-mimicking Bee Orchid. The final part of the circular trail takes you along the edge of the estuary, overlooking mudflats and saltmarsh, with a backdrop of the Carneddau mountains beyond.

The lagoons provide a refuge for hundreds of waders that move off the estuary at high tide. Vegetation on the islands is cut short each autumn to make them suitable for roosting Curlews, Redshanks and grazing Wigeons. We reshape the islands, from time to time, making sure there are plenty of muddy edges for waders to feed. Water in the lagoons is fresh, not tidal, so we rely on rainfall to fill it during the winter, with additional water pumped from the nearby Afon Ganol.

The southern half of the reserve is grazed year-round by Carneddau Mountain Ponies, a hardy local mountain breed, happy to eat grass, bramble, rush and reeds. They break up the habitat, keeping it in good condition for a variety of wildlife, particularly pioneering flowers that like the low-nutrient soil, and moths whose caterpillars live in the reedbeds and grassland. The ponies’ manure is great for beetles and flies, so good for birds too.