How Conwy's RSPB bird reserve was created

Apr 21 2011 by Mari Jones, North Wales Weekly News

A century ago the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds was established in Wales. Reporter MARI JONES finds out how Conwy’s RSPB reserve was set up 20 years ago.

RSPB Cymru is celebrating its 100th birthday this year, and it’s a story which started with one very determined lady in Anglesey.

The RSPB was originally formed in England in 1889 by a group of ladies who were campaigning against the barbarous trade in plumes for women's hats, which was the fashion at the time.

However, the RSPB didn’t begin its work in Wales until 1911, with a small project involving a couple living on remote Ynys Llanddwyn.

Elizabeth and William Jones, sea pilots who guided slate-carrying ships through the Menai Strait, were asked to protect the island’s population of roseate terns from the threat of egg thieves.

Elizabeth Llanddwyn-Jones, granddaughter of the RSPB’s first “watcher” in Wales, attended the RSPB centenary reception at the Conwy reserve last week.

Julian Hughes, warden of the reserve, was delighted to meet her. He said: “Meeting her was a real link to the past. Her grandmother must have been quite a formidable lady as sometimes she would row out to guide in the slate ships herself.”

The success of the RSPB in Wales has been considerable.

“One notable positive story is that of the red kite. By the 1930s there were only two or three pairs in Wales, and now we have around 800,” said Julian.

“We have also helped save the chough and black grouse in Wales.

“The RSPB now has 18 reserves across Wales, five in North Wales.”

There are 50,000 RSPB members in Wales, which is the second highest in the UK per ratio to capita.

The charity in Wales now employs 150 staff members and has over 800 volunteers, attracting over 300,000 visitors and tourists every year to its nature reserves which offer environmental education experiences to over 9,000 children every year.

The RSPB Conwy reserve was created 20 years ago with the construction of the Conwy Tunnel.

Julian said: “It was quite ironic because at the time we were campaigning against the construction of the tunnel.

“The estuary was a Site of Special Scientific Interest and we were concerned about the habitat of the oyster catchers, curlews and other birds.”

Julian has a lot of admiration for a man called David Williams, who worked in the planning department of the then Aberconwy Borough Council.

“The original plan was to dump the silt from the tunnel over this way and grass it over for sheep grazing,” he said.

“Thankfully David thought there was already enough land for sheep grazing around here, and made enquiries to see if the area could be transformed into a nature reserve instead.

“He got in touch with the RSPB and Crown Estates who actually owned the land, and they were only too pleased to offer the land to the RSPB to get them off their backs.”

In October 1991 the agreement was signed, and two men designed the layout of the reserve and lagoons.

It had to be designed from scratch, and was built by the tunnel contractor as part of the deal they’d signed with the Welsh Office.

“It looked like a moonscape in 1992,” laughed Julian, “but by 1995 the reserve was opened with a visitor centre and hides, and a lot of volunteers helped with its construction.

“Now nature has reclaimed it and thousands of people visit us every year.

“Two hundred and forty species of bird have been spotted here, including some very rare birds such as the American wader and a bearded tit – the latter looked just like a ginger lollypop!”

What Julian is especially proud of is the amount of children who visit the reserve: “We’ve had 3,200 children in all. It’s about reconnecting children with nature.”

For more, see www.rspb.org.uk