Mammals to protect

They say there are 3 million people here for 11 million sheep! Several breeds (Black Welsh Mountain or Kerry Hill) originated here and have spread throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland. There are also many horses and ponies - especially in Pembrokeshire and the Brecon Beacons. Other common mammals populate the Welsh countryside such as foxes, grey squirrels, rabbits, hares, roe deer

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The horseshoe bat, rare in other European countries can be observed mainly in the south of the country, in the Pembrokeshire region. And most often in summer, when they are most active, by dry weather and/or at sunrise or sunset. It bears this name because its nose is shaped like a horseshoe, it is also known as the Great Rhinolophe. It is the largest European specimen, unfortunately now endangered. It is estimated that in the last century its population has decreased by 90%, due to the increase in agriculture and housing. This species is very sensitive to disturbances in their habitat and it is important to protect them. The increase in pesticides has also led to a decrease in beetles, one of their food sources.

Today, there is

an organization in charge of bat conservation in the United Kingdom, the Bat Conservation Trust

. And finally, dogs! It should be remembered that the Welsh Corgi Pembroke and the Welsh Corgi Cardigan are two breeds of dogs native to Wales. Since the end of the Middle Ages, these little fox-headed dogs - Queen Elizabeth II's favourites! - have been regarded as remarkable herd leaders.

A paradise for birdwatchers

As far as birds are concerned, kilometres of coastline are home to many species of seabirds. The Welsh cliffs are on the path of north-south migration. The Pembrokeshire region is home to the most species: the islands of Skomer and Skokholm are home to 6,000 pairs of petrels, as well as guillemots, little penguins called razorbills, seagulls, and even some rare red-billed crabs of the crow family. This last species is mainly seen from May to June, on the point of South Stack Cliffs on the island of Anglesey. Grassholm Island has one of the world's largest colonies of Northern Gannets with about 30,000 pairs of birds. However, the most representative bird of the country remains the puffin. They can be seen in spring bringing back fish for their young. The colonies are found everywhere, but more specifically in Pembrokeshire where they mainly make their home in the islands (Skomer and Skokholm or Bardsey).

Birds of prey are also widespread and protected species. The Red Kites - eagles with red wings on top - had practically disappeared from the country due, among other things, to pesticides that weakened the eggs. However, since the ban on DDT - a powerful insecticide - they now number about 100 pairs, mainly around the Elan Valley.

Marine fauna: encouraging figures

There are many species: dolphins, seals... The coasts of Pembrokeshire are nature reserves sheltering dolphins, sea turtles, porpoises, sea slugs and grey seals, which form a colony near the island of Ramsey. Every year a few hundred baby seals can be seen here. Unfortunately, marine pollution has increased, especially since the sinking of the Sea Empress

, which was carrying tonnes of oil near Milford Haven in 1996. This shipwreck was dramatic - among other things - for the birds, especially the species most affected, the black scoter, one third of whose population died. More than 20 years later, wildlife has regained possession of the area.

In New Quay, you can visit the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Center, which is an information centre on the marine wildlife of Cardigan Bay. They work on monitoring dolphin populations in the bay and you can even spend the day or a few hours with them on sea trips. The three most counted species are: the Atlantic grey seal (60 in June 2019, 43 in August, 77 in September), the bottlenose dolphin (417 in June, 543 in August, 317 in September) and the harbour porpoise (2 in June, 3 in August, 26 in September). They also do photo identification of bottlenose dolphins in order to have a follow-up to better understand the species and its way of life. Cardigan Bay is one of the only two areas in English waters to host a semi-permanent dolphin population. (The other area being in Scotland, the Bay of Morray Firfh.) While five species of dolphins can be seen, the bottlenose dolphin is the most present and observable species. About 300 bottlenose dolphins are usually in the cove, around 200 all year round, with an increase in the summer to reach a maximum in late September and October.

It is estimated that there are about 66 grey seal births each year. They are born with a white coat, so they can also be called whitecoat pups. It will take about a month for the white coat to give way to a dense grey coat. When they are born, they barely go in the water and stay on the shore. This is why in autumn, one must be vigilant on beaches where there are colonies and not get too close to the babies, such as on the beach at Marloes or at Blue Lagoon in Abereiddy.

The Welsh rivers are teeming with trout and some salmon, especially in the Usk and Wye rivers.

A rich vegetation

Wales is rich in plant species: 1,100 of the 1,600 British species can be found here. For many, these are ferns and mosses, plants that like humidity. There are even alpine species; far from the pastures on the Snowdonia Mountains is Snowdon Lily, a kind of small white tulip, a remnant of the ice age that is found nowhere else and only flowers from late May to early June. In the rest of the country, the hills are covered with green grass, wild thyme and purple heather.

The flora is quite similar to that of England: meadows, moors, deciduous woods. Wales is an ancient massif transformed into a plateau by erosion. Formerly covered with forests, mainly sessile oaks, only a few pockets of forest remain today, a phenomenon due to the climate and intense deforestation. In the north, in Llangernyw, one of the oldest trees in the world still stands valiantly: the yew is said to be around 4,000 years old. The Pengelli Forest in Pembrokeshire remains the largest old growth forest. In May, under the oaks and ash trees, the flowerbeds are covered with blue hyacinths, violets and orchids. In autumn, they give way to mushrooms, including chanterelles, which grow under the beech trees. Wild cherry trees and maple fields are also part of the Welsh landscape.