Radnorshire Wildlife Trust - RWT Wales.org

Results of the River Marteg Water Vole Project

 

The brooks and river of the Marteg catchment support some diverse and rather lovely habitats. These range from peaty upland streams with tussocky grasses, wet flushes and remnant heather, to crazy, crumbling meanders winding over the flood plain with nearby vegetated wet depressions revealing the old river channels, to the wooded banks and rocky outcrops as the river heads down over the Gilfach waterfalls towards its confluence with the Wye.

 

Rich vegetation on the Tawelan (photo by Darylle Hardy)

There is evidence to suggest that a water vole population is hanging on in the upland headwaters of the Marcheini tributary, but currently no signs in the valleys. However the brook running in the valley of our Cefn Cenarth reserve (the Nant Tawelan) is really good water vole habitat, so we hope that in the near future a new colony will develop there from dispersing juveniles.

 

 

Better news about otters. We regularly see otter spraint along the Marteg in our Gilfach reserve which suggests that this wooded section of the river is home range. However, I have also found spraint (usually deposited under bridges) high upstream on the Marteg and the Nant Tawelan, and also on the Marcheini in its lower reaches.

Otter Spraint (photo by Darylle Hardy)

Otter Prints (photo by Darylle Hardy)

Perhaps there is good news about the wretched mink too. I have not managed to catch any and none of the Marteg Valley farmers have seen any for three or four years, though there was definitely one fishing for salmon at the Gilfach waterfall in 2007 in full view of onlookers! The general feeling nationally is that otters are displacing mink and that they are in decline, though it is likely that they are always going to co-exist to some extent. I have set up and seen plenty of snipe, some lapwing flocks (a pair were know to nest in the valley in 2007), a kingfisher, sand martin colony, frequently heron, frogs, common lizards, and a couple of hares. The mink raft below has a clay pad inside the tunnel and is checked for mink footprints regularily.

Mink at Gilfach (photo by Pip Amos)

Mink raft (photo by Darylle Hardy)

Many of the old river channel wet depressions are diverse in plants and quite beautiful in the summer. Typical plants are: marsh marigolds, meadowsweet, lesser spearwort, water mint, marsh ragwort, valerian, sneezewort, water crowfoot, water starworts, pondweeds, branched bur-reed, reed canary grass, soft rush, sharp flowered rush and other rushes and sedges. There are also some really interesting associated habitats: rush and rhos pasture, marsh vegetation, peat bogs and bog pools that have used as turbary in the past.

Crazy meanders on the middle Marteg

(photo by Darylle Hardy)

 

 

"I would like to thank all the landowners who kindly let me survey the river for wildlife."

Darylle Hardy