0:00:04 > 0:00:07In Wales, most towns and cities have a park,
0:00:07 > 0:00:10an area of green space for people to escape
0:00:10 > 0:00:13the hustle and bustle of modern life.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15But that's not all they are good for.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19In this series, I'm taking a look at four urban parks.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24Some are old family estates, others were once industrial sites,
0:00:24 > 0:00:27but all are now places for communities to enjoy.
0:00:30 > 0:00:31None are familiar to me,
0:00:31 > 0:00:34so I'll be enlisting the help of local people
0:00:34 > 0:00:35with knowledge to share.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40Together, I'm hoping we'll uncover their wilder side.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53Today I'm in Pontypool, a town that lies on the eastern edge
0:00:53 > 0:00:57of the South Wales coalfield and was at the heart of the iron industry.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04Pontypool Park is 150 acres of land that was once part
0:01:04 > 0:01:08of the estate owned by influential industrialists the Hanbury family.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12Their house sits on the edge of the park and is now a school.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15The majority of the park came into the hands
0:01:15 > 0:01:19of the local council in 1920 and is a valuable resource for the town.
0:01:21 > 0:01:22It's the end of winter
0:01:22 > 0:01:25and it's not the best time to come out looking for wildlife,
0:01:25 > 0:01:27but I've come to the park to get to know it better,
0:01:27 > 0:01:31see what the habitats are here and what they might have to offer for wildlife.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34The sun is out, so we might actually see something as well.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39I'm heading down to the river to meet music student
0:01:39 > 0:01:41and wildlife enthusiast Gavin Vella,
0:01:41 > 0:01:44a local lad who grew up ten minutes from the park.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50- Hiya, Gavin.- Good morning.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52I didn't want to make too much noise,
0:01:52 > 0:01:55you're obviously busy down here. Which river is this now, then?
0:01:55 > 0:01:58This is called the Afon Llwyd, or Afon Lwyd.
0:01:58 > 0:01:59Afon Lwyd, the grey river.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02So what have you been looking for this morning?
0:02:02 > 0:02:04There's a pair of dipper that I think are nesting
0:02:04 > 0:02:07just up on the right of us here, so...
0:02:07 > 0:02:09- It looks like a good dipper river, doesn't it?- It does.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12- All the banks, good places to nest. - Plenty of places to nest.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15How about things like grey wagtails here?
0:02:15 > 0:02:18Yeah, we've got them just passing through as well now.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20Right, can we go and have a look at some
0:02:20 > 0:02:22of the other bits of the park,
0:02:22 > 0:02:24because it's a park I don't know at all.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26That's a nice little stream as well, isn't it?
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Yeah, it is lovely, it runs straight into the Afon Lwyd
0:02:29 > 0:02:32and goes right past our ponds up the top here now.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36These trees that are surrounding these ponds,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39the old sweet chestnuts are amazing.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43- They're cracking old trees, aren't they?- They're very old.- Oh, wow.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48It's got a nice little partially birch woodland here.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50It's a nice wood and it's a fair old climb up there too.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53It's a bit of a climb, right to the top is very steep.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58Another hill, if you keep coming up here now, we should,
0:02:58 > 0:03:00hopefully, if we're lucky,
0:03:00 > 0:03:04see the white buzzard on its usual perch.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07- A white buzzard? - Yeah, we have a white buzzard.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10It's got a few favourite perches,
0:03:10 > 0:03:13one of which is a small tree in the middle of a field.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17- Yeah, he's right there. - Oh, yeah, it doesn't half stand out.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22- Oh, wow, just a few dashes of brown. - Just a few dashes of brown.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25So, it's not a full albino, but it's not far off.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27How long's that bird been here, then?
0:03:27 > 0:03:31I've been talking to some of the locals, they've known it being here for a least ten years.
0:03:31 > 0:03:36- That's got to be one of the highlights of Pontypool Park. - It is, definitely,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39it's the most obvious bird people come down here to see.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42- Cracking. Right, onwards and ever upwards.- Upwards, yeah.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46Not quite to the top yet, Iolo,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49but this is pretty much where the view happens
0:03:49 > 0:03:51of Pontypool Park now behind us.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55It's a shame about the mist, it would have been nice to see Pontypool...
0:03:55 > 0:03:59- It is a shame.- ..and the whole of the park more or less from up here.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02It's difficult to get a view of the entire park
0:04:02 > 0:04:06because it is situated in a valley as well as a sort of round mountain.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09I see you've lugged the camera everywhere with you,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12I would imagine it's a brilliant place for bird photography, particularly.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16Yeah, it is fantastic. It's surprising the amount of birds that are in here.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19It's part of a project that I have called Rhythm of Bird Song.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23- Oh, wow.- The photography is all part of the research and part of showing
0:04:23 > 0:04:26my friends and my social network about the things
0:04:26 > 0:04:28that are on their doorstep, really.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Armed with Gavin's knowledge of the park,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36I time my next visit for the start of April
0:04:36 > 0:04:38and the beginning of the nesting season.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Now, when you are looking for early nesting birds,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46and by early nesting birds I mean birds like blackbirds,
0:04:46 > 0:04:51robins, song thrushes as well, you need to think the birds need cover.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53This time of year the leaves aren't out yet
0:04:53 > 0:04:56so they're going to aim for trees that are covered in ivy maybe,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59they're going to aim for bramble patches,
0:04:59 > 0:05:01nice thick patches like that
0:05:01 > 0:05:05or they're going to aim for somewhere where there's a tangle of branches.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09Just behind me here is a female blackbird sitting on her eggs
0:05:09 > 0:05:14and I've watched dozens of people walking past and nobody,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17absolutely nobody has taken any notice of her,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20so I reckon she's safe enough in there.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Oh, wow, that's nice. Just watching a nuthatch.
0:05:35 > 0:05:40It's nesting in a little hole in this old sweet chestnut here.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43There it is, it's on the tree, there we are, look.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45It's just flown off.
0:05:45 > 0:05:50Let's go over and have a look, these are fabulous old trees.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53See this one here, it's got three holes quite low down.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55See the upper hole, the bigger hole,
0:05:55 > 0:06:00that's a natural hole, and then it's got two holes made by a woodpecker,
0:06:00 > 0:06:02great spotted woodpecker in this case.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05This is the interesting one, this one here.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07What the nuthatch has done
0:06:07 > 0:06:09is it wants the hole a particular size,
0:06:09 > 0:06:13so it gathers fresh mud and packs it in the entrance there.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15You can even see little beak marks there
0:06:15 > 0:06:19and that will eventually solidify like concrete.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21So they've more or less finished doing that now
0:06:21 > 0:06:24and what the birds are doing now is coming back and fore with
0:06:24 > 0:06:25nesting material.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29The birds are preparing their nest for a clutch
0:06:29 > 0:06:30of usually six to eight eggs
0:06:30 > 0:06:33which will take just over two weeks to hatch.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36They'll then feed the young for about three-and-a-half weeks.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39I'll try and catch up with them later in the year to see
0:06:39 > 0:06:40how they get on.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45I've got a rather larger animal to try and track down next.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48It's difficult to believe that you might see deer somewhere
0:06:48 > 0:06:52like this today because it's such an urban park and it's used by
0:06:52 > 0:06:56so many people, but there have been a few records and one of the most
0:06:56 > 0:07:00recent sightings came from this area here in broad daylight.
0:07:00 > 0:07:05One of the council workers saw it bounding away towards the woods over there.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09Tracking deer is really difficult and very time-consuming,
0:07:09 > 0:07:11so we've had a deer expert out all morning and I'm going to go
0:07:11 > 0:07:14and catch up with him now.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18I want to see what species are here and how they're using the park,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21so I'm hoping Steve Griffiths from the Deer Initiative has had
0:07:21 > 0:07:23a successful morning.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27- Steve!- Hi. - You had to pick the highest part of the park, didn't you?
0:07:27 > 0:07:28Well, it keeps you fit.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31I tell you what, easier to find you than to find deer.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34Big question I'm dying to ask you, have you found anything at all, any evidence at all?
0:07:34 > 0:07:37- There's a few little signs here. - Oh, there are, are there?
0:07:37 > 0:07:38Yeah, there are.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41Are you looking for vegetation that's been nibbled
0:07:41 > 0:07:42or anything like that?
0:07:42 > 0:07:46We're looking at the type of plants that they like, holly, ivy, so we're
0:07:46 > 0:07:51looking for browse lines, you can sort of see on that tree quite well.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54So it's eaten all the leaves all the way up to about here?
0:07:54 > 0:07:57That starts to give you an idea of what species you're dealing with,
0:07:57 > 0:07:59is what height they are.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02So what do you think this is, fallow?
0:08:02 > 0:08:04I don't think it's fallow, I think it's roe.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Roe deer, yeah. And how old is this?
0:08:07 > 0:08:10- That's last season's growth that they've taken off.- Right
0:08:10 > 0:08:13So I don't think anything has been here for a while.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17- So by a while, you mean the last few months?- The last few months. - Right, OK.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20So I would think this is juveniles been pushed out of their main patch
0:08:20 > 0:08:22looking for somewhere else.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24This looks ideal to start off with,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27then they see there's too much activity here for them to settle in.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Especially roe because they get stressed if there's a lot
0:08:30 > 0:08:33of people around, so they can never settle down to relax and that.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35They are always being moved off
0:08:35 > 0:08:38- so they move on again, find somewhere else.- Right, right, right.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40This is typical bramble that they like
0:08:40 > 0:08:44and you can tell that's deer because deer have only got lower teeth.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47- Right.- So they bite 95% through and then a little tear,
0:08:47 > 0:08:51whereas rabbits would bite straight through, and those again last season.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55One of the things I was hoping, if you found signs of deer,
0:08:55 > 0:08:58was to put out the little camera traps so I could actually
0:08:58 > 0:09:01film them and tell people, look, you've actually got deer in Pontypool Park,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04but it seems to me from what you say
0:09:04 > 0:09:06that it's pointless putting them out now, is it?
0:09:06 > 0:09:08I wouldn't put them out now.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12July/August is the rutting period for roe deer.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15The juveniles have been moved out of the established bucks' areas,
0:09:15 > 0:09:17so they're looking to establish their own area,
0:09:17 > 0:09:20that's when they would be moving to a place like this.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- So, late summer into the autumn. - Into the autumn.
0:09:27 > 0:09:28At the start of May,
0:09:28 > 0:09:32there's a real surprise waiting for me up near the stone circle -
0:09:32 > 0:09:34an insect I've not seen before.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43All of a sudden here, I've hit one small corner of the park
0:09:43 > 0:09:44and it is alive with bees.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Can you see them all buzzing around here?
0:09:47 > 0:09:53They are called ashy mining bees or grey mining bees and this area is
0:09:53 > 0:09:57particularly good for them because it's mown, it's like a lawn, really.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00They're digging little holes like little volcanoes here
0:10:00 > 0:10:04and they then carry pollen and nectar into it,
0:10:04 > 0:10:08seal off a little chamber once they've laid an egg inside.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12The egg will hatch and the grub lives off that pollen and nectar
0:10:12 > 0:10:17and eventually it'll hatch out and it'll form the next generation
0:10:17 > 0:10:18of ashy mining bees.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22And if you've got them in your lawn, welcome them, because they
0:10:22 > 0:10:25are really important pollinators of fruit trees like cherry trees
0:10:25 > 0:10:27and apple trees and pear trees.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31The good news is, a lot of our bees are declining rapidly
0:10:31 > 0:10:33but these are actually on the increase. Hello!
0:10:35 > 0:10:37It really is an incredible sight to see,
0:10:37 > 0:10:39there are thousands of bees here
0:10:39 > 0:10:42and, for once, they're benefiting from our wish
0:10:42 > 0:10:44to keep the lawns mown and tidy.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52Here in Pontypool, it's not just the lawn mowing that is helping wildlife.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55There's a group who help to look after the park's habitats
0:10:55 > 0:10:57and carry out monitoring.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00I'm with Jeff Oates and Heather Bergstrom to find out more.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05So both of you, I see you're wearing tops with "Friends of the Park",
0:11:05 > 0:11:07what exactly does that mean?
0:11:07 > 0:11:12Yes, well, we're a volunteer group, a small group unfortunately,
0:11:12 > 0:11:13that, over the years,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17the park had fewer and fewer people looking after it
0:11:17 > 0:11:22so now we're retired we joined a group and the council provide
0:11:22 > 0:11:26all the utilities for us, all the tools, and we provide the manpower.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29We plant bulbs and work with the trees...
0:11:29 > 0:11:30Clean the river.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34Jeff and I are particularly interested in the reptiles and amphibians.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37Yes, last year we went on a course and learnt all about them.
0:11:37 > 0:11:42They think that they're reducing in numbers seriously. so we volunteered
0:11:42 > 0:11:46to survey the park, and the first site is just on the right here.
0:11:46 > 0:11:47Just up there.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Oh, it looks good, doesn't it? Mixture of bracken, some trees around it.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52- Plenty of cover for them. - Yeah, yeah.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55- Now, if I was a betting man... - Go on.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59..I would reckon grass snake, maybe slowworm, maybe common lizard.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04- Found the first two, but no lizard. - No lizards here, are there?
0:12:04 > 0:12:06- No lizards at all- Oh. - Maybe we've just been unlucky.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09We're going to have to be pretty quick here, aren't we?
0:12:09 > 0:12:10OK, three, two, one, go.
0:12:12 > 0:12:13- No.- Plenty of ants.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17Yeah, lots of ants. OK, next one.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19Well, let's hope we have better luck at this one.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23No, quiet again.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26- No-one.- At least it's dry. - Yeah, it is nice and dry.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30- You do the honours.- Here we go - One, two, three, up she goes.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35- Yes!- Grass snake. Oh, dear, she was straight away.- Little scamp.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39Well, there was one there, she was straight in to cover.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43- There was, there was, honestly. - Just saw the tail disappear.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47That doesn't matter, she's healthy and fine, that's the big thing.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52It's not just the reptiles that the group have been trying to help.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55They've also been creating a network of habitats allowing
0:12:55 > 0:12:59populations of amphibians to move about more easily.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03So this is an old pond, is it? It looks like it's got wall around it.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06I think it dates back to somewhere around 1780.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09It was found on an old map, 1780, shown as a duck pond.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11When we first discovered it,
0:13:11 > 0:13:15it was completely filled in, but we managed to get a digger up here
0:13:15 > 0:13:18to empty it out for us, but we've got a problem with a leak.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22Somehow we want someone to volunteer to bring some puddling clay
0:13:22 > 0:13:25up for us so we can create another feature for the park.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27That'd be nice, it'd be lovely, wouldn't it?
0:13:27 > 0:13:29In ten years, that'll look lovely, hopefully.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31Oh, it will, if we're still here.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33We'll be here with our Zimmers, looking at the view.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Yeah, it'll be nice.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49I've come back to Pontypool Park after dark
0:13:49 > 0:13:54because the habitat here, the mature trees and the grassland, is ideal
0:13:54 > 0:13:58for one very large insect that's out in late April and throughout May.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01Now, unfortunately, it only comes out at night
0:14:01 > 0:14:03but it is attracted to light.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08Kevin Dupe from the local moth group has agreed to help me
0:14:08 > 0:14:13try and find May bugs or cockchafer beetles, which he often catches with his light trap.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16As a bonus, I get to have a close look at some of the more
0:14:16 > 0:14:18impressive moths as well.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21Well, I've got to say it's going pretty well so far.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25We've got a couple here, if I can hold them up to Graham here,
0:14:25 > 0:14:27who's got the macro lens. Can you see that?
0:14:27 > 0:14:29That's a pale tussock.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31By day, that will lie up on tree bark
0:14:31 > 0:14:34and you can see that'll blend in really well there.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Kev's coming in with some more here now. What have you got for us, Kev?
0:14:37 > 0:14:41I've got a really nice moth here called a lime hawk-moth.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44- Oh, look at that.- And we are actually under a lime tree here
0:14:44 > 0:14:46so that's what the caterpillars feed on.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49Oh, look at the size of it, first of all. That's amazing.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52- And that's a male, the females are a lot bigger than that as well.- Bigger again?
0:14:52 > 0:14:55- Yeah, because they're full of eggs. - Right, I'll put him back.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57This isn't a moth, this is what you've been hoping to find.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59- Oh, good man.- This is a May bug.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Now these, the adults feed on leaves?
0:15:02 > 0:15:06Yeah, leaves of oak trees and other broad-leaved trees, but the grubs
0:15:06 > 0:15:11live in the ground eating the roots of plants for three or four years.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15And birds love them. You get starlings sticking their beaks in looking for the grubs.
0:15:15 > 0:15:16Yeah, they're big grubs.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20And the adults then, of course, they're really important food for bats,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23for little owls, for all kinds of things.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Now you're going to tell me there's a way to sex these.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29The males have got seven lamella on each antennae,
0:15:29 > 0:15:31- which is like a fan, if you like.- Right.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34- And the female's only got six. - I can't see.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36I think these are folded up, aren't they?
0:15:36 > 0:15:38Yeah, these are folded up.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41Let's see if he goes and eats the leaf, go on, get on there.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43We've got another one as well.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47- Oh, do you know, I think that's bigger again, that one, isn't it? - Yeah, it is.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49That's a fantastic shot of it, so clear.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51And you can see the chevrons down the side,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54you can see the shape of the wing cases and everything
0:15:54 > 0:15:56and you can see the hooks on the end of the feet.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58You can just see the lamella there, can't you?
0:15:58 > 0:16:00It's like a fan opening out.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Oh, here, look, count the one on the right.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05- One, two, three... - I think that's seven.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08- Yeah, I think it is. - So that's a male.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12Animals like these May bugs have fascinated me since I was a boy
0:16:12 > 0:16:14and I love passing on my passion about wildlife
0:16:14 > 0:16:16to anyone who'll listen.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19So I was delighted when Ena Morris got in touch to ask
0:16:19 > 0:16:22if I could introduce her to some of the wildlife in the park.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24In exchange, she promised to give me
0:16:24 > 0:16:27some background on the history of the place.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29Our first stop is the River Lwyd.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33You might wonder why I'm carrying a laptop around with me.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37Sit down here, look, I'll show you one thing on this first.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41I went out with a camera trap, I left it out overnight
0:16:41 > 0:16:46not far away from here, and I wanted you to see what we caught on it.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52Oh, wow! Ohhh!
0:16:52 > 0:16:54Nice, isn't it?
0:16:54 > 0:16:58It's a dog otter, have you ever seen one of these here before?
0:16:58 > 0:17:02No, never. I'm gobsmacked, I never realised there were otters here.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06We only had it out one night, and lo and behold, a dog otter.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09To think how dirty and spoiled this river was years and years ago
0:17:09 > 0:17:11- and now it's.... - Changed completely, isn't it?
0:17:11 > 0:17:15- There's an otter here. - It's changed completely. Now there's another thing.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17- Dippers.- Oh, yes. - Do you see dippers on the river?
0:17:17 > 0:17:19I do occasionally see dippers, yes.
0:17:19 > 0:17:24Right, well, if you sit patiently and watch the far side of the river,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27there's a pair nesting over there and I'm pretty sure they've
0:17:27 > 0:17:31got quite old chicks, so they should be in and out fairly regularly.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33- Oh, here he comes. - There he goes.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36- He's gone underneath the arch.- See that?- Yeah.- It's nice, isn't it?
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Just coming in, skimming in just above the water.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43- So they're in and out, here we are, look.- Here he comes.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47With dippers raising young here, it's hard to imagine how
0:17:47 > 0:17:50industrialised the river was during the heyday of the iron industry
0:17:50 > 0:17:52with its nearby furnaces and forges,
0:17:52 > 0:17:55but there are signs of that past to see.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59- This is a nice path too here. - This is an old tramway.
0:17:59 > 0:18:04- Oh, is it?- Yeah, that would bring the trams down to the forge in Pontymoile,
0:18:04 > 0:18:07and these are the sluice gates, so this would control
0:18:07 > 0:18:11the amount of water to run the water wheels in the forge.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13So, you use the park regularly.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16I use the park very often, I love Pontypool Park.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19It's a real community park
0:18:19 > 0:18:21and, of course, that's what the Hanburys wanted,
0:18:21 > 0:18:25they wanted it used for local people to have pleasure and leisure.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30The next thing I want to show you is just up here,
0:18:30 > 0:18:32something I found first in April.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35If you sit on that, you can have the posh seat
0:18:35 > 0:18:37and I'll sit on the floor here.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41- See the lower hole there?- Yeah. - That's a nuthatch nest.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44The eggs have hatched and the youngsters are about ten days old.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47So the adults should be coming back and fore, feeding them.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Oh, there he goes, see him?
0:18:50 > 0:18:52Just landed on the hole
0:18:52 > 0:18:57and off up again like a little mouse going up the bark.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59So what would he feed the little ones, then?
0:18:59 > 0:19:03Well, anything and everything, grubs mainly.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07That's where it's useful to have a park full of these big old trees,
0:19:07 > 0:19:10lots of holes in them, lots of food, lots of grubs,
0:19:10 > 0:19:12lots of seeds here as well.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14So it's got everything a bird like a nuthatch needs.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17Well, we have got plenty of old trees here.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21They planted a lot to be used as charcoal for the iron works.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23It's lovely, isn't it?
0:19:23 > 0:19:26It's really nice to be able to watch them like this at the nest.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36It's now June and about a month since my visit with Ena.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39The morning sunshine is definitely worth getting up early for.
0:19:49 > 0:19:54Summer is a good time to take a closer look for smaller creatures.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57An overgrown hedgerow tucked away in the corner of the park
0:19:57 > 0:19:59has caught my eye.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Ah, this is nice stuff, it looks like spiders' webs, doesn't it?
0:20:04 > 0:20:09But it isn't. Actually these have been created by a caterpillar,
0:20:09 > 0:20:13the caterpillars of the peacock butterfly.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16It's quite a common butterfly and it loves nettles,
0:20:16 > 0:20:18so this nettle bed here is ideal for them.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20What they do is, the female will lay
0:20:20 > 0:20:25eggs on the leaves, they then hatch out into small caterpillars,
0:20:25 > 0:20:29and they're the ones that spin this web and that protects them from birds.
0:20:29 > 0:20:34You can see that then, between that point and when they pupate,
0:20:34 > 0:20:37which means they are going to turn into an adult butterfly,
0:20:37 > 0:20:41they shed their skins four times so that they can grow.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44The first time is on there, there are some small skins there,
0:20:44 > 0:20:47the second time will have been over here by the looks of things,
0:20:47 > 0:20:51you can see that the caterpillars have got just a little bit bigger,
0:20:51 > 0:20:53and then they will have come over here,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56you can see some recently shed skins there.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00The caterpillars themselves now, there's some there,
0:21:00 > 0:21:02but the vast majority of them are over here.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05Just look at that - a whole mass of them there.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08And they have various defences as well,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11they don't need that web now, so what they do is, if I tap,
0:21:11 > 0:21:13they might start wriggling around,
0:21:13 > 0:21:16one or two are sort of doing it here, and that'll scare off a bird.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20But they also, because they eat this...nettle leaves,
0:21:20 > 0:21:25they ingest some of the toxins from there and they'll secrete this
0:21:25 > 0:21:29horrible greenish chemical which has got some of those toxins in it.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33But all of this is on just one little bit of what most people would
0:21:33 > 0:21:36think of as weeds, as wasteland right on the edge of the park.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52It's late July and I'm heading to the woodland where Steve Griffiths
0:21:52 > 0:21:55found deer signs back in April, as it's now the right time of year
0:21:55 > 0:21:59to set up my cameras to hopefully capture any passing roe deer.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07There we go, that should do it.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09We'll be keeping an eye on these over the next couple of months,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12and with those set up I can indulge in an activity
0:22:12 > 0:22:17I enjoyed doing as a kid, walking a stream looking for watery wildlife.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Steve Williams, an ecologist from Torfaen council, has joined me.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23Oh, I got a couple of little things under the rock here.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27- Oh, yeah.- Is that gammarus, the freshwater shrimp, there?
0:22:27 > 0:22:28That's correct, yeah.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31- Well, it's a good sign it's very clean.- It is.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35Remarkably clean. Put him back again gently.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37And that's key, isn't it,
0:22:37 > 0:22:40when you are doing this, to put stuff back exactly as it was.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43Absolutely, really important, because that's their environment.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46I tell you what there is here, if we can catch it.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49See him in there? A little bullhead. Oh, where's he gone?
0:22:49 > 0:22:54- You got him.- Oh, look at that! Nice little thing, isn't it?
0:22:54 > 0:22:57- Fantastic.- And another name for them - miller's thumb.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59Absolutely, yeah.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02Cos in the olden days the millers would get their thumbs battered.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04- Absolutely.- And it looks like a battered thumb, doesn't it?
0:23:04 > 0:23:07That's right. I think this one is quite a young one, Iolo.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10Here we go, miller's thumb back in, go on.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Big old rock here now.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23Oh! I've hit the jackpot here.
0:23:23 > 0:23:24Now that is something.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28That's a freshwater white-clawed crayfish, Iolo.
0:23:28 > 0:23:33- Wow. Here we are. - Right, in the tray.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37Well, I've got to say, Steve, that is a really lovely find, isn't it?
0:23:37 > 0:23:40It is excellent, it is one of the jewels in the crown
0:23:40 > 0:23:44of Pontypool Park, and it's good to see that the species is
0:23:44 > 0:23:45still hanging on in the stream.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49They are in decline and they are a protected species,
0:23:49 > 0:23:52but they do need the right chemical composition in the stream to thrive,
0:23:52 > 0:23:54so they won't occur everywhere.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56What do you mean by that?
0:23:56 > 0:24:00Well, they prefer streams with a good calcium content.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03- So, you mean limestone streams? - Limestone streams.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05In this part of Wales we are right on the western edge
0:24:05 > 0:24:09of their normal distribution, because that's where
0:24:09 > 0:24:12the limestone is, around the fringe of the coalfield.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14So this stream feeds out of limestone
0:24:14 > 0:24:16and it's exactly what this species requires.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20Well, well, well. And they've become really rare
0:24:20 > 0:24:23because of this introduced American crayfish.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27There is certainly an issue with signal or American crayfish
0:24:27 > 0:24:28which were brought over for the pot.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31It's important that where we find white-clawed crayfish,
0:24:31 > 0:24:35we do what we can to make certain they are thriving and survive.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39Steve had said they were here, but with them being in such decline
0:24:39 > 0:24:42I was sceptical about actually finding one.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46It's important to remember too that they're a protected species
0:24:46 > 0:24:49so you need a special licence to catch and handle them.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01By early autumn, the leaves of the trees in the park are turning.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03The old sweet chestnut trees
0:25:03 > 0:25:05are heavy with their characteristic fruit,
0:25:05 > 0:25:08as are the unrelated horse chestnut trees.
0:25:10 > 0:25:15And this is by far the best time of year to see fungi.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19If you've got dead and dying trees, they're often festooned
0:25:19 > 0:25:23with them, and all of this just adds to that natural harvest.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32Autumn is a really interesting time of year
0:25:32 > 0:25:36because all through spring and summer, our deciduous trees,
0:25:36 > 0:25:40they've supported millions, and I mean millions of insects,
0:25:40 > 0:25:44but now the leaves are dying back and they become far less palatable,
0:25:44 > 0:25:48so most of the insects that were on them, they've either
0:25:48 > 0:25:51laid their eggs and the adults have died or if they were caterpillars
0:25:51 > 0:25:55they've pupated and they're waiting for spring to arrive.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58So many birds turn their attention to the coniferous trees,
0:25:58 > 0:26:01finding insects hiding away inside the cones,
0:26:01 > 0:26:03and also to the cone seeds themselves.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10There are three great spotted woodpeckers and they're
0:26:10 > 0:26:14looking in the bark, any crevices in there might have insects,
0:26:14 > 0:26:18but more than anything else they're looking in the pine cones for insects
0:26:18 > 0:26:21and it's the perfect hiding place, full of nooks and crannies.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24If you go bird-watching at this time of year,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28then my advice is to make sure you pay close attention
0:26:28 > 0:26:31to the park's huge variety of conifer trees.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35My final task is to catch up with the deer
0:26:35 > 0:26:38and Gavin Vella, who I met on my first day, has been helping the team
0:26:38 > 0:26:40to monitor the cameras.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42I'm meeting him now to find out what we got.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44- Thanks for all your help. - You're welcome.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47Now the moment of truth, have we got any deer on the cameras?
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Unfortunately not, Iolo,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52we've managed to get squirrels and rabbits,
0:26:52 > 0:26:53plenty of squirrels and rabbits,
0:26:53 > 0:26:55and we did get some footage of a fox.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58so we're happy about that, but no deer, I'm afraid.
0:26:58 > 0:26:59We were quite optimistic,
0:26:59 > 0:27:02speaking to quite a lot of the locals actually,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05and one person in particular did manage to see and encounter
0:27:05 > 0:27:07a male deer, a stag,
0:27:07 > 0:27:10while walking her dogs, so we were quite optimistic.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14- So, this is recently now? - This was recently, she was quite shocked to see this male stag deer,
0:27:14 > 0:27:17but, yeah, we didn't manage to get the footage, I'm afraid.
0:27:17 > 0:27:22I did manage, however, to find a weasel, which I'm really happy with.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25- I've got pictures if you'd like to see them.- Yeah. Oh, fantastic.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28Oh, this is in the wall down here.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31This is in this wall running right next to us.
0:27:31 > 0:27:32Oh, that's a fantastic shot.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35So, that's the first time in Pontypool Park for me.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39- Well, well, well, and that's right place, right time. - Right place, right time.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43And that's often the way with wildlife,
0:27:43 > 0:27:46making any walk in the park an exciting one.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51Pontypool Park was an important part of my childhood.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53During the 1970s,
0:27:53 > 0:27:56I used to watch out for the results of the great Pontypool rugby team,
0:27:56 > 0:28:00and having come here now it's been a real eye-opener
0:28:00 > 0:28:03because it's a fantastic place for wildlife.
0:28:03 > 0:28:04We've got native crayfish here,
0:28:04 > 0:28:08one of only a handful of sites in the whole of Wales now,
0:28:08 > 0:28:09and the ashy mining bees.
0:28:09 > 0:28:14I'll never forget lying down and having thousands of them all around me.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16But more than anything else, I think,
0:28:16 > 0:28:19Pontypool Park is about the people,
0:28:19 > 0:28:21Ena and her knowledge of the history of the place,
0:28:21 > 0:28:25Gavin and his enthusiasm and knowledge of the wildlife,
0:28:25 > 0:28:28and that's what these urban parks should be about.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31Yes, they should be great for wildlife,
0:28:31 > 0:28:33but they should be great places for people too.