Dewberry Picking

Wild Dewberries

I'M ALL SET for the blackberry picking season next month, but I like to be one step ahead of those eagerly waiting to get first pickings. I've reported earlier in my blog the 'doorstep edibles' available to us locals here in Llandudno, to add to the list is 'Dewberries' which crop a little earlier than Blackberries and are presently available in small quantities on the West Shore. Not so far away is 'Sea Buckthorn' which produce yellow/orange berries with a distinctive orangey/peach cirtrus like aroma. Again I could divulge the locations, but the fun is really getting out and about, enjoying the flora and fauna around you, instead of being couch potatoes and watching it all on TV. Anyway, i've had my pickings so feel free to pick what remains :D either that or the birds will have them!

Royal Tern visits Queen of Welsh Resorts

IT SEEMS i've not been the only one doing a spot of ornithology lately. There have been hundreds of twitchers flocking the town after a rare bird has been seen at Llandudno's north & west shores, the 'Royal Tern', only the 5th sighting in Britain in fact.

To follow the latest gossip on this subject, visit our Llandudno Local website > Local Talk section, see 'Royal Tern'

Read below to find out more about this bird, Ref: Wikipedia.

The Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus, syn. Sterna maxima - see Bridge et al., 2005) is a seabird in the tern family Sternidae. This birdhas two distinctive subspecies.

T. m. maximus breeds on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the southern USA and Mexico into the Caribbean. The slightly smaller T. m. albididorsalis breeds in coastal west Africa.

American birds winter south to Peru and Argentina, and African breeders move both north and south from the breeding colonies.

African birds may reach as far north as Spain. This species has also wandered to western Europe as a rare vagrant, these records probably being from the American colonies.

This species breeds in colonies on coasts and islands. It nests in a ground scrape and lays one or two eggs. Like all white terns, it is fiercely defensive of its nest and young.

Royal Tern feeds by plunge-diving for fish, usually from saline environments, like most Sterna terns. It usually dives directly, and not from the "stepped-hover" favoured by Arctic Tern. The offering of fish by the male to the female is part of the courtship display.

This is a large tern, second only to Caspian Tern but is unlikely to be confused with that carrot-billed giant, which has extensive dark underwing patches. Royal Tern has a long yellow bill, pale grey upperparts and white underparts. Its legs are black. In winter, the black cap becomes patchy. Juvenile Royal Terns have a scaly-backed appearance. The call is a characteristic loud grating noise like a Sandwich Tern.

Anyone been lucky enough to spot one yet?

Anwyl Breached Conditions of Planning Approval

The now demolished Pen Morfa

The following response from John Lawson-Reay, local historian and conservationist after reading recent news on the Llandudno Local regarding the future of the Pen Morfa site.

"This is something I knew this would happen. Anwyl are in clear breach of the conditions of the planning approval and was required to only demolish Penmorfa when contracts for the re-development had been signed and sealed along with the necessary funding. The fact is that Mr Detheridge, the former head of planning, after he left CCBC became a director of Anwyl as I understand it. He would know that the CCBC planning department would not get into an enforcement row because it would give them extra work and might cost money. This is the excuse that they always give. The fact that CCBC have £57 million in the reserves does not count! It is an absolute disgrace. The Pier Pavilion site, 14 years after the fire, is a national scandal. While CCBC have been able to find the funding for the Arena and extension to the theatre plus build a swimming pool it shows that they do not have the right priorities."

Pen Morfa - Ground Zero No.2

The now demolished Pen Morfa

"News first from the Llandudno Local...

Disappointment to Llandudno has come after the Local discovers a reliable source confirming Anwyl have no immediate plans whatsoever to develop on the Pen Morfa site on West Shore after being told by their bankers not to commence any developments for the forseeable future, the result of greedy developers who have no shame. Has Llandudno been left with yet another 'ground zero' on it's hands like that of the pavilion site on North Shore. The big question is, how long will this eyesore remain?"

How long this eyesore will remain is as good a guess yours as it is mine, if the loss of heritage is isn't hurtful enough to the town, now we're left with another pavilion site to showcase our resort. Welcome to Llandudno folks.

West Shore Gold

Residents of West Shore could be onto a right little earner here, those soft fine grain wind swept particles are ideal for childrens sandpits in the back garden, I note Argos sell this stuff for £2.89 per 15Kg bag! Children's Play Sand 15kg Bag. Item No. 365/0574