Wildlife at Cwm Broadwell

 

Mammals: This is a conifer forest providing homes for foxes, hares, squirrels and badgers. Hares are larger than their relatives the rabbit, they have longer ears and longer hind legs. They are tawny coloured with the upper parts of their body a mixture of grey and brown. Hares spend the daytime hours in “forms” , these are shallow depressions under cover. They feed during the twilight hours on grass roots and bark. When they are disturbed they will stand up and then dash away at the last moment. The mad hares of March are the males, which bound, kick and stand on their hind legs to box each other in a ritual that impresses the females before mating. We have information about Badger

Birds: The wood is home to a variety of woodland birds, it is possible to see the blackbird, great tit, ravens. You may well see the siskins in the forest, they are 12 cm approx long with the males having a bright yellow-green body with a black crown, the females have a grey-green with streaky breast and yellow tail edges. They build their nests in the conifer trees and during the winter months can be seen feeding from the alder and birch trees.
The Buzzard is the largest commoner British bird of prey, now widespread in the western hill districts. Buzzards flying up in the skies with their dark brown plumage with bars and streaks on its paler underside. It has broad wings with slotted tips, when flying its wings are slightly forward in a shallow V shape. Often you can see half a dozen or so birds soaring overhead, with their broad wings they can look like giant moths, they utter a loud gull-like pee-oo cry.

Insects and reptiles: By the creation of cleared open areas around the small ponds within the wood new species of insects, including dragonflies, will be attracted to the sites. The later summer months brings the common wasp to the bramble shrub to feed on the sugars contained within the berries. They bite through the skin of the individual fruits to reach the juicy flesh inside. Once the skin has been successfully pierced then other insects begin to swarm to the fruit. Both the metallic greenbottle flies and the grey-haired red-eyed flesh flies are visitors, they feed by dribbling saliva on to the fruit which partly digests the flesh which they can then suck up in the form of juice.

Habitats: This upland forest is bordered by hill grazing land. It is an ideal raptor site there are larger trees for nesting. The new restock areas are an ideal habitat for the small mammal food source.

How to get there:
Travelling from the east off the A44 into New Radnor turn right intot he village proceed down the main street. Then turn right at the sharp , take the next immediate left up "Mutton Dingle". Follow this road up the steep bank for 3/4 of a mile and the Forestry Commission car park is within the wood.

Enter through:
Cwm Broadwell

Activities:

	Open access for horse riders throughout this area.

Other places to go in Radnor
Radnor Wood
Nash Wood
Warren Wood
Smatcher Wood
Burfa Wood

Contact:
Nick Whythe
Local Area Manager
0845 604 0845
e-mail: nick.whythe@forestry.gsi.gov.uk