Penllergare Valley Woods Lake

HalpinRobbins undertook a breeding bird survey at Penllergare Valley Woods, Swansea to help facilitate the restoration of the stream, 1.35 hectare lake and part of the Afon Llan, which required spring and summer desilting and soft engineering during the breeding bird season.

The client was advised to undertake the clearance of large trees and scrub vegetation around the boundary of the lake and preparation of the receptor site to receive the dredged sediment in autumn/winter prior to the spring commencement of the desilting works to avoid the bird nesting season and to have trees checked for veteran status and bat roosts.

The initial site clearance and preparation works were undertaken as advised and no veteran trees or bat roosts were found or disturbed.

In the spring the breeding bird surveys commenced, comprising three separate survey days during suitable weather conditions, and 18 species of bird were heard or seen on or local to site. There was no evidence of breeding birds within the stream, lake or river during the surveys.

On the sediment receptor site a pair of Lapwings (Vanellus vanellus) were found to be nesting next to a small wet scrape. This pair displayed a very strong defence behaviour up to 20m from the nest site, decreasing to no defence response at 27m from the nest site.

Due to a pair of nesting lapwings, in the receptor site, a minor modification was made to the works program requiring that a 30m (radius) protection zone was placed around the nest, in which the project team were not allowed to enter until the lapwings had left the nest.

Immediately prior to the works start a single bird survey was undertake to ensure that no birds had started breeding between the original survey dates and the works start date.

All work progressed without further hold up or restriction.

Services

• Breeding bird survey

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