Are you ready for the AlfrescoWild Challenges?
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I am delighted to announce, I will be working with this Cudyll Cymru as an ambassador, 'Champion'. I will be monitoring my local nature reserve area for all 5 species and sharing my experience via my social media and through my website.
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About Cudyll Cymru
Raptors (also known as birds of prey) are engaging, charismatic birds, and Wales is fortunate to be home to 17 of the 20 breeding raptor species found in the UK. In fact, raptors are designated features of a number of Protected Areas in Wales, including Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Special Protection Areas.
Cudyll Cymru is a Welsh raptor monitoring initiative which monitors the populations and breeding productivity of five raptor species which are widespread in Wales: Buzzard, Kestrel, Raven, Red Kite and Sparrowhawk. Although technically a Corvid species, Raven is included because of its ecological similarities to raptors.
Cudyll Cymru will help us to:
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Collect robust data about raptor population trends to enhance our understanding of raptors across Wales, and within its Protected Area network
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Provide essential information to support raptor conservation efforts and inform the Welsh and UK Governments’ legal commitments to wildlife protection
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Empower local communities to learn more about their raptors, foster a sense of stewardship for their habitats, and encourage active involvement in their preservation
Why do we need this project?
Current bird monitoring approaches often struggle to provide information on raptors, which typically have low population densities and are often not active during dawn breeding bird surveys!
Cudyll Cymru aims to address the gaps in the current data provision for these iconic birds in Wales.
To do this, we need to expand our volunteer network, which will increase the geographical coverage across Wales and the expertise within the volunteer team. That’s why there is such a big focus on training and upskilling in Cudyll Cymru.
Supporting raptor conservation efforts
Wales is suffering the combined pressures of land use change and climate change, and birds of prey find themselves at the forefront of both ecological pressure and human interventions.
We need more data about raptor populations to understand how and why they are changing, and how we can help them.
The data collected from Cudyll Cymru will serve as a baseline for monitoring future population trends, and will provide essential information to underpin effective conservation strategy and aid the Government’s legal commitments to wildlife protection.
Take part in Cudyll Cymru
Cudyll Cymru has been designed to be as accessible to everyone as possible!
The project is fully flexible to suit your availability and experience level, and there is plenty of training available, so even those with no prior experience can confidently participate in this important work.
Will Rose is an animator and designer with a passion for the natural world. He created this guide to help recognise birds of prey and a Welsh translation was produced to support the Cudyll Cymru project.