21 pupils from Ysgol Clydau and 18 from Wolfcastle community primary school recently visited the Welsh Wildlife Centre in Cilgerran.  The classes were each split into two groups, in the morning one group did woodland and meadow exploration with Clare Flynn whilst the other group took part in a pond dipping session.  After lunch the two groups then switched.

On the spoon there are two different types of tadpole.  The lighter, smaller one with speckles is a frog tadpole whereas the darker one is a toad tadpole.  A common frog can reach up to 10cms in length with the female being larger than the male. They eat insects, snails, slugs and worms.  Tadpoles take 12-16 weeks to change into tiny froglets.  The common toad can reach up to 15cms long with the female also being larger than the male.  Toads have warty skin where as frogs have smooth skin.

Clare Flynn points out a Heron to  Ysgol Clydau on the Teifi river.

This Great Diving beetle larva is feasting on a tapole.   The Great Diving beetle larva is a predatory insect with large, pincer like jaws and long legs, they can grow up to 5cms in length as larvae and up to 2.7cms when they are adult beetles.  Both the larvae and adults will eat anything they can catch.  The larvae use their jaws to puncture and suck their prey.

The newt in the picture above is a male Palmate newt.  Male Palmates have dark webbing on their hind feet as well as a thin filament at the tip of their tail.  Palmate newts are the UK’s smallest species of newts, reaching a maximun length of 9cms.  The female Palmate newt lays 300-400 eggs, their tadpoles take about 10-12 weeks to develop into newtlets. Palmate newtlets emerge as tiny 2.5cm long replicas of the adults.

The photograph above on the left shows a female Palmate newt eating newt larva! As well as showing cannibalistic tendancies they also eat insects and frog tadpoles.  Palmates spend most of the day amongst aquatic vegetation before coming out into the open water in the dark.

Above on the right is the gills of a Swimming Mayfly nymph.

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Today we took 21 pupils from Roch CP school for an exploration of Hilton Court.  The pupils took part in mini beast hunts and some pond dipping.

We were lucky enough to spot a newly emerged Damselfly resting on a flower petal.   The Damselfly was waiting for its wings to harden, once hardened they will be able to fly.  On the right of the picture you can see the empty exoskeleton that the Damselfly has emerged from.

The picture above on the left is a Water Scorpion.  Its long tail is in fact a breathing tube.  It ambushes its prey whilst pretending to be a leaf.  It grabs small prey using its pincers, it eats a variety of creatures including tadpoles and even small fish.

Many thanks to Hilton Court for letting us explore their fantastic area!

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The Darwin Centre launched its annual Manor House Wildlife Park lecture with Professor Mike Bruford from Cardiff University.  Professor Bruford explained about the conservation biology and management issues facing the Orangutan and the strategies for preserving what little genetic diversity is left.

The evening was a great success, many thanks to Manor House Wildlife Park for hosting the event and to Professor Mike Bruford for delivering a fantastic and informative lecture.

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17 pupil’s from St Oswald’s enjoyed a morning at Oakwood Theme Park.  We used a data logger to record their heart rates and temperature whilst riding on Tree Tops and Mega Fobia.  This field trip was followed up by a workshop back at the school looking at gravity, friction, air resistance and aerodynamics using Hot Wheels tracks and cars to demonstrate the principles of fair testing in scientific investigations.

The temperature sensor was secured to the pupils palm throughout the duration of the ride, at the same time he wore the wireless heart sensor to monitor his heart rate.  This data was then put in to graphs to look at the relationship between temperature and heart rate over the course of the ride.

The four lane racer put four cars up against each other in a race, the track then narrows into two lanes and then into one lane, leaving an overall winner.  The pupils recorded which car came first in each of the trials and then using their knowledge of different forces they gave their reasons for why they thought this car won.

The double loop launch track used a set of light sensors which timed how long it took the car to complete the track.  The car then had a series of attachments added to it to see how much its time was altered by an increase in air resistance.  The pupils then worked out the average time of each race to see which had the fastest race time.

Many thanks to Oakwood for co-sponsoring this event by giving the children free admission!

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We spent two fun filled days at Sealyham Activity Centre last week with some young carers.  On Thursday we took the primary school pupils to Sealyham for some camp craft and sailing.  Then on Friday the secondary school pupils went coasteering at Abereiddy followed by some rock climbing.

The group were shown by Jo from Sealyham how to make a shelter.  The group split in to teams and headed off to have a go at making their own shelters.  Their shelters were then subjected to a ‘weather’ test to see if they could withstand the elements.  Click here to see a video of this.

The children made some dough and used sticks to cook it over the fire.  River water was also collected and used to make hot squash!

Camp craft was followed by an eventful afternoon of sailing/falling out of the boat.

For more information on Sealyham Activity Centre click here.  We all had a great time, may thanks to all of the SAC staff.

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Come and join us at Manor House Wildlife Park on Thursday 26th April for a lecture on Orangutans by Professor Mike Bruford from Cardiff University.  The cafe opens at 6pm for hot drinks, wine and snacks.  The lecture will start at 7pm.  Places are limited, booking is essential.

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Over two days 67 pupils from Broad Haven school visited Manor House Wildlife Park.  The morning was spent with one of their zoo keepers who kindly showed us around and answered all of our animal questions.  The afternoon was spent on a bug hunt around the Manor House gardens, the pupils examined all of the bugs they caught using microscopes.

Steve, Lisa and Bryn are Siamang Gibbons they are social animals that like to live in family groups.  When we were there they started calling which is used to show their territory and to establish bonds.   Click here to see a video of them calling.  Siamangs are the largest and loudest of the apes, they have a throat sac which when inflated amplifies the sound of their call.  Siamang Gibbons are listed as endangered due to hunting for the pet trade and habitat loss.

The Bennett’s Wallaby is common in Tasmania, they are also known as the Red Neck Wallaby.  A group of Wallabies are known as a Mob.  Like Kangaroos, Wallabies raise their young in a pouch.  In the picture above on the right you can see a joey with its head sticking out of the pouch.  This joey happens to be an albino. Its white colouration is caused by a lack of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes. Albinism is rare but it can effect all vertebrates even humans. Click here to see a joey and its mother, the joey wants to get back in to the pouch!

Woodlice are crustaceans they are more closely related to crabs rather than insects and they have a lifespan of up to 2 years.  Their diet consists of dead organic matter.  When they are threatened they can clamp down on to the surface, their feet have a very good grip!  The woodlouse lacks a waxy cuticle so it is susceptible to drying out, this is why they prefer dark moist habitats such as under rocks and logs.  If a woodlouse is in an unfavourable environment it will move quickly, its movement will slow once they have reached a more suitable location.

Bactrian Camels have two humps where as Dromedary Camels only have one hump.  Bactrian Camels come from the Gobi desert, they are herbivores that graze on shrubs.  They have many adaptations that allow them to live in such harsh conditions in the desert. Their humps act as a fat store which allows them to go for long periods without any food.  They have dense eyelashes that protect their eyes from sandstorms as well as narrow nostrils that can be closed tightly.  Bactrians can also go without water for long periods of time, but when they do encounter a source of water they can drink as much as 57 litres in one go.  Bactrians are listed as critically endangered – over the years they have been heavily hunted for their for meat and have suffered a loss of habitat.

The pupils from Broad Haven searched under things and on top of things for different insects.  They found many different species including  black beetles, centipedes, millipedes, harvestman, earthworms, shield bugs, slugs, snails and woodlice.

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This week we have started our rock pooling season with school groups.  Portfield school came with us to Lydstep Haven and Broad Haven school searched their local beach for lots of different creatures.

This crab is a Common Shore Crab (Carcinus maenas).  He only had one claw and it had a funky blue patch on it which deserved a photo.

The pupils from Broad Haven prepared themselves to get stuck in – they all rolled up their sleeves!

Marten gets bitten by a Shanny! OUCH! A Shanny is a species of Blenny, they grow to about 16cms.  They have sharp comb like teeth and like to eat barnacles.  They also eat other crustaceans like crabs and even munch on seaweed.  They lay their eggs under stones which are guarded by the male.

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Over one hundred pupils from four different schools attended our Science Aglow event as part of National Science and Engineering Week 2012.  The pupils each took part in four workshops provided by the Marine Conservation Society, Eco Centre Wales, Silent World To You and Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.  The day ended with a fantastic presentation by Sarah Beynon – a local Entomologist!

Elly Morgan from Oriel Y Parc and Gemma a volunteer at the Darwin Centre did a workshop on clay.  Gemma explained all about the origins of clay and then Elly had the pupils making fish scales.  In the weeks leading up to fish week these clay fish will travel between the four schools that took part in the event.

Lou Luddington from the Marine Conservation Society delivered a workshop on marine litter and how it affects marine life.  She brought with her a model of a female Leatherback turtle called Tallulah.

Pupils from Holy Name School are pictured above on the left with Marten Lewis from the Darwin Centre, Russ from Silent World and Burtie the albino Burmese Python! In the picture on the right Tim Brew from Eco Centre Wales teaches the children about renewable energy and gets the pupils to pedal on the bike to produce enough energy to light up four bulbs.

Sarah Beynon a local insect expert gave an amazing presentation on insects and who would win in the insect olympics!  The dung beetles would win the weight lifting competition and the grass hoppers would definitely win the long jump.

Many thanks to all of those that made the day a huge success and many thanks to Gareth Davies for taking the photographs.

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