Great Northern Divers
Too cold for a dip in the sea? Not for these
Divers
Bird Watching Opportunity - with Rhys Jones, Gwynedd Council Senior
Biodiversity Officer, Tuesday 16 February 2010 -10:30a.m
Come and see a rare winter treat. Great Northern Divers - large
water birds with black and white feathers and a powerful dagger
bill - can be seen just off the Gwynedd coast in Caernarfon Bay,
over the winter months.
According to Gwynedd Council Senior Biodiversity Officer, Rhys
Jones: “We have been monitoring the numbers of Great Northern
Divers over the past few years and are delighted to see them return
in greater numbers each year. More than 50 have been counted
recently. The habitat in Caernarfon bay is ideal as they need
shallow water so they can catch small fish and crabs.”
Great Northern Divers head south for the winter, having spent
the summer months nesting in lakes in northern Canada, Greenland
and Iceland. They come to enjoy the UK’s milder winters. Although
they are rarely seen in numbers away from Scotland’s isles and west
coast, increasing numbers are being seen off the North Wales
coast.
Gwynedd Council’s biodiversity team, grant aided by the
Countryside Council for Wales, monitor the movements and habits of
the Great Northern Divers, along with a variety of other rare birds
in the area.
The Countryside Council for Wales’s North Region Partnership
Officer Euros Jones said: “Gwynedd’s varied natural environment is
a massive attraction to thousands of visitors every year – there
are strong economic as well as conservation reasons for conserving
our wealth of local wildlife. Gwynedd’s Local Biodiversity Action
Plan provides a strong framework to conserve the area’s natural
heritage.”
END
For more information contact:
CCW Regional PR Officer Brân Devey on 02920 77 2403 or
Gwynedd Council Communications Officer Carwyn Meredydd on 01286 679
503 or CarwynMeredydd@gwynedd.gov.uk
If you would like to participate in this event please
contact Rhys Jones directly at RhysJones@gwynedd.gov.uk
Notes to Editors
CCW is supporting the 2010 International Year of
Biodiversity, declared by the United Nations. Biodiversity is the
variety of life on Earth. It is essential for sustaining the
natural living systems or ecosystems that provide us with food,
fuel, health, wealth, and other vital services. To find out more
visit http://www.biodiversityislife.net
The Countryside Council for Wales is an Assembly
Government Sponsored Body, working for a better Wales where
everyone values and cares for our natural environment. More
information about our work is available on www.ccw.gov.uk