Village pub reopens dovecote after outrage at health-and-safety decision to seal off the 80-year-old structure with birds stuck inside

Dovecote has been by the Captain's Wife pub in the village of Sully for 80 years 

The pub claims it had taken the action on Health and Safety grounds over doves

After outrage from locals, decision to close the dovecote was reversed by pub 

By DANYAL HUSSAIN FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 15:00, 27 November 2019 | UPDATED: 15:04, 27 November 2019

A village pub caused outrage by sealing up an historic dovecote, leaving birds and their babies trapped inside.

Pest controllers were called in to cement up entrance holes to the dovecote which has been near the Captain's Wife pub in the village of Sully, near Penarth, South Wales for 80 years.

Soon after, bird lovers arrived to free the white doves and their young, which could be heard flapping around inside, and police attended the scene.

The pub claims it had taken the action on Health and Safety grounds because the doves annoy customers eating outside in the summer.

The historic dovecote provided shelter for doves and pigeons on the south Wales coast in Sully, near Penarth

But local wildlife groups say it's 'barbaric' and are asking locals to boycott the pub. 

After the outrage, the pub announced a u-turn on its decision. 

Dozens of birds had escaped before the dovecote was initially sealed off and are roosting in a nearby tree.

Campaigners say they will perish in harsh winter weather and add that a rescue operation is under way.

Continued

Return of strip-field farming creates haven for rare species in south Wales

National Trust trial of 13th century method used until 1940s transforms stretch of Gower peninsula coast

Steven Morris

Wed 29 Aug 2018 18.00 BSTLast modified on Wed 29 Aug 2018 21.02 BST

A pioneering farming project using field management techniques dating back to the 13th century has transformed a stretch of coast into a haven for endangered animals, birds, insects and wildflowers.

The experimental return to “strip-field farming” close to the spectacular Rhossili Bay on the Gower peninsula in south Wales is being credited with a threefold increase in the number of species of wildflowers and the appearance of rare birds such as the hen harrier and grasshopper warbler.

As many as 63 butterflies were spotted in 60 seconds in one of the strip fields at the Vile, compared with a maximum of six in neighbouring pastures that are farmed conventionally.

The Vile, which is old English for strip fields, was farmed in the old-fashioned way until the late 1940s. Shortages then led to the intensification of agriculture across the UK including, to a more limited extent, the Vile.

The National Trust, which owns around three-quarters of the 111 acre site, launched a project to wholly restore the strip fields two years ago. Rangers and 80 volunteers have created 2,000 metres of banks and hedges that had been removed to satisfy the demands of heavily mechanised farming, turning six fields into a patchwork of 17 different areas. The plots rejoice in names such as Bramble Bush, Sandyland and Priest Hay.

Continued  

Will reunited with beloved bird thanks to power of a tweet

Updated 3:18pm Monday 7th July 2014 in NewsBy Clare Snowdon

A BIRD-loving Amman Valley granddad has been reunited with his beloved rare pal four days after it escaped - thanks to a tweet.

Exotic bird breeder Will Rees was feeding one of his Guinea Turacos when the bird - a colourful fruit-eating native of West Africa - escaped the pensioner's clutches and took flight over the Amman Valley.

“I was devastated and didn’t know what to do,” said the 89-year-old who lost his wife of 67 years earlier this year.

“I’ve had birds since a very young age, they are part of my life, and they helped me through a very difficult few months.

Continued

Urban river pollutants suppress wild bird development

Date:

April 28, 2014

Source:

Cardiff University

Summary:

Hormone disrupting pollutants are affecting the health and development of wild birds nesting along the urban rivers of South Wales, new research shows. Findings reveal that chicks of the Eurasian Dipper -- a river bird that feeds exclusively on insects and fish in upland streams -- are underweight compared to their rural counterparts. Also of concern is that birds nesting in urban rivers have altered hormone levels, and are hatching fewer female chicks than those nesting along rural rivers, which could have negative implications for the population’s breeding and survival.

Continued

Birds exposed to 'hidden pollutants' in south Wales valleys

Birds which have returned to the former industrial valleys of south Wales are being exposed to extremely high levels of hidden pollutants, experts warn.

Tests on eggs of dipper birds found chemicals used as flame retardants in furniture and motor vehicles.

The birds have fed on local rivers in growing numbers since heavy industries such as coal mining declined.

Natural Resources Wales says water quality has dramatically improved in the last 30 years.

Prof Steve Ormerod from Cardiff University's school of biosciences said PBDE and PCB compounds they found may be potentially hazardous to the birds, but the impact is not yet fully known.

"It's a paradox that on one hand dippers are progressively colonising rivers that used to be grossly polluted and they are being exposed to new, novel pollutants whose impact we don't fully understand," he said.

Sign of cleanliness

The tests found that urban rivers in south Wales contain some pollutants at levels, on average, over four times greater than in adjacent rural rivers.

"What we're learning here is that urban areas have increased concentrations," he added.

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