Moorland fires of summer 2025 destroyed one of last breeding habitats in mid-Wales of Golden Plover

                                             

Golden Plover - lost breeding habitat in mid-Wales

ONE of the last known Welsh   breeding habitats of  Golden Plovers was destroyed in a blaze furing last summer's dry weather.

In its review of 2025, the National Trust says that flames at Abergwesyn Common in Powys, mid-Wales, at times stretched along a five-mile front.

"This destroyed habitats for small mammals, reptiles and birds including the last-known breeding grounds of Golden Plover in the area."

Reflecting on the impact of last summer's dry weather across its extensive landholdings, the trust said other  species affected included Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Raven and  Red Kite.

Raptors, such as Barn Owls and Kestrels, suffered when vole numbers crashed in parched grasslands at Mottisfont in Hampshire and Sherborne in Gloucestershire. 

According to its rangers, "the ecological damage of the dry summer will be felt for decades".

Peatlands that had been restored to lock in carbon and water were scorched, reversing years of conservation work and destroying around 20 years of peat accumulation.

It was a mixed picture for seabirds.

Arctic Tern nests fell 30 per cent at Long Nanny in Northumberland and Puffin numbers fell by 23 per cent on the Farne Islands.

However, numbers of Fulmars and Razorbills rose, "an encouraging sign after the devastation caused to some species by bird flu".

On the plus side, butterflies seem to have rebounded from 2024’s wet spring and summer, with species in flight earlier than normal due to the warm and settled spring.

Marsh harriers bred successfully at Orford Ness and Pembrokeshire. 

"There was also good news for other birds such as the Pied Flycatchers at Chirk Castle in Wales and Longshaw in the Peak District, with "good numbers fledging".

                                                                                    

Pied Flycatcher at Longshaw

The NT report notes:"In some areas, plants and animals appeared to be out-of-sync with the seasons.

"The mild, wet autumn triggered a second flush for a range of plants. 

"Bats and Brimstone butterflies, meanwhile, were still on the wing in November in Suffolk, while Jackdaws, Hooded Crows and Rooks were flocking and rebuilding their rookeries at Mount Stewart in Northern Ireland many months early."

Abergwesyn Common in Powys - summer blaze was devatating to wildlife (photo: Qcne via Wikimedia Commons)