I had the pleasure a few years ago (post my visit) of meeting a couple from Stromness on a canal boat here in North Wales. I don't recall her name, but she did say next time, I should visit Stromness and call in to say Hello. ................... If I recall correctly, she worked in both a chip shop and a butchers and her husband was from Bolton in Lancashire and he was a diver or suchlike? ......................... I did consider crossing to Stromness for a day trip but the sea was buried in mist. .................... Thanks for commenting :)

Thanks for your comment. It is very much appreciated. They are fun items which are very practical but a word of caution - they don't last long! ................ They are actually designed for small fish and small numbers of fish. In my vid' you'll notice the net folds under the weight of the fish. This somewhat ruined the wire frame holding it all together. In similar vids from Asia for instance, you'll see the locals catching small(er) fish also, you'll most often see them lower the trap into water from the end of a long pole........................ I found this trap difficult to throw further out into various deeper waters as they tend to submerge sideways and thus, not sit flat on the pond or stream bed..................... I've got around this a little by wrapping small bits of lead to the base of each leg. This helps get it down more vertically into the water if throwing from a bank............................ In my vid I had the advantage of a vertical concrete wall to lower against but in most cases I'd need the trap a little further out and this involves either a throw and a prayer it sits well on the bed or the use of a long pole to put it out further and lower it into the water........................... All that said, they are worth the money even if they only work once with a good haul. I'm planning on other vids involving them in sea water in a quiet estuary and using live worms and maggots as bait. Bread always works but it floats and slows down the descent of the trap so I'm intending to experiment with other baits.......................... Have a good one and enjoy the adventure. all the best :)

@@StonecatWales I've read that cat food works well!

@@frederickdavies2978 It depends on what you are fishing for. Cat food will undoubtedly work for certain predators and scavengers like eels and even crayfish............... I used bread and expected (if I caught anything that is) roach and dace. The young pike was a bonus oddball and I'm sure was only attracted to the commotion within the net..................... I have it in mind to (next Spring/Summer) try more of these traps using as I say, a few handfuls of maggots and or worms. I'm hoping the likes of perch will enter the traps and I'm curious to see if it will work for trout in the mountain lakes...................... If you have any successes, I'd be delighted to learn of them :) :)

@@frederickdavies2978 I think all baits have their day with whatever the target animal is. What works today might be less attractive tomorrow.

Tbf, no............... You are correct that cross pollination can occur and in turn lead to hybrid fruits in due course and this can occur with just some seeds on a tree as opposed to others. It much depends on the insects involved..................... I've not experienced what you describe. That said though, there is obviously a higher probability if a crab apple is in close proximity to domesticated apples. As I say, a bee carrying genetic material from one tree to the next won't necessarily visit each flower to even pass on that material............................ I was giving away some bluebell bulbs a few years ago unearthed by badger activity and I was asked if they were pure and true English bluebells. My response to the question was that I doubted many bluebells were pure now as hybridisation is much more frequent with lesser plants.................. Based on your description, there is an increased likelihood of some of the seed being tainted with other apple types so if you seek purity, you'll probably be disappointed........................ Grafting is a possibility here ;) ............... The old tree I know of where these apples came from is about half a mile from the next nearest feral apple tree, so I'm quite confident about the quality of seed. I know of several crab apples planted within Llangollen for aesthetic reasons and while the fruit is spot on for my needs, there are so many nearby apples trees that the seed cannot be trusted on purity......................... Most damsons and bullaces aren't pure anymore. They are a right old mix. I pick damsons which are all sorts of shapes and I go on size then taste to help further identify bullaces. It could be argued I suppose that most crab apples are tainted but are still 95% crab. A bit like us. We are all tainted with other hominid genes just some of us a bit more than others. All Europeans and most western/central Asians have Neandethal DNA. Most central Asia peoples also have Denisovan genes. The 'purest' examples of Homo sapiens are sub-Saharan Africans and the natives of Australia, but none of our species are untainted in some way..................... So I might err on the side of caution with your example and be more relaxed about known isolated crabs. The only real way to know these days is lab' testing. I would be tempted to dismiss any apple which has fruit in excess of 2cm as a crab..................... We could do with a lot more crab apples in the environment. So versitile a plant. :)

Thanks for your question. It was the first service out of town at 06.45 on a Saturday. There were a couple of passengers downstairs but I was alone on the top deck and undisturbed throughout the journey. Just lucky.

Hi. Thanks for the comment. Possibly though my understanding is the released ones have trackers on them? Also the last batch I heard of being released were near Bangor. That said, one was seen about 6 miles from the release point just a couple of days later. I've filmed them several times now at that general location and none with trackers so far. Cheers.

It was a chicken carcass and a few pork chop bones. :)

The upper reaches of the Llangollen canal are rarely fished, partly because of boat traffic. Canny locals fishing a short pole between Llangollen and Trevor Basin will drop their end tackle straight in behind a passing boat as the canal there is swept bare of aquatic plant life so the fish move straight into the detritus stirred up by the propellers. The fish are used to the boat traffic.................... Thanks for your comment, appreciated.

Hi. Thanks for your comment. Appreciated. I'm fully versed with the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as amended. Bats are protected everywhere. It isn't an offence to look, only disturb. Quiet observation is perfectly fine........................ It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I took little notice of Covid and just got on with my life. No masks, testing and no jabs. I would be more concerned about the likes of breathing in bat faeces' particulates or fibres from cage bird feathers and I regard those as statistically insignificant..................... If there were risks, every explorer of old buildings, cavers, pot-holers etc would need breathing apparatus lest they breathe in something nasty as bats abound in such places.......................What you say is valid however to me it is also subjective; a bit like saying don't eat apple pips because they contain cyanide........................... That said, thanks for your input. It is gratefully received. Cheers :)

My wife and I love bats. We used to run a licensed bat rescue centre 30 years ago. It's amazing how scared some people are of a tiny pipistrelle. bat when it flies in their house and settles on a curtain. Quite illogical. One lunchtime my wife and I were having lunch in our back garden, when we were joined by a bat hanging on our wooden garden fence. Unusual for midday! Kind regards. John and Gill Bath.

Thanks for your observation. However, I beg to differ. It was Shotton. We were 200 yards from the railway bridge. Wepre Brook where it issues into the Dee is the Connah's Quay boundary and that was downstream somewhere beyond where the bore comes into view at the start of my clip........................ The mid way point of the river is the boundary between Shotton and Sealand......................... If this link works okay, you can zoom in and it quite clearly shows the boundaries. We were just downstream of the derelict landing stage on the far bank and that is marked on the map when you zoom in........... mapit.mysociety.org/area/12772.html Cheers.

Someone's tried to have a laugh. That much I know :) I've tracked down an adjective with what seems to be the same historic root and it describes a 'lle ber'. It'll be in my next upload on this subject of the ynys when I drill into the translation.

You're welcome! Thank you :)

Thanks for that mate. Much appreciated. :)

By all means mate. Thanks for the support. Awesome :)

Female trees seed most years and much is fertile but according to the 'experts', there's only one known location in Britain where seedlings have been known to germinate. I actually visited the site in the south Wirral and saw a couple growing in the mud; they have exacting conditions to germinate which means population increase from seed is almost impossible in Britain in the wild. Naturally black poplars would spread via a combination of broken off branches and seed. The British black poplars are a sub-species of the continental ones and this 'betulifolia' is found only here and in parts of the Low Countries in Europe. The well known Lombardy poplars are black poplars bred as 'italica' since at least the 1700s. When I'm long gone and someone looks at black poplars as adult trees in the Dee Valley say 100 years from now, it will be pretty certain they will be one of mine :)

Is it like a fluff with very small seeds in it? In Italy, the arrival of that fluff or down blowing on the wind is seen to signify the arrival of spring. Yoy need to get the seed under a decent lense to see if it looks like there a content in the seed coat. @@StonecatWales

Diolch. Sut mae pethau'n mynd? Indeed, those greys squirrels like rats will bore through concrete given time. Reinforced woodcrete! Awesome.

Thank you :)

Thanks for your comment. Appreciated. :) I'm familiar with castellated rims. Of course I could have done that however my point was deliberately using just two tools of whatever came to hand with eyes shut delving into a tool box. Had I done that at home, I could have used a drill, tin snippers etc. That was too easy. My whole aim was one of crudeness enough to get it to work.

Thanks for the positive response. Appreciated :)

Hi.............. Thanks for yourr comment and question................ Traditionally and normally, they do indeed grow on flood plains and along streams and rivers elsewhere than on flood plains. They will also grow away from obvious water and even quite high in altitude........................ They do need to be near some water supply so long as it is enough to feed the tree daily. They consume a huge amount of water each day and it is seemingly true that they should never be planted on clay soils near dwellings as they can draw so much water, the clay dries out and shinks causing subsidence............................... In the wetter west of Britain, they will grow at those higher altitudes. I see no reason why they wron't grow on sandy soils. It will depend on how deep is the water table. If the moisture is there year round, they should grow well tbh............................... At Formby, there is a consideable number of genuine black poplars growing in the sand dunes thiugh most ae not huge at all. At first glance the terrain would appear arid, but some feet down below the dunes, the soil is damp as it is below the high water mark of the shore, so water penetrates quite a way inland which by then is free of salt............................ www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/mystery-hidden-grove-rare-trees-26189069 ............................ Hope this proves of some use to you? ............................. I'd write to Wirral council as a FOI request and ask them for any info' on the location of black poplars in the borough. Most local authorities in Britain have BP data bases........................ Cheers :)

Thanks that is very interesting and sounds logical@@StonecatWales

I've planted 40 of these on and around my allotment site. Males and female plants. Barnsley area. Hopefully they will grow ! 🙏

Good work. The more the merrier. I find they are quite easy to grow and even if only half survived, it's still a huge plus.

Diolch am y geiriau caredig cyfaill. Byddaf yn mynd i'r ynys yn fuan. 'Dwi'n edrych ymlaen at y peint a sgwrs wedyn. Sut mae pethau'n mynd? :)

People have been known to Canoe it - where the channel narrows and makes the wave bigger.

@@mikeoglen6848 Just as good as a surf that sounds.

Someone on YT has a vid doing just that :)

@@StonecatWales Would like to see that.

It's naturally found in the western parts of mainland Britain but will grow almost anywhere it is introduced. If you are in such western parts, I'd suggest mooching about in deciduous woodland which isn't too dense as the shoots and leaves are just appearing now and are very obvious. In a few weeks, woodland floors will be covered with it where it occurs.......................... Thanks for commenting :) Always welcome.

@StonecatWales OK, probably I was too easy Ii was in one of UK national forest looking last Friday

Hi Mark. Thanks for your comments. Much appreciated. The countryside is one big smorgasbord to me. Have a great 2024 too. Looking forward to your uploads this year. Best wishes from North Wales :) Scott

@@StonecatWales A pleasure there. Yeah, I get that about the outdoors - never wanting for anything. See how 2024 unfolds.

Hi. I'm glad to hear that mate. They aren't too difficult to get going. I watched your vid of the unpacking. I'd be really interested to see how they come on as bonsai over time. I always offer some to enthusiasts in February and that'll be the case again in 2024. I've been responsible for the planting of hundreds of black poplars now across Britain via my own efforts and the cooperation of a whole network of enthusiasts. Your project is a welcome added dimension....................... Good luck with your endeavours mate. Cheers. :)

I wasn't wearing waders. I had waterproof trousers on tucked into wellington boots. I did check when you posted and it looks like waders. but just 'wellies'. :)

Thanks for your post. All my life, cotton wool has been so called no matter what it's actually made of. I'm 61 years old and as a youngster, cotton wool. In other countries it might have different names. It is actually pure cotton and has no connection with sheep. It's just another peculiarity of British English, the wool being a colloquial word for the fibres....................... That said, cotton fibres are sometimes now mixed with synthetic fibres to create yarn and some clothing materials.

Next time I'm that way, I'll look out for that bridge in the garden you mention. Thanks for that :)

Hi............ I'm assuming not. The visitor book had contact details and no one has contacted me. I wasn't the first person to enter that tunnel. i was beaten to it by a few months by a couple of canoeists who only took photos. I made this brief video. It is possible no one has been in since or, they have but have simply not bothered to advise me..................... It was a gesture on my part out of curiosity so, the result is what it is. Should I ever get a response, I will update viewers and if the opportunity arises, I'll go back and explore the tunnel again :) Cheers for the question. Appreciated.

Hi.............. It's easily located on Google Earth for starters and the portal I entered has a public footpath just 50 yards away which takes you over the railway line. It is all accessible from the appropriately named Tunnel Lane which runs out of Orleton village. The footpath I mention is just before the lane crosses the railway line......................... The canal as I mention has been gone a long time but still quite visible in places. If you get the chance, it's well worth a visit. :)

Welcome! And thank you :)

Hi................ Thanks for your message. Apologies for the delay in replying. If you are sure there is no coal being brought up from the sea bed in storms which gradually comes ashore, then it could be there is a ship wreck of sorts off shore...................................... I'd be tempted to examine the coal itself and note if there is seaweed attached or barnacles. If much of the coal has either but especially the latter, then it's probably been in the sea for a long time before being cast up. If the opposite and free of marine life, it must be coming from a source close to shore. This might suggest a wreck eroding and finally spilling its cargo or in some cases possibly coal for a steam engine!....................... Hope this suggestion helps? ...................... Thanks for the post. Appreciated :)

Hi........................ I know of several colonies of glow worms in North Wales but I came across a random natural history note referring to one being spotted on a country lane outside Llangollen. I went for a mooch and discovered two. So, result. Apparently they were more common in the Dee Valley in the past but no one seems to see them now........................................ Yes, those who proposed removing the tree backed down almost as soon as the petition appeared especially when it was publicised in the local press and shaed on social media. So, another success story. :)

Ti'n croeso :) For its short length, still quite visible and accessible in places. It would have been quite the engineering feat had it all come to fruition and carried cargo.......................... Thanks for commenting. Much appreciated. Diolch eto.

Hi. Thanks for your positive comments. Much appreciated. I like to add in these snippets. Look out for a vid on a wild camp at Llyn Irddyn in the next couple of months :) Definately going back. Cheers.