Machynys – A rich environment for nature

Arriving at Monk’s Island golf course on a sunny spring morning, you will be greeted by the explosive song of the Cetti’s Warbler, a small bird of wet places that first bred in Britain in the 1960s. Machynys is a stronghold for this species and a home for many others.

By carefully preserving half the course as wild habitat, the golf club has created a haven for birds, plants and insects that make it a valuable wildlife environment. The many ponds hold breeding waterfowl, such as Gadwall, Mute Swan, Little Grebe, Coot and Moorhen. Another sound of spring is the Little Grebe’s loud “whinnying” call resounding across the water. The many ditches and wet places attract Grey Herons and Reed Buntings, with Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler breeding in and around the reed beds. The damp areas are dotted with the purple spikes of Southern Marsh Orchid in late spring and early summer.

During the summer, Swallows and House Martins feed over the course, especially over the ponds when the weather is inclement, when they may be joined by Swifts. Ravens cronk loudly as they fly over and Red Kite and Buzzard can be seen soaring over the course all year round.

Thickets of trees on the course provide nest sites for Blackcap and Chiffchaff, with  migratory Whitethroat and Willow Warbler in the scrubbier vegetation. Song Thrushes and Blackbirds also nest in the more wooded areas, along with Blue Tit and Great Tit, Robin and Dunnock. Wrens sing loudly from clumps of vegetation.

The rough grassy patches are important places for Skylarks, and they can be heard singing, high in the sky, for much of the year, from early spring until late summer. These grasslands also host Bee and Pyramidal Orchids and grassland butterflies such as Small Heath and Common Blue.

Outside of the breeding season Curlew and Black-tailed Godwits may feed on the grassy turf, whilst in Spring, small groups of Whimbrel will drop in at high tide. The ditches hold Water Rail in the winter, making a pig like squealing amongst the reeds. Winter thrushes from Scandinavia will also drop in during the cold months, to feed on the greens and fairways and roost in the trees.

Golf courses can be rather sterile places for nature, but they don’t need to be. Machynys, through careful design and a sensitive approach, has created a diverse range of habitats. These areas have matured into a site that benefits important wildlife.

Adam Dare. Carmarthenshire Bird Club.

Machynys – its Landscape and Wildlife

Ian Morgan worked for CCW (Countryside Council for Wales) as the Team Leader for Carmarthenshire and his duties were numerous and varied, Machynys Ponds a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) located on the proposed golf course site, fell within his jurisdiction and with the construction of the adjacent Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust’s Penclacwydd Centre nearing completion, he had a significant interest in the newly–hatched plans for a resort golf course next door at Machynys. He realised the potential opportunity for a de facto wildlife reserve that could be developed, in effect, as an extension to the existing ponds and wetlands at the WWT Centre if, of course, the developers were interested and sensitive to this idea.

Jim Anderson from the Nicklaus JV Group the developers, alongside their architect Gary Nicklaus of Nicklaus Design, were delighted to listen and work in partnership with Ian Morgan and Dr Geoff Proffit from the WWT Centre and had several meetings with them to discuss the golf course plans, this resulted in additional marshland and lake areas being created and a change to the construction profile of the new lakes and connecting streams. Deliberate shelving was incorporated to the sides of the lake banks and streams to encourage the growth of aquatic plants such as Phragmites australis (Common Reed) that would not only provide important habitat for Water Voles but also help and encourage many other species to flourish.

Fifteen years on from the opening of the golf course in 2005, Ian has reflected on the history of the site and the impact the golf course and its construction has had on it, which he summarises in his report as follows:

“Machynys golf-course is a de facto nature reserve as well as being a successful golf course and it certainly contributes significantly to wildlife conservation in a local and a wider context. This success is due to its coastal location and also its unique design features of wetlands and water bodies, coupled with enlightened and sympathetic owners and management. Full marks to Machynys Golf Club!”

Dragonfly and Moth pictures taken at Machynys by Ian Morgan