A Local Nature Reserve in the heart of the town
William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, who died in 1219, had the castle which dominates the Lower Mill Pond rebuilt, while the future Henry VII was born here in 1457. In the Middle Ages there was a tidal mill, while the harbour hosted shipping including a prosperous wine trade with France. To ensure a rail link (from 1864) between Pembroke and Pembroke Dock, a high embankment was constructed towards the eastern end of the Middle Mill Pond, so creating the now secluded Upper Mill Pond with open water and reedbeds, a Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales nature reserve since 1979.
WHERE TO WATCH
1
Pembroke Castle would seem to have everything a wintering Black Redstart requires, the walls and battlements easily viewed from beside the Lower Mill Pond, so always worth checking as you make your way along the footpath past Wogan’s Cave. Grey Herons and Little Egrets come to feed. A Lesser Yellowlegs seen in September 2019.
2 The excellent footpath alongside the Middle Mill Pond LNR means you can leave your wellingtons in the car. Black-headed Gulls, perhaps 200 strong, are immediately obvious throughout winter; look for Mediterranean Gull. Grey Wagtails never seem far away.
3
Little Grebes nest, with up to 30 present by mid-winter. What chance a Pochard? In 2019 the only Pembrokshire record was one here in January, previous to which for some years there were only a handful of county records, yet two decades ago over 1,009 wintered in the county.
4 Black-tailed Godwits – more than 100 on occasions – take advantage of this secluded location as a resting place when the tide is in on the nearby estuary. Water Rails and Cetti’s Warblers announce their presence from the reedbeds, where Reed and Sedge Warblers are summer visitors.
Aburial site for nonconformists, the park includes the burials of the founders of the Salvation Army, Catherine and William Booth, and the lion tamer Frank Bostock, whose grave boasts a large white marble lion.
WHERE TO WATCH
1
After nature took over in 1978, the big old trees, some of which are nearly 200 years old, provided excellent homes for bats and owls, as well as hosting a wide range of
wintering, migratory and breeding species. In the cooler periods of the year look out for tiny Firecrests on the ivy-covered tree trunks between April and October.
2 Just yards away from the high street, the park is a haven from the everyday noise and bustle. Tune in instead to the permanent resident birds within the cemetery, the Ring-necked Parakeets with their unmistakable calls, and other avian musicians such as Blackcaps and Robins. Rare visitors that you may be lucky enough to see include Treecreepers, Bullfinch,
Nuthatch and the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.
3
While following the labyrinthine pathways between the faded gothic opulence and the weeping angels who are being strangled by the ivy tendrils, look out for the Jays who reside within the cemetery – they are a lot showier than their countryside counterparts. Mallards and Canada Geese breed despite no nearby water source. Look to the sky for Buzzards, and the occasional flyover of Kestrels and Red Kites.