This reptilian Ash tree - swept down from a nearby river no doubt - isn’t going to go gentle into that good night. It’s found its way to pride of place on Porthcawl seafront via natural processes, for overly excited visitors like me to admire.

Out on the south-western tip of the Gower today. Been looking forward to this visit for months. Glorious views of a gorse bush and some sheep droppings. I want my money back.

Many congratulations to Heal Rewilding proud custodians of wild Beavers. Won’t be long before they’re reconnecting formerly dredged farmland streams with their narrow floodplains, trapping sediment and pollutants and creating habitats for fish, amphibians, invertebrates and more.

Another great rewilding site (perhaps unsurprisingly) attracting Nightingales. We CAN do this.

SW Wales this week on Rewilding Britain fact-finding and advisory visits. First stop - return to National Trust Southwood Estate nr St David’s. Since my last visit fences have come down, wetlands created, GPS collared cattle doing their thing and super-wide hedges heaving with birds.👍

Well either the old wives have got tomorrow’s forecast wrong or Home and Dry have. Pretty sure the old wives have been on the sauce on this occasion - mainly cos air flow is coming from the “wrong” direction.

Glorious afternoon off in Tenby today. Not looking so good for tomorrow’s visit to National Trust on The Gower according to
my ever-trusty Home and Dry . Getting my money’s worth out of the wellies this year that’s for sure.

Afternoon off with my old mate Dave Hancock, Manager Tenby Golf Club. Had a tour of the site and very impressed. Much of it SSSI. Grasshopper Warbler reeling away, Willow Warblers and Skylark song filling the air. Great dune habitat. Coastal erosion a huge challenge though.

Just heard that Welsh Government agri-environment schemes pay farmers less than £70 per hectare for habitat enhancement and management schemes. (App a tenth of that in England). How on earth is that going to attract significant engagement? gov.wales/habitat-wales-…

Have to say Private Eye Magazine is absolutely on fire this week. 👏👏👏

Over fifty thousand people have seen this tweet Michael Gove Call me crazy but I’m still holding out for you. You were such a good Environment Secretary. You agreed to meet Zac Goldsmith and me. I don’t want to believe you don’t care and won’t do it…..

Lastly on this week’s SW tour a return to Heal Somerset. Just starting on its rewilding journey on heavy clay but already showing marked increase in bioabundance after switch from intensive dairy. Many thanks Jan Stannard and team for letting me gatecrash visit with Environmental Funders Network

Penultimate visit on my SW tour this week - a welcome return to the Cannwood rewilding site in NE Somerset. Home to the irrepressible Ben Goldsmith. Wonderful beavery wetlands, heaving with warblers and hirundines. What’s more it’s inspiring many others locally to restore nature.

Alastair Driver Forestry England From the original bumpf, what a visionary project, one of the forerunners to today's nature recovery schemes and projects

Next stop on SW tour - the impressive Chesterblade Hills in Somerset. Mix of rewilding and regen agriculture. Focussing on natural regeneration with some supplementary planting. Strong focus on wellbeing with wild camping, affordable retreats, events and green prescriptions.

Drain blocking to re-wet peaty mires South West Water Park Lake in Cornwall. Hopefully only a matter of time before Beavers are doing this much more cheaply, effectively and naturally.

Superb swathe of Dog Lichen (Peltigera canina) - I think - South West Water Park Lake.

Great news. £200K in 6 days! Thankyou to all who supported.

Rewilding charity Heal Rewilding is hosting a two-day Into the Light event on Friday 10 and Saturday 11 May, at their beautiful 460 acres Somerset site; talks and panels, finance for nature and the nature tech, stories of hope about wilder nature, go go. tickettailor.com/events/healrew…

A great start to Day 2 of the Rewilding Britain Rewilding Network Gathering - excellent talk from our friends at Northumberland Wildlife Trust. Thanks Sara King for our Climate Action North and NE #Rewilding Network invite. 🙏🌏 #networking #rewilding