Countrycall

I felt a strong affinity with the naturalist and writer Mary Gillham. I’d spent many years cycling and walking the Taff Trail — a Sustrans cycle route, stretching some 55 miles from Cardiff to Brecon — observing, recording and writing about the wildlife of the area. I had also spent many happy hours exploring Forest Farm Country Park, somewhere which Mary had got to know so well.

- Marc Harris

The country park lies approximately five miles north of Cardiff. It encompasses a designated nature reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest — Glamorganshire Canal and Long Wood. Long Wood is a semi-natural ancient woodland, and the designated nature reserve contains a variety of habitats which include wetlands, open water and semi improved grassland. Two bird hides overlook the wetlands, and an artificial sand martin cliff has been built in one of the hides. I have observed birds as diverse as waterrail and snipe here, and bittern have also been seen in recent years. A heronry has been established on a nearby site, and if you walk along the canal on a warm, sunny day, you’ll encounter all sorts of insect and aquatic life. Dr. Mary Gillham MBE dedicated herself to wildlife, and was the founding member of the Glamorgan Naturalists’ Trust and the Cardiff Naturalists’ Society. She gained a degree in agriculture, and a first-class honours in botany and completed a PhD on Skokholm Island in Pembrokeshire.