Nadolig Llawen oddi wrth Ynys Echni
Shwmae bawb! Sarah sy’ ‘ma, Swyddog Ymgysylltu Cymunedol Ynys Echni, ac rwy’n teimlo’n Nadoligaidd. Dyma’r adeg o’r flwyddyn i ddathlu, ac mae gennym flog arbennig i chi. Yn ystod fy ngwaith mewn ysgolion ledled De Cymru, rydw i wedi gofyn i’r plant anfon post i’r ynys. Mae post yr ynys yn gyfle i blant anfon cwestiynau yr hoffent i dîm Ynys Echni eu hateb.
Rydw i wedi dewis rhai o’m hoff gwestiynau i’w hateb yn y blog isod. Hefyd, cadwch lygad am fideo arbennig gan ein warden Simon, a fydd yn ymddangos ar sianel YouTube Ynys Echni yn fuan!
Pryd alla i symud i fyw ar Ynys Echni? – Kaleb, Ysgol Bro Helyg
Shwmae Kaleb, mae’n wych dy fod eisiau dod i weithio gyda ni! Mae angen i ti fod yn 18 oed i ddod i fyw a gweithio ar Ynys Echni. Mae hyn oherwydd efallai y bydd angen i ti wneud gwaith sy’n cynnwys gyrru’r tractor, torri prysgwydd, neu hyd yn oed ddal gwylanod! Mae’n rhaid i ni aros tan dy fod ychydig yn hŷn cyn y galli di wneud gwaith fel yma. Fodd bynnag, galli di ddod i ymweld â ni ar Ynys Echni ar unrhyw oedran a hyd yn oed aros dros nos yn ein llety.
Beth yw dy hoff fath o aderyn ar yr ynys? – Lilly, Ysgol Gynradd Dinas Powys
Rwy’n eithaf siŵr y bydd Simon yn ateb dy gwestiwn yn ei fideo, Lilly, ond rydw i am ateb hefyd! Fy hoff adar ar Ynys Echni yw’r gwylanod. Maen nhw’n haerllug a doniol iawn, ac rydw i wrth fy modd gyda pha mor flin maen nhw’n edrych. Fy hoff brofiad yn gwylio’r gwylanod oedd pan welais i wylan yn pesychu selsigen siop sglodion gyfan i fyny i’w chywion. Mae gan wylanod enw drwg oherwydd eu bod yn dwyn bwyd (ac weithiau yn mynd i’r tŷ bach ar ben pobl), ond rydyn ni wrth ein bodd gyda’n gwylanod ar Ynys Echni.
Rhan fawr o waith tîm yr ynys yw gofalu am bron i 2,000 pâr o wylanod cefnddu lleiaf ac ychydig gannoedd o barau o wylanod y penwaig. Mae hyn yn waith mor bwysig gan fod y ddwy rywogaeth bellach ar y rhestr Adar o Bryder Cadwraethol, sy’n golygu, os na fyddwn yn gweithio i’w gwarchod nawr, efallai na fyddant yma yn y dyfodol.
Wyt ti erioed wedi rhoi maldod i gwningen? – Lizzy, Ysgol Gynradd Dinas Powys
Cwestiwn gwych, Lizzy. Mae gennym gannoedd – efallai dros 1,000 – o gwningod ar Ynys Echni ac er eu bod yn edrych yn hynod giwt a chwtshlyd, allwn ni ddim eu hanwesu. Mae’r holl anifeiliaid ar Ynys Echni yn wyllt ac weithiau maen nhw’n ofni pobl. Rydym yn ceisio rhoi cymaint o lonydd â phosib i’r bywyd gwyllt, a gadael iddyn nhw fyw eu bywydau bwni bach mewn heddwch.
Oes unrhyw ddarganfyddiadau newydd wedi’u gwneud ar Ynys Echni? – Sofia, Ysgol Gynradd Cefn Fforest
Rydw i wrth fy modd gyda’r cwestiwn hwn, Sofia! Rydym wedi gweld cymaint o ddarganfyddiadau anhygoel ar Ynys Echni. Eleni fe wnaethon ni ddarganfod rhywogaeth o chwilen, Dermestes undulatus,sydd heb ei gweld ar y tir mawr ers dros 3 blynedd! Mae gennym hefyd rywogaeth o bry cop, Kryptonesticus eremita,a ddarganfuwyd yn yr ogofâu ar Ynys Echni yn 2017. Nid yw’r pry cop hwn i’w weld yn unman arall yn y Deyrnas Unedig! Mae’r Gloronen Aeron Ysgarlad yma hefyd, ffwng coch llachar sydd i’w weld yn Seland Newydd fel rheol, ond sydd i’w weld ar Ynys Echni hefyd!
Un o’r pethau sy’n gwneud fy swydd mor gyffrous yw’r cyfle i fod yn rhan o’r wyddoniaeth a’r darganfyddiadau sy’n digwydd ar yr ynys. Mae gennym gymaint o ddirgelion nad oes gennym atebion iddynt o hyd, fel a oes mynachlog coll o dan y pridd, a hyd yn oed mwy o bryfed, planhigion a ffyngau i’w darganfod!
Pwy sy’n byw yn y goleudy?
Mae’n gwestiwn gwych, ond yn anffodus nid oedd enw arno! Roedd ceidwaid goleudy yma ‘slawer dydd, a oedd yn byw ar yr ynys. Roedden nhw’n gwneud yn siŵr bod y badell tân glo, a ddefnyddiwyd pan adeiladwyd y goleudy gyntaf, yn cadw i losgi! Yn anffodus gadawodd ceidwad olaf y goleudy yn 1988, pan ddaeth y goleudy’n awtomataidd. Mae hyn yn golygu bod y goleudy yn rhedeg heb fod angen i neb ar yr ynys wneud dim byd – fel robot. Ond cawr o robot! Ac un sy’n goleuo!
Cafodd y goleudy ei wella hyd yn oed yn fwy ym 1997, pan osodwyd paneli solar. Nawr mae’r goleudy’n rhedeg yn llwyr ar ynni solar. Mae gennym hefyd baneli solar eraill ger y Ffermdy a’r Bwthyn Corn Niwl, a dyna lle rydyn ni’n cael pŵer ar gyfer gweddill yr ynys.
Pa deganau sydd gennych chi ar yr ynys? – Ollie, Ysgol Gynradd Dinas Powys.
Hi Ollie, yn anffodus, nid oes gennym lawer o deganau ar Ynys Echni, ond rydym yn cadw gemau bwrdd ar gyfer pobl sy’n aros ar yr ynys.
Mae yna hefyd lawer o bethau hwyl i’w gwneud yn yr awyr iach ar Ynys Echni. Rhai o’m hoff bethau i’w gwneud yw archwilio’r pyllau glan môr ar y traethau, chwilio am bryfed yn y glaswellt hir, codi boncyffion i chwilio am nadroedd defaid, a gwylio morloi a llamhidyddion. Mae’r wawr a’r machlud hefyd yn anhygoel ar Ynys Echni ac mae’n werth codi’n gynnar neu aros i fyny’n hwyr (tra’n mwynhau coelcerth ar y traeth!).
Ond mae gennym ni un hen ddol… roedd hi’n cael ei chadw yn y storfa arfau ger y goleudy. Nid oes gan y storfa arfau unrhyw oleuadau, a gall fod braidd yn arswydus, felly cafodd rhai o’n hymwelwyr ychydig o ofn wrth ddod o hyd i ddol lawr yno!
Ydych chi’n gwybod enw unrhyw un o’r milwyr oedd yn byw ar yr ynys? Sut brofiad oedd gweithio ar Ynys Echni yn yr Ail Ryfel Byd? – Nia a Mason, Ysgol Gynradd Cefn Fforest.
Yn Ysgol Gynradd Cefn Fforest, fe wnes i sesiwn arbennig ar yr Ail Ryfel Byd a sut y defnyddiwyd Ynys Echni yn ystod y rhyfel. Roedd Blwyddyn 6 yn ffab – roedd ganddyn nhw gwestiynau arbennig am yr ynys a’i hanes, ac fe wnaethon nhw anfon post gwych i mi mewn côd Morse!
Fe edrychon ni yn archifau Ynys Echni a dod o hyd i’r cofnod hwn gan Ail Lefftenant o’r enw David Benger a leolwyd ar Ynys Echni mewn llyfr o’r enw Flat Holm Bristol Channel Island a ysgrifennwyd gan Bob Jory a’i Ffrindiau. Dyma ddyfyniad o ‘A Night on Flat Holm’.
“At One a.m., the expected happens. We are woken by the wail of the siren mounted on the roof of South Battery Command Post. No time for military formality. I pull on trousers, battle dress blouse and an old pair of flying boots, which require no lacing, seize a steel helmet, and run. Other indistinguishable forms too are racing across the island, stumbling against hammocks. Rabbits and sheep scurry away into the darkness, more scared of us than any enemy bomber. Over on the left, in the centre of the island I hear the sound of the radar diesel generator being hand-cranked – no luxurious self-starters in those day. It is near freezing, the oil is thick and cold and it is taking two blaspheming gunners to turn it, even at half compression. As I listen, it bursts uncertainly into life…’
Gobeithio y cewch chi i gyd Nadolig hyfryd! Byddaf yn ôl yn y Flwyddyn Newydd gyda mwy o chwilod, adar a chychod!
Os hoffech anfon post i’r ynys – byddem wrth ein bodd yn clywed gennych chi! Anfonwch e-bost at Sarah: sarah.morgan5@caerdydd.gov.uk neu postiwch gerdyn Nadolig neu lythyr atom:
Tîm Ynys Echni,
Awdurdod Harbwr Caerdydd,
Tŷ’r Frenhines Alexandra,
Heol y Cargo,
Caerdydd,
CF10 4LY
Gallwch hefyd ein dilyn ar Facebook @Flatholm, ar Twitter @Flatholmers neu ar Instagram: @FlatHolmIsland
Byddwn i wrth fy modd yn ymweld â’ch ysgol neu gymuned i adrodd straeon Ynys Echni a rhannu anturiaethau warden yr ynys a’r tîm! I drefnu sesiwn estyn allan, e-bostiwch fi yn sarah.morgan5@caerdydd.gov.uk
Diolch yn fawr iawn i’n noddwyr yng Nghronfa Dreftadaeth y Loteri Genedlaethol ac i’r rheini sy‘n chwarae’r Loteri Genedlaethol, sy’n gwneud ein holl waith yn bosibl.
Happy Holidays from Flat Holm
Hi everyone! It’s Sarah, the Flat Holm Community Engagement Officer here, and I’m feeling festive. It’s that time of the year again and to celebrate the season, we have a special blog. During my work in schools around South Wales, I’ve asked the children to send us some island post. Island post is an opportunity for children to send in their questions that they would like to be answered by the Flat Holm team.
I’ve picked some of my favourite questions to answer in the blog below. Also, keep your eyes peeled for a special video from our warden Simon, appearing on the Flat Holm YouTube channel soon!
When can I live in Flat Holm? – Kaleb, Ysgol Bro Helyg
Hi Kaleb, that’s awesome that you want to come and work with us! You need to be 18 years old to come and live and work on Flat Holm. The reason for this is that you might have to do work that involves driving the tractor, cutting down scrub, or even catching gulls! We have to wait until you’re a bit older before you can do these types of jobs. However, you can come to visit us on Flat Holm at any age and even stay the night in our guest accommodation.
What is your favourite type of bird on the island? – Lilly, Dinas Powys Primary School
I’m pretty sure Simon will be answering your question in his video, Lilly, but I want to answer too! My favourite birds on Flat Holm are the gulls. They are really cheeky and funny, and I love how grumpy they look. My favourite gull watching experience was seeing a gull cough up a full-sized chip shop sausage for its chicks. Gulls can get a bit of a bad reputation because they steal food (and sometimes poop on people), but we love our gulls on Flat Holm.
A big part of the job of the island team is taking care of almost 2,000 pairs of lesser black-backed gulls and a few hundred pairs of herring gulls. This is such important work as both species are now on the Birds of Conservation Concern list, which means that if we don’t work to protect them now, they may not be here in the future.
Did you ever pet a bunny? – Lizzy, Dinas Powys Primary School
Great question, Lizzy. We have hundreds maybe even more than 1,000 rabbits on Flat Holm and despite them looking super cute and cuddly, we can’t pet them. All the animals on Flat Holm are wild and are sometimes scared of people. We try to leave the wildlife be, as much as we can, and let them live their little bunny lives in peace.
Have there been any new discoveries on Flat Holm Island? – Sofia, Cefn Fforest Primary
I love this question, thank you Sofia! We have had so many amazing discoveries on Flat Holm. This year we discovered a species of beetle, Dermestes undulatus,that hasn’t been seen on the mainland for over 3 years! We also have a species of spider, Kryptonesticus eremita,that was discovered in the caves on Flat Holm in 2017. This spider isn’t found anywhere else in the UK! We also have the Scarlet Berry Truffle, a bright red fungus that is usually found in New Zealand, but is also found on Flat Holm too!
One of the things that makes my job so exciting is the opportunity to be involved in the science and discoveries that happen on the island. We have so many mysteries that we still don’t have answers to, such as if there is a long-forgotten monastery below the soil, and even more insects, plants and fungi to discover!
Who lives in the light house?
This is a great question but unfortunately there wasn’t a name on it! We used to have lighthouse keepers who lived on the island and made sure that the coal fired brazier that was used when the lighthbouse was first built stayed lit! The last lighthouse keeper unfortunately left in 1988, as the lighthouse became automated. This means that the lighthouse runs without anyone on the island needing to do anything – sort of like a robot. But giant! And that lights up!
The lighthouse was improved even more in 1997, when solar panels were installed. Now the lighthouse runs completely on solar energy. We also have other solar panels near the Farmhouse and the Foghorn Cottage, which is where we get power for the rest of the island.
What toys do you have on the island? – Ollie, Dinas Powys Primary School.
Hi Ollie, unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of toys on Flat Holm, but we do keep board games for people who are staying on the island.
There are also lots of fun things to do outside on Flat Holm. Some of my favourite things to do are explore the rock pools on the beaches, look for bugs in the long grass, lift logs to look for slow worms, and watch for seals and porpoises. Sunrises and sunsets are also amazing on Flat Holm and well worth getting up early or staying up late for (while enjoying a bonfire on the beach!).
We do have one old doll however… she used to be kept in the ammunition store near the lighthouse. The ammunition store doesn’t have any lights and can be really creepy, so finding a doll down there gave some of our visitors a bit of a fright!
Do you know the name of any of the soldiers that lived on the island? What was it like to work on Flat Holm island in WWII? – Nia & Mason, Cefyn Fforest Primary.
At Cefyn Fforest Primary, I did a special session on World War Two and how Flat Holm was used during the war. Year 6 were fab – they had some amazing questions about the island and its history, and sent me some fantastic island post in Morse code!
We did some digging in the Flat Holm archives and found this account from a Second Lieutenant named David Benger stationed on Flat Holm in from a book called Flat Holm Bristol Channel Island written by Bob Jory and Friends. It’s from an account called ‘A Night on Flat Holm’.
“At One a.m., the expected happens. We are woken by the wail of the siren mounted on the roof of South Battery Command Post. No time for military formality. I pull on trousers, battle dress blouse and an old pair of flying boots, which require no lacing, seize a steel helmet, and run. Other indistinguishable forms too are racing across the island, stumbling against hammocks. Rabbits and sheep scurry away into the darkness, more scared of us than any enemy bomber. Over on the left, in the centre of the island I hear the sound of the radar diesel generator being hand-cranked – no luxurious self-starters in those day. It is near freezing, the oil is thick and cold and it is taking two blaspheming gunners to turn it, even at half compression. As I listen, it bursts uncertainly into life…’
I hope you all have a wonderful festive season! I’ll be back in the New Year with more beetles, birds, and boats!
If you would like to send us some island post – we would love to hear from you! Send an email to Sarah: sarah.morgan5@cardiff.gov.uk or post us a Christmas card or a letter:
Flat Holm Island Team,
Cardiff Harbour Authority,
Queen Alexandra House,
Cargo Road,
Cardiff,
CF10 4LY
You can also follow us on Facebook @Flatholm, on Twitter @Flatholmers or on Instagram: @FlatHolmIsland
I would love to visit your school or community to tell the stories of Flat Holm and share the adventures of the Flat Holm warden and team! To book an outreach session please email me at sarah.morgan5@cardiff.gov.uk
A massive thank you to our funders at the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the National Lottery players, who make all our work possible.
Flat Holm Island 