Iolo Williams heads up the Taff, Cynon and Rhondda valleys.

The huge blast furnace ruins of the old Cyfarthfa ironworks near Merthyr Tydfil have been colonised by nesting sand martins from Africa. In the waters of the Cynon, once one of the most polluted rivers in the UK, Iolo is thrilled to find all sorts of invertebrates and fish. Nearby, a gem of wetland has formed supporting the secretive water rail and noisy reed warblers.

Another great find is an old woodland near Pontypridd which has a fantastic range of breeding birds - it has somehow survived the industrial age. But the biggest eye-opener of all is on an old coke works on the outskirts of Beddau. It’s full of rare insects that are adapting to live on a post-industrial moonscape, and has transformed into an important wildlife habitat. Also on his trek, Iolo makes friends with a vixen in the Rhondda.
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