Opening Llyn Maelog Wildlife Hide

The North Wales Rivers Trust has officially updated the new wildlife hide at Llyn Maelog in Rhosneigr, creating an exciting new space for visitors to experience the lake's rich wildlife and learn about local conservation efforts.

To celebrate the opening, we welcomed members of the local community to the hide for a special launch event. In the weeks leading up to it, our project officers worked with pupils from Ysgol Rhosneigr, running a creative workshop where children made wooden animal decorations that now brighten the inside of the hide. Their fantastic artwork has helped make the hide a welcoming place for everyone to enjoy.

The new wildlife board thanks to pupils at Ysgol Rhosneigr

Since installing the new hide, we've already enjoyed some incredible reports of sightings from the community. Families of otters with cubs have been seen using the habitat, alongside grey herons patiently hunting the shallows and the lake's much-loved great crested grebes. Every visit offers something different, whether it's dragonflies dancing across the reeds, swallows skimming the water, or the chance of spotting one of the lake's more elusive residents.

The wildlife hide has been installed as part of our Floating Wetland Project – a Wales-first pilot study investigating how constructed floating wetlands can improve water quality while enhancing habitats for wildlife. From the hide, visitors can look out over the floating wetland and see first-hand how nature-based solutions can benefit both people and wildlife.

Our floating wetland has been in Llyn Maelog since 2024. Its primary role is to absorb excess nutrients entering the lake, particularly from agricultural runoff. These nutrients can fuel harmful cyanobacterial blooms during warm weather, but the wetland helps reduce nutrient levels, potentially improving the lake's resilience to these bloom events.

The wetland also creates valuable habitat beneath its floating structure. Recent monitoring has been testing plankton abundance. Plankton live among the submerged roots, with populations differing from those found in open water. These plankton play an important ecological role. The dense root network also provides shelter and feeding opportunities for fish, which in turn attract a variety of larger wildlife. Visitors may be lucky enough to spot herons, goosanders, grebes, cormorants, and even the occasional bittern or otter while watching from the new hide.

We hope the wildlife hide will inspire more people to discover the incredible biodiversity of Ynys Mon and learn how innovative conservation projects like our floating wetland can help protect these special places for future generations.

This project was funded by Local Nature Partnerships, in partnership with Ynys Mon Council, WCVA and Welsh Government.

Visitors enjoying the wildlife from the shelter of the hide.