A shy local resident breeder of woody areas has been photographed in Dinefwr Park by wildlife photographer Mike Clark.

The lesser spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos minor) is the smallest and least common of the three woodpeckers that are resident in Britain. The male is distinguished from the female by his bright red crown. It tends to nest and feed higher up and is quieter in its tapping  -  a key way to identify them.

They are found in open woods, copses, parkland, gardens and orchards, searching for larvae, spiders and wood-boring insects on smaller branches. In the UK, it is mainly limited to the south and in Wales scattered pairs occur apart from in the far west.

Another species highlight that was captured on film near Dinefwr was the club-tailed dragonfly (Gomphus vulgatissimus). As the name suggests it has a distinctive club-shaped abdomen and distinctive black and yellow markings. Unlike most dragonflies their eyes do not meet at the top of the head. It is a nationally notable and elusive species found in limited areas in the UK from the Midlands southwards. In Wales it is found in the mature (slow flowing) stages of river systems including the Tywi and Teifi. Their flight period is from early May to end of June/early July.