Fulmars & Choughs.

[tomarg06]

Hello. We have been to South Stack on Anglesey today. There were literally thousands of nesting fulmars & guillemots. There is an RSPB center there. They are really chuffed (sorry, just couldn't resist it!) to have 13 Chough pairs there this year, as they were down to 7.
Unfortunately the puffins were seen going out to sea this morning & had not returned when we left. The gulls have chicks, but the other species are not expected to have eggs hatch for another 2 weeks. There are perigrines and cormorants there, with Porpoise in the bay. The wild flowers are beautiful.
All well worth a visit if you can, but wrap up warm - even in strong sunshine the wind whips in off the sea.

[Alan]

Sounds like you had a good time. Glad you enjoyed yourelf

A seabird colony is a very special experience isn't it.

[tomarg06]

Yes - so much wilder than birds in many other settings, somehow. The guillemots were funny - there was a sort of ranking amongst them. There were horizontal cracks in the rock with "penthouse apartments", small cracks with really noisy ones and then all the rest huddled on exposed ledges.

[Boddie]

Out of interest how do you get over to Anglesey? I've never been but quite fancy it now after reading your piece and may consider it next time I am visiting Bangor hospital.

[Mark43]

Sounds like you had a good time...........something i have yet to experience............i mean a seabird colony not a good time

[Kev Lewis]

Originally Posted by Boddie

Out of interest how do you get over to Anglesey? I've never been but quite fancy it now after reading your piece and may consider it next time I am visiting Bangor hospital.

Across the Britannia? bridge. Follow your nose to Holyhead and South Stack isn't too far away

[Boddie]

Any idea how much bar?

[Tornado]

Yes been to South Stack too and if you are lucky enough with the weather, it is superb. iIf you can visit between may and aug/sept the wild flowers are certainly worth a look. Beautiful place. If you are heading back up the country, Conwy RSPB is also worth a quick look! The seabirds were a fair distance away when we arrived but still the views were spectacular. Diddn't do too bad for butterflies either!

[tomarg06]

Hi Boddie. Get back onto the A55 from the hospital towards Holyhead. Go right into Holyhead following the signs for the town center. From there you will see the brown tourist signs for South Stack lighthouse with the RSPB logo alongside. It's a bit wierd, one minute you are alongside the docks, the next you turn left into a housing estate, but it's just a strange system to take tourist traffic around the town center. The road changes from housing to a country lane. Watch out for one more right hand turn and go up the hill to the car park. The RSPB center is down a path behind the South Stack cafe.
Sorry if it sounds complicated - it's not. Only takes a few minutes & well worth it. I'd recommend you wait 1-2 weeks until the eggs hatch for best sightings.

[tomarg06]

Originally Posted by Boddie

Any idea how much bar?

Sorry, I don't understand the question. No charge to go to the RSPB center or cliffs.
Don't think there's any alcohol there..........

[John]

If you have only gone to South Stack on Anglesey you have missed out on many other smashing places to Birdwatch. RAF Valley (Cetti's Warblers etc), Cemlyn Bay (Big Tern Colony), Fedw Fawr (Black Guillemot) Malltreath (Estuary Birds) Newborough (Woodland Birds) and that's just for starters.

I have spent many happy days on Anglesey and have also had holidays there. Apart from Anglesey, if you spend time on there, you have some excellent places to go on the Welsh mainland such as Llanfairfechan (looking across the straits to Anglesey) Aber Falls (a lovely walk up to a waterfall, I have had Nightingale here) then there is Snowdonia and here there is a place called Padarn old Slate mines) Ring Ouzels have been known to breed here and most of the woodland birds are here also such as Wood Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Redstart etc, plus Peregrine are regular there.

If anyone else is thinking of spending a day on there give yourself plenty of time on there and if you want directions of places to go you only have to ask.

As an extra note, on Cemlyn Bay at the moment there is a bird that is getting a fair proportion of birders excited. It hasn't been firmly ID'd yet, and I'm not sure if it ever will, but there is a Tern that is coming on the pager that is being put down as a "probable Cayenne Tern"

Here is a link to what they should look like.
http://www.arthurgrosset.com/sabirds/cayennetern.html

John