The volunteers at South Stack were given a real treat by the staff and management at the South Stack Reserve.
It was great and appreciated by all. We all travelled in a mini bus this helped all the volunteers to get to know each other better,as we all work on different days of the week.
Below are some pictures of our time spent at Burton Mere
The above is the main entrance and reception building
There are RSPB volunteers able to direct visitors to the various hides and walks. There is a super view of several lakes where there are many types of wildfowl.
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Views looking out from the main reception across the lakes.
We are off for our trip around the reserve.
A Great Spotted Woodpecker!!
Above is first hide on the reserve that we visited. It was really smart, all the buildings were fairly new with terrific views.
A view of the main reception across the lake as we returned.
And then of course the essential bit of the day.
Below is a list of the birds seen at Burton Mere
black tailed godwit
tufted duck
pochard
shoveler
teal
wigion
pintail
redshank
dunlin
gadwall
kestrel
sparrowhawk
Lapwing
Grey heron
g.s. woodpecker
lesser Spotted Woodpecker
nuthatch
goldfinch
chaffinch
black headed gull
common gull
ruff
coot
moorhen
curlew
jay
Below is an extract from the Burton Mere Website
Wildfowl and wading birds in winter, warblers in spring, vast panoramas and a fascinating history are just some of the highlights from Burton Mere Wetlands. Straddling the border between England and Wales, this is a unique landscape. Many years of hard work have restored reedbeds, fenland and farmland.
Our reception building is open between 9.30 am and 5 pm. The reserve is open between 9 am and 9 pm, or dusk if sooner.
£4 adults, £6 family, £1 kids, concessions £2.
If you are new to birdwatching...
Burton Mere Wetlands is perfect if you're new to birdwatching, as the entire reserve has been designed to get you closer to nature. It has relaxed, modern facilities with excellent access for people of all abilities.
No dogs allowed, except registered assistance dog
Facilities
Pushchair friendly
Before returning home we went to Parkgate. This is a wetland site not far from Burton Mere. It is great for wildfowl, below is what we saw.
white fronted goose
pink footed goose
great white egret
spoonbill
common snipe
little egret
hen harrier
The only drawback that I can see at Parkgate is the parking facilities. There is a small car park but the remainder seem to park along the roadside.
Then we all set off home arriving back on Anglesey around tea time. A great day had by all.
The volunteers at the RSPB South Stack Reserve would like to say a very big thank you to the management and staff for the wonderful day out on Sunday the 26/02/2012.
We would like to say a very special thank you to Haley (the hostess with the mostest) and Jon our catering manager who both gave up their time to make the day so enjoyable.
Speaking for myself I found Jon a very relaxing driver, and his extensive knowledge of birds greatly enhanced my own. Haley is good company at any time and her people friendly manner made the day a great success.
We would like thank you once again: the South Stack volunteers.
Ps: once I have sorted out my pictures I will post a more informative blog.
Hi again, I have not written for some time. During the winter months I am not required as often as a volunteer and basically have nothing to write about.
I was in at South stack on Monday the 19th, it was a very nice day especially for this time of year. I expected to be overrun by visitors but surprisingly it was a very steady day.
I was running a children’s competition were they had to go around the site and identify various items that were to be found on the reserve. On their return they were given a bag of goodies that were dependent upon their age. There were not too many children turned up and to boost sales I tried to sell lucky bags to some adults without success, perhaps sales is not my strong point!
An American family approached me and asked about the reserve and in particular what the were expected to see. They were originally from California but now living Oxfordshire.
I explained about the reserve in general, Ellin's Tower the Chough, the Guillemot Cafe Etc. The we're originally from Calafornia but now live in Oxfordshire. They duly went with their two children down to Ellin's Tower to see the Guillemots. They saw exactly what I saw : read on !
Shortly afterwards Jon our catering manager asked me if I would go down to Ellin's Tower and do a count of the Guillemots. We have been getting quite large numbers coming in which is unusual this early in the year.
Fortunately I had taken my scope with me and I was looking forward to seeing my first Guillemot of the year. My scope together with my tripod are quite heavy. Jon had advised me to count them in groups of ten (this is to make large numbers easier to count).
After walking down to the tower (no easy task) and after several gasps for breath I set down my scope. Using my binoculars I proceeded to scan the roost (remembering Jons's advice) I must confess I didn't even manage to count to ONE ! The cupboard was bare,
someone had obviously told them that I was coming!
I met up with my American family again down there, they had obviously counted as many birds as I had.As a consulation I explained about the Spatulate Fleawort! It is all in the training?
Recently some rock climbers have re-installed the remote cameras. These are used during the nesting season in order to remotely view the breeding birds especially the Chough. I have included below some pictures showing this, just looking at the pictures gives me goose bumps. The pictures were kindly given to me by Kathy who is a RSPB member of staff at South Stack reserve. She has also provided me with some pictures of the heather burning which I have also included.
The heather burning is carried out in order to promote new growth amongst other things and looks very dramatic. One or two of the pictures would not look out of place framed and displayed on your wall. I seem to have run out of room for more pictures?
Hi everyone!
It's been a while since we last spoke, so I wanted to say hi to all our loyal readers and keep you updated with sightings on the reserve. We first spotted our Guillemots back on 27th December and since then they have been in and out to sea quite frequently! They have been busy prospecting their nesting sites making sure no other Guillemots are moving in on their patch! A few Razorbills have been bobbing around on the sea but are yet to move up onto the rocks. Perhaps the most exciting sighting (particuarly for me as I am very fond of them!) was 11 Fulmar's relaxing on the rocks on the cliffs. How exciting!? I do hope we have lots of big fat Fulmar chicks this year.
In other news, our Chough have been VERY vocal outside the Visitor Centre recently and Mr and Mrs Mousetrap, stars of our CCTV Chough nest, have been displaying rather fantastically all over the reserve! The cronking Ravens have been busy collecting nesting material so we will be keeping you updated on news there!
We hope to see you at South Stack soon! Why not pop up this half term? We have a wildsquare treasure hunt for families and some lovely home made produce in the cafe and great gifts in the shop for those of you wanting a more relaxed environment.
Take Care,
Hayley.