Welcome to a new spring day - a new RSPB Visitor Centre and the start of an exciting new beginning in the history of RSPB South Stack Cliffs.
It’s been a long journey - after much hard work we have finally reached our destination - a visitor attraction that:
Please watch this space or visit our website for further information and updates!
Hope that we will see you all in the future.
Hi all,
Just a short update to let you all know that our new Lizard Safari walks at South Stack have started and have attracted much interest from families and are especially popular with the kids.
Having completed three walks this week - I pleased to say that we have seen numerous common lizards and 3 of our illusive reptile species 'the Adder'
6 year old Wildlife explorer Henry, one our young Lizard Safari participants was thrilled and excited because he spotted his first ever Adder crossing the path near Ellins Tower - truly an amazing nature moment that will stay in Henrys memory forever and hopefully encourage further exploration into the world of watching these fascinating creatures - Henry received a special Lizard Pin Badge Prize for his Excellent spot - ''Well Done Henry''
Lizard Safari
Who wants to see a real life Lizard in the wild?
Join one of our friendly RSPB Lizard leaders on a half hour South Stack Lizard safari and explore the secret world of these mini
dinosaur cousins and if you are lucky you might even spot a Snake!
Free to all
Come along to South Stack for a Reptile adventure - kids and adults alike will love it
Lizard Safari walks are run subject to warm and sunny weather
See all you budding Herpetologists soon -
Love x Peace x Respect - Mark Lizard Safari Leader :-)x(-:
For Further Information Please Telephone The Visitor Centre On - 01407 762100
e-mail - south.stack@rspb.org.uk
Visit – www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/s/southstackcliffs
www.facebook.com/pages/RSPB-South-Stack-Reserve/197674133606148
Your last chance to see our puffins is rapidly approaching, as they will soon be disappearing back out to sea . It is also the best time to come and visit, as up to 15 puffins have been spotted at one time on the ledges where they breed. These lovable 'clowns of the sea' as the Italian translation puts it , can be seen even from near the top of the lighthouse steps, on patrol outside their burrows. Its a sight not to be missed!
Our guillemot and razorbill chicks are growing rapidly and look like miniature versions of their parents. Still well hidden and guarded from predators these heroic youngsters are already taking that leap of faith onto the water. Our razorbill chick on the webcam went onto the water on Monday 25th June late in the evening. It was seen pacing up and down the ledge as both parents had seemingly deserted it. This would have been the first time the chick had been left on its own as both parents encouraged it to jump! Eventually after a flap of wings it vanished from sight and hopefully made it safely off the ledge. This spectacle is being repeated all over the cliffs at this time, mainly in the evenings under the cover of twilight. Why not come and see it for yourself?
Where do I start ? well the signs of spring are ubiquitous, daffodils bursting with colour, snowdrops piercing through the dark soil in all purity, days are getting longer, birdsong is all around us - what a truly magnificent time of year - the light, colour and life that is spring is once more making a welcome return.
Whilst taking an early walk through South Stack a few days ago I was fortunate enough to spot several common lizards basking in the sun - these guys must have not long surfaced from a long hibernation - what a great sight and
for the first time ever I saw a slow worm at South Stack ! and for those of you who are not aware – a slow worm is a legless lizard :-)
Work on the new RSPB South Stack Visitor Centre is progressing at a rapid pace, with the 4th of April opening day fast approaching, all is on schedule and looking very impressive indeed.
As I type choughs will be attending nest sites preparing for the approaching breeding season, ravens and peregrines that have been displaying in the sky above South Stack will now be attending nest sites, Auks such as Guillemots, Razorbills and Puffins will soon be prospecting and attending breeding locations.
It’s only a matter of weeks until smaller passerines such as wheatears, swallows, house martins on migration will soon be making an appearance – most welcome and exciting times – the life in the cycle of life which we all take for granted begins in the spring and is almost upon us and I for one cant wait.
Come see and witness for yourselves the beautiful spectacle that is spring at South Stack –
see you all soon
Love peace & respect - Mark :-)x(-:
PS- Hi all - I had half a day holiday today - :-) - the sun was shining so I went on a walk to try and spot more reptiles at South Stack - I did!!- I spotted at least a dozen lizards and get this - a female adder just off the path not far from the Ellins Tower - she was a beauty and an unexpected find as only the male adder is usually seen out of hibernation this early in the season!!!! - I loved it - had a great day - I also saw guillemot, razorbill, shag, kittiwake, fulmar, raven, chough, and I think lots of lesser celandine flowers out all over the place - they looked lovely, bright and yellow petals shinning in the spring sunshine - the spring really makes me feel alive - wicked!!!!
update - Just to let you all know that the first wheatear of the South Stack season was spotted by our local 'birder'' - Ken Croft yesterday 14th March 2011. Spring has sprung !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope I will see you all soontake care - Mark xxxx
Hurrah! It's June! The blazing sunshine continues here at South Stack Cliffs, and we are all out, Man and Beast, enjoying the glorious weather :-) The only brilliant difference this month is that basking and nature-watching in the sun can now be happily accompanied by a cool drink, tasty snack, or perhaps an ice cream from our new Cafe! What better!
If you haven't popped over yet to sample the fare, do pay us a visit - a warm welcome, freshly-prepared food and drinks, and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating are guaranteed... and of course, whether from indoors or out, the view is always dazzling... The Cafe is open for drinks and snacks every day from 10am until 5pm, with Ian and the catering team serving up an additional range of lovely hot food between 11.30 and 3pm every day.
It's truly been all-hands-to-the-pump getting the Cafe ready for the summer months in an unbelievably short turnaround time since we acquired it in April, and so we are now equal parts proud and relieved (!) to have this facility up and running for our visitors... so do come and pull up a chair, grab a cuppa and tell us what you think - we're always keen to have your suggestions! If you want to check out the 'before and after' pics, have a look in the gallery - Hayley posted some photos of the renovation a little while ago, and I'll be putting some new photos of the finished Cafe up asap...
Meanwhile, back on the cliffs, its all going on! Our Gull chicks are hatching and so little fluffy balls with tiny legs are currently stumbling about, excitedly exploring the grassy slopes around their nests.... meanwhile the Razorbills and Guillemots are busy carefully keeping their eggs warm and safe through the final run-up to hatching. We're all so excited to have been able to witness the first stages of life of the Razorbill chick who has been the star of our live web-cam... he/she's still in his/her egg at the moment, but we just can't wait for the special day... by our calculations it should be at the end of this month or at the beginning of July... Watch this space, or even better, click on the webcam link and check up on the family yourself! Its great to watch the parents sharing the duty of incubating the egg, giving each other time off to feed - be warned that watching their comings and goings can become addictive!
Elsewhere, on the cliff tops, the delights of dancing butterflies and flitting stonechats and linnets among the beautiful coloured flowers are putting a smile on everyone's face, and I saw my first Emperor Moth at the weekend whilst walking on the Range - the females fly only at night but the males also fly during the day - they are on the wing until July, so look out on your walks... We've also got our usual groups of Chough swooping around, and a few rarer visitors too, like the beautiful Peregrine spotted soaring past Ellin's Tower earlier today, giving everyone a surprise!
So what's coming up? Well, the team here are gearing up for what's shaping up to be a fantastic Springwatch Open Weekend this coming weekend, the 5th/6th June. We'll have a fab marquee full of games and activities to celebrate the wonders of Springtime here at South Stack Cliffs. We won't have the BBC unfortunately as they will be elsewhere in the UK, but we will have our own wonderful team of energetic and enthusiastic staff and volunteers to provide a wealth of knowledge together with bundles of fun and energy for a brill weekend! Come and enjoy this special place with us and share our love for the nature around us here - its on from 11-4pm Saturday and Sunday, and its all free!
Well, that's all our news for now - we'd love to see you up here sometime .... there's always something amazing to see, and now there's a cup of tea and slice of cake waiting for you too!
Enjoy the sunshine!
Vicky :-)