Trip reports

Choughed to bits.

View of lighthouse by Barry Proffitt

Sunday, 14 June 2009

OK, it's very cheesy but I reserve the right to make horrendous puns occasionally. The Wolverhampton group made its way to South Stack RSPB in beautiful sunshine, but by the time we pulled up to the car park the mist reduced visibility to about 100 feet! The brilliant views of a seabird metropolis were smothered by a thickening fog and we were only able to see the nearest cliff face. Thankfully, this nearest face kept us very busy for the first hour. A group of Razorbills offered lovely views and a Rock Pipit could be seen scrambling around the vegetation. A pair of South Stack's famous Chough landed on the top of the cliff and their brilliant red beaks and feet were just visible in the mist. Later in the morning some of the group saw a magnificent flock of thirteen of these delightful birds, floating and sailing in the wind.

Best of all, at least three Puffins were burrowing near the base of the cliffs. Their colour was brilliantly vivid against the black and white of the Razorbills and smoky mist and all the group managed to get good views of these charming auks buzzing between the sea and cliffs.

South Stack is a stunning reserve with the waves and endless sea crashing against its cliffs and caves. In the end, the mist that had threatened to prevent any views of the magnificent geology retreated to reveal one layer of cliffs after another until finally the lighthouse came into view. In many ways, it made for a more magical unveiling than had we just walked up to the edge of the cliffs and seen the thousands of Guillemots, Herring Gulls, Fulmar and Kittiwakes screeching as they huddled on the rocks.

Out to sea there was no sign of any Manx Shearwaters, but Gannets were regulars against the waves and the glassy sea was filled with Guillemots and Razorbills. Pairs of Stonechats gave lovely views and seemed very happy as people walked right past their perches on the paths, and there were Linnets with their bright red summer plumage flitting on the rocks.

From South Stack we moved east to another RSPB reserve at Conwy. This reserve is blessed with a gorgeous castle for its backdrop, so we were lucky enough to have two stunningly set reserves in one day. A Willow Warbler was singing loudly as we got off the bus and Buzzards drifted lazily around the distant forests. The pools were filled with Shelduck, Gadwall and Red-breasted Mergansers, with occasional Grey Herons and Little Egrets creeping among the reeds. A small group of Black-tailed Godwits were a nice surprise and they were joined by plenty of Oystercatchers and Lapwings.

Around the reserve there was a distant view of a hunting Peregrine and the small river channel accommodated a bobbing Common Sandpiper and a family of Grey Wagtails. Sedge Warblers popped up across the hedges every few minutes and their energetic calls countered the peaceful calm of the sea and castles that surround Conwy. The highlight for many of the group, however, was a small group of Bee Orchids by the path. This rare sight topped a superb day of wildlife in North Wales, as far from a mist-ake as you can get.