RSPB South Stack sits on this treasured Welsh coastline, home to rare Choughs and a seabird city.
The gems of our coastal world are often hidden out of sight but take a trip to the western side of Anglesey and you’ll discover Wales’ very own treasure island. The sea stack, and the surrounding Holy Island Coast, has been shaped by the ocean for millions of years. Legally protected for its rare maritime heathland and the species that depend on it, it’s one of Wales’ most priceless wild places.
We spoke to Lynne Harrison who has been Visitor Engagement volunteer at RSPB South Stack for 10 years. Lynne explains why protecting the Holy Island Coast is important.
Visitor Engagement volunteer at RSPB South Stack
Lynne welcomes people to the nature reserve – sharing the site’s history, management, and wildlife watching top tips.
It's not just enjoying the beauty of the birds and the reserve, which is fantastic. But I have felt that it's helped my mental and physical wellbeing. I’m 75, and my voluntary role at South Stack makes me feel energised when I leave at the end of the day.”
The sea breeze and its spray mean only the hardiest plants and flowers grow – but there’s still plenty of precious life for you to discover. The rare Spotted Rock-rose blooms only for a few hours of its life, while the South Stack Fleawort studs the heathland with yellow flowers in the spring. Choughs, the rarest members of the UK crow family, swoop and soar over the heathlands and grasslands as they settle on cliff-top territories. The short grasses here provide the perfect place for them to forage, both when they’re raising chicks and throughout the winter.
The RSPB began managing South Stack nature reserve in 1977, due to the presence of these birds. Now, it’s home to roughly 15 breeding pairs of Choughs. There are fewer than 500 breeding pairs of Choughs in the UK, with around three quarters of these in Wales. West Cornwall and the Scottish Islands are also treasured strongholds
The importance of the birds and the rare plants on the Holy Island Coast earned the area additional legal protections, recognised at an international level as a Special Protection Area and a Special Area of Conservation, in 1992.
Discover the UK's natural treasures, the species that call them home, and why they need protecting.
Choughs were persecuted throughout medieval times. Today, the biggest threats these rare birds face include loss of habitat and food sources, as well as disturbance at sensitive nesting sites. These ground feeders rely on shortly cropped vegetation so they can used their curved bills to dig for invertebrates. As livestock farming moved inland, the rocky shorelines where these birds breed became more overgrown.
As managers of the nature reserve, it’s the RSPB’s responsibility – as part of the legal designations – to keep the habitat in good condition for these birds. Through sensitive grazing, which also benefits the area’s important plant species, the team provides the short grassland they need to forage.
But sometimes protection also means giving wildlife space. Seasonal access restrictions have been in place on part of the reserve during the breeding season in 2025 and 2026, reducing disturbance to sensitive areas. This year, three Chough chicks fledged from a protected sea cave within the exclusion zone – the first successful breeding on that stretch of coastline since 2012.
I love sharing the reserve’s story because it’s just so special. And, when visitors look at the sea cliffs, it looks on the face of it that it might just looks after itself, but that’s not the case. Denise, the Warden, and her team work tirelessly behind the scenes – the reserve spans 1,000 acres!”
Look out from the cliffs in the spring and summer months, and you’ll see ocean voyagers – Guillemots, Razorbills and maybe even Puffins – packed tightly onto the rocky ledges. We’re given a rare glimpse into their secret lives: courting, breeding and raising their chicks. The island’s lighthouse, guides sailors home over stormy seas and offers a viewing place for these birds – illuminating their hidden world.
This rowdy seabird city is built on ancient foundations. The Holy Island Coast is home to some of the oldest rocks in the UK, formed at the same time as some of the earth’s earliest lifeforms. You’ll see swirls of rock, layers of ancient mud and sand, ‘folded’ together by crashing tectonic plates. Below the water’s surface, this unusual geology forms marine caverns, caves and ledges. These nooks and crannies are all bursting with life. Sandeels dart through the waters and Grey Seals raise pups on secret beaches.
Holy Island has long attracted people to its coast; its history mapped by the remains of Iron Age Hut Circles and a Roman Watchtower. Now, the landscape brings in visitors looking to enjoy a moment in nature, whether that’s taking a stroll along the Anglesey Coastal Path, watching wildlife from the RSPB viewpoint at Ellin’s Tower or hiking up Holyhead Mountain.
Something I've noticed over the last 10 years- which is really heartening – is a change in the age of people who are interested in birds. A lot of young people are now getting involved – whether that’s because of social media or from TV. However they’ve arrived at it, it’s important because we need the next generation to take over from us, protecting nature.”
Come and discover this treasure trove for yourself. Will you catch a glimpse of the ruby-red bill of a Chough, a Puffin’s beak full of silver sandeels, or the fleeting yellow-gold glow of the Spotted Rock-rose?