Birds and more on Anglesey
Birds and more on Anglesey
We picked up Derek and Sally first thing from their holiday accommodation at Henllys Hall and our wildlife-watching together started straightaway. Even before we'd left the beautiful grounds on Henllys just outside Beaumaris, we came to a sudden stop to admire the view of a very cute Red Squirrel at a feeder.
Check out those wonderful ear tufts!
We headed straight to RSPB South Stack on the opposite corner of Anglesey. We walked down the steps to take a look at the cliffs - the view was breathtaking and the seabird colony was a hive of activity! The narrow ledges of the cliffs were jam-packed with Guillemots, Razorbills, Fulmars, Herring Gulls and Kittiwakes and plenty of birds were flying to and fro with supplies of food and nesting material.
Seacliffs thronging with seabirds
Standing room only!
The sea far below was dotted with Guillemots, Razorbills and Puffins paddling away furiously on the waves, but suddenly all the auks took flight and headed out to the safety of the open sea. What had caused this panic? An Atlantic Grey Seal bobbed up close in to the cliffs but by now the bay was completly empty of birds.
The cliffs are dotted with colourful wildflowers
A high-pitched call alerted us to a Rock Pipit which flew in and landed close by
Another distinctive call quickly had us looking up: Chough flying in!
Hard to tear ourselves away from the wonderful spectacle and sound-effects of the seabird colony at RSPB South Stack but we had plenty more places to visit and more birds to see. One of our favourite destinations is Cemlyn Lagoon where the land is owned by the National Trust and managed by the North Wales Wildlife Trust. We were here to enjoy another bird spectacle with North Wales' largest tern colony and the views didn't disappoint. Again our ears were bombarded with the sound of gulls and terns going about the business of finding a mate, building a nest and incubating eggs on the islands.
Sandwich Tern bringing fish
Sandwich Tern
We enjoyed great views of Mediterranean Gull, Sandwich Tern, Arctic Tern and Common Tern while breeding-plumaged Dunlin pottered around the edges of the island.
Dunlin never stay still to be photographed!
A scratchy call behind us made us turn around to look.
Common Whitethroat is more obliging as it perches on the top of a bush
Closer inspection at foot level revealed a rather hairy character.
Any idea of the ID?
We walked out to the shore to do a spot of seawatching but we were distracted by an air-sea rescue in progress.
Think this was just a practice session!
Our wonderful visit to Anglesey had one last surprise for us before we left: great views of a handsome Adder, fantastic!
Too long to fit the whole snake in the photo!
We had a wonderful day birdwatching around Anglesey, and our thanks to Derek and Sally for making it so enjoyable. If you'd like a day's guided birdwatching on the beautiful island of Anglesey, please email us on
info@thebiggesttwitch.com for more information. We look forward to hearing from you!