South Stack is now beginning to feel the cold grip of winter. But with it we have had beautiful crisp clear mornings that reveal the impressive Snowdonia moutain range and Llyn peninsular hills to the south.
Wildlife is wonderful too. Everything seems to be flocking together…including the sheep of course! I have watched as the Starlings rise, fall, twist and turn in perfect synchronized formation. The Jackdaws have been doing it aswell and impressive they are too with their agile mastered flight. These birds have come together from up in the mountains to feed lower down where it is less exposed to the winter elements. Surprisingly we have had regular sightings of a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the area – this is unusual as predominantly this is a woodland species! Here we have few trees, but instead plenty of telegraph poles and man made structures in which they can nest. Fingers crossed it will stay! Another surprise visitor has been the snow bunting. These pretty looking birds have, as the name suggests, a lot of white on the wings and chest and are quite jittery when they feed on the ground but be careful and you can get quite close! They are migrants, coming from all round the Arctic Circle – lets hope they have a good winter here..
The Chough and Raven can be seen also, the two species of crow I never tire of seeing. If the sheep are about on the hill you may be lucky to see the chough feeding near by. They enjoy the disturbance that the sheep create on the ground and will snatch up all the insects that live there. Kestrels and Peregrines have been seen regularly also. Peter, our shepherd told me he quite often sees the peregrine when on the heathland near North Stack!
If you come to our Café there may be a member of staff that can help you to spot wildlife such as Chough feeding in the fields opposite. Whilst your enjoying a brew you may also see many other species of birds that have perhaps come to investigate our new bird feeder put up just yesterday. This is in preparation for our Feed The Birds event coming up this Thursday 28th and Friday 29th. Come and see for yourself and enjoy the warmth, friendly welcome and beautiful scenery.