A week on Anglesey

Headed off to Anglesey for a week starting 17th Sept, staying in a lovely rental property on the Menai Straits which was so extensive that we invited our neighbours to join us and although it's that time of year when spring/summer visiting birds start to head out and still rather early to see the autumn/winter migrants heading back in it was a little quiet on the ornithological side, however, we did venture on plenty of walks taking in the coastal scenery so here's a pick and mix of the different areas we visited...

We were staying just a 6 minute walk to the pebble beach at Dwyran ....

the views from the holiday rental house looking towards the Menai Straits and Carnarfon Castle       

There were various gulls around including this handsome Herring Gull    (please correct ID's if wrong)

Ringed Plover 

lots of gulls .. no good on ID's in various plumages  !

Turnstone at Cemlyn Bay

tons of Cormorants on all the rocky islands 

still saw a few butterflies around including this small tortoiseshell 

Black squirrel at Dingle 

Fungi 

Cemaes Bay

next three are Cemlyn Bay     

Walk from Moelfry to Lligwy and back 

Lifeboat station at Moelfry

Puffin Island .... . we took a boat ride from Beaumaris although Puffins, Guillemots, Razorbills, etc,  were gone after breeding season;   we did see grey seals, cormorants and herring gulls

South Stack where the weather was well into the 20's and roasting ! 

1st time we'd seen a Chough 

Rock Pipit 

over 400 steps down ................. and back up   !!!    

proof we did get down there   !! 

a view to North Stack which is now privately owned

South Stack Lighthouse

Looking towards visitor centre from road heading out from lighthouse 

methinks   Rock Pipit ?

Lady Stonechat

not sure ..... has a Linnet look to face but could it be another rock pipit ?

as if I hadn't done enough steps when I got back up from Lighthouse island ......  I just had to head upwards     LOL    900 steps and counting !

That's about it as you've probably nodded off by now     - thanks for viewing even if you only got quarter way through   LOL 

  • Gorgeous views, loved the Chough ... as I've mentioned before aitch, you are hardy!!
  • Lovely photos and write up Hazel, and I’m pleased you both had a lovely time. I do think Anglesey is a fabulous island and can’t wait to return there most likely now, Covid19 permitting, next year.

    A black squirrel, never seen or heard of one before. (Every day is a school day, unless you're feeding the daisies! Flushed)

    The bay at Moelfre is a lovely bay, and its is a nice village to walk around and along the headland past the lifeboat station, and in the opposite direction towards Benllech, not that I could walk that far easily these days.

    For a nice meal and drink, Ann's Pantry is always worth a visit, they even have an odds and sods shop upstairs with some mementos on the shelves around, and on a decent sunny day, even nicer to sit outside.

    The Puffin Island trips are brilliant, along with the commentary on the boat, and when the tide is out, you can see the wrecked submarine. I think today, the pier now has a ramp or something for wheelchair access, so I could seriously consider a boat trip next year.

    Good that you managed to see the choughs at South Stack. They are now sufficient in numbers to guarantee a view.

    I’m presuming you walked down to Elin’s Tower, often I’ve seen a kestrel; hovering over the cove there, and I doubt for small rodents in the water…..

    Thank you for sharing, it has brought back some fabulous memories for me.

  • Michael B said:
    I’m presuming you walked down to Elin’s Tower

    Yes we headed to Elin's tower from the car park before climbing the few steps up to the road again and then down the 400 steps and back to the lighthouse !    Didn't see many birds to be honest except the rock pipits, stonechat and choughs as well as BH/ and herring gulls.   No sign of a Kestrel.      I hope you get to Anglesey in the new year;    I think our neighbours and we would go again and stay in the holiday house we rented as it was so relaxing and easy to see all the various areas of Anglesey.      Magical timing for the weather so we were lucky as it's all downhill now !  

  • Certainly looked glorious, Hazel, and Chough was a stunner (is on my ever growing list of birds I want to see lol) Is your Black Squirrel not a Red squirrel, in the shade?! (I hope it is, as the black is a genetic mutation of the grey and far more aggressive, apparently)
  • PimperneBloke said:
    Is your Black Squirrel not a Red squirrel, in the shade?

    Yes, it is a variation in coat of the smaller Red Squirrel as it is same family as them and not the larger American black squirrel  !    

  • Wow Hazy just looking at the walks you did makes me dizzy and worn out!!!!! I have never made it down those steps at South Stack, made sure I had someone with me that couldn't make it:-) South Stack has to be seen in the sunshine so you couldn't have had a better day, lovely to see the Chough, and spectacular views, Cemaes Bay is very pretty and looks foreign somehow in those photos, must be all the sun.
  • A lovely trip you have given us from your time away. Liked the sign at the beach! Oh my all those steps, you will have needed a well earned rest and a cuppa or maybe something stronger, after all that climbing! Thanks for sharing with us.
  • Unknown said:
    Michael B said:
    I’m presuming you walked down to Elin’s Tower

    Yes we headed to Elin's tower from the car park before climbing the few steps up to the road again and then down the 400 steps and back to the lighthouse !    Didn't see many birds to be honest except the rock pipits, stonechat and choughs as well as BH/ and herring gulls.   No sign of a Kestrel.      I hope you get to Anglesey in the new year;    I think our neighbours and we would go again and stay in the holiday house we rented as it was so relaxing and easy to see all the various areas of Anglesey.      Magical timing for the weather so we were lucky as it's all downhill now !  

    It can get a bit blustery out there on a windy day....

    The heathland from the visitor centre down to Elin's Tower is often very quiet, most likely due to the number of people around, but if you venture in the opposite direction from the lighthouse, and get away from all the human activity, things do change.

    Probably the best viewpoint is from the lighthouse steps looking over to Elin's Tower at the rocky outcrops, particularly during the spring with the puffins, guillemots, razorbills and many others as they're nesting and feeding on the waters below.

    The visitor centre has only very recently been done up, I'm told its very nice in there now, though it wasn't that bad pre-covid.

    If you're interested, I have a Flickr album of various photos taken on and around South Stack.

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/peak-rambler/albums/72157663956676838

  • Hi Hazel,
    Looks like you had some rather beautiful weather to enjoy the stunning scenery as compensation for the lack of birds. I've never seen more than a fleeting flying glimpse of a Chough so would have been quite happy with that alone.
    Just got back from a week walking about the North Yorkshire Dales with my wife, mostly good weather but not much bird activity except along the River Wharf around Grassington. I'll post the results in the next day or so (warning, may contain Dippers).
    Glad you had an enjoyable break and great to be able to actually do such things again, assuming you can get the fuel to get you there and back that is, we had to try a couple of places to get diesel to get back from Yorkshire.
    Best Wishes,
    Trevor