Birding/ Bird watching in United Kingdom

Thursday 16^th of August 2018 and we will go to Wales today to see if we can cross of yet another few birds from the RSPB Liverpool field checklist so I know what birds to expect during our 4 days of bird watching in the areas around Liverpool.

We leave Holiday Inn Ellesmere Port and we drive along highway A55 to the bridge between the mainland and the island Anglesey. We will drive across the Anglesey and cross the bridge to the Holy Island where we will visit RSBP South Stack at South Stack Cliffs. A gorgeous morning driving along the coast. My new friend have a bag of bread with him and we will stop at Llanddulas. He had an report that a Glaucous Gull had been sighted on the beach so we will go to check it out.

South Stack

South Stack (Welsh: Ynys Lawd) is an island situated just off Holy Island on the northwest coast of Anglesey.

Description
South Stack is famous as the location of one of Wales' most spectacular lighthouses, South Stack Lighthouse. It has a height of 41 metres. It has a maximum area of 7 acres.

Until 1828 when an iron suspension bridge was built, the only means of crossing the deep water channel on to the island was in a basket which was suspended on a hemp cable. The suspension bridge was replaced in 1964, but by 1983 the bridge had to be closed to the public, due to safety reasons.

A new aluminium bridge was built and the lighthouse was reopened for public visits in 1997. Thousands of people flock to the lighthouse every year, thanks to the continued public transport service from Holyhead's town centre.

There are over 390 stone steps down to the footbridge, and 10 metal steps (and not, as local legend suggests, 365), and the descent and ascent provide an opportunity to see some of the 8,000 nesting birds that line the cliffs during the breeding season. The cliffs are part of the RSPB South Stack Cliffs bird reserve, with a visitor centre, and bird hide at Elin's Tower.

The tower provides a place to see Choughs, Peregrine falcon, Kestrel and various marine mammals like the Harbour porpoise seen at high tide, Grey seal, Risso's dolphin and Bottlenose dolphin.

The Anglesey Coastal Path passes South Stack, as does the Cybi Circular Walk. The latter has long and short variants; the short walk is 4 miles long and takes around two hours to complete. Travelling from the Breakwater Country Park, other sites along the way are the North Stack Fog Signal station, Caer y Tŵr, Holyhead Mountain and Tŷ Mawr Hut Circles.

The South Stack Formation was chosen as one of the top 100 geosites in the United Kingdom by the Geological Society of London, for its display of small-scale folding.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

We leave A55 and we park the car on the beach just next to the River Dulas. We walk along the beach and we see a group of gulls on the beach.

Tunnel under the railway

Down at the beach

Down at the beach

A gull flying over us looking for bread

Glaucous Gull

Glaucous Gull

My new friend throw some bread and BOOM, we have a huge group of European Herring Gulls coming to eat. Full of young Herring Gulls and it was a good practice to see the difference on the bird depending on the cycle it was in.

We found the ONE Glaucous Gull, a juvenile but it was much bigger than the European Herring Gulls. So that is another “new” bird for me. We walked back to the car and we were in a good mood managed to have spotted the bird.

European Herring Gull / Gråtrut - Juvenile

European Herring Gull / Gråtrut - Going for the second winter

Left hand side bird - Going for 3rd winter
Right hand side bird- Going to 4th winter and will have babies next year

European Herring Gull / Gråtrut - Adult

We were soon back on A55 driving towards the South Stack Cliffs and it was a beautiful stretch of road. We passed old castles and it was interesting with the tunnels along the A55. Driving south and we are passing through the tunnel, going back north and we will drive on the mountain side.

We approached the tunnel and I was surprised to see the mountain. I had not expected any high mountains here. I remember a British movie some 20 years ago and I think the name was “Walking up the hill coming down from the mountain” Something like that and the movie was about an argument, is it a hill or a mountain?

Driving along A55

Approaching a tunnel on A55

Only south bound lane through the tunnel, north bound in the mountain side

Driving along A55

Driving along A55

We reach RSBP South Stack and we´re right on the cliff edges. We park outside the visitor centre and we got out of the car and we were hit by a cold wind. A beautiful area, but it was a very cold wind blowing in from the Atlantic.

We could see the spectacular South Stack Lighthouse leaving the car and we walked down the, quite step mountain side and we could see the whole view of the South Stack Lighthouse on the small island. There was a Stena ferry on the way to Ireland having just left Holyhead ferry terminal on the Holy Island.

South Stack Lighthouse

The South Stack Lighthouse is built on the summit of a small island off the north-west coast of Holy Island, Anglesey, Wales. It was built in 1809 to warn ships of the dangerous rocks below.

History
The lighthouse has warned passing ships of the treacherous rock below since its completion in 1809. The 91-foot (28 m)-tall lighthouse on South Stack was designed by Daniel Alexander and the main light is visible to passing vessels for 24 NM (44 km; 28 mi), and was designed to allow safe passage for ships on the treacherous Dublin–Holyhead–Liverpool sea route.

It provides the first beacon along the northern coast of Anglesey for east-bound ships. It is followed by lighthouses, fog horns and other markers at North Stack, Holyhead Breakwater, The Skerries, the Mice, Point Lynas and at the south-east tip of the island Trwyn Du. The lighthouse is operated remotely by Trinity House. It has been visited by the team at Most Haunted.

Visitors can climb to the top of the lighthouse and tour the engine room and exhibition area. The lighthouse is open seasonally.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You'll find South Stack Cliffs on Holy Island in Anglesey, a wonderful reserve made up of heathland and farmland set on a stretch of dramatic sea cliffs which face the islets of South Stack. In spring, guillemots, razorbills and puffins breed on the iconic cliffs. The rare chough can be seen swooping along the cliffs all year round. Read more HERE

Find your way around RSPB South Stack Cliffs Nature Reserve with this trail map and information from RSBP, click HERE The nature reserve is very well worth visiting.

Stena Ferry

South Stack Lighthouse

South Stack Lighthouse

Elin's Tower

Elin's Tower

Elin's Tower

Elin's Tower (Welsh: Tŵr Elin) is a short castellated tower located around 4 kilometres west of Holyhead, Anglesey. Built between 1820 and 1850 by the locally well-known Stanley family from Penrhos, it was originally used as a summer house.

Today the tower serves as an RSPB information centre, shop and cafe for the reserve it is in as well as affording good view of South Stack and its lighthouse.

On the 12 May 2007 it was targeted by vandals who smashed one of the window's meaning that the tower had to be closed for a day. It was thought that people had had a party during the night at the site and become drunk.

We walked down towards Elin's Tower and from there we walked the walk path on the cliff edge. Nothing I was excited about as I don´t like heights. But what an area, fantastic view and I can imagine coming here during the breeding season and with no wind.

We got the see the Chough and we saw a few Peregrine flying around. We had a Peregrine flying over us with some building material when another Peregrine attacked the bird and the bird lost the building material. But it was strange that they fly around with building material as the nesting season should have come to an end.

Walking along the cliff edge at South Stack

Walking along the cliff edge at South Stack

European Greenfinch

Greenfinch have been eating seeds from a rose hip

Collins Bird Guide

The Collins Bird Guide is a field guide to the birds of the Western Palearctic.

Its authors are Lars Svensson, Killian Mullarney, Dan Zetterström and Peter J. Grant, and it is illustrated by Killian Mullarney and Dan Zetterström (with two plates of North American passerines contributed by Larry McQueen). It has been described as "undoubtedly the finest field guide that has ever been produced", and "the last great bird book of the 20th century".

It was originally published in Swedish and Danish in 1999, and in English in hardback in the same year, and later in paperback. A large-format English edition has also been produced, as has a German and Dutch edition. The first edition was translated to 14 European languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch and German.

A second edition, revised and enlarged, was published in January 2010. A series of updates and corrections were made in 2015, with no change to the edition number.

The cover of the first edition, in all formats, depicts a barn owl. On the second edition, this was replaced by an arctic tern.

Cover of the first edition

Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15538546

Eleven pages of introductory material are followed by the book's main content: 366 pages of text and colour paintings. The text for each species gives brief status notes, followed by a section detailing identification, and concludes with a section on voice. Accompanying most species accounts is a small colour map showing breeding, wintering and migrant range.

The guide is also available as a paid-for app, for iPhone and Android devices. The app includes all of the text and images from the print edition, as well as audio recordings. Additional data can be bought separately; the first such package being a set of distribution maps for 271 species, from the British Trust for Ornithology's Bird Atlas 2007–11.

All versions cover Europe, North Atlantic islands, much of North Africa and the Middle East.

Most of the species covered in the main part of the guide are regular breeding, wintering or migrant species in its area of coverage, although some vagrants are also included. There are additional sections giving brief accounts of (a) vagrants and (b) introduced breeding species and species recorded only as escapes.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Many bird watchers around the world know this book simply as “The Svensson”

Back at the RSBP reception and visitor centre and I went to buy the “Svensson” A bird book, maybe the best in the world, and as my new friend is a RSBP member I got discount on the book. We went to the restaurant and we had tea and cake before we left.

Driving back north and we stopped at Holyhead to see if we could see any birds in the port. We spotted a beautiful Herring Gull just a few meters away, drinking water and I just missed making a video before the bird got scared by a couple walking by. DARN!

We spot a Western Jackdaw on one of the lawns. But walking around in the port didn´t give much. Some Shags but they were too far away for any pictures.

Adult European Herring Gull / Gråtrut

Adult European Herring Gull / Gråtrut

Western Jackdaw / Kaja

We left Holy head driving back towards Liverpool driving along the N Wales Expressway and we left the expressway at Gorddinog. A few hundred meters and we reached the railway and we parked the car. We crossed the railway passing a beautiful house and we were down at the water front. We saw a lot of Egrets and waders but we could not reach them as we would have to wade through water to reach the birds in the rising tide.

We went in to a RSBP site and we walked along the track until we reached a hide. It was a beautiful area and we spotted a few birds, but no pictures.

We could see the Puffin Island from the beach and I might be back here for a tour during their breeding season. Now there is no Puffins around as they are out at sea. The young ones stay out for a few years until they are mature and they come ashore to have babies.

We walk across the railroad

Egret

Carrion Crow

Walking along the trail

We can see Puffin Island

We leave Gorddinog, a nice area, but what I liked the most was the beautiful house next to the rail road. We stopped to have a look, both coming and going and we spent quite some time studying the house. When we left the area walking by the house we met a man coming to the house and we had a chat with him about the house.

Back on the N Wales Expressway and now we had to drive on the mountain side and the oncoming traffic came through the tunnel, yes, for sure an exciting day in Wales. I have got the see the British country side as well as birds during my 6 days here in UK.

N Wales Expressway / A55

Approaching the tunnel

Passing the tunnel exit

Well, we get a very short “bonus” tunnel

N Wales Expressway / A55

More excitements ahead of us

Yes, same where ever I go bird watching with a Guide. Not only do I get to see birds with a local expert. I also get to see the country as I got to see most of Cyprus back in February signing off m/t Roy Maersk. And we covered a lot of territory on the north of New Zealand. So this is something I really can recommend. And if you don´t like birds, why not go look for ants or butterflies?

We were going to RSBP Conwy and we were approaching Conwy and I saw the biggest castle I have ever seen. What an impressive sight this was! The whole town was amazing and we took a tough through town. We decided to stay in the car as it would be impossible to find a parking place.

Try to get a table at a restaurant would be an futile attempt. But I got to see the town and we drove to RSBP Conwy as we decided to have our afternoon tea/ lunch after the RSBP Conwy.

Conwy Castle

Conwy Castle

Conwy Castle

Conwy Castle

Conwy Castle

Driving through Conwy

Conwy town wall

RSBP Conwy

RSBP Conwy

We drive to the RSBP Conwy site and it is just next to the river, not far from the Conwy Castle. We park the car and we walk in to the reception. And as the other RSBP sites, a shop and information, and of course, everything looks to be TIP TOP shape and there are the friendly and helpful staff.

I walk out and I run in to a disappointment first thing. A bird feeder and plenty birds, but who have put the bird feeder so you´re facing the sun looking at it. The feeder was in the shadow so I gave up trying to look at the many birds in this area.

We walked around and it was a very nice nature reserve, but it was a little to “man made” for my taste and coming to the hides to discover that it was quite a distance to the birds. So, well, I really don´t know if I will bother coming back here again.

The Conwy RSPB nature reserve is a wetland on the east bank of the Conwy estuary, created from material dug out during construction of the A55 road tunnel. It is now home to a variety of wildlife, and a great place to introduce families to nature. Read more about RSBP Conwy site HERE

Find your way around RSBP Conwy with this trail map and information from RSBP, click HERE The nature reserve is very well worth visiting if you pass. But don´t bother going here just to go here, then there are much better places.

We can see Conwy Castle from the hide at RSBP Conwy

We left RSBP Conwy and, well, I could see that they had spent a lot of money at the place. But it felt, well, not very natural. But now I have seen it and it was NOT a waste of time. We had seen birds and we got a constitutional out of the visit.

- Hmm, thinking about it, if I ever pass the place again I might stop to have a look for the Sedge Warbler, would be nice to see.

We leave Conwy to look for some place for our afternoon tea and we end up in Llandudno. A sea side town and as many tourists and cars as we had seen in Conwy. We manage to find a restaurant outside Llandudno and the food turned out to be very good.

Driving along Llandudno looking for a restaurant

Back at the Holiday Inn Ellesmere Port and we have finished the bird watching in UK and my new friend from RSBP Liverpool group had given me a very good time here in the Liverpool area and I have enjoyed every minute of it and I hope to be back in the spring of 2019.

I spent the evening in my room and I have a taxi coming to pick me up tomorrow morning and I will leave for Manchester Airport for my flight to Copenhagen.

Click HERE to find out if I make it in time for my flight.


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