Mon, Mam Cymru

Monday, June 21 

Ynys Mon, Anglesey to the English, has long been a favoured destination. A refuge from the rain for our students, during Duke of Edinburgh camping expeditions in the Ogwen Valley. It always seemed to be dry on the island. In search of rare birds. The first, a White-billed Diver off Caergybi, a day trip from Hertfordshire. Another for  a Black Lark at Ellin's Tower, a Sooty Tern at Cemlyn.  A Leach's Petrel, blown in by a tremendous storm, somewhere near Red Wharf Bay was accidental during a stress busting weekend away from house clearing and selling (Pam's mother's). So many happy memories. 

To-day's journey was different in that we travelled the whole of the island from the Britannia Bridge to Caergybi on a fast two lane highway, the A55, instead of the single lane A5. It did mean missing the coast , but served its purpose. To get us to South Stack (Ynys Lawd), as easily as possible. Nearing the cliffs, a Raven flew by, missing feathers showing the wear and stress of feeding young. The track from the car park to the RSPB's Elin Tower is not suitable for the disabled. We drove and parked at South Stack, where there is a clifftop parking area with steps leading steeply down a cliff face to a lighthouse. From previous forays, I know that there is a rock fissure through which one can see auks on their nesting ledges.

We parked so that we could view the sea and part of the cliffs through the front windscreen -- never a favourite of mine. Too much distortion. Frustratingly, there was a regular if small, passage of auks passing by far below, many of them Guillemots. Rock Pipits flew around the rocks, two Choughs (Bran Coesaecoch, Red-legged Crow) allowed a brief view as they rose from the cliff. 

No more fast road for us, we took the coast road to the east coast from Caergybi, calling in at several places en route. Penrhos had acres of mud at a very low, low tide, where a host of Oystercatchers and a few Curlew probed for food. 

Cemlyn Bay, of Sooty Tern fame, is even more well known for its tern colony. The car park is beside a large bay with a pebble beach which allows access to the colony - after a good walk. This  is nigh on impassable for me, and difficult for Pam. I scoped from the car.

The bay has an unique, elliptical shingle ridge, known as Esgair Cemlyn, it's an important habitat for specialist plant species such as sea kale, sea campion and yellow horned-poppy. Beyond the ridge, there is a shallow lagoon. The islands within the lagoon host the nesting colonies of Sandwich, Common and Arctic terns. When I first visited it also had a few pairs of Roseate Terns. None of my photos do it justice. 

 

Although insulated from the noise of the terns, their constant snow blizzard of comings and goings was mesmeric. A lone Black Guillemot on the sea, two Little Egrets and a Grey Heron on an inland pool, were the only other birds. Other favourite haunts would have to wait for another visit. 

The journey home was very slow until we'd passed Caernarfon. Road works, home-going traffic, and just the volume of vehicles.  We enjoyed admiring the splendid Ddraig Goch flags adorning many of the houses. Come on Cymru. Who next? France or Portugal? Hm.

Home to photograph a  few moths from this morning's disappointingly meagre catch, left potted in the fridge, hoping that it would calm them down. It didn't. 

Brussells Lace

 

 and Broad-barred White were ID'd from yesterday's catch.

 

To-day's new moth was a Lackey, another flighty beast.

Peach Blossom are always a joy.