Pembroke Day 2 - 12/06/12

After an early rise (6.15 am!) and a quick breakfast we were soon on the road again heading for Marloes. When we arrived there were already a fairly large number of people present so we headed straight for the Lockley Lodge to make sure we got on board! Realizing our landing fee would be covered by joining up to the Wildlife Trust, we took out a joint membership. As we waited for the boat I took some shots of the Swallows nesting at the toilets -

The trip over was shrouded in mist but we could see the odd Puffin in the mist, and when we arrived on Skomer we were greeted by the bizarre guano smell wafting from the cliff sides. After a quick briefing by the Warden we made our way toward the farm at the centre of the Island and were lucky enough to see a Short Eared Owl flying nearby.

We took a course around the Island and saw some stunning sights once the mist started to clear up! We were shocked how unafraid the Puffins were of us, some content to walk right by us! 

Taking a shot of an in-flight Puffin proved to be a terribly hard task but I’ve managed some decent ones on the way back to the landing zone -

These Razorbill and Guillemot were also pretty unafraid of us on the steps on the way back down!

From the boat we also had three fly-by Gannets - 

And so we returned home, sun burnt and shattered, but more than happy to have made the trip, having enjoyed every minute of it.

Pembroke Day 1 - 11/06/12

Afraid as to what would become of our long planned trip down to the Pembrokeshire Coast and Skomer Island after seeing our fortunes change in regards to weather forecasts, we donned waterproof gear and set out for Stack Pole Estate. After arriving we made straight off for the cliffs, vaguely aware of the military firing in the distance.

The first check point was unmanned so we went on, taking in the stunning coastline. House Martins were everywhere, taking mud in the car park when we parked up and nesting in the cliffs by the sea. A brief shower saw us fear the worst, but it soon passed and we had a great cliff-top walk, heralded by a particularly noisy Thrush. 

I stood slack-jawed watching some Fulmar gliding by stiff-winged and managed a decent flight shot -

Razorbills lodged in the rocky outcrops, Shags stood like sentinels on stacks and a Jackdaw that had found a watery grave soon became food for a marauding gull.

We then ate our sandwiches watching the likes of Chough, Rock Pippit, and Gannet. 

As we approached Stack Rocks we realised the MOD had actually closed off the area so we sadly left that plan for another time, and headed back for Bosherston across the beach. On route we noticed a good amount of butterflies, Speckled Wood, Common Blue, and Holly Blue respectively -

We then took a lovely walk around the scenic Bosherston Lily Ponds -

We heard a Willow Warbler and saw some Cygnets, a few fledgling Chiff Chaff, and this perky young Robin-

After making our way around we relaxed at the beach before making our way back to the car and then off to the B+B, Ty Rhosyn in Camrose, where we had some stunning home-cooked food, desert and a couple of beers before getting an early night ready for Skomer Island. As we watched Springwatch I became confused about where a series of chirps were coming from and I looked outside to see some fledgling Wrens just outside the door!

Tit For Tat - 04/06/2012

After working at Hay On Wye Festival this weekend I drove down to Exeter to Jess’s parents to see her. On Bank Holiday Monday we took a trip up onto Aylesbeare Common to try and find Dartfords, but were unsuccessful on that front. We did manage to see a pair of Stonechat, a Yellowhammer calling form the top of a tree, a male Linnet in fine breeding plumage, and also a Wall Brown that landed briefly on the path ahead.

We then went down to Exminster Marsh to try and see the Glossy and Spoonbill that had been reported on the Devon Bird news forum, and found that they were no longer around so we went down for food at Turf Lock, and noticed some Swallows nesting in the tires on the lock. From the lagoons we could see a male Godwit in summer plumage, and we also aided a large Drinker Moth caterpillar across the path on the way back by the canal -

Jess had discovered that the bird box I had bought her parents Christmas time had Blue Tit’s nesting in it on the Sunday, and after keeping an eye out the kitchen window we realised there were some fledgling Blue Tits in the garden being fed by some adults on the feeders! We couldn’t figure out if they were fledglings from the box or if from nearby, as the adults still seemed to be going into the box with food.