Ramsey Island Part 2, Caerfai Bay

A second visit to Ramsey Island. This time going around it on a boat. The weather had taken a turn for the worse, with choppy waves, heavy cloud and drizzle. If only we could have gone the previous afternoon!

Finally got to see lots of the cliff-nesting birds, sometimes at eye-level, and lots of Razorbills flying to and fro, floating on the sea. Regularly saw Grey Seals having a nose, and a pair of Choughs again.

Ramsey Island boat route

Boat was rockin' so we just sprayed-and-prayed with the cameras.

Rush hour in Pembrokeshire

Bloody-nosed Beetle, saw these everywhere

Juvenile Cormorant

Razorbill

Pair of Guillemot

Kittiwakes on nests

Razorbill

Curious Grey Seal

Colony of Guillemot

Guillemot

Razorbills

Pair of Chough

With an afternoon left to soak up, we went round to Caerfai Bay, starting at Caer Bwdy Bay, to see what we could see. Very rocky shoreline, covered in weeds. The tide was slowly coming back in. Lots of gulls flying past the cliffs. Very lush, green vegetation covered in caterpillars but way too hot under the sun again. We came across a thick clump of Oxeye Daisies on the way back.

Caerfai Bay route

Lush vegetation leading to rocky Caer Bwdy Bay

Waiting for birds, but tide's coming in

Photographing rocks, it's something to do

Lots of weed in Caer Bwdy Bay

Lots of purple rocks in Caer Bwdy Bay

Fulmar

Herring Gull on rock

Waves on rocks

Linnet on Foxglove

Oxeye Daisies

Oxeye Daisies

Buckled rock formations forming an arch

Herring Gull

Juvenile Gull

Pennington Flash

A trip to Pennington Flash to see what birds are about.
Very overcast (as it usually is when we come here). A Snipe was lurking in the woods. Blackcaps were in the trees by the first hide.

Great Crested Grebe

 Stopping for lunch at the central hide we saw a Cormorant on a little island. Apparently it had been there for weeks, some of the local birders thought it was dead. We had seen it moving, dragging itself around, and a close-up shows a damaged beak. But, later, it hauled itself into the water and swam off, presumably this is how it's managed to survive so long.

Injured Cormorant

At the final hide we had the usual flocks of Bullfinches and other small birds. Joined this time by some Stock Doves and Jays. We made the most of the close birds, although the almost complete lack of light didn't help.

Jay

Male Bullfinch

Stock Dove

Magpie

Stock Dove

Male Chaffinch

Female Bullfinch

Female Bullfinch

Male Reed Bunting

Female Mallard

Jay

The squirrels were scoffing up bird seed as well.

Fat Grey Squirrel

Male Bullfinch

Male Bullfinch

Female Bullfinch

A female Mallard popped in with a clutch of ducklings, making the most of the dropped seed.

Mallard Duckling

Gibraltar Point

Time to burn off some turkey with a wander around Gibraltar Point. Bright winter sun all day long, a light breeze and a lot milder than we were expecting, given the sub-zero temperatures over night.

Little Egret flying by the flood-damaged visitor centre

Cormorants flying by

Brent Goose

Brent Geese

One Sanderling was poking about by the waves once we reached the shore. I did the necessary, laid down on the mud/sand and waited for it to come past. Luckily it obliged, possibly because of the dog walkers heading our way.

Sanderling

Sanderling

Sanderling

Lying down on the job, but those rocks were painful

Mixed gulls flying by the wind turbines

Goldeneye displaying

Goldeneye displaying

Curlew

Little Egret

We waited at the car park to see if the Owls would come out. We saw one Barn Owl briefly fly past and then disappear again. Talking to another birder later on three had been quartering the other side of the sea wall. A note for next time!

Barn Owl

The sun setting over the marshes

Gill in the field

What made these tracks?