Welsh Trip, Week Two.

Friday 17th moved to just west of Carmarthen into a 'farm cottage' but not a working farm, a cottage chosen for a base only, easier access to the coast.

Saturday drove west to a seabird city on the Elegug Stacks (only accessible at weekends, access is through an artillery range, tanks). An amazing sight, thousands of guillemots together on sheer rock faces on these sea stacks.

Other birds seen, razorbills, great and lesser blacked backed gulls, herring gulls, cormorant, fulmar, rock pipit and star bird for me choughs.

Heard first and saw it flying off and out of sight but soon relocated it and more. Had amazing close views of these members of the crow family busy feeding, probing for insects in the short grass maybe 15ft away.

After a sandwich lunch continued west through Castlemartin and found a busy sandmartin colony in sea cliffs on way to Angle.

Reached the end of that peninsula called in again at Elegug passing early purple orchids growing on the side of the road.

Sunday parked underneath the castle at Manorbier.









Walked along the coast path through mainly gorse and many linnets, whitethroats and stonechats.

 Monday drove to Bosherton Lakes/Lily Ponds where the lily flowers were just beginning  to open.

Another beautiful day and saw many small shoals of rudd or roach with a few small perch amongst them and a few fairly large pike close to the bank.

Walked the footpath through the Stackpole Estate again through gorse with more stonechats and whitethroats, passing the large dairy herd there. At times the footpath joins the coastal path where fulmars were seen just gliding close to the cliff face while their partners were sitting  along with more gulls and guillemots.

Jackdaws and rock pipits feeding along the cliff top path.

Across the Barafundle beach to Stackpole Quay and its beach café for lunch, welsh rarebit.... perfect.

Walked back using the coast path, back down to the lakes through sand dunes playing host to beautiful dwarf white wild roses, past a cormorant feeding on the lake,then back to the car.

Wildfowl and wetland centre at Llanelli on Tuesday where out in the wetlands large colonies of breeding black-headed gulls were with newly hatched chicks. Black tailed godwits, distant spoonbills, shelduck and garganey were seen. Couldn't find the lesser whitethroats I was told were about, but could hear them.

Wednesday we went to the National Botanic Garden of Wales full of an amazing collection of plants from all over the world, a tropical house with exotic butterflies and a wonderful bird of prey flying display, worth a visit if you like that sort of thing. To Laugharne Thursday, back early to pack ready for the drive back home, with a return to lawn mowing on Friday where I find that the crows have moved in and made themselves at home in our absence. Stewart.
Images Copyright : Stewart Dennis.