South Stack, Anglesey

5th July 2008

Leader:  David Bryant

A sunny, warm but breezy week was concluded by the arrival of a depression during Friday night so that Saturday morning was cloudy with occasional downpours and hopes weren’t high after previous wet outings to Tregaron and Crock of Lune. However brighter skies to the west raised our spirits as we approached St. Asaph. By the time we reached South Stack it was blue skies with fluffy cumulus clouds so that first time visitors could truly appreciate the venue – dramatic cliffs, stacks and a natural arch, a deep-blue agitated sea, a dazzling white lighthouse and impressive views towards Snowdonia.

The main group made its way towards the cliff top path, traversing a good example of low, maritime heath with Western Gorse, Heather, Cross-leaved Heath and Bell Heather. Variety was added to by Angelica, Burnet Saxifrage, Catsear and several hybrid Southern Marsh Orchids. A Silver-studded Blue was disturbed but quickly sought shelter from the breeze. The sinuous cliff walk was a veritable rock garden with English Stonecrop, Sheep’s-bit Scabious, Lesser Centaury, Sea Plantain and Rock Sea-spurrey. Sea Carrot demonstrated its convex flower head or umbel and usually a central red flower while some of the Sea Pink produced extremely large spongy cushions of fine leaves. We made our way south as far as the path permits, having our lunch against a large stack where Choughs flew about and fed on the steep grassy slopes towards the summit. A Rock Pipit called and eventually put in an appearance while an immature Fulmar soared to and fro on rigid wings over a deep inlet – a predictable haunt. Far below on the foam–streaked swell mixed groups of browner Guillemots and contrasting black and white Razorbills bobbed about. On retracing our footsteps attention was drawn to the scale and structure of the cliffs with complex folds in the Pre-Cambrian white quartzites and greener schists with ages well in excess of 600,000,000 years, the oldest rocks in Wales.

Approaching Ellinis tower with its RSPB centre Kidney Vetch and Sea Campion were noted . A Grayling butterfly on the path was so well camouflaged that it was difficult for some to spot even at close quarters. The birds were obviously used to people since we were able to get very close views of a male Stonechat and a pair of Choughs, only taking to the air at the last minute. From the base of the tower we had a grandstand view of the serried ranks of Guillemots on the exposed white-washed ledges, growling and gargling, not too dissimilar to the sounds from a frustrated and angry Marg Simpson! The Razorbills confined themselves to the more sheltered rockier ledges, overhangs and crannies. Descending the steps to the lighthouse on the north side of the great colony enabled us to see at least five puffins, a great attraction for many members of the public. Some of the slopes there are less precipitous and have fairly thick soil for burrowing with protective vegetation. Peering over the wall revealed a good quantity of Golden Samphire and a little Rock Sea-lavendar while Dave Hardy photographed a Ruby Tailed Wasp. Terry Williams thought he heard a Common Sandpiper amidst the calls of the auks and gulls and patient scrutiny with binoculars and telescopes revealed the bird on the darker rocks below the auk ledges on the lighthouse cliffs. A few of the Guillemots were the “bridled” form with a white eye-ring and a white line extending backwards from the eye. Out to sea Gannets passed by in ones and twos and much further out Manx Shearwaters were confirmed with binoculars. Then attention was diverted to a Heron overhead which was inevitably mobbed by gulls. We were equally fascinated by the standing waves and foam caused by opposing currents coming into conflict fairly close inshore to the north-west.

Against a rapidly changing cloudscape and with intermittent showers we crossed the road and headed east up to a pair of shallow lakes, their margins colonised by Water Horsetail and Bottle Sedge. Although no dragonflies were evident we could at least admire a good concentration of Marsh St John’s-wort with yellow flowers and rounded glaucous leaves. After sheltering from a heavy shower we had a last look at the heath below the café and came across Scarlet Pimpernel, Annual Wall Rocket, plenty of Goldenrod, a solitary Common Lousewort and numerous red rounded, berry-like galls, Diplolepsis spinosissinae, on the Burnet Rose.