Holiday in Pembrokeshire: floral fiesta

May is certainly a month not to miss in Pembrokeshire, with the coastal wildflowers at their most lovely and prolific. Here's a little gallery of some I encountered:

Holiday in Pembrokeshire: Coastal walks 13th- 19th May

After a beautiful holiday in Pembrokeshire, herewith some images from
my walks around St. Bride's Bay:

St. Bride's Bay
Video sent by agracarter2

And here are a few I particularly like again:

Holiday in Pembrokeshire: To Ramsey Island and beyond

Today I went to Ramsey Island, an RSPB reserve. It was bought (not that long ago)
through public donations with the aim of managing the island for choughs, approximately jackdaw sized crow family members with thin red beaks and red legs (a smart little bird!)

take a look at someone else's video of a chough here

They need grassland that is near the coast but very cropped very short, so that they can find their food items. This is why sheep are grazed here, and it was whilst awaiting a chough to photograph (I failed with this) that I snapped these relaxed looking lambs .... via my telescope!

Progressing on my way around the island, weighed down with an exess of baggage
and under a hot sun (there was NO SHADE!!!) I enjoyed views of sea birds on the cliffs, seals
in the water and wild flowers such as spring squill and blue bells around about me
....as well as scenic cliffs and rocky outcrops.From the top of the highest of the two island hills I had a grand view over the whole island, spotting the herd of red deer that also grace the island as they enjoyed a paddle in a distant (freshwater) pool. I also had a fine view across Ramsey Sound to the St. David's Pensinsula, with a further sweep around St. Bride's Bay towards the Marloes peninular and Skomer. Thus the following video, made at this point, gave an (almost complete) overview for the locations of my Pembrokeshire holiday!!

I was also able to see and photograph St. David's cathedral from an unaccustomed angle...

After returning to the mainland and a quick visit to my holiday accomodation I returned to St. Justinians for an evening boat expedition. This took us out across Ramsey Sound once again, spotting a pod of porpoises fishing in the strong tidal stream:

..then around the southern end of Ramsey, enjoying even better views of the guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes on the cliffs, of 100 or so grey seals relaxing on a beach, and some interesting sea caves and other geological features

before heading further out to sea towards the Bishop Islands, where we hoped to see some puffins. We saw two, at a distance....

The final objective of this excursion, however, was to watch out for manx shearwaters (latin name, ironically being "puffinus puffinus"!!) returning to their nests on Skomer and Skokholm after a day out feeding in the Irish sea. Later in the season we could hope to see thousands passing the boat in the course of an hour. Today we saw only a couple of dozen. But we DID see them, flying gracefully and low over the sea like little black and white albatrosses, and that was quite a treat!!

This most enjoyable boat trip ended with beautiful backward views to the Bishop Islands

and an interestingly abrupt increase in air temperature as we neared the mainland!

Windrush: Naunton to Bourton

After a long gap I resumed my walk down the course of the Windrush, from the quiet village of Naunton. From here the Windrush winds a gentle course, through gentle countryside..
passing gentle Cotswold "Lions"

and into the midst of genteel Bourton on the Water...

This "Venice of the Costwolds" is a real tourist honeypot, today buzzing with visitors enjoying the sunshine

and smiling at the cute ducklings, fighting the "mighty torrent" of the Windrush

Since the Windrush flows through the grounds of Birdland (http://www.birdland.co.uk/) AND i'm a birdlover it would have been crazy not to have called in and taken a wander around before leaving Bourton.

Here's looking at ya!

The Military Macaw family on parade

When I had thus enjoyed my tour of the park I made my walking return to Naunton,

following the Warden's Way path, once again, as it passed up the course of the Eye stream
through Lower and Upper Slaughter, two pretty little villages that seem modelled on the bigger busier neighbour somewhat, and then over the ridge and back to my starting point.

This was not one of my walking epics as such....but a gentle afternoon strole, and very pleasant too!

Have bike, will cycle.

Last autumn I got around to getting my old bicycle refurbished. Today I spent the morning
out enjoying the bright blue dayness and reminding myself how tricky cycling up hills can be when you are out of practice!!

Anyway, the practical result was that I had a great morning out, stopping off at Coaley Peak
to enjoy the view and catch my breath.


Following this break I proceeded on to visit "Thistledown" (website: http://www.thistledown.org.uk/ ) a project in development outside
Nympsfield with big ideas for an innovative eco-friendly visitor centre and a family friendly
Cotswold edge "green space" on a farm, with pleasant woodland trails, quirky sculture, bits of Roman stonework at a spring.....all sorts. I even had a coffee sitting by a tipi whilst children painted eggs nearby. :-D

I shall visit again and watch it develop.

Watch the hummers!!

Reading my BBC wildlife magazine I came across a reference to a webcam in Ecuador
through which I can go birdwatching in Ecuador anytime I like!! Hooray!
Link via title.

I also browsed from that website to http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/ The Internet Bird Collection,
where lots of video clips of various birds may be found! I shall add a link on the side panel for that one!!

To Stodmarsh

Whilst in Kent for my February break I took a trip northwards to Stodmarsh,
a little spot of wildness that I first visited many moons ago with Charlie Benson,
Jonathan Wright and others in my youth. It made a definate contribution to my
love for occasional birdwatching expeditions.


When I first visited it was alive with wintering ducks, and had recently become
a place for Cetti's warblers to inhabit in their colonisation of the UK from northern France.
Here I heard and saw snipe "drumming" for the first time, there were reed buntings,
and bearded tits, sedge and reed warblers......and marsh harriers!!!
All very exciting.



Today it was very much quieter than times I recalled, but no less wonderful as a Kentish wild place.





There were a few ducks....teal, widgeon, tufted duck, mallard, shoveler.
There was a big flurrying flock of lapwing that flew up from a field and swirled about
for a time......I wondered were the predator was but saw nothing obvious.
On the lake, as the sun set, I watched great crested grebe and a cormorant fishing.



And did I espie the lesser spotted Nature Writer of Note Simon Barnes,
he of recently read and much enjoyed "How to be Wild"??

As the daylight faded, mist began to spread up the Stour valley from seawards....and drifting

across the reed beds, in search of a roost for the night came two marsh harriers, as of yore!

But time for me to leave Stodmarsh again to the mists of time and memory....

all very refreshing!!

A Wild time I had of it.

Renewing

Before I forget how to do this, I thought I'd better create a new post!!
As this was a gloriously sunny day, albeit still chilly,

I decided to visit Wesonbirt Arboretum once again.

Winter is coming to an end, life is in renewal....

In the sunshine, the midges were dancing, and with my "fireworks" setting

on my camera little golden ribbons appeared.......