South Stack Cliffs
This breathtaking cliff-top site on Holy Island boasts walks, a visitor centre and closed circuit TV to view nesting birds.
In summer over 4,000 pairs of seabirds nest at South Stack cliffs. From Ellin's Tower visitor centre you can watch puffins, fulmars, guillemots and razorbills, using binoculars and telescopes, and see live pictures of the birds on the cliffs.
Superb bird watching opportunities are not the only reason to visit South Stack. The cliffs contain some of the oldest rocks in Wales, dating back nearly 600 million years to a geological period called the Precambrian. The extensive folds in the cliff face bear witness to some of the earth movements and forces that have shaped Wales.
The layering of different materials making up the rocks is clearly visible. The sandstone (brown-orange) and mudstone (lighter grey) layers have acted differently as they've been folded: sandstone contains coarser materials and keeps its shape whereas the mudstone is more fluid and has been squashed into the gaps in-between.
Caroline Bateson talks about which birds can be spied at the site, and when.
Razorbills "About 800 Razorbills come to nest at South Stack. They spend winter drifting out in the Irish Sea - they're pretty tough birds. They start coming into the cliffs in January/Februay, but don't settle to lay eggs until May. So until then, they can be seen on the cliffs in good weather, but will stay out at sea if it's rough.
South Stack has quite a small colony of razorbills. You do get thousands on some Scottish islands, but South Stack is unusual, as it's a mainland colony. You don't have to take a boat out to see them, you can view the birds from our easy-to-reach reserve.
Razorbills are very smart looking. They are black and white birds, quite similar to penguins. They lay one egg, and stay until mid July. Visitors can come and see the chicks in June, live on our TV screens. By about mid July, the chicks can't yet fly. They jump off the cliffs at dusk, land in the sea and their parents escort them out to sea - where their wings will grow, and where they will be taught how to dive for fish. The young chicks don't return for about five years while they mature out at sea. Razorbills can live for up to 30 years.
Peregrines Peregrines were almost extinct in the UK in the 1960s. They are a rare bird of prey, and were dying out due to pesticides such as DDT. Now DDT is banned, they've been making a good comeback. However, they still suffer from egg thieves, which is an on-going problem today.
We have two pairs of Peregrines at South Stack, and the nests are watched 24 hours a day to prevent egg theft. The pairs have been returning for at least 21 years, though they're perhaps not the same pairs each time.
The Peregrines are resident all year, but settle in their nests in March/April. For the last two years, they've nested right by the steps down to the lighthouse, so visitors can peer into the nest site. The nests are also right in view of the camera, so we've had the most amazing TV coverage of them. We don't know it they'll be there this year though.
Peregrines are birds of prey, and catch pigeon-sized sea birds. They take prey in the air, and are one of the fastest flying birds in the world. When they dive to catch prey, they can reach speeds of up to 100 miles per hour. There's an explosion of feathers when the the prey is caught - they are pretty impressive and very powerful birds.
Guillemots Guillemots are quite common birds. They are similar to razorbills, and nest on narrow ledges in front of Ellin tower.
Like the razorbills, they are out to sea for the winter, and then return in January/February, nesting in the spring. They only have one egg, and take it in turns to go out to sea to catch food. Guillemots mainly eat sand eels, and are fantastic at diving. Like penguins, they're very agile under water, but a bit clumsy on land."
Visitor centre open every day from Easter to September, 10am to 5.30pm. Site open at all times.
Access:
The path from the car park to Ellin's Tower visitor centre is hard-surfaced and fairly level and there are disabled parking spaces allocated. Ellin's Tower has stairs, but there are viewpoints from the path around it. There are no toilets.
Location:
Path from car park at Plas Nico, South Stack, Holyhead, Anglesey, LL65 1YH.
Directions:
3 km (2 miles) west of Holyhead on minor roads signed from Holyhead and Trearddur Bay.
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Helen Jenkins, Bargoed South Stack is a great place. Please consider going there as an RSPB volunteer. Not only do you get to enjoy the wildlife, you'll be doing valuable work for charity. Fri Jun 5 09:14:33 2009
Jane Cooper, Fylde We've been visiting South Stack for about 25 years - and it is still one of our favourite places. The beauty of the cliffs, the sea and the mountain behind, coupled with the wonderful wildlife, takes some beating as a place to eat your picnic.The cliffs ring with the calls of ravens and choughs, whilst below you can see hundreds of seabirds - guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes, gulls - and even the occasional puffin. Watch the waves beyond the lighthouse on the Stack for a dark fin or two; porpoises are common around the island - and seals often pop up by the rocks and swim lazily by. If you're lucky, you could see a peregrine catch its lunch as we did. Great for the peregrine but not so good for the feral pigeon taken by surprise in mid-air! A walk up Holyhead mountain rewards you with an amazing view of Anglesey, along with glimpses of stonechats and wheatears along the way. A wonderful place. Fri Jun 22 10:47:18 2007
Alan from Liverpool I have been going to South Stack for years and the beauty and tranquility of the place never fails to please me. Tue Mar 13 11:44:06 2007
Jake Jenkins from Holyhead It's a lovely, lovely place to go but the cliffs are dangerous and I'm afraid of heights. They should put some fencing up. Fri Nov 25 19:16:19 2005
Ernest Barrow From Virginia USA South Stack - what a great place to visit.
Queen Victoria visited it during her reign.
There are so many different bird species who make their nests on the cliffs overlooking the lighthouse.
Do not forget your camera, the photographs will be fantastic! Fri Feb 27 01:01:52 2004
South Stack Cliffs
