29 October 2024
his stunning corner of south west Wales, with its unspoilt coast, waterways and countryside, is a haven for wildlife. Pembrokeshire attracts vast colonies of sea birds, seals, puffins and otters, to name a few, and there’s no better way to mark the seasons than to observe their comings and goings.
In spring the hedgerows and woodland floors are carpeted with spring flowers which bombard your senses with colour and perfume. Then in early summer, the migrating birds return including the puffins of Skomer Island. By autumn, the first seal pups are being born and learning to swim. Heading into winter, the heather takes over the landscape and manx shearwater fledglings emerge. By winter proper, the starlings return and their murmurations really are quite a spectacular sight. We’ve picked out some of our favorite spots for wildlife watchers to enjoy.
Skomer and Skokholm:
These two islands are world famous wildlife destinations thanks to their colonies of sea birds – puffins, guillemots, razorbills and manx shearwaters. To step off the ferry and climb the steps up to the island is to immediately be immersed in a world of razorbills and guillemots nesting on the ledges just on your right. The puffins have no fear of man and will literally walk over your feet at the Wick - the largest seabird cliff on Skomer. Visit from April to the end of July to see auks and in August porpoise and gannets are often seen in the tidal races around Skomer. September to the end of October, when the ferry stops for the season, is the time to see Atlantic grey seal pups on North Haven.
Grassholm island:
Situated seven miles due west of Skomer, Grassholm is home to more than 79,000 breeding gannets, together with a number of “club birds”, who have yet to reach maturity, bringing the total to nearly 100,000. It is the third most important site for northern gannets in the world, after St Kilda and Bass Rock in Scotland, and is managed by the RSPB. Guillemots also nest on the island and Atlantic grey seals can be seen swimming in the water and on the rocks. Late evening is the time to witness great rafts of Manx shearwaters gathering in St Brides Bay as they wait for the sun to set to return to their burrows on Skomer.
Stackpole National Trust nature reserve:
The manmade reserve at Stackpole is great to visit at any time of year. In spring, the woods are carpeted in wild garlic, wood anemones and bluebells and in late May the three arms of the lake are covered in lilies. Mere Pool Valley, at the back of the stunning beach of Broad Haven South, is particularly special, with several orchid species and over 22 different dragonflies recorded. Autumn and winter are a great time to see migrating birds; bitterns make regular visits and the robins and blue tits will feed from your hand. The highlight though, is the chance to see otters in the wild, with two families living in the lakes.
Elegug Stacks and the Green Bridge of Wales:
Elegug is the Welsh for guillemot, and two colonies of these birds occupy two limestone stacks on the south coast of Pembrokeshire, the largest just 40 metres from the mainland cliff. The birds arrive in early Spring and have raised their chicks by mid-July. The summits of the stacks are crammed with guillemots with razorbills occupying the narrow ledges below. Keep your eyes peeled for other species, including razorbill, kittiwake, fulmar petrel, chough and peregrine falcon. Just to the west is the majestic natural limestone arch of the Green Bridge of Wales. The cliffs are part of the Castlemartin Firing Range (open in the evenings, at weekends and in school holidays). For further information on live firing times, contact 01646 662336 (manned during firing), 01646 662367 (recorded message) or from the gatehouse 01646 662280 (manned 24 hours a day).
Cemaes Head and TraethGodi’r Coch:
At 167 metres, Cemaes Head, in the most northerly part of Pembrokeshire, is the highest sea cliff in Wales. The inaccessible pebbly beach below is the location for the largest Atlantic grey seal haul out – when the seals leave the water – in Pembrokeshire, with up to 200 seals seen at the same time during winter. It is also an important breeding site where many pups are born from late August to December. Ravens, kestrels and peregrines cruise along the cliffs together with chough, an iconic bird with red legs and beak and a distinctive call. Take the cliff path at the end of the road to the west of Poppit Sands, where there is a car park at the farm
Deer Park and Marloes Mere:
The Deer Park overlooks Jack Sound and Skomer Island at the end of the Marloes peninsula. A former Iron Age coastal fort on a grand scale, it was the intention of Lord Kensington to keep deer here but his plan never came to fruition. It is one of the best mainland sites to see Atlantic grey seals – they use the two coves on the headland to raise their young from the end of August to the end of December. Chough are invariably seen along the cliffs and Wooltack Point is a great location for viewing porpoise.
St Brides Haven:
This pretty fisherman’s cove has a delightful sandy beach exposed at low tide bordered by fascinating rock pools. These contain a wide diversity of intertidal marine plants and animals, including a fascinating collection of anemones. Look out for snakelocks, gem, beadlet and dahlia as well as fish such as the shanny. The reef on either side of the cove has a kelp forest which is an excellent snorkelling area – reef fish, such pollack and wrasse, are plentiful swimming among the kelp fronds whereas the rock crevices are full of prawns, crabs and lobsters.
Minwear starling murmuration:
The reedbeds on the Eastern Cleddau at Minwear, near Narberth, are used as a roost by hundreds of thousands of starlings in October. The birds arrive in the valley in small flocks that coalesce into a magical whirling shapes formed by thousands of birds seemingly acting as one. The best place to enjoy this spectacle is from the viewpoint on the southern bank of the estuary in Minwear Wood. There is a carpark at Canaston Bridge and Black Pool Mill nearby for afternoon tea, lunch and dinner.
Ty Canol
This is an ancient woodland that has never been felled – there have been trees here for over 6,000 years. It is special for its boulder-strewn landscape which has an exceptionally rich collection of lichens growing on the stones and trees. In spring, the whole area is carpeted with bluebells. Nearby is the impressive Neolithic site, Pentre Ifan Cromlech, and the woodland represents the type of forest that grew here when the tomb was in use around 4000 BC. It is easy to imagine the Welsh druids walking among the lichen-covered boulders and twisted oak trees. The main access point is via the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park car park at the beginning of the track to Pentre Ifan farm. Please keep to the network of public and permissive footpaths within the Reserve.
