Monday: a good walk with Choughs

At the car, putting our boots on, a man came over for a chat. He was doing the coast path and had done our planned route yesterday, said it was very nice, but he hadn’t seen any Choughs. He hadn’t seen any for years, he said. He went off to catch his bus to Llanengan, then walk the 10 miles back, then drive 4 hours back to Swansea tonight.

We walked along the coast path around the southern end of the Llyn peninsula.

Looking back at Aberdaron

We disturbed a nice big silvery-grey and black Adder basking in the sun in the path. It headed for cover in the bracken before we could get a photo. Further on there were some Common Lizards.

Common Lizard
Linnet

Three Red Kites were flying about, being bothered by a crow.

Cove

Loads of flowers lined the path. Bluebells, Primroses, Red Campions, Vetch, some Early Purple Orchids.

Early Purple Orchid

At the southern end of the peninsular at the headland called Pen y Cil we heard the sound of Choughs. A large flock was doing their thing, showing off by flying acrobatically about all over the place and also feeding in the fields. We sat and watched them for a while and they whizzed and cavorted past our heads swooping down from the hill behind.

Choughs
Choughs are hard to photograph

We walked a bit further round the headland and saw Bardsey Island (destination for tomorrow).

Looking at Bardsey
Bardsey backdrop

High up on the cliff was a pond full of frogspawn.

Pond

We walked back inland and had lunch at a campsite cafe.

Contemplating soup

After lunch, footpaths on the map didn’t seem to exist in the real world so we walked along a lane for a mile or two and then followed a footpath alongside a stream back to Aberdaron.

On the road
An odd shelter
By the stream

About 8.5 miles.

Nice dinner: mussels, steak, lasagne, claret. Much quieter in Aberdaron tonight.