watching choughs

[Kenboy]

Anybody going to wales who would like to see Choughs should
pay a visit to Elegug Stacks in Pembrokeshire,nr Stackpole.It is on
MOD land and is open every w/end and some evenings during
the summer.I have been going there for years and I have never
not seen them,not to mention all the other cliff nesting birds.

[steve_nova]

Thanks for that Kenboy. Next time I visit friends in Wales I may just call past there.
Cheers!

[Andrew]

That is a brilliant snippet of information!

[marting]

Cheers Kenboy Im off to Saundersfoot in a couple of weeks so Ill take a look.

Martin

[Michael Frankis]

A nice lot at South Stack on Anglesey too, as everyone who went for the Black Lark will know - got my best ever views of two there, down to 4 or 5m range

Michael

[Katy Penland]

Originally posted by Michael Frankis
A nice lot at South Stack on Anglesey too, as everyone who went for the Black Lark will know - got my best ever views of two there, down to 4 or 5m range

Michael

Michael, was this recently that you saw the choughs? I'm in Aberystwyth for several more days before heading back to Arizona, and would LOVE to see choughs. Getting a big kick out of the jackdaws but really want to see a chough. I'd like to get to South Stack anyway, but in case Anglesey is out for me on this trip, are there closer places to Aber for choughs?

Thanks very much! And thanks for the great weather we're having. Never thought I'd see this much sun in the UK this time of year! LOL!

Katy

[Michael Frankis]

Yes, just under a month ago.

There are plenty of other places to get Chough in Wales though, and to be honest, South Stack is a complete pain in the butt to get to from Aberystwyth by public transport (even by car, too, as all the good roads in Wales run east-west, not north-south). By bus, I'd say probably at least 6 hours each way - you couldn't do it there and back in a day.

A walk along the coastal clifftops both north and south of Aberystwyth within 5 miles of the town should find you some, they're mapped there in the BTO Breeding Bird Atlas. They are also fairly easy to see at this time of year, as they have newly fledged young demanding to be fed. Look on areas of close-grazed clifftop heath or grassland, they sometimes flock with Jackdaws but more often keep to themselves. Note, wherever you try, Jackdaws outnumber Choughs about ten to one, but that's life!

Yes, you've been very lucky with the weather, it usually rains all the time in Wales!

Michael

PS dangerous using 'Aber' as short for Aberystwyth - 'aber' just means rivermouth, and there's over 50 places in Wales that begin Aber- ;)

[Katy Penland]

Originally posted by Michael Frankis

PS dangerous using 'Aber' as short for Aberystwyth - 'aber' just means rivermouth, and there's over 50 places in Wales that begin Aber- ;)

LOL! I wondered about that because there's a town named "Aber" on the north coast, near Bangor, I think, isn't there? But I heard a local refer to here as "Aber" but maybe she was just shortening it because she says it all day long. Then again, maybe *she* was referring to the northern town! What do I know, I'm new here! :-)

Thanks very much for the chough tips. I'll go check out the cliffs outside of town. Lovely scenery. Never have done a "seawatch" per se, if I'm understanding the term correctly (looking for marine birds from land, instead of from a boat?). Having been born and raised in Los Angeles, I've done a lot of pelagic birding. And of course when you're raised by the ocean and you're a birder, every time you have binos in hand you're looking out to sea. So maybe I *have* done impromptu seawatches! :-)

Had a positively humongous flock of jackdaws around the campus last night; couldn't believe the din. (In fact, they sounded like the baby dinosaurs in "Jurassic Park"!) But my bird guide ("Birds of Europe" by Svensson et al) said this is typical nightly behavior.

Two swifts kept alighting on the brick wall of the building next to mine, like they were playing tag with each other. Couldn't figure out if they were trying to pick bugs off the bricks, or if they were indeed playing some kind of late spring tag. Went on for over half an hour this morning. Really fun listening to and watching these guys.

Katy

[Michael Frankis]

Probably referring to Aberystwyth - the Aber on the North Wales coast (I know it well, having been at university at Bangor) is a very small village, not very important. Having said not to shorten names to Aber, I guess people do, that one is (was originally) Aber Rhaeadr, from the local river Afon Rhaeadr Fawr ('big waterfall river', and as the name suggests, well worth seeing)

Those swifts, I'd guess they were immatures prospecting for nest sites - they look for a suitable hole, then hang around nearby to find out in anyone is at home, or if the place is vacant.

Michael

[Harry Hussey]

Hi all,
If anyone is in Ireland we have plenty of Choughs on the south and west coasts(I see them quite regularly when visiting local headlands).Too many good sites to single out just one!
Michael,I only had 2 Chough at South Stack,but I was looking at this odd black Starling-sized bird with a pale bill...;-)
Harry H

[Michael Frankis]

Hi Harry,

Strange, so wuz I! But I do know that said black bird is half the length of a Chough, 'cos one Chough landed right next to it . . . all together I had 6 Choughs there that day, but someone else I know had 15 a day or two later.

Michael

[Kenboy]

Hi All
I was down at Elegug Stacks(Stack Rocks) in Pembrokeshire
from the end of May for 2 weeks. I have been going there for
about the last 5 years and I have not been disappointed yet. Its also a great place to see Guillemots,Razorbills,Kittiwakes,
Fulmars,Gannets plus who's knows what.

[StevieEvans]

After a long game of Beach Football on a wild and realy windy Somerset Beach, we returned to the family car........

We were informed that an odd crow with a bright red curvy beak had been pecking close to the car.............

One Birdbook later & the Footballers had that relegation feeling......

We Searched, but couldnt see it anywhere........

This was in 1983 ish. :-C

[marting]

I paid a visit to Stack Rocks over the weekend. Great views of 3 Choughs also Guillemots and Razorbills on the rocks just off of the cliff at eye level. Also saw Manx Shearwaters and Gannets fishing out to sea. A great place to visit if you are in the area.

Martin