Flora and Fauna with Freddie
We’ve seen herons, egrets, buzzards, geese and ducks of many kinds, oystercatchers, cormorants, frogs and toads, and various waders. We’ve seen seals (dead and alive) and a washed up jellyfish. Rabbits have jumped across the path ahead and feral goats on the Great Orme clambered down the cliff faces above.
We’ve gorged ourselves on late season blackberries and a few wild raspberries. We’ve sheltered under rosehips and sloe bushes and passed clumps of pineapple weed on the verge. My ankles have been stung by nettles, even with big socks and boots on, and nibbled by mosquitoes.
A flock of starlings jostled for position on a phone line, twittering away with their complex little voices. We eavesdropped for a moment, before leaving them to it.
Tadpoles darted around under the surface of a sun-baked pool in the dunes. A grasshopper landed on my hat. Stern-looking urban seagulls coveted our fish ‘n’ chips.
Volunteer seal wardens asked if I could send on data of any we spot over the next 7 weeks. Pupping season coincides with the tour, and disturbances by sunbathers and paddle borders and kayakers is a major issue, especially at this time of year.
A tiny mouse burrowed into the grass in the middle of the path. I lifted it gently to the side to avoid oncoming boots.
Sahara sand is blowing in today, covering our backpacks and passing cars in a film of beige dust from a world away.
Bats flitted overhead in the gloaming and an owl joined in with our candlelit session under the stars, the local folkies having vacated their normal pub location for the footy fans (Wales vs South Korea, international friendly, nil-nil).
Our first reptile appeared in the form of a slithering slow worm across the path. A fish flashed its silver flanks below us and a jellyfish brainlessly bobbed by.
A bucket list wildlife encounter happened- a red squirrel, kept safe from the marauding American greys, who can’t swim the Menai Strait and rarely dare to cross the road bridge.
A pheasant exploded out of a bush in front of Chris past a sign saying ‘shooting in progress’. The church warden in Amlwch used to be an ecologist and entomologist and we shared our quiet terror at reducing insect numbers. Jackdaws and rooks chattered outside in the graveyard.
Further down the coast, there’s the chance of puffins, gannets, maybe even a whale. The remarkable richness already is a good sign of things to come and I can’t wait to experience it all in the coming weeks.