Visit RSPB South Stack
GeoMôn is happy to recommend you to visit RSPB South Stack – a wonderful location for birds, scenery and geology.
Where is RSPB South Stack?
RSPB South Stack is situated high above the Irish Sea on the north-western tip of Anglesey. South Stack is one of Wales’s most picturesque nature reserves- a combination of sea cliffs and coastal and lowland heathland, now rarer than rainforest!
What can I expect to see there?
In late spring and early summer, the cliffs below Ellin’s Tower (built in 1868 by the Honourable Willam Owen Stanley for his wife, Ellin) are overflowing with rows of breeding seabirds. Thousands of Guillemots and Razorbills nest along the narrow ledges, Puffins nestle away amongst the loose rocks and grassy slopes. Herring and Black-backed Gulls also breed here and are concentrated on the island around South Stack Lighthouse.
The reserve’s protected birds are the Choughs, red-legged and red-beaked crow-relations that nest in sea caves high above the violent waves. Attracted by the short turf of the coastal heath, they are seen year-round, often seen cruising in the strong updrafts above the cliffs, occasionally joined by the resident Peregrines and Ravens.
The heather, gorse and bracken heathland are home to a variety of smaller coastal and wetland birds, such as wren and warblers, with the occasional, unmistakable call of the Oystercatcher echoing up from the rocky outcrops. Common Lizards and Adders can be seen basking in sheltered, less disturbed areas. Butterflies flourish in this flower-rich habitat, including the beautiful Silver-studded Blue. South Stack is also botanically rich with the very rare Spathulate Fleawort, currently endemic to South Stack, and the beautiful Spotted Rock-rose (Anglesey’s county flower) sharing their cliff top habitats with Sea Campion.
Grey Seals are seen in the area, as are Harbor Porpoises, Common Dolphins and Risso’s Dolphins. Seabirds such as Cormorants, Shags and Gannets are seen offshore, displaying amazing diving behaviours during feeding frenzies.
What else can I do at RSPB South Stack?
A variety of activities are run from the Visitors Hub, ranging from bug hunts to Puffin walks, craft workshops to evening music performances. All bookable through the website or face to face in the centre with one of the friendly team.
South Stack is part of the GeoMôn UNESCO Global Geopark which covers the whole of Anglesey – meaning it is a region of fascinating geological significance. South Stack itself is home to rocks from the Cambrian geological time period (over 500 million years ago), alternating sandstone and schist layers which have undergone several phases of deformation resulting in the complex ‘folding’ seen in the image below and create wonderful nesting habitats for seabirds. Not easy to see but along the foot of the cliffs runs a dolerite dyke, intruded when the land split into America and Europe forming the Atlantic Ocean some 55 million years ago. In addition to this, the reserve is home to 5 ancient monuments, showing how man has made use of our geology for millennia. GeoMôn have published a geotrail that covers aspects of the reserve.
In addition to this, the reserve is home to 5 ancient monuments, stacked in history.
South Stack reserve is located on the Anglesey Coastal Path and is blessed by a good network of footpaths- with the Puffin and dragonfly walks both passing through the reserve. After enjoying the wildlife and scenery, a visit to the RSPB shop and café for tea and cake is the order of the day!
Opening Times:
- Nature reserve: Open 24hrs
- Car park: Open 24hrs
- Toilets10:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Shop10:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Cafe10:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Visitor centre10:00 am – 5:00 pm