At the beach

This is a Spiney spider crab. Despite its appearance its not aggresive in any way and I regularly find them under the water on the sides of the cliffs particularly at Mwnt when snorkelling.

Its back is covered in kind of blunt thorns I suppose- but the weight of them out of the water is quite suprizing - I often have cuts and scrapes along my hands where I've picked them up and not accounted for their weight. Alien like in appearance they are quite funny little things and to see banks of them trying to hide amongst the Kelp beds is really something.

This one was found in a rockpool in Llangranog - we left it with another even bigger one once we'd taken a few photos in June 2006.


Fulmars - are not gulls at all but more closely related to Albatross - the nodules on their beak are used to siphen salt from the sea water. They can almost look quite purplish in colour sometimes but are easily recognised by the fixed wing spans and the graceful gliding motions along the cliff faces.

This one was taken gliding along in front of the cliff faces at Ynys Lochtyn in June 2006.

Spring in Mid Wales

As Spring moves towards summer in Mid Wales the wildlife keeps on coming - this is an Atlantic Grey Seal spotted from above on the Cwmtydu walk

On the beach in front of the caravan - this is a Sanderling playing amongst the tidal rack


This- at the far extent of my digital range is a Whitethroat spotted whilst we were on the St Davids coastal path in June 06

This is a fairly rare bird I've never seen at home and inhabits mature oak forests in the spring only in the far West of Wales as far as I know - Pied Flycatcher, here seen in Ynys hir


These are comical birds we seeat Mwnt all the time - a casual glance might suggest acrow but look closer at the red legs and beak which are pretty unmistakeble really - Choughs at Mwnt.

Amanda reckoned she kissed one of these once but was disappointed with the result. Ynyshir June 06







Common Blue Butterfly

One of my favourite birds , seen posing on the tops of gorse on the mountains and clifftops. The first time I ever saw one of these me and Bronwyn were doing a coastal hill walk between Newquay and Aberaeron and just sat in the grass and watched them hopping from bush to bush for well over an hour - Stonechat they really are beautiful little birds.