Birds
An abundant variety of seabirds can be seen around the area. Throughout the year flocks of CORMORANTS and SHAGS co-exist on the island of Ynys Moelfre with GREAT BLACK BACKED, BLACK HEADED AND HERRING GULLS. OYSTERCATCHERS fly noisily from crag to crag, while the REDSHANK and CURLEW can also be glimpsed on the shore. A flock of TERNS diving for food into the depths of the strait in Swnt is a great sight during the summer.
In the surrounding countryside common birds such as the ROBIN, BLUE TIT, CHAFFINCH and DUNNOCK can be found. Birds of prey like the KESTREL and BUZZARD are common, while the BARN OWL can be seen hunting over fields during the evenings. A flock of TERNS diving for food into the depths of the ‘Swnt’ strait is a great sight during the summer. Lligwy and Dulas are home to redshanks, curlews and shell ducks which feed on the sandy shores.
Dolphins, porpoise
and seals
Click here to go to our special 'Dolphin Watch’ page.
BOTTLE-NOSED DOLPHINS, COMMON DOLPHINS and HARBOUR PORPOISE diving majestically in the waters around the coast of Moelfre, Lligwy and Dulas are sights to behold. The Island of Ynys Dulas is home to a colony of seals and seabirds. GREY SEALS are frequently seen from the coastal path close to shore.
Butterflies
From April until the end of October, a variety of BUTTERFLIES may be seen
in the area. On the coast, the COMMON-BLUE can be seen fluttering low-down amongst the vegetation. The SMALL
TORTOISESHELL the RED ADMIRAL
and the PEACOCK are also to be seen. These are butterflies
that breed on nettles. In addition, the
PAINTED LADY,
a migratory butterfly, is to be seen in hedges and gardens during the
summer. This butterfly belongs to the area around the Mediterranean
Sea. The
LARGE WHITE, is fairly common in the area.
And it is a member of the cabbage butterfly family, the ORANGE TIP
- the male has orange tips to its wings -
that is the first to appear at the beginning of spring
Plants
The area is very rich in wild flowers and in an area along the shoreline one can easily count over 30 different species of flower. Plants that walkers will see are the THRIFT, SEA CAMPION, KIDNEY VETCH and WILD CARROT.
In 2000 a new plant, never before seen anywhere else in the world, was discovered at Lligwy beach - this was a cross between a GIANT HORSETAIL and FIELD HORSETAIL. It was named
Equisetum x robertsii, in memory of a botanist, RH Roberts, who had worked on Anglesey for many years.
Thank you to Isle of Anglesey County Council for use
of some of the nature images.
