Trips to Anglesey not one but 2!!!

A few days ago I turned 34 and I feel more happy and confident about what I love and I still enjoy the Nature of wildlife photography but Wild camping has really got into my heart so in 2019 Anglesey will be my area of exploring plus I still have not been able to photograph a Red squirrel.
Heres one I saw but its not the best quality

 To feel the warm wet grass under my feet in the middle of November was glorious

 After visiting porth wen and Bull bay we decided to check out Point Lynas and as we had a cottage to check into later that day our best bet was to head back to the get our gear dry and ourselves showered then head there the next day.

Point lynas was a few miles walk from Almwch and having a new walking app (Footpath) on my Ipad which is one of the best I've used and seems to use less data and power to run.

The reason I was excited about visiting the view point was for the sightings of Rissos Dolphins and a species I have not seen. On the day we visited it was sunny and calm unfortionately there were none showing but we saw plenty of Gannets and Porpoises in good numbers.

 Gannet or Porpoise?

2 Porpoises but there were more around

 A lone Gannet heads inland

 The area past Point Lynas yet to be explored by myself

The light drops as we head back home

Each time I go wild camping I try to get my kit weight down and make sure I can be as comfy as possible. I have just treated myself to a few pieces of kit and at the minute I am finding the Sea to summit camping range fantastic as the gear is so light and portable. I have given up on using a tent and my new setup is a large umbrella pegged down then I climb into 2 waterproof sleeping bag covers with a fleece blanket then over the top a emergency shelter cover. I've just tested the kit on a lone trip to the coast and I must say I slept so well and as it worked in winter so in summer it should be the perfect lightweight and quick setup. The reason I love wild camping is it allows you to be out in the wild near the place where you want to be without much effort as long as you set up at last light and leave the area tidy and packup at first light then nobody will ever know your there. Enough of wild coastal camping for this year or maybe not as I have a few days at Christmas which may be wild time.

Example of my wild setup

I've started planning for next years wild camping trips as my boss has just confirmed my holidays.

Merry Christmas and stay wild

Mike

A trip to Anglesey Porth Wen 1/2

Last week we enjoyed a week on the coast of Anglesey and the weather was amazing with sun, hail, cloud, and Thunderstorms and to me, it was wonderful being out with just the things in my backpack.

 
Redline we walked

One place we decided to visit and camp near was an old Victorian brickworks which are right at the top of Anglesey down a well-worn path that had a flow of water all the way down.

 

Drying out our stuff from camping the previous night

Porth Wen building looked stunning in the Autumnal light

The largest building in the area as the sun went down

There was no one else camping there but I did not feel relaxed enough being at the end of a waterfall created the path and if we needed to leave the area in the night it would be tough. An hour before sunset we headed back up to look at some ruins to use as a camping spot and as we reached the top it started to rain. We chose a high sheltered point near some turbines but it had an amazing view of Porth wen bay and the surrounding hills and sea. We set up the tent at last light just as the weather turned the sky went black and we found ourselves up high in a thunderstorm. It was exhilarating laying in the comfort of my down sleeping bag holding the outer part of the tent from the 30mph winds. We survived the night and packed up 2 hours before light to clear up the area and await a gap in the rain and the sunrise as the paths were tricky in the dark. On the 3-4 miles walk back to Almwch we were joined by Porpoises feeding on the tideline as the rain got harder and the sky turned red we were soaked through but full of energy and happy to be surrounded by natural beauty.

Next time I will include some more wildlife photographs as I did not take to many due to having my camera packed in two sections to balance our backpacks weight.

Stay wild

Mike

Collecting the Buzzard skull

Earlier in the year I found a Buzzard I had been photographing had died and you can read more about it on the link here.  A few days ago I decided on going to see if the Buzzard had rotted away down to it's bones. Hopefully all the worms, maggots and other crawlies had done there job. I easily found the spot where I buried the Buzzard by the river using GPS, although grass had grown over the area I had to dig quite deep. The cotton bag had rotten away and the skull could be easily seen although it needed a clean to get the dirt and the last bits of yuk off. It was quite lucky I buried it by a river as I could easily clean with a tooth brush in some shallow fast water that flowed by the area. I covered up the rest of the bone and planted some English Bluebell bulbs to mark the spot of such a beautiful bird that gave me the privilege of getting some wonderful close ups as he hunted in a small woodland by the river Dane a few minutes away from my home.

 Below is a photograph of the cleaned up skull and now it will be put into my Nature collection on my book shelf with a few others I have found while out on my Nature walks on my local patch and I will tell more about those in future blog posts.

 I often look at the skull and imagine the heights and  sights this Buzzard reached and saw as it soared high over the towns and countryside of Cheshire as it lightly hanged on the breeze epically calling as rose higher into the clouds....

Thanks for reading my blog

Stay wild, be happy and be safe
 

Mike

A sad find indeed....

If you have been reading this blog lately and have followed my Buzzard posts then you might be upset to find out that unfortunately a few days ago we found the Buzzard looking worse for wear. I managed to catch the bird as it had no energy to move and after examining they were no signs of injury or poisoning. The Buzzard quickly deteriorated and passed away in my arms which was sad to witness. The Buzzard was very underweight and must have hit the nearby power cables as it's flight feathers were very damaged. A few Swans each year fly into them at this site and die nearby due to the area they are located over a small body of water. 

The Buzzard seemed to only be eating worms instead of hunting or scavenging especially over the last few cold weeks plus staying in the same quiet area and not going very far to hunt Rabbits that feed in the nearby field. We buried the Buzzard under some very heavy rocks at one of our kayaking spots down on the river.  We have named the spot Buzzards rest and hopefully in a few months once the body decomposes we will have a complete Buzzards skeleton which will be amazing to see. Every time I go to Buzzards rest now I will always remember the days that I was let to get so close to this stunning aerial predator that have become a favorite of mine on my local patch.
Here's one last photograph I took of the Buzzard a few weeks ago when it was full of energy and hunting for worms at my feet.

Thanks for reading my blog

Stay wild, be happy and be safe
 

Mike