Llanelli WWT

 A wet day was forecast so headed off to Llanelli WWT reserve. After an initial torrential downpour, the day cleared out and was very enjoyable. It's a large reserve and we could have spent longer there. The new Welsh Water hide is amazing - I could live in it! Highlights were the spoonbills, doing what spoonbills do - spooninng, and the sheer number of black-tailed godwits. 

Across the marsh.

View from the Wesh Water hide. 

Spoonbills.

Black-tailed godwits.

Tufted duck.

Pochard and tufted duck.

Little grebe, lapwing, shoveller and pintail.

Male gadwall.

...and a cheeky monkey! 

Arthur's Stone Burial Chamber

This double chambered megalithic tomb sits above Renoldston on the Gower, on a moor that has stunning views across to Somerset/Devon and  north towards Camarthen. The capstone weighs around 25 tons, so it is assumed that being as it is a glacial eratic, workers could excavate under it, while taking its weight on the support stones. Needless to say there are many legends associated with the tomb including King Arthur and St David. 

Purple Sandpipers

 What a delight ot watch these so close by in a cave. 

Heading towards the cave where they were. 

Llangenith Burrows and Burry Holms

Another new area - this time the beach infront of Llangennith Burrows to  Burry Holms and then round the corner ....lots of interest - especially at low tide. Good to see purple sandpiper too. 

Looking back towards Worms Head.

Plenty of shells - many necklace shells.

Sea-potato. 

Necklace shells and collars.

Lots of sand! 

Spectacular sea arch and ruined chapel. Reading about this site it was obviously quite important historically and was home to mesolithic hunters and housed an Iron Age fort.

Recent excavations conducted by the National Museum of Wales at Burry Holms uncovered numerous microliths – small stone tools including flint points and tiny saws characteristic of the Mesolithic period. Traces of birch bark tar, a sticky resin used as glue, were found on one flint point, indicating that the point may have been attached to a spear or harpoon. No such object had been found in Wales previously. (https://historypoints.org/index.php?page=burry-holms-gower) 

Cormorant; purple sandpipers and the cave we briefly sheltered in.

An abundance of mussels and dogwhelks. 

Looking back across the burrows.

Rockpools

As we came back form Mewslade, we could see that the vast expanse of wave-cut platform leading to Worms Head itself....and the rockpooling was fabulous! 

The pools; barnacles (Balanus perforatus) ; dog whelks and eggs.

Purple and green sea urchins.

Edible crab.

Common starfish.

Daisy anemone (Cereus pedunculatus) ; common brittlestar; chiton sp; broad-clawed porcelain crab (Porcellana platycheles);  shore crab and shanny.

Beadlet anemone.

Not the dog's favourite occupation! 

Yellow whitlowgrass

Tom had been keeping an eye out on the cliffs for yellow whitlowgrass....and was delighted to find it out in full flower. It was good to see this artic alpine relict, spared on the cliffs from glaciers, in its natural habitat rather than on the well known site - on the mortar of Pennard castle ruins. 

Mewslade Bay.

Worms Head to Mewslade

 Another glorious day and another glorious walk! 

The view from Worms Head towards Llangenith Burrows and Burry Holme.

Worms Head.

Kestrels, raven and the first wheatear of the year. 

The beach at Fall Bay and the raised 'Patella' beach from the Ipswichian interglacial period 125,000 years ago. 

The 'Patella' beach. 

Looking back to Worms Head. 

Mewslade Bay - where we foundyellow whitlow grass...another blog .

Choughs. 

A dotted bee-fly. In Wales it is mostly restricted to the stretch of coast between Port Eynon and Penmaen Burrows.  

Looking across the wave cut platform to Worms Head as the tide dropped - perfect for rock pooling!