Everything is Permuted

So finally I come to the fourth and final part of the 'Wildlife at St Davids' series. We'd arrived in Wales on the Tuesday, and at St Davids on Wednesday lunchtime in pouring rain. The aim from the start had been to take a boat out to Ramsey Island, but the heavy rains were followed by high winds, which put all sailing on hold. We were due to leave on the Sunday and by Friday I was getting nervous. So it was with some anxiety on Saturday morning that I went to see if the seas were deemed calm enough to go out. They were; just.

The boat set off at around 9.00, and it soon became clear that 'calm enough' was a fairly loosely defined term, particularly around the more exposed, western side, of Ramsey Island. It was certainly safe enough, but it wasn't long before everything in the boat was thoroughly soaked. I did my best to keep the camera dry. It was a losing battle, but ultimately a worthwhile one.

The seal colony at Ramsey Island is the largest in southern Britain, and can number up to about a thousand adults, with around 500 pups born annually. September is pupping season, so a good time to visit (assuming the weather cooperates). It only takes a few minutes to get out to the island. The majority of the seals are on the eastern side, which is littered with small coves and pebble beaches.



These seals are mainly juvenile males. They congregate in large numbers, and the bolder among them swam out to investigate the boat.







The trip takes in several bays around the island.





The females and pups weren't in evidence on the more crowded beaches, but we did get to see them in the numerous more secluded coves.







We made it back to land safely, apart from the camera. As I got off the boat I flicked the switches to look at what I'd got and the camera promptly died on me. It had survived the elements for precisely the length of the trip. The general soaking had obviously finally got to the electronics. That's a lesson that proper weather-sealing is vital. Now I did happen to have a spare camera with me. I'd debated on taking a second body on the trip, but had ended up with my old Canon S2 (which does video as well). It took all of five minutes to decide to buy a larger data card and book a second trip out.

The calmer seas in the afternoon allowed us to get closer in to some of the bays. These next two shots were taken with the S2 and are among my favourites.





Mainly though I used the video function. The second trip avoided going to the rougher seas to the west of the island. It also brought me my first sighting of gannets and a harbour porpoise. Both can be seen (briefly) in the early part of this video.



We of course saw numerous other seabirds on both trips, including these delightful shags.



All told, a wonderful break with some great sightings. We'll certainly be heading back there at some point (with waterproofed gear!). There are several companies offering boat trips. We ended up with Voyages of Discovery (who were fantastic) but also check out Thousand Islands. And for somewhere to stay, we can very highly recommend The Old Cross Hotel.



The full set of Ramsey Island photos is on my website.

Camera note: unless otherwise indicated all shots taken with the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.