Yes, we had a break in the weather in Pembrokeshire and everyone wanted to take a boat trip over to explore Ramsey Island RSPB Nature Reserve. There was a lot of bird activity on the island and as normal the island was stunning, there were a lot of Atlantic Grey Seals in the bays around Ramsey Island, harbour porpoise popping up all over Ramsey Sound and a Rissos Dolphin in Ramsey Sound. Back in St. Davids we were busy in the booking office and gift shop, so many people want boat trips this week but the weather is going to get windy again.
3rd September – Colouring Competition.
At the County show this year we held a colouring competition “Paint or draw what you would see on a boat trip with Thousand Island”. Below are our two winners and my scanner doesn’t do these pictures justice so we have put both pictures up on display in our booking office in the centre of St. Davids.

Charlotte Chambers, Age 7, from Wootton, Northampton

Jessica Balfour, Age 10, from Clynderwen, Pembrokeshire
Both young ladies have won a tripfor themselves and their families to land on Ramsey Island for the day. Well done girls the pictures are fabulous.
25th August – Gower Ranger around Ramsey Island
Really good view of the Peregrines on the West side of Ramsey, the Red Deer in clear view on the edge of the cliff and lots of seals popping up around us.
21st August – Geology day
“The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park displays a greater variety of geological features and associated landforms than any equivalent area of the same size in the British Isles. The coastal scenery was the prime reason for the National Park’s designation.” Geologist Sid Howells spent the day with the South Wales Geologists Association on aboat trip around Ramsey and on the Island to study the geology of the area and a great day was had by all.
19th August – Porpoise calves along side the boat
Gower Ranger had some superb sightings of porpoise today. Mothers and calves right along side the boat, also loads of seal pups popping up all over the island.
14th August – Gower Ranger around Ramsey Island
First trip of the day and already seen porpoise and loads of seals hauled out under Foel Fawr.
8th August – Summer holidays are here
Here is a report from Ramsey Island RSPB Warden Lisa Morgan.
“So the summer holidays are here and despite a brisk westerly wind today, it is at least dry for a change! Lots of visitors made it over to explore the island and they had some good sightings of our resident Peregrines and the increasing flock of marauding Ravens, their numbers building as we move into late summer and autumn.
Chough are also easily seen at this time of the year, with family groups joining together to form large feeding flocks on the island’s short grazed grassland. Birds are even arriving from the mainland to feed on the numerous invertebrates, especially ants that the island supports. Going into the sheep fields, visitors are also getting good views of a family of little owls that fledged from a nest in a stone wall and now sit out during the day keeping a beady eye on proceedings.
Although the majority of our cliff-nesting seabirds have left for the year, there are still plenty of grey, fluffy fulmar chicks sitting proudly on their nests whilst their parents are out at sea fishing. But the main attraction around the coast is the returning Grey seals. We have already had the odd pup born in the island’s secluded caves and it will surely be just a matter of days before we start to see pups on the islands big beaches. Heavily pregnant female seals are busy checking out the best sites on which to have their pups in the coming weeks.
Harbour porpoises are being reported daily from the island, feeding in Ramsey sound, with gannets circling overhead. But more of a surprise to the crew of the Gower Ranger was a Basking Shark that came up alongside the boat just south of Ramsey harbour last week, giving brilliant views to all their passengers.
Iolo Williams visits Ramsey Island RSPB Nature Reserve

We took Iolo Williams across to Ramsey Island to record a programme for Radio Cymru. Ramsey Island Warden Greg Morgan posted the following entry on the Ramsey Island blog:
Wildlife presenter Iolo Williams visited Ramsey yesterday to record a programme for Radio Cymru about the natural history and farming of the island, discussing how the two go hand in hand with our
conservation management out here.
The programme was recorded in Welsh so cue our Reserve Assistant, Nia Stephens and our stockman Derek Rees! They spent the afternoon with Iolo and the BBC team in glorious weather. Derek is a bit of a veteran when it comes to media work but this was only the second time out for Nia so well done to both of them. Also contributing to the programme were naturalists from the BTO, CCW and Snowdonia National Parks.
Take a look at island life and visit the Ramsey Island blog by clicking on the following link: http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/ramseyisland/b/ramseyisland-blog/default.aspx





