View allAll Photos Tagged EYECATCHING
After lying abandoned for a while, the building is currently undergoing much needed - and very welcome - restoration work.
Photo 2 of 3, featuring the Xewkija Police Station, shows more of the right side of the building.
To view photo 1, please click here:
www.facebook.com/212392652601872/posts/475098929664575/
Copyright © Kappa Vision / Jean-Paul Borg
For all my latest photos, please visit and like Kappa Vision on Facebook.
Spotted in the 'antique' section of P'ungmul flea market. E.T., phone home! Dear Leader Kim wishes to talk.
For more on this one, you could have a look at my blog: davewhatt.wordpress.com/2020/09/08/super-slinky-is-bright...
This rare magazine ad for the Peeres Beauty line of cosmetics appeared alongside ads for drill press machinery, steel tubing, tractor-trailer kingpin combinations, and other 70s-era "Let's hurry and industrialize" goodies. ;-)
An eyecatching lime green color, this Pyromorphite specimen in the Yale Peabody Museum was fascinating.
The display in this shop was so eyecatching I had to go in and stare for some time - incredible shoes - colourful and weird & wonderful designs
Title name for this photograph is taken from on of my favorite books : "The Hobbit".Gandalf is a fictional character who appears as a wizard in the story. In one part of the story, Gandalf commands the Fire, to burn with this arcane mantra "Naur an edraith ammen !"
"Naur" means: the magic of fire.
There is a fire-spinning group with this name "NAUR". Months back I enrolled myself there for learning some exciting moves of fire-spinning .But for some reason i couldn't continue that vigorous learning.
Swirling fire poi's scribbling all around... up-side- down in the air ... synchronized with music like --Ozzy Osbourne's "shot in the dark" is such a spellbound moment to experience. You could barely put your eyes off from that beautiful artwork of "moving fire's rhythmic rhapsody".All you feel ...an adrenalin rush in your blood.
This show was personally arranged at one of my friend's rooftop.
Location:Uttara, Dhaka
Host: Arnab
Artist:Dip
Date:28.04.10
65 ~ 365
Today, a colourful photo. I love this kind of sundowns with my window.
The sky looks as though he would never end.
So I hope, I start with this photo in a good week & I hope the same for you!:D
The three tugs there are - not in any sense of order - the Einar; the Erlend; and the Harald. In the background - at anchor in Scapa Flow - is the "Regalia" semi-submersible oilfield accommodation platform.
Heading south, Great Barton is the last village before arriving at Bury St. Edmunds, and the village itself is divided by the busy road. I'm sure, once it was a lovely village, but now trucks and cars thunder past, mostly ignoring the speed limits.
As you leave the centre of the village, past the old village school, there is a sign pointing down a leafy lane directing the visitor to the church. I had seen that sign many times and almost tempted to go down to investigate.
You have to travel about a mile down the lane, past an old manor house now a business centre, until you come to Holy Innocents on the right, a wonderful knapped flint church, glistening in the weak autumn sunshine.
First thing I noticed was the white stone used for the structure between flints, created a chequerboard pattern, which was very impressive. But when I mentioned this to the warden who was inside, she said she had never noticed, but after leaving came back to tell me she could see the pattern now.
Most eyecatching for me were the multitude of payer-kneelers on the shelves of the pews, creating a colourful display, contrasting with the austere structure of the church. Light streamed through the vibrant Victorian windows, which to my eye are of a very good standard indeed.
Holy Innocents seems to be open every day.
------------------------------------------
It had been so long since I last visited Great Barton that I really did not remember the village at all. It is a large place, a bit of Bury St Edmunds broken off really, only the railway line separating it from the Moreton Hall Estate. The church sits a good half mile from the village, down a narrow dusty lane. A large hare sat on the road in front of me as I left the village, and loped along just ahead in no particular hurry until we reached the church gates, where he turned and looked at me, and then preceded me into the graveyard. It was hard not to imagine that he was an omen of some kind.
Holy Innocents is one of those spectacular 15th Century rebuilds that East Anglia did so well, and is all the more so for being so remote. Mortlock calls it 'handsome', which is about right. The big tower rides high above the clerestory and aisles, the long, earlier chancel extending beyond. It has much in common with Rougham, just across the A14. Windows to aisle and clerestory create something of the wall of glass effect so beloved of the later Middle Ages. Unusually, there is a tomb recess in the outside of the south wall of the chancel which was possibly for the donor of the chancel.
The 15th Century south porch carries a later sun dial with the inscription periunt et imputantor, which means something like 'they perish and are judged'.
You step inside to a big church. Despite the windows of the south aisle being filled with coloured glass, the church is full of airy light and space. This is accentuated by the hugeness of the chancel arch, which goes with the 13th Century chancel - that is to say, nave and aisles were built to scale with it as a starting point. In such a great space the furnishings do not intrude, and they are pretty much all the work of the 19th Century restoration here. They are a good counterpoint to the spectacular glass of the south aisle. The first window is by the William Morris workshop, with the figures by Edward Burne-Jones of Faith Hope and Charity. All three are shown, unusually, as men. Faith is the Roman centurion at the foot of the cross, Hope is Joshua and Charity is the Good Samaritan.
Beside it is a window which is somewhat bizarre. A number of Suffolk churches have windows to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887, but none, I think, are quite like this one. The stately queen sits with a look of indigestion upon her face among angels carrying her crown and the Bible. She is flanked by two rather unlikely fellow monarchs, the Queen of Sheba with a snake of temptation and her motto Wisdom is better than rubies and a positively louche Queen Esther with If I perish, I perish. Above Victoria's head in a scroll is inscribed In her tongue is the Law of Kindness from the Book of Proverbs. All in all, a remarkable piece.
Ther other window in the aisle depicts the Ascension flanked by the Nativity and the Resurrection. The Nativity scene is particularly good. It is unsigned, but I wondered if it was by AK Nicholson.
But for the oddest window of all, you have to step up into the chancel. Here, on the south side, is another depiction of the Resurrection and the Ascension. These appear in the upper part, and in the lower part are the Disciples watching the Ascension and the Roman soldiers asleep at the Resurrection. However, these lower parts have been put under the wrong upper parts, and the sleeping soldiers are missing the Ascension and the Disciples are watching the Resurrection! Such a blunder can only have happened in the studio, when the cartoons were being laid out before the glass was made.
Holy Innocents is an interesting dedication, and an unusual one for an Anglican church, especially a medieval one. Bear in mind that, in the Middle Ages, churches were dedicated to feast days, especially of Saints, and not the Saints themselves. Holy Innocents is celebrated on December 28th, and remembers Herod's massacre of the babies of Bethlehem. It would have been a more common dedication in medieval times. Here, it is probably a relic of Anglo-catholic days, and the 19th century revival of church dedications; but it may also be the original dedication of the church. It is quite clear that this church enjoys a High Church character this day, and is one of the few village churches in the Bury area where you can light a candle when you say a prayer.
Like all good High Church parishes, Great Barton keeps Holy Innocents open every day, and there is even a Fair Trade shop where you can make your purchases and perform a work of mercy at the same time, a fine opportunity.
Back outside, the churchyard is one of the best in Suffolk to potter about in. It is vast, with a good 300 years-worth of headstones. While exploring, you might notice that the very north-east corner of the churchyard is cordoned off by a low brick wall, and contains but a small number of graves. They are to the Bunbury family, who are also remembered with mural monuments in the chancel of the church. The Bunburys had lived at Barton Hall, but it was destroyed by fire in 1914. Sir Henry Bunbury achieved a place in popular history in the early 19th century when he was the foreign office official who had the job of breaking the news to Napoleon that he was to be exiled to St Helena. The school history books that speak of the defeat of Napoleon have long since been consigned to the skips. Now, all that remains is the light summer breeze in the corner of a Suffolk churchyard.
Simon Knott, May 2013
www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/gbarton.htm
----------------------------------------
The Church is dedicated to the Holy Innocents. These were the Jewish boys under the age of two who were massacred by King Herod. This was after the visit from the wise men in search of the king of the Jews. These children are probably the first martyrs to suffer for our Lord. All Christian churches are built to oppose this injustice. Holy Innocents Great Barton is one of only five churches in the country dedicated to the Holy Innocents. It is most unusual for a mediaeval church.
Wool was a very important industry in East Anglia. Woolpit and Lavenham are local churches built from the proceeds of the trade. Gt. Barton was on the edge of the wool producing area. 'Dog Pews' were put in the Church in honour of the dogs who helped the shepherds during the years when wool was a very important product of the county. The shepherd's dogs were very important to them, and far too valuable to leave outside while the shepherds were in church. The Dog Pews were situated in the back of the church, and the shepherds were encouraged to bring their dogs in with them. The shepherds were also allowed to sleep (with their dogs) in the porch. These pews can now be found at the front of the church and are one of the many items around Holy Innocents that tell a fascinating story of the church's history.
Great Barton is believed to have been a settlement of the Iceni tribe before the Roman occupation of England. It is believed that Barton mere was occupied by early lake-dwellers. Records mention the parish in the time of Edward the Confessor, however it was not until about 950 AD that the parish was given into the care of the abbey of Bury St Edmunds. The abbey held it until the monastery was dissolved in 1539. It is almost certain that a Saxon Church existed here- it is probable that this was a simple wooden building rebuilt in stone by the Normans. In 1086, the Domesday Book states that the church possessed 50 acres of land, valued at £20. The chancel was erected and the font was installed in the late 13th century. These are the earliest parts of the present church. Over the centuries, various additions were made to the church when funds became available. It was the job of the Rector to maintain the chancel, whereas other parts were maintained by the parishioners. In the 15th century they erected the aisles, clerestory and tower. Much money was left to the church for restoration in the 15th century, including from the Rector of that time, William Howerdly. The following two centuries saw the destruction of many parts of the church due to the Reformation and Puritan purge. At this time the majority of the angels in the roof were destroyed. Their remains can still be seen today. Little work was done on the church until the Victorian era when major restoration work began.
The list of incumbents goes back to 1320 when the parish was in the diocese of Norwich. In 1823 it was in the Diocese of Ely, and in 1914 it became a member of the newly formed Diocese of St. Edmundsbury and Ipswich.
318 I tried something diferent this time. I used a 3dimensional background with an apple and a box made with colored paper. I really liked the result. There is more texture inside the drops. And the water shape is unusual.
Drenched in the electrifying energy of Metallica's music, I immerse myself in the rhythm, wearing a bold ensemble that mirrors the intensity of the performance. A vibrant red t-shirt paired with a stylish fishnet overlay, cargo pants, and chic boots create a fashion statement that resonates with the powerful beats. My long, curly hair cascades freely, dancing to the tunes, while my fiery red nails add a touch of rebellion. Each picture captures a moment of liberation and passion, celebrating the fusion of music and style.
Dubrovnik (Croatia).
Better seen in Fluidr.
Se ve mejor en Fluidr.
ENGLISH
If you make a right turn from Gunduliceva Poljana, you'll run into a long set of baroque stairs designed by Pietro Passalacqua and reminiscent of Rome's Spanish Steps. The stairs lead up from Uz Jezuite to the Jesuit Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Dubrovnik's largest house of worship. The stairs were severely damaged in the 1991-92 siege of the city, but they have been restored. They end at the 1658 Jesuit College (Collegium Ragusinum), the school where many of Ragusa's greatest scholars were educated. The college is next door to the baroque church, which was modeled after Rome's Chiesa del Gesu, the mother church of the Jesuit order. Dubrovnik's single-nave structure was designed by Jesuit architect Andrea Pozzo, who worked for the order building Jesuit churches throughout Europe. The Dubrovnik church was completed in 1725 and decorated by Spanish artist Gaetano Garcia according to Pozzo's plan, which included frescoes depicting scenes from the life of St. Ignatius along the semicircular divided apse. The church's bell is said to be the oldest in Dubrovnik.
More info: www.frommers.com/destinations/dubrovnik/A32301.html
----------------------------
CASTELLANO
La iglesia de San Ignacio de Loyola fue construída entre los años 1.667 y 1.725 por el arquitecto Ignazzio Pozzo. Como todas las iglesias jesuíticas de la época, es una copia de la iglesia de San Igancio de Roma. Su estilo es una mezcla de todas las características de la Contrareforma (líneas curvas, columnas, pilastras, frontones, cúpula, molduras y cornisas interiores). Cuenta con una magnífica escalinata de acceso, muy similar a la de la Plza. de España de Roma y en su interior podemos contemplar magníficos frescos murales, obra del siciliano Gaetano Garcia y la rica ornamentación de toda la iglesia, destacando la Capilla Mayor y la cúpula.
Más info: www.trivago.es/dubrovnik-46132/catedraliglesiamonasterio/...
Colorful flowers found in my neighborhood on the Big Island of Hawaii.
.
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Colorful flowers found in my neighborhood on the Big Island of Hawaii.
.
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Heading south, Great Barton is the last village before arriving at Bury St. Edmunds, and the village itself is divided by the busy road. I'm sure, once it was a lovely village, but now trucks and cars thunder past, mostly ignoring the speed limits.
As you leave the centre of the village, past the old village school, there is a sign pointing down a leafy lane directing the visitor to the church. I had seen that sign many times and almost tempted to go down to investigate.
You have to travel about a mile down the lane, past an old manor house now a business centre, until you come to Holy Innocents on the right, a wonderful knapped flint church, glistening in the weak autumn sunshine.
First thing I noticed was the white stone used for the structure between flints, created a chequerboard pattern, which was very impressive. But when I mentioned this to the warden who was inside, she said she had never noticed, but after leaving came back to tell me she could see the pattern now.
Most eyecatching for me were the multitude of payer-kneelers on the shelves of the pews, creating a colourful display, contrasting with the austere structure of the church. Light streamed through the vibrant Victorian windows, which to my eye are of a very good standard indeed.
Holy Innocents seems to be open every day.
------------------------------------------
It had been so long since I last visited Great Barton that I really did not remember the village at all. It is a large place, a bit of Bury St Edmunds broken off really, only the railway line separating it from the Moreton Hall Estate. The church sits a good half mile from the village, down a narrow dusty lane. A large hare sat on the road in front of me as I left the village, and loped along just ahead in no particular hurry until we reached the church gates, where he turned and looked at me, and then preceded me into the graveyard. It was hard not to imagine that he was an omen of some kind.
Holy Innocents is one of those spectacular 15th Century rebuilds that East Anglia did so well, and is all the more so for being so remote. Mortlock calls it 'handsome', which is about right. The big tower rides high above the clerestory and aisles, the long, earlier chancel extending beyond. It has much in common with Rougham, just across the A14. Windows to aisle and clerestory create something of the wall of glass effect so beloved of the later Middle Ages. Unusually, there is a tomb recess in the outside of the south wall of the chancel which was possibly for the donor of the chancel.
The 15th Century south porch carries a later sun dial with the inscription periunt et imputantor, which means something like 'they perish and are judged'.
You step inside to a big church. Despite the windows of the south aisle being filled with coloured glass, the church is full of airy light and space. This is accentuated by the hugeness of the chancel arch, which goes with the 13th Century chancel - that is to say, nave and aisles were built to scale with it as a starting point. In such a great space the furnishings do not intrude, and they are pretty much all the work of the 19th Century restoration here. They are a good counterpoint to the spectacular glass of the south aisle. The first window is by the William Morris workshop, with the figures by Edward Burne-Jones of Faith Hope and Charity. All three are shown, unusually, as men. Faith is the Roman centurion at the foot of the cross, Hope is Joshua and Charity is the Good Samaritan.
Beside it is a window which is somewhat bizarre. A number of Suffolk churches have windows to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887, but none, I think, are quite like this one. The stately queen sits with a look of indigestion upon her face among angels carrying her crown and the Bible. She is flanked by two rather unlikely fellow monarchs, the Queen of Sheba with a snake of temptation and her motto Wisdom is better than rubies and a positively louche Queen Esther with If I perish, I perish. Above Victoria's head in a scroll is inscribed In her tongue is the Law of Kindness from the Book of Proverbs. All in all, a remarkable piece.
Ther other window in the aisle depicts the Ascension flanked by the Nativity and the Resurrection. The Nativity scene is particularly good. It is unsigned, but I wondered if it was by AK Nicholson.
But for the oddest window of all, you have to step up into the chancel. Here, on the south side, is another depiction of the Resurrection and the Ascension. These appear in the upper part, and in the lower part are the Disciples watching the Ascension and the Roman soldiers asleep at the Resurrection. However, these lower parts have been put under the wrong upper parts, and the sleeping soldiers are missing the Ascension and the Disciples are watching the Resurrection! Such a blunder can only have happened in the studio, when the cartoons were being laid out before the glass was made.
Holy Innocents is an interesting dedication, and an unusual one for an Anglican church, especially a medieval one. Bear in mind that, in the Middle Ages, churches were dedicated to feast days, especially of Saints, and not the Saints themselves. Holy Innocents is celebrated on December 28th, and remembers Herod's massacre of the babies of Bethlehem. It would have been a more common dedication in medieval times. Here, it is probably a relic of Anglo-catholic days, and the 19th century revival of church dedications; but it may also be the original dedication of the church. It is quite clear that this church enjoys a High Church character this day, and is one of the few village churches in the Bury area where you can light a candle when you say a prayer.
Like all good High Church parishes, Great Barton keeps Holy Innocents open every day, and there is even a Fair Trade shop where you can make your purchases and perform a work of mercy at the same time, a fine opportunity.
Back outside, the churchyard is one of the best in Suffolk to potter about in. It is vast, with a good 300 years-worth of headstones. While exploring, you might notice that the very north-east corner of the churchyard is cordoned off by a low brick wall, and contains but a small number of graves. They are to the Bunbury family, who are also remembered with mural monuments in the chancel of the church. The Bunburys had lived at Barton Hall, but it was destroyed by fire in 1914. Sir Henry Bunbury achieved a place in popular history in the early 19th century when he was the foreign office official who had the job of breaking the news to Napoleon that he was to be exiled to St Helena. The school history books that speak of the defeat of Napoleon have long since been consigned to the skips. Now, all that remains is the light summer breeze in the corner of a Suffolk churchyard.
Simon Knott, May 2013
www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/gbarton.htm
----------------------------------------
The Church is dedicated to the Holy Innocents. These were the Jewish boys under the age of two who were massacred by King Herod. This was after the visit from the wise men in search of the king of the Jews. These children are probably the first martyrs to suffer for our Lord. All Christian churches are built to oppose this injustice. Holy Innocents Great Barton is one of only five churches in the country dedicated to the Holy Innocents. It is most unusual for a mediaeval church.
Wool was a very important industry in East Anglia. Woolpit and Lavenham are local churches built from the proceeds of the trade. Gt. Barton was on the edge of the wool producing area. 'Dog Pews' were put in the Church in honour of the dogs who helped the shepherds during the years when wool was a very important product of the county. The shepherd's dogs were very important to them, and far too valuable to leave outside while the shepherds were in church. The Dog Pews were situated in the back of the church, and the shepherds were encouraged to bring their dogs in with them. The shepherds were also allowed to sleep (with their dogs) in the porch. These pews can now be found at the front of the church and are one of the many items around Holy Innocents that tell a fascinating story of the church's history.
Great Barton is believed to have been a settlement of the Iceni tribe before the Roman occupation of England. It is believed that Barton mere was occupied by early lake-dwellers. Records mention the parish in the time of Edward the Confessor, however it was not until about 950 AD that the parish was given into the care of the abbey of Bury St Edmunds. The abbey held it until the monastery was dissolved in 1539. It is almost certain that a Saxon Church existed here- it is probable that this was a simple wooden building rebuilt in stone by the Normans. In 1086, the Domesday Book states that the church possessed 50 acres of land, valued at £20. The chancel was erected and the font was installed in the late 13th century. These are the earliest parts of the present church. Over the centuries, various additions were made to the church when funds became available. It was the job of the Rector to maintain the chancel, whereas other parts were maintained by the parishioners. In the 15th century they erected the aisles, clerestory and tower. Much money was left to the church for restoration in the 15th century, including from the Rector of that time, William Howerdly. The following two centuries saw the destruction of many parts of the church due to the Reformation and Puritan purge. At this time the majority of the angels in the roof were destroyed. Their remains can still be seen today. Little work was done on the church until the Victorian era when major restoration work began.
The list of incumbents goes back to 1320 when the parish was in the diocese of Norwich. In 1823 it was in the Diocese of Ely, and in 1914 it became a member of the newly formed Diocese of St. Edmundsbury and Ipswich.
Sunlight on rail lines crossing the Preston River near Bunbury!!!!
The golden rails were eyecatching with the summer sunlight on them...
I acheived this purely by dropping the brightness and increasing the saturation slightly with NIK sofware...
I have not been here for three 3years!!! See an earlier upload called sunlight on rails for another comparision... I prefer this version now lol !!!
Here at a pop up store in Seoul's Jongno-3-ga area we have - gulp - pink a Tutu-sporting Hulk encoded onto a format with some bulk - the Laser-Disc. Laser-discs were mostly a workhorse, karaoke format in Korea but the US and European studios did export a healthy number of films to Korea....including Mr. Nanny ;-)
Caracal Cub (male), Big Cat Reserve, Limpopo, South Africa
Website: www.ashley-vincent.com
Instagram: @ashleyvincentphotography
The new class 380, a stylish alternative design to modern loco front ends with an eyecatching paint scheme, work many of the EC trains as well as some domestic Czech traffic. 17 September 2012.
ML_20120917_0013br
A shot from Easter again. Found this cool pond on the edge of pukaki and it worked so well with the other elements - I prefer the horizontal version which I will share with you sometime soon, but I find the reflected cloud bank very eyecatching. Truly nature at its most beautiful.
Most of these flickr shots are BIGGER on our website. You can also view more of our New Zealand landscape photography there :)
My gradual decline towards senility is also charted on my blog - The Photo Autocracy
And finally, we have also just posted our latest FREE New Zealand landscape photography guide for Mt Cook / Lake Pukaki
Fageda d'en Jordà - Santa Pau, Girona (Spain).
DigitalZone KDD Fageda d'en Jordà 08/11/2009.
Better seen in Fluidr.
Se ve mejor en Fluidr.
¡¡En el puesto 397 de Explore del 29/12/2009!!
ENGLISH
Fageda d'en Jordà is a unique beech forest because it is at 550m. of altitude and because it grows on a petrified lava flow originated of the last eruption of Croscat volcano, 10,000 years ago. In all the extension of the forest there are small mounds named “tossols”, that are the enormous solidified gas bubbles on the places in which lava covered wetlands and water courses. Some of these mounds can arrive at 20m. of height.
---------------------------
CASTELLANO
La Fageda d'en Jordà es un hayedo único porque se encuentra a 550m. de altitud y porque crece sobre una colada de lava petrificada proveniente de la última erupción del volcán Croscat hace unos 10.000 años. En toda la extensión del hayedo hay pequeños montículos llamados "tossols", que no son más que las enormes burbujas de gas solidificadas sobre los lugares en que la lava cubrió humedales y cursos de agua. Algunos de estos montículos pueden llegar a 20m. de altura.
Pandemic Self Care. Practicing social distancing. Stay Safe and remember wearing a mask protects you from me and me from you. We are in this together.
I have always desired to visit South Stacks in late summer as the heather blooms. Most of the seabirds have left by then but I wanted to see the heather bloom. The area turns from green into a purple landscape. However, I could not imagine there would be yellow splashes to the purple too. I wish the sky was blue and the sea still so we would have deep rich purple, yellows and blues.
www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/s/southstackcliffs/seasona...
About South Stack Cliffs
Enjoy a close-up view onto a wonderful cliff-side nesting colony, with binoculars and telescopes provided. You'll be able to watch guillemots, razorbills and puffins all raising their young, while live television pictures give you an even closer view of the nests! Rare choughs can also be seen on the reserve.
In spring and summer, the heathland becomes a riot of colour. Look closely and you may see a basking adder, while out to sea there may be porpoises and dolphins.
Opening times
The RSPB reserve is open year round; Ellins Tower, the RSPB visitor centre, is open from Easter to September.
Entrance charges
Free, but donations to help us continue our work here are welcome.
If you are new to birdwatching...
This reserve is good for birdwatching in the summer only.
Information for families
Some interactive materials in Ellins Tower Information Centre.
Information for dog owners
Some access for dogs. Please contact the reserve office for more information
Star species
Our star species are some of the most interesting birds you may see on your visit to the reserve.
Chough
The chough is the rarest member of the crow family in the UK. They can be found feeding in fields around South Stack, probing for invertebrates with their curved, red bill.
Guillemot
Guillemots look ungainly when they shuffle around on their nesting ledges on the cliffs, but underwater their streamlined shape comes into its own and they become agile and manoeuvrable.
Peregrine
Keep an eye out for a commotion among birds on the cliffs - a peregrine may be making a fly past. They are a regular sight overhead when a pair is nesting in the area.
Puffin
Enjoy the comical antics of puffins in spring and early summer from the viewing points on the cliffs. Watch the adults returning from fishing forays at sea with sandeels hanging from their colourful beaks.
Razorbill
Very similar to guillemots, razorbills spend most of their lives at sea in the Atlantic, only coming to land to breed between March and July.
Seasonal highlights
Each season brings a different experience at our nature reserves. In spring, the air is filled with birdsong as they compete to establish territories and attract a mate. In summer, look out for young birds making their first venture into the outside world. Autumn brings large movements of migrating birds - some heading south to a warmer climate, others seeking refuge in the UK from the cold Arctic winter. In winter, look out for large flocks of birds gathering to feed, or flying at dusk to form large roosts to keep warm.
Spring
Marvel at the wildflowers including kidney vetch, thrift and scurvey grass amid the cliff top grassland and heathland. Particularly eyecatching is the spring squill, which carpets areas of heathland that have recently been burnt. Look out for stonechats and linnets perched on top of bushes and listen out for the first skylarks. As spring takes hold, watch out for choughs and ravens collecting material to build their nests and don't miss the breeding seabirds crammed onto the narrow ledges on the cliffs in front of Ellins Tower.
Summer
Ellins tower provides excellent views of the seabird city with guillemots, razorbills, puffins, fulmars and gulls. Try to spot razorbill and guillemot chicks on the narrow cliff ledges, but don't leave it too late as these seabirds will be leave for the open ocean in July. Listen for the distinctive calls of choughs. They will be active gathering food for their ever growing young. Look out for the endemic spatulate fleawort amongst the cliff top grassland where you might be lucky and see an adder basking in the sun. Search out the rare silver-studded blue butterflies amid the shorter heathland.
Autumn
The heathland will be ablaze with colour as the mauves and purples of the heather flowers mingle with yellow gorse flowers. Look out for family groups of choughs. You will probably hear them first as the newly-fledged youngsters beg noisily for food from their parents. In the tidal races just offshore, look out for feeding gannets, passing shearwaters, porpoises and dolphins.
Winter
Look out for flocks of feeding choughs. These comprise of the newly-independent first year birds along with sub-adult birds from the last couple of years. A good place to search them out is the RSPB managed farmland (from the permissive path). This land is managed to provide foraging opportunities for chough throughout the year. Listen and look out for ravens as they begin to display, a sure sign that spring is round the corner.
Facilities
Facilities
•Information centre
•Car park : RSPB car park located at SH211818, complete with three marked disabled car parking bays and cycle racks.
•Binocular hire
•Group bookings accepted
•Guided walks available
•Remote location
•Good for walking
•Pushchair friendly
Viewing points
Spectacular views of the breeding seabird colonies from Ellins Tower visitor centre (open Easter to September) with binoculars and telescopes provided.
Nature trails
The South Stack reserve is very popular with visitors for many reasons. Visitor activity is concentrated around Ellins Tower (the RSPB information centre), where the paths are maintained to a higher standard than elsewhere on the reserve. The heathland areas and their network of paths are open to the public (on foot) at all times. These paths cross a mix of coastal and heathland terrain and some pass close to cliff edges. There are no specific RSPB trails, but the route of the Ynys Gybi circular walk and the Isle of Anglesey Coastal footpath are waymarked along with the routes of the public footpaths. The nature of the terrain makes many of the paths steep and rocky, making access difficult for anyone with impaired mobility. However, a well-surfaced, high-quality 2 m wide track with benches runs from the RSPB car park (complete with three disabled parking bays) into the heathland and onto a viewpoint in front of Ellins Tower. Access to Ellins Tower is via a steep flight of stairs. The permissive path through the farmland connects the two areas of heathland. This path is open to the public (on foot) at all times (except 10 December each year). Grazing animals are present, so please take care and keep dogs under close control. Access to the Isle of Anglesey Council's 'South Stack Island and the Lighthouse' visitor attraction is via approximately 400 steps of variable rise and tread width down the cliff (not part of the RSPB reserve).
Tearoom
Fantastic News! We are delighted to announce we have just taken over the ownership of South Stack Kitchen Café. The staff and builders at South Stack have been working furiously over the last 2 weeks since being handed the keys to carry out essential work needed to open the Café with a fresh, vibrant feel and we hope to reopen by the 28 May (sooner if we can) Once open the Café will be serving a range of hot and cold drinks, light bites and snacks for your enjoyment.
Refreshments available
•Hot drinks
•Cold drinks
•Hot meals
•Cold meals
•Snacks
Accessibility
The majority of visitor activity at the RSPB South Stack nature reserve is concentrated around Ellins Tower, the RSPB information centre, and occurs during the summer months. South Stack reserve comprises a mix of coastal and heathland terrain with steep sea cliffs which support breeding seabirds.
Nature trails
The nature of the terrain makes many of the paths steep and rocky making access difficult for anyone with impaired mobility. In view of the visitor pressure, the paths in the vicinity of Ellins Tower are maintained to a higher standard than elsewhere on the reserve.
The most accessible path for people of impaired mobility runs from the RSPB car park into the heathland and onto a viewpoint in front of Ellins Tower. The track is well-surfaced and high quality (2 m wide) with benches and leads from three marked disabled car-parking bays in the RSPB car park.
Visitor centre
From Easter to September, Ellins Tower is open daily from 10 am to 5.30 pm. Access to Ellins Tower, which is a Grade 2 Listed castellated folly near to the cliff edge, is via a steep flight of stairs. Views of the dramatic seascape and some of the breeding seabird colony can be gained from the viewpoint by those who are unable to gain access to Ellins Tower.
Our work here
Our South Stack reserve on Anglesey comprises heathland, farmland and offshore stacks and caves. The RSPB is managing these habitats for the benefit of their breeding seabirds and choughs, as well as a wide variety of other fauna and flora. We are also working to provide an excellent wildlife and landscape experience for visitors.
Chough haven
The reserve is especially important for its breeding choughs, with our nine pairs representing 2% of the UK population. We are maintaining the heathland and farmland to provide suitable nesting and feeding conditions for this rare bird.
Healthy heath
The reserve’s heathland is part of the largest area of maritime heath in North Wales. Besides choughs, this important habitat supports the endemic plant spatulate fleawort, and the uncommon silver-studded blue butterfly, plus adders, common lizards and a range of other flora and fauna. Controlled burning helps us to manage this habitat for the benefit of all its wildlife.
Seabird spectacular
The sea cliffs provide nest sites for around 4,000 seabirds, including puffins, guillemots, razorbills and fulmars. Other birds to use this habitat include peregrines and ravens. We are monitoring our seabird populations and working to minimise any disturbance to the colony.
Visitor value
The scenic beauty of the reserve, together with its seabird spectacle, operational lighthouse, and many sites of geological and archaeological interest, make it very popular with visitors. Around 35,000 people visit our information centres each summer.
We are maintaining and enhancing our facilities, including our visitor centre at Ellins Tower and our network of paths. We are also providing more information to help people to get the most from their visit, while promoting the aims of the RSPB. We run seven events per year and encourage an active volunteer programme.
Community care
South Stack is a major tourist attraction on Anglesey and plays a significant part in the local economy. We will continue to advertise the site to enhance the flow of tourist income to the island and, where possible, will support local communities and business in developing the reserve.