Snowdon via Watkin Path

Over the Easter weekend I really ramped-up the marathon training; I ran 42.5 miles in three days and my "day off" involved a stroll to the top of Snowdon! Naturally time for wildlife watching was limited which is always a shame at this time of year as things begin to hot up; metaphorically and literally.
But a walk in Snowdonia is not just about the breath-taking views, there is always wildlife to be enjoyed as well. It was always going to be busy on a sunny Easter Sunday, so Jane and I chose what is probably our favourite route to the summit, namely the Watkin Path. This is one of the least popular of Snowdon's many paths, probably because it starts at sea-level, but it is also one of the most picturesque. It starts in a beautiful oakwood with little wooden bridges that cross tumbling streams, before emerging into a craggy valley where waterfalls and plunge-pools distract walkers from their main purpose of reaching the top.
The woodland held Blue Tits engaging in their Spring parachute displays, with a background chorus made up of Great Tits, Robins and a trilling Nuthatch. I was hoping to see an early migrant on the slopes of the mountain, maybe a Wheatear's white arse disappearing over a craggy outcrop or the distinctive whistle of a Ring Ouzel from a scree slope but it was not to be. But there were Meadow Pipits everywhere, sip sipping from every boulder and the males enchanted us with their graceful display flights and twittering song; they are clearly better parachutists than the Blue Tits.
But there is one distinctive bird call that Jane and I always compete to be the first to hear, that of the Raven. And we were just passing Gladstone Rock (named after the Prime Minister William Gladstone who gave a speech their in 1892) when Jane heard the distinctive cruk cruk call of a Raven. It glided past us on its massive wings and we could easily make out its dagger-like bill and diamond shaped tail; a very charismatic bird and one that is truly at home among the crags. This was one of about half a dozen that we saw during the day and they never failed to delight us with their mastery of the mountain air.
About two thirds of the way up Jane realised that the sole of her left boot was beginning to come away, so we assessed the situation and decided that it would be best if she didn't attempt to scramble up the scree slope that forms part of the path just below the summit. She was happy for me to walk to the top while she relaxed and enjoyed the views over to Crib Goch.
The summit itself was like Piccadilly Circus, I had never seen so many people there, especially as the mountain railway was not yet taking tourists to the top. I took a few photos and quickly scrambled back down to where I had left Jane. We descended a little further then had a lovely picnic while being serenaded by the ever present Meadow Pipits. The other bird that is quite common at the summit is the Herring Gull, no doubt attracted by handouts from walkers' picnics. But lower down the slopes we were not attracting any avian attention.
Although Jane had become a bit cold while waiting for me, the weather on Easter Sunday was excellent for walking. It had started off very foggy, but as that had cleared it warmed up enough for me to observe a Common Lizard tunnelling into a grassy tussock near the ruined miner's cottages. Unfortunately it didn't want to pose for a picture so we left it in peace.
Further down the valley I removed by socks and boots and dunked my feet in a plunge pool. This was immensely refreshing but after a while I couldn't feel my ankles because of the cold! This was the very same pool that during the hot July of 2013, after a day in the mountains, I had stripped off and completely immersed myself in. On that day the water actually felt warm. Although I have swum in Llyn  Lydaw in the adjacent valley in July and the water there was so cold that you would've thought that the ice age that formed these valleys was still in progress!
My feet soon dried, and we enjoyed the gentle walk down the rest of the valley, stopping only to pose for photographs on a remarkable stone bridge over the stream. Not just a wildlife day, but a day of geology, history, and some of the best views anywhere in the world.
(photos from compact camera and iPhone)



View of the Miner's Path, Pyg Track and the mighty Crib Goch

South Ridge

iPhone panorama, note the snow!

 

Snowdonia

Snowdonia in North Wales is a region I visit on a regular basis, not just for the stunning scenery and exhilarating walks, but also for some fabulous wildlife. An additional bonus at this time of year is the presence of snow on some of the higher peaks which makes the region eminently attractive for landscape photographers. I have to admit to just snapping the scenery as I concentrate my photography mainly on the wildlife, but the images are quite pleasing nevertheless.
Last Sunday dawned with a thick fog shrouding the fields around my home on the Wirral, but the forecast was for sunny spells, so I set off early for the Welsh hills. The sun didn't break through the clouds and mist until I was well into the Snowdonia National Park. My first stop was at a layby in the Nant Ffrancon valley, were that scarce relative of the Blackbird, the migratory Ring Ouzel had been seen over the previous few weeks. I don't know whether these birds were very early returning migrants hoping to set up territories before their rivals, or if they had overwintered in the valley for the same reason. But a number of birds had been seen the previous day. A small group of birdwatchers had gathered at the layby and one even pointed out a nearby rock where he had seen a Ring Ouzel perched the previous day, but during my stay at the site the target birds were not seen. But it was a great spot for admiring the surrounding snow-clad hills, with views up to the Ogwen Valley and the Devil's Kitchen.
But the short winter daylight hours were ticking away and I, along with my friend Jane, fancied a short walk up Mount Snowdon itself. We drove to Capel Curig and stopped to take more scenic photographs, and admire a small flock of ducks diving on the lake. They were mainly Tufted Ducks, but also present were a few Goldeneye and a "redheaded" Goosander; the Barracuda of the bird world.
We drove on to Llanberis, where I took some shots of some confiding Jackdaws before we set off up the Llanberis footpath. We only planned to walk as far as the snowline which last weekend was about two thirds of the way up the mountain. It was a very pleasant walk; the route known as the "tourists path" up Snowdon was not very busy and the views were stunning. It even felt pleasantly warm at times in the February sunshine. We stopped for a picnic, but could not entice the local Ravens very close. These beautiful crows are intelligent but wary of people. We also encountered a few Herring Gulls near the snack bar part way up the mountain. Although this was closed, these large gulls obviously associate people with an easy meal, and perched on the roof of the building where they could scan the area for any scraps. Interestingly, I observed one gull eating the snow, probably as a source of water to wash down some scavenged food item.
We reached the snowline at about 2pm, which gave us some time to admire the views and take more photos before returning to LLanberis for a very welcome hot cup of coffee.



Nant Ffrancon minus the Ring Ouzels



The Snowdon "Horseshoe" from Capel Curig

Jackdaw at Llanberis

Snowdon's Ravens

Herring Gull dining on snow