Ramsey Island
This is a National Nature Reserve managed by RSPB to encourage breeding Chough and Lapwings.
It is scenically stunning and the island is also a breeding grounds for a wide variety of seabirds, Peregrines and Ravens and, perhaps most popular of all, the largest Grey Seal colony in Wales.
Where is it?
Lying just a short distance off the St David’s peninsula, Ramsey is isolated by a most spectacular tidal current which flows over the Bitches rock outcrops near the island to create awesome overfalls. Ramsey is surrounded by numerous small islets including Ynys Cantwr, Ynys Beri and the Bishops and Clerks complex. There are numerous boats running round - the-island trips from St Justinian but just one boat lands people on the island – this is the official RSPB boat and numbers are strictly limited every day.
What’s there?
Ramsey is an RSPB reserve now but was previously extensively farmed and the northern half of the island is divided by stone walled fields. To the south is a large heathland area dominated by Heather Calluna vulgaris and there are two significant hills, Carn Ysgubor and Carn Llundain to the west. There are some good seabird colonies on the western cliffs of Carn Llundain, but the scenically varied and fantastic cliff structure is largely unsuitable for them. The RSPB managed to exterminate rats from the island in 2000/01 and there is a small and growing Manx Shearwater colony.
Calluna vulgaris, Common heather
The island is one of only two sites in south west Wales where Lapwing still breed and several pairs of Chough also breed here. One of the most noticeable summer migrants is the Wheatear which finds the combination of short turf for feeding and stone walls with abundant nest cavities to their liking. Sited at the extreme west of the county makes Ramsey one of the best places to see migrant birds which are glad of a rest after a long sea crossing. Yellow-rumped Warbler and Indigo Bunting are both vagrant species from North America which both been recorded on the island in recent years. In the autumn many hundreds of Grey Seals breed on the beaches and caves.
When to Visit?
For cliff flowers and breeding birds the period April to July is good but the sheer numbers of seals around the island from August onwards makes Ramsey very special.
Species
Chough
The rarest of the crows breeding in the UK Chough are coastal specialists feeding on invertebrates amongst the short rabbit and sheep cropped cliff top turf. With its curved red bill and bright red legs it is attractive on the ground and a splendid aerial acrobat. Can be seen around most headlands in the county with strongholds on Ramsey, Marloes and along the Castlemartin coastline.
Bluebells on Ramsey Island
Grey Seal
can be seen around the coast of Ramsey all year round but are most in evidence between late August and November when hundreds of pups are born on the beaches and in the caves. The pups are only fed for just over two weeks and are abandoned by their mothers when just three weeks old. In most years around 75% of pups born survive to reach independence.
