Other side of the fence

Hello again! or for the first time to any of you who are new to the blog

As promised in my last entry, for the next couple of posts I shall be having a look at my experiences with the wild world beyond Kent, and to help illustrate this I am excited to get the chance to show you some of my favourite photos taken across the UK.

For any of you who don't know, I was lucky enough to spend the past 4 years studying at Bangor University in North Wales, beside the picturesque Snowdonia National Park and it's mountain ranges. It is therefore here that I will begin, looking at some of the amazing North Wales coast.

View from near the peak of Mount Snowdon

Ascending Mount Snowdon with the
parallel train line visible

Although the ranges themselves offer some opportunities to see beautiful scenery and landscapes, it is in the harbour city of Bangor and in towns across the North Wales coast where I spent most of my time photographing. This string of towns and villages radiates a lovely sense of community and is accompanied by an almost parallel string of reserves including 'Porth Diana', 'Cemlyn', 'Mariandyrys', 'Nantporth', the 'Spinnies', 'Gogarth', 'Rhiwledyn' and 'Big Pool Wood'. These reserves stretch alongside the Wales Coast Path from Holyhead on Anglesey to Flint and are managed by the North Wales Wildlife Trust. 

Pair of white speckled pattern
 rock doves at Conwy Castle

Over the course of my time spent in Bangor, I visited many of these towns and some reserves at least once or twice, however personal highlights were the towns of Cowny, with its impressive castle and more medieval layout, and Colwyn Bay, home of the Welsh Mountain Zoo and the sites utilised for my masters thesis. 

Although a tad unusual for wildlife spotting, I found that Conwy Castle made for some lovely shots of perhaps less noticed common bird species such as Jackdaws (Corvus monedula) and Rock doves (Columba livia), with the rocky outcrops and remaining castle walls giving an almost solitary, pensive backdrop.

Solitary focused Jackdaw perched on a
 Conwy Castle wall

When looking at interesting animal and plant life in Colwyn Bay however, perhaps the most obvious group to mention are those cultivated or conserved at the Welsh Mountain Zoo. Located on the hillside beside the town, this park is built into mainly deciduous woodland and helps to conserve both local native and exotic endangered species across the many enclosures, exhibits and conservation projects.

Similar to the topic of my masters thesis though, it is those that have made their home wild within these woodland grounds of the zoo itself that I am fascinated by, with a myriad of bird, mammalian and insect life thriving throughout the park.

From my time spent there though, there is one individual in particular that will stick with me for years to come, a European robin that for some reason I felt the need to name Janine. This bird gave some much needed company on the cold wet days carrying out my masters fieldwork and although she frequently helped herself to the bait that I was using for my rodent live-trapping, I will likely not find another robin so human accustomed and friendly.

Janine with a friend eating some
dropped bait

European robin foraging in leaf litter

Janine on a crisp winter morning

On those days when you just fancy walking for a while though, the city of Bangor itself is where I would generally be found. With a wild wooded hill on one side and the steep hill of Bangor's upper town, with it's green park space, on the other, I spent many days happily snapping away in between lectures and on days off.

View of Snowdonia National Park from Bangor

7-spot ladybird climbing a blade of grass

Overgrown bench at Roman camp in Bangor

Intersecting paths in the sunshine
 atop Roman camp

Eerie steps down towards
 the Menai Strait

Female herring gull perched along
Bangor pier

Silohuetted crows in Bangor

Shadows of Stone Circle near
 the University

Hardy sprout grows from a pipe

I also relished the opportunity whilst living in this North Wales city to indulge my love of urban wildlife photography. Although simple, this in particular is one of my favourite photos as I think it shows the resilience inherent in even the smallest sprout.

Over the years though, I have also made the trip home to Kent and back many times, and far be it for me to turn down an opportunity to pull out my camera!

Dwarf mongoose (Helogale parvula)
 digging at Chester Zoo

These journeys, along with behavioural trips taken with the university, allowed me on many occasions to experience the fantastic Chester Zoo. This zoo, considered by many to be amongst the top zoological parks in the country, is well worth a visit and houses hundreds of species, many of which are on the endangered species list.

Yellow mongoose (Cynictis penicillata) staying
alert at Chester Zoo

Stubborn shrub surviving between lines
at Chester train station

On those rare, slightly longer than the train, drives back to Kent, we often also stopped to take in the scenery of the Welsh countryside. In particular when we decided on a more rural mid-Walian route, the rolling green hills offered lovely shots and a refreshing backdrop for a bit of local lunch. 

Rolling green hills in the heart of Wales

Mother sheep with her lamb

European robin (Erithacus rubecula) hunting
 for scraps outside of Bangor

There you have it then! Although more of a summary by necessity, and far from everything I could describe about these lovely areas with more time and space, hopefully I have shown how beautiful and worth a visit Wales and in particular the northern coast are for potential adventurers.

Stunning sunset over Birkenhead
from Liverpool

For those of you who are interested, in my next post I will be continuing in a similar vein, adding to this series by showing some of my experiences with wildlife beyond the shores of Britain. With any luck I have shown a few of you perhaps something new or something old in a new light, and so until next time, Have fun adventuring!

Sunset over the Menai Strait
from Bangor Pier

Mountain landscape outside of Bangor