GOGARTH THE CRAG ENVIRONMENT

One of the pleasures of climbing at Gogarth and other Anglesey crags is the wealth of wildlife visible during periods on belays. Most of the coast of Anglesey is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), and notwithstanding the occasional nuclear power station and more than occasional caravan site, most of it lives up to that claim, especially when viewed from the rock face.

Geology
Underpinning this landscape (and you, while you are on that belay) is a diverse geology. The geological map of Anglesey is a riot of colour and the coast is where it’s all open for viewing. Most of the climbing areas at Gogarth, Rhoscolyn, Carmel Head etc are situated on ancient Precambrian rocks - over 570 million years old - which though originally sedimentary have been metamorphosed and folded by intense heat and pressure so as to alter their appearance, turning the original sandstone and shale strata of South Stack and Rhoscolyn into mica schists of varying hardness and the sandstones of Gogarth and Holyhead Mountain into quartzite.

The cliffs at South Stack and Rhoscolyn in particular display some of the most magnificent exposures of folded rock strata in Great Britain. These folds are visible on both a massive (cliff size) scale and on a minute (finger size) scale. Differential weathering of the strata has produced the regular ledges now occupied by the seabird colonies at South Stack.
In contrast, north and south of Red Wharf Bay, Carboniferous limestone strata reflect fluctuating periods of coral and shell deposition in shallow tropical seas.

Flora
The plants of this environment occur in zones largely dependent on the degree of exposure to salt spray, the relative infertility of the rocky soil and whether sheep can get there. Black tar lichen at high water mark and yellow lichen in the splash zone give way to pink flowers of thrift, the papery white sea campion, and yellow disks of golden samphire with their fleshy green leaves. A ragwort-like yellow flower on the cliff tops at Gogarth is the South Stack Fleawort - a plant unique to this site. Purple heather, bell heather and western gorse clothe Holyhead Mountain and Penrhosfeilw common (the Range).

Birds
Birds nesting here include; the distinctive puffin (mostly at Red Wall, the Skerries and of course, Puffin Island) with their brightly coloured stubby bill, guillemot, a white chested grey backed bird, trying to look like a penguin, and the razorbill which is darker and with a white stripe across the heavier bill. All of these auks dive deep underwater to feed on small fish - indeed they swim better than they fly! Puffins nest in burrows, the razorbill and guillemot on crowded ledges. Chough, a red legged, red beaked crow, is a special rarity for which Gogarth, Rhoscolyn and Carmel Head are strongholds. It nests in sea caves and ledges, feeding on insects in short turf.. Its distinctive “chuff” call is often the first sign of its presence as it tumbles past in the air. The larger raven is also frequent in this area, nesting early in large untidy twig nests. Peregrine falcon also occupy these crags, often apparent by their plaintive meowing call.
The noisy herring gull is a light grey backed, bright yellow beaked bird, the most common gull. The smaller kittiwakes with a duller beak have colonised these cliffs at Penlas Rock. Its relative, the fulmar also soars off these cliffs and sometimes nests in inconvenient locations. Its projectile vomit of fish oil is a great incentive for exploring new routes! Also making itself heard will be pairs of black and white oystercatchers with ludicrous orange bills. Cormorant and shag will be apparent - often seen fishing on the water from which they duck-dive while you wonder where they will emerge, and when! Cormorant have a white throat patch and a wing span of a metre which they display when drying their feathers, shag are smaller with a yellow throat patch. The nests of both are characterised by a great deal of guano.
At the top of the climb on the heathland, stonechat will balance from gorse stems along with linnet, whitethroat and warblers, while wrens chide you noisily and in summer meadow pipits search to insects. Butterflies are sometimes plentiful in this environment including the rare silver studded blue on the range at South Stack.
At sea, Atlantic grey seal (not the “common” seal) may be watching your antics.
There is also an active seal breeding site in Parliament House Cave and
probably also in other caves towards Wen Zawn. The females haul out at or
soon after the autumn equinox, late September, to give birth, mate and leave
within a few weeks, leaving the pups on the beach - though don't be fooled
by those plaintive eyes, they can bite and the mother will be watching from
just offshore. It's well worth a visit to look from the clifftop but please
avoid entering the caves at this time of year.
If you are lucky you may glimpse porpoise, bottlenose dolphin or even a passing whale. Adders are found on some rocky areas - its bite is painful though rarely fatal.

Protection
Many of these areas are protected for wildlife (and by implication for your enjoyment). Reckless damage to a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is an offence and disturbance of nesting birds is illegal. To protect the most sensitive bird colonies there is a voluntary climbing ban agreement with the BMC at Gogarth covering Mousetrap Zawn, Left Hand Red Wall, Red Wall, Penlas Rock, Smurf Zawn, Blacksmith Zawn an part of South Stack island from 1 February to 31 July which has been well observed, to the great credit of the sport.

Please respect any restrictions and the rights of the original occupants! And enjoy the privilege of visiting places that most people never dream about.