The wind was still high when we got up on the following day, and once again I headed to St Justinians in the vain hope of the boats going out; and once again I was disappointed. The trips out to Ramsey Island were cancelled for the day. This is the nearest I got. 
Boats at St Justinians
The prospects for later in the day weren't good, so we headed back along the coast to Whitesands, a large surfer beach. Despite my wobbles about heights, I did venture up the rocks; partly to make sure I hadn't spooked myself. 
Whitesands Beach
Me near the top!
I'm so bold, I even sat down up there 😉 After a quick lunch in the surfer shop, we headed back to Solva. As I've said, it's such a beautiful spot. Sheltered, low level (in places), quiet and just perfect for sitting and watching the tides and the birds. Of course we saw more buzzards, and the black-headed gulls were a delight as they skimmed along the harbour walls.
Black-headed gull (winter plumage)
But today the buzzards weren't the largest bird in the harbour. Hidden in a corner of the bay, in the shadows, I spotted a familiar and elegant outline. My years of stalking practice paid off ( :whistle: ) as I edged my way across the sands.
Heron at Solva
The heron waded calmly along the water's edge, until it was eventually disturbed by a dog-walker and made off to safer, and higher, ground.
It stayed perched on the rocks for a short while, and then proceeded on a gentle flight around the bay, circling several times before heading off over the cliffs. 
It's difficult to ask for a more cooperative subject! And when the birds were absent, there's always the sea.
In the comments section of the previous post there's a brief discussion about the tides. These shots may give a sense of how things change over a few hours at Solva. The tide is gentle, but quick, and it's quite easy to find yourself standing in water as it comes in if you don't take care.
Just 2 hours later, the scene is transformed.
The next entry will (finally) feature the seals. It may take me a couple of days to sort that out. There are lots of photos to work through, and I'd like to put a short video together as well. But as a taste of what's to come, here's a couple of shots taken from the first of two trips I made on the final day of our travels.
Seals on Ramsey Island
Meeting the boat
Camera note: all shots were taken with the Canon 40D (except the one of me, taken by Mrs Words on the Canon S2). The lenses were the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS for everything except the low and high tide pictures which were taken with the EF 24-105 F4L IS USM lens.
RobinL
11 Sep 2009Wow! Great post. Very interesting.
gdare
11 Sep 2009Seals look great :up: Are they protected there?
As for the tide, this is a lot of water in only 2 hours :eyes:
Flying Red Fox Blog
11 Sep 2009Did you see me in Manchester from up there? 😆 Shame about the weather though, they said nice hot sunny Bank Holiday when only our area Sussex got that!
Ukwildlife
11 Sep 2009Great photos, tame(r) herons are always a nice suprise, and it seems all my wildlife encounters end the same way as yours did with the heron!
As for the tides, they are rather impressive in Wales. In Little Haven in Pembroke this year, you could see the tide creeping up the beach!
SittingFox
11 Sep 2009Beautiful shots of the heron :up: And the grey seals…great! 😀
So…heights conquered. Are you going to be climbing the South Summit on Everest next? I understand that at one point there is a 8,000 ft drop into Nepal on one side, and a 10,000 ft drop into Tibet on the other, and the ridge is only a few feet across :yikes:
Tabmartel
11 Sep 2009Wow..beautiful shots.
I have a heron that nests behind my house every year. They are strikingly beautiful birds. I would go out with my camera but I refuse to disturb her.
I am anxiously awaiting those seal shots. 🙂
Words
12 Sep 2009Robin, thanks! I'm enjoying going back through the photos to see what we saw (if that makes sense).
Words
12 Sep 2009Neil, I guess there's a general pattern to wildlife spotting in public areas, but I seem to recall the dog was on a lead. I know what you mean about the tide. It trickled in over the sandy ripples and you could literally see the bay filling up. If you stopped near the edge of the water for more than a minute you got wet feet 😉
Words
12 Sep 2009Adele, thanks. The heron was a treat, but I've just been working through the seal images and they were definitely the highlight of the trip.
Remind me not to go trekking in Nepal! I doubt I'd make it to base camp.
Words
12 Sep 2009Darko, they are legally protected only during the breeding season (September to December), but they enjoy massive public support all year round and this is a conservation site, so it's a great spot for them. I think they like it there. 😉
Tabmartel
12 Sep 2009I reallllly have to carry my camera more!
Words
12 Sep 2009Mark, I couldn't quite see as far as Manchester. I'm trying to remember what the Bank Holiday was like. Ok I think, but not a heat wave or anything.
Words
12 Sep 2009Tab, thanks! How great to have one nesting so close to you. Their size makes them so incongruous in trees. Seals coming soon (tomorrow I think). I've got the photos nearly sorted out but want to flip through some video.
studio41
12 Sep 2009love "The sea at Solva" picture, breathtaking!
Words
12 Sep 2009Jill, thanks!