In August I went to Anglesey. As well as seeing the rather fine South Stack lighthouse pictured above (I want to live in a lighthouse but for the moment, that is for another day), porpoises, seals and the wonderful Welshness of the place, I got to spend time watching choughs. My absolute, all-time, got the badge to prove it favourite bird.

Not many people in England get to see choughs. A few of them live in Cornwall, in fact their original name was Cornish Choughs and they are on the Cornish coat of arms. But if Cornwall is the English county of choughs, Wales is definitely the land of choughs.

My all time favourite holiday place is West Hook Farm campsite in Pembrokeshire. Partly because of the beautiful views across St Bride's Bay, partly the amazing Atlantic sunsets - also the bluebells in May, the swooping swallows nesting in the barn and the fact that you can just step off the campsite straight onto the Pembrokeshire coastal path (the only national park in Britain designated because of its spectacular coastline).

But really I love West Hook because of the chattering gangs of choughs that fly past seeking out their insect-food on cliff ledges. And they are proper gangs who look out for one another as any bird of prey who gets too close quickly finds out.

Be nice to choughs

They are quite wary of people - no doubt with good reason, although one Cornish legend says that King Arthur didn't die but instead turned into a chough and so killing a one brings bad luck. Sadly, not everyone believes that.

In Britain it is illegal to kill them or even to deliberately disturb them during the nesting season (spring and early summer). When walking near their nesting sites you often see signs asking people to keep their dogs on a lead. Please please please follow this advice because no matter how lovely and friendly your dog is, it will scare choughs if it gets too close and even make them abandon their nest.