The last four days have had a good run of rarities turn up on the island, however today sadly didn't produce another. Fewer migrants were noted today, including a Reed Warbler at the Withies, a Lesser Redpoll at the Observatory Garden and two Whimbrels on the West Coast.

In the afternoon, the observatory teamed up with the local community to round up the sheep on the mountain, while enjoying the views over the island. The sheep were moved without our hitch!

View over Nant from the Mountain (C) Colin Teal

Yesterday's star bird had moved on overnight but it was replaced by another talented songster when, after what seemed like a quiet morning for birding in the strong breeze, a Melodious Warbler was discovered singing in the front garden of the Observatory! The bird was quite mobile and elusive at times, often lurking deep in bushes and only giving away its presence by bursting into the rapid and varied song. Throughout the day, the Melodious Warbler seemed to enjoy doing a circuit consisting of the Observatory front garden, the back garden and the garden at Plas. This species has over 120 records on the island, making it somewhat of a Bardsey specialty.

Melodious Warbler (C) Ewan Turner

Whilst this well-appreciated modicum of late spring migration was occuring, the first sign of autumn announced itself with the discovery of a Cuckoo in the Heligoland. The bird was subsequently ringed and identified as a young male from last year, with plenty of juvenile feathers still retained. This bird is almost certainly already heading back to Africa having spent just a few weeks in the UK.

Elsewhere, a Spotted Flycatcher was at Nant and a Reed Warbler was in the Observatory garden.

Cuckoo (C) Greg Lee

The day started with a Blyth's Reed Warbler singing in the Observatory garden! It sang enthusiastically, mimicking several species and remained elusive all day. It was trapped and ringed early evening, which allowed for viewing of the subtle features of the bird. This constitutes the eighth record of this species for Bardsey, which breeds in Eastern Europe and winters in India.

Blyth's Reed Warbler (C) Steve Stansfield

Blyth's Reed Warbler (C) Steve Stansfield

The Common Rosefinch was still singing at Nant, with the same or possibly a second bird in the Observatory garden. A Spotted Flycatcher showed nicely at Nant.

A breezy start to the morning with the wind increasing into the day. The highlight of the morning was the discovery of a singing Common Rosefinch at Nant, favouring the withy near Ty Capel (which has history for this species!). Despite singing relatively frequently, the bird proved to be incredibly elusive, only offering brief glimpses which confirmed it as plainer, younger bird. This species is almost annual with birds occurring in both spring and autumn. 

                                                     

On the other end of the spectrum, the male Red-backed Shrike discovered yesterday was performing very well in the Wetlands, moving from various fences and bushes, even heard to be singing at times. 

Red-backed Shrike (c) Steven Stansfield

Whilst looking for the Rosefinch, singles of Spotted Flycatcher, Blackcap and Chaffinch were also seen at Nant and it was pleasing to see broods of young birds around including some healthy fledgling Robins and a brood of Stonechats. 

Stonechat (C) Greg Lee

After an overnight storm, it was another bright, sunny day. A stunning male Red-backed Shrike was found actively feeding on insects at Ty Pellaf mid-morning. It gave excellent views for the observatory team and visitors alike! Red-backed Shrike is still the most recorded species of Shrike on the island with 33 records, however, today's bird is the first since 2020.

It was otherwise a relatively quiet day for migration, although a Reed Warbler was still singing in the observatory garden along with a Blackcap. A Ringed Plover also flew south at Solfach and there was plenty of Manx Shearwater activity offshore. 

Male Red-backed Shrike at Ty Pellaf (C) Colin Teal

Calmer conditions overnight allowed for an increase in late spring migration on the island with a few new arrivals. Two Spotted Flycatchers were in the Withies along with another at Nant. A Garden Warbler and four Blackcaps were also at Nant and two Reed Warblers were logged, one of which was singing heartily in the garden despite the increase in wind throughout the day. 

Chaffinch (C) Greg Lee

It was a clear, sunny day with a moderate south-westerly wind. A few passage waders passed through, including one Whimbrel and two Turnstones at Solfach. More passerines were seen including singles of  Spotted Flycatcher at Nant and Willow Warbler at Green Lane.

View towards the Mountain from the Narrows (C) Colin Teal

Another foggy start this morning, which slowly cleared as the day grew on. Offshore, 69 Gannets were recorded along with a minimum count of 650 Manx Shearwaters. A Merlin around the West Coast was the first sighting for a while. A Grey Plover around the North End was only our second of the year. 

The moth-trap is slowly ticking along with a few new species for the year continuing to appear. Although now common on the island, the Buff-tip is always a firm favourite with the visitors.

Buff-tip (C) Greg Lee

It was a foggy morning, with visibility reduced across the island. It cleared up late morning and turned into a sunny afternoon! A few passage waders were seen on the west coast, including one Sanderling and four Whimbrels. The sunshine continued into the evening and ended with a beautiful sunset.

Blue sky over the Observatory (C) Colin Teal

The rain lashed in overnight along with a thick mist that reduced visibility around the island. A pair of Sanderlings and a Turnstone were on Solfach and at least five Whimbrels were on the West Coast. Offshore there was plenty of Manx Shearwater action with birds passing close to the island along with smaller numbers of Gannets. On the passerine front, it remained very quiet. 

The portable Heligoland has been repaired and reinstated on the beach, hopefully it will bring some success with the waders and Rock Pipits this season. 

Sanderling (C) Colin Teal

It was a pleasant, sunny day on the island with a light south-westerly wind. A few waders passed through including one Dunlin and four Whimbrels at Solfach. Six Sandwich Terns flew south in the morning. 

A Quail calling briefly at the Wetlands was a nice surprise early evening. The Manx Shearwater walk at night was a success and enjoyed by many of the guests staying on the island, despite getting soaked!

View from the mountain towards the Llŷn Peninsula (C) Ava Jenkins

The stormy weather continued into today with the churning seas providing quite the spectacle although spells of heavy rain meant that getting outside was a difficult job. At least seven Whimbrels were on the Narrows in the morning but appeared to have cleared off through the day and a Spotted Flycatcher was in the Observatory garden. A pulse of 27 Swallows moving through indicated that passage hasn't ground to a halt just yet, even if the local birds have established their nests in the various crofts on the island. 

The heavy cloud looming in (C) Greg Lee

A cloudy day with moderate rainfall and strong south-westerly winds continued throughout the day, meant it was a relatively quiet day for visible migration. Three Turnstones were at Solfach and 1500 Manx Shearwaters flew past the South End. A flock of 18 Choughs were gathering at Solfach, taking shelter from the strong wind.

Manx Shearwater (C) Greg Lee

A bright day with continued strong south-westerly winds before heavy cloud and rain loomed in. A single Ringed Plover was on the South End, a White Wagtail was at Solfach and at least three Whimbrels were on the various rocks. A survey of the Oystercatchers around the island found plenty of nests with eggs all along the coastline, some of which will be hatching imminently. In the strong winds, the Manx Shearwaters were passing the island in big numbers, it was amazing to watch them in their element amongst the troughs in the stormy waters.

One of many Oystercatcher eggs around the coast this afternoon (C) Greg Lee

With the arrival of our next set of guests today, things were busy at the Observatory, but a little bit of history had time to be made when during the sweeping of the dining room, the remains of a male Clouded Buff were found on the floor. A very attractive day-flying moth, this species can be found on heathland, moorland and limestone grassland across the UK, however, this is the first record for Bardsey.

Even when departed from the mortal coil, a Clouded Buff is very distinctive (C) Greg Lee 

The weather decided to commit to a complete turnaround with the drought-like conditions and  endless northerly winds broken by the arrival of a strong south-westerly gale bringing cloud, rain and conditions we haven't experienced for some weeks. A pair of Ringed Plovers on the South End were new arrivals in and some Whimbrels were still lingering around. A Reed Bunting in the Withies was only our second of the year. As one of our guests is here to collect DNA for the Darwin Tree of Life project, we wasted no time getting data from the more specialised inhabitants of Bardsey, with our first Chough brood ringed of the year and a Manx Shearwater delegated to represent its entire species. In the evening, despite the horrid weather, a Ringed Plover and a male Wheatear were also ringed.

Chough chicks (C) Greg Lee

Ringed Plover (C) Greg Lee

Calm and clear. Up to six Spotted Flycatchers were around the island, enjoying the wealth of insects and a young Grey Heron in the wetlands was our first immature bird seen this year.  The main event of the day was another trip around the East Side, where the Observatory staff caught and ringed the first adult Shag of the season. There were also several more broods of healthy-looking Shag chicks and our first Razorbill chicks loitering on the cliffs too! 

Shag (C) Greg Lee

The first Oystercatcher chicks have also begun to hatch too!

A blustery and chilly wind from the north dominated the day. In the sheltered areas, seven Spotted Flycatchers were present, as were two Chiffchaffs and a Blackcap. A white Moorhen chick in the Withies was slightly interesting, it appears that this is a common theme with the resident pair in that area, though we have yet to see any full-grown leucistic birds. 

Some Manx Shearwaters have decided to abandon the effort of digging out and renovating a hole and have adopted some of the disused buildings on the island, their only neighbour being a pair of Swallows. (C) Greg Lee

Much of today was spent conducting the start of this years Manx Shearwater census, covering the southern part of the island. Whilst we were counting burrows on the South End a Golden Plover lifted off the deck and flew north. A single Dunlin on Solfach and three Whimbrels on the South End were the only other waders included.

13 Swallows, nine House Martins, one Blackcap, one Chiffchaff and a single Spotted Flycatcher were the only other migrants of the day!

In the evening the first two broods of Linnets of the year were ringed, one at the North End and one on Pen Cristin.

Linnet chicks (C) Ewan Turner

Although migration was limited today on the island, it was the perfect opportunity for the Observatory staff to continue work for the upcoming and very busy seabird season. Today was the first Gull count of the North End colonies, particularly focusing on the Herring Gulls. Although most nests still contained clutches of up to three mottled eggs, several very young chicks were seen and some eggs were even hatching as the staff undertook their counts. Several colour-ringed birds were also read in the field.

Herring Gull chick, note the egg is just about to hatch. (C) Greg Lee

Several broods of Shags had hatched and we also found Razorbill eggs on the ledges and a Puffin egg in the many new burrows starting to appear on the East Side. A brood of 10 Mallard ducklings slap bang in the middle of the Gull colony seemed a little risky (as were the Oystercatcher nests), but the mother duck appeared to have it under control, at least for the time being...

Puffins and Razorbills (C) Greg Lee

On the non-avian front, a Cinnabar Moth in the Nant valley was a very good record, this distinctive species being quite the scarcity in recent times on Bardsey and a pheromone session brought in our first Thrift Clearwing of the year.

Thrift Clearwing (C) Greg Lee

Below is a video taken by Steve showing some of the work undertaken today. 

 Little movement today but still lots to see. The breeding season is well underway and our first Rock Pipit of the year have fledged! with two seen on the east side this afternoon. 

Chough numbers swelled with a flock of 22 passing along the West Coast, presumably birds from the mainland coming for a visit.  A Sanderling was on Solfach this morning and three Whimbrels were recorded also. 23 Swallows , 19 House Martins, five Chiffchaffs, three Sedge Warblers and one Willow Warbler were the only other sightings of note during the day. In the evening, a Dotterel gave a tantalising flypast as it flew north and called over the Observatory.

First Fledged Rock Pipit of the year! (C) Ewan Turner

A day where several highlights were noted across the island. The Cuckoo was singing in the Wetlands early morning, with a Reed Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher in Cristin Withy. A further nine Spotted Flycatchers were enjoying the Plantation at Nant whilst two new Chiffchaffs were caught in the Observatory garden. A Golden Plover flying over the Mountain was only our second sighting of the year. Our first fledged Rock Pipits of the year were sighted on the East Side during a check of the seabirds.

Spotted Flycatcher (C) Greg Lee

On the non-avian front, a check of the wetlands yielded our first Early Marsh Orchids on the cusp of flowering and a male Orange-tip in the Withies was an interesting find of this irregular butterfly species. A Garden Tiger caterpillar was found in the garden, the striking adults will be gracing the trap by the end of July. 

Early Marsh Orchid- just getting there! (C) Greg Lee

A quiet day bird wise with a very small amount of movement. Two Garden Warblers were singing constantly in the garden, both of which managed to somehow avoid the nets! The other highlight today was a Cuckoo making lots of noise around the Obs garden.

Whimbrels are still passing through in dribs and drabs on their way north with two seen today, one on the Narrows and one on the South End. A total of five Spotted Flycatchers were recorded along with three Chiffchaffs, two Willow Warblers, 9 Swallows and 16 House martins.

Much of the day was spent conducting Manx Shearwater burrow checks as part of our productivity monitoring, many Manxies are on eggs as we speak! Oystercatchers are also laying here there and everywhere, we should be seeing a number of chicks soon!

Oystercatcher nest (C) Ewan Turner

It's getting difficult to come up with new adjectives to describe the unchanging weather at the moment! A few migrants are still making their way through with a Cuckoo singing from the side of the mountain and a handful of Sedge Warblers and Spotted Flycatchers dotted around the island. A Reed Warbler was ringed in the morning along with a Whitethroat, a fellow individual of the latter also jumped briefly out of the South End gorse this morning, though it provided ample time to assure the observer that it wasn't a rare cousin... Two Canada Geese were briefly down in the Wetlands before thinking better of it and flying back out to the mainland. 

The moth-trap is starting to build-up strength in the Cristin garden with Bright-line Brown-eye and Small Square-spot jostling to take the top spot in terms of numbers. A Diamondback was our first migrant for a few days after some battered Dark Swordgrasses, despite the butterfly action earlier in the week. Otherwise, it was a continued run of new species emerging for the year.

Part of the duties for the Observatory team in the afternoon was surveying Manx Shearwater nests for occupancy and whether there are eggs being incubated. Indeed some birds are now on eggs with a notable increase in Shearwater activity with the moon waning.

Working with a view (C) Greg Lee

A rather quiet day today with small numbers of migrants and nothing particularly out of the ordinary. A Swift flew North in the afternoon, along with two Sand Martins, 11 Swallows and seven House Martins across the course of the day. 12 Whimbrels were on the Narrows and South End. Four Sedge Warblers, one Reed Warbler, two Blackcaps, four Willow Warblers, five Chiffchaffs, one Goldcrest and seven Spotted Flycatchers were also recorded.

Whitethroat (C) Ewan Turner

A scorching day on our island with the temperature reaching 21.7 degrees celsius. It was no surprise then that the island was awash with migrants, however, these weren't avian arrivals as it became clear that there was a considerable movement of migrant butterflies with both Painted Ladies and Red Admirals seemingly arriving in off the sea and moving northward. A visit down on the South End yielded a minimum count of 150 Painted Ladies feeding on the Thrift with a smaller total for Red Admirals. 

Painted Lady (C) Greg Lee

Avian migrants during the day included a mobile Cuckoo first seen at Nant and later relocated at Ty Pellaf, 12 Spotted Flycatchers, seven Whitethroats, two Chiffchaffs, two Sedge Warblers and a single Willow Warbler. Three Sandwich Terns passed offshore and three Turnstones were joined at Solfach by two each of Dunlin and Sanderling. 

Another arrival on the island concerned the cattle herd, having not been present during 2024 they were put to work in the wetlands to provide some beneficial conservation grazing. They certainly seemed to be enjoying the warm sun and their new pastures. 

Cows in the wetlands. (C) Greg Lee

 A  big day for butterfly migration today, with a minimum of 168 Painted Ladies record across the island, 150 of which were all on the South End feeding on the thrift. 37 Red Admirals were also recorded, the majority of which were also on the South End.

Two Sanderlings, two Dunlin, three Turnstone and a Whimbrel were on the Narrows this morning. A Common Sandpiper was on the North End along with a Merlin and one of the first Oystercatcher chicks of the year - unfortunately seen only in the talons of the Merlin!

A Cuckoo was at Nant, along with nine Spotted Flycatchers seven Whitethroats and a Chiffchaff. A Tree Pipit flew north over the Obs first thing this morning also.

Spotted Flycatcher (C) Ewan Turner

Another day with an exciting bird! Census was fairly quiet this morning with the odd migrant dotted around. A few Spotted Flycatchers, Sedge Warblers and Chiffchaffs mainly. Me, Steve and Greg went down to the Narrows to help Gareth with his preparations to bring the cattle back onto the island. After we had finished helping, Greg picked up a Kite circling high above the wetlands, alerted by the alarm of a flock of Choughs below it. As we all got onto the bird it quickly became apparent that it was a Black Kite! we watched it circle high with a Buzzard until it was lost from view, Emma managed some photos of it from the Obs.

Black Kite (Right) and Buzzard (Left) (C) Emma Stansfield

Black Kite (C) Emma Stansfield

Other sightings of note include a Grey Wagtail south over Henllwyn, Three Whimbrel, 25 Turnstone, two Collared Doves, one Reed Warbler and one Whitethroat. 

A day of quality over quantity with a respectable list of notables to fill the notepads up. Three Crossbills at Nant in the early morning appeared to be young birds starting their dispersal. Crossbills are early breeders which often begin laying in February so coastal migration watchpoints can begin to see movements of birds from mid-May onwards. 

Over at Solfach, it appeared to be a good day for the waders with our first Lapwing of the year which moved on quickly, possibly a non-breeder or maybe even a failed breeder. A smart Grey Plover was a good find of this irregular visitor on the island, again a first for the year. This particular bird dropped down into a charming mixed wader flock which boasted two Ringed Plovers, six Sanderlings, eight Dunlins and nine Turnstones.

Sanderlings, Turnstone and Dunlin in the foreground (C) Greg Lee

A Blue-headed Wagtail was on the Narrows in the morning but was particularly mobile. Other notable highlights inlcluded a Swift moving quickly through the wetlands, a Tree Pipit at Ty Pellaf, a Spotted Flycatcher at Nant and two Reed Warblers. 

This morning was quiet with few migrants around and almost nothing in the nets. So it was quite the surprise when, during the welcome talk for our oncoming guests, Steve spotted a large bird flying along the West Coast, NW of the Obs. It was a Black Stork! Representing the first ever record for the island. after a quick dash to the north end it was seen again flying distantly over the mainland where it was picked up again and seen to land in a field in Rhoshirwaun. 

Black Stork (C) Ewan Turner

Other than that, the day was quiet - but we weren't complaining! A female Yellow Wagtail was on the South End and singles of Reed Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Spotted Flycatcher were recorded across the island. Two Sedge Warblers, one Sand Martin, eight House Martins, 29 Swallows and 14 Whimbrels were also seen.

A breezy start with fine weather, perhaps too fine and clear to drop many migrants in with a quiet ringing session at the Observatory yielding singles of Spotted Flycatcher and Blackcap. A Cuckoo discovered mid-morning on the side of the mountain was relatively accommodating to admirers, later being seen in the Observatory garden with a big Lackey caterpillar as its prize. A small uptick in waders was also noted with six Ringed Plovers feeding on the grass on the Narrows, two Bar-tailed Godwits, nine Turnstones and 12 Dunlins.

Cuckoo (C) Greg Lee

The main event of the day for the Observatory staff was a boat trip around the east side of the island to count the Shag and Fulmar nests with 64 of the former a good count, it is still a little early for the Fulmars to hit their peak. Aside from the target species, the ledges were holding a healthy number of Guillemots, Kittiwakes, Razorbills and Puffins, the auks in particular were rafting on the water in their hundreds. A Purple Sandpiper right on the water's edge was an added bonus. A rather impressive Barrel Jellyfish was floating in the turquoise waters in the Sound and a few smaller jellies were noted in Henllwyn. 

Some lovely views to be had of the scores of rafting auks on the sea. (C) Greg Lee

There was positive signs on the Puffin front too with more new sites potentially holding nesting birds. (C) Greg Lee

 A rather quiet day today with few migrants around. Small numbers of Spotted Flycatchers arrived mid morning with five in the Obs garden and one in the withies. Four Sedge Warblers, two Blackcaps, eight Chiffchaffs and two Willow Warblers were also in the garden.

14 Swallows, seven House Martins and a single Sand Martin passed through the island and 11 Whimbrel and one Curlew were the only waders recorded apart from Oystercatchers.

A visit to the East Side to monitor Choughs and seabirds was successful, many Razorbills, Guillemots and Shags are on eggs, Puffins are in Burrows and Fulmars on ledges!

Razorbill (C) Ewan Turner

A drop in the winds and a bit of cloud later on in the night may have raised hopes that some further migration this morning could've occurred. The general prognosis on the early rounds, on the other hand, detailed a clearout of the migrants from yesterday rather than arrival. However, the nature of birding on the island teaches us that surprises are always around the corner. When Ewan broadcasted the news on the intial crackle of the radio, you could sense the excitement in his voice as our sixth Hoopoe of the season had managed to find itself in a mist-net in the Observatory garden, only the fourth to be ringed on Bardsey! 

Hoopoe (C) Steve Stansfield

The Hoopoe was aged as a young bird from the previous year based on plumage detail and subsequently flew strongly north alongside the edge of the mountain on release. A rather unexpected result in the continued northerlies. 

Other bird news was relatively limited with a Spotted Flycatcher around the Observatory along with a smattering of Chiffchaffs and a Willow Warbler, a Common Sandpiper on the North end, a singing Skylark on the South End, a flock of 16 Whimbrels on the Narrows and a Little Egret off the West Coast.

A bit of nest-finding in the afternoon paid off with several Linnet nests found in the Gorse bushes on the island, one of which had a clutch of eggs.

Linnet nest (C) Ewan Turner