The weather increased to an F7 westerly bringing lots of rain in until mid-afternoon. As a result, most of the day was spent by the staff preparing the Observatory for the end of the season as well as their own luggage in case of a premature exit off the island tomorrow, with the weekend looking pretty foul for a boat crossing. 

Despite some excellent counts of large Shearwater species off Pembrokeshire today, our own dedicated watchers weren't able to replicate much success although singles of Great Northern Diver and Sooty Shearwater would pass off the West Coast when visibility somewhat improved. A few finches made their way through early in the day, the majority being Chaffinches with a total of 418 moving north along with 150 Siskins and four each of Brambling and Greenfinch. Seven Fieldfares were a marginal increase on recent days and 11 Skylarks trickled overhead. A Merlin and a Golden Plover were off the West Coast.

The Seals were enjoying a haul out on Solfach. (C) Steve Stansfield

The wind dropped down for what will be the last still day of the season with plenty of sunshine to be enjoyed too. Despite this, the fairly strong westerly winds overnight had not prompted an arrival of migrants with the cast mostly being now quite familiar faces from the past week or so. The Water Pipit was still performing on Solfach throughout the day, the Cetti's Warbler remained at Nant and the Little Owl was rediscovered at the North End. Goldcrests totalled 33 and there were just nine Chiffchaffs in the bushes as well as the ringed Siberian Chiffchaff. 

Offshore, a total of 640 Black-headed Gulls, 220 Mediterranean Gulls, six Common Gulls, a Little Gull and a single Arctic Skua moved past on the calmer seas. Two each of Wigeon and Teal remained around the island. 52 Curlews along the West Coast was a good count and other wader totals included 21 Turnstones, three Ringed Plovers and the lingering Bar-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover and Whimbrel. The Ravens were clearly up to something with 17 descending over the Narrows briefly in the morning although they were outshined by 25 Rooks also on a day visit to the island.  The Choughs were also enjoying themselves with a total of 27 on Solfach. 

Corvids on Solfach (C) Steve Stansfield

Finch passage consisted of 44 Chaffinches, 11 Greenfinches, 12 Siskins, 42 Linnets, 22 Goldfinches and a Lesser Redpoll. A chance glance at the Heligoland trap also delivered a fine Brambling. 75 Skylarks, 87 Meadow Pipits, 144 Starlings and nine Reed Buntings were the best of the rest seen on visible migration. 

Brambling (C) Steve Stansfield

A strengthening westerly wind through the day made the birding difficult on the island. Attempts at seawatching were short-lived with 28 Common Scoters, 400 Razorbills, two Guillemots, and five Manx Shearwaters being notable. Our first sighting of a Purple Sandpiper for a few weeks came from the Narrows with singles of Lapwing and Grey Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit and three Ringed Plovers all providing wader interest.

Water Pipit (C) Steve Stansfield

Yesterday's Water Pipit remained on Solfach amongst a healthy scattering of Rock Pipits, often feeding amongst the impressive numbers of Seals hauled out from the rough seas. Another congregation of gulls was also enjoyed with 74 Herring Gulls, 12 Mediterranean Gulls, two Common Gulls and 64 Black-headed Gulls counted. Overhead passage was somewhat limited with 301 Starlings, 28 Skylarks, a single Grey Wagtail and small numbers of Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Siskins and Linnets. At least three Bramblings, four Lesser Redpolls and two Greenfinches were also picked up on the move. Just nine Chiffchaffs and 18 Goldcrests were in the bushes, with a roving flock of Long-tailed Tits failing to attract the attention of any unusual stragglers though three Firecrests at Nant were found in the afternoon. The ringed Siberian Chiffchaff continued its stay in Cristin Withy. Thrushes were represented by 15 Blackbirds, six Redwings and four Song Thrushes.

Mynydd Mawr and Braich y Pwll bathed in the evening sun from the Nant Plantation (C) Greg Lee

In the evening, we enjoyed our end of season curry night with a fabulous offering of different curries provided by guests and staff alike. 

Curry Night and satisfied diners (C) Steve Stansfield

The weather seemed to be more amicable than the forecast had suggested and it was a very pleasant autumnal day on Bardsey with ample amounts of sunshine and the wind dropping down relatively early. 

The highlight of the birding was a Water Pipit found on Solfach amongst an influx of 50 Rock Pipits to the island. The bird wasn't the easiest to connect with but stayed around for the day enjoying the piles of seaweed offerings on the beach. Visible migration also continued for the day with a Lapland Bunting over the South End, three Lesser Redpolls, three Crossbills, 196 Chaffinches, five Bramblings, nine Greenfinches, 21 Siskins, 44 Goldfinches, two Swallows, 91 Starlings and 55 Skylarks. At Nant, the Treecreeper remained in the Plantation and the Cetti's Warbler was quite vocal in the undergrowth. 31 Goldcrests were around the island along with 28 Chiffchaffs, 27 Robins, 12 Blackcaps, two Siberian Chiffchaffs and five Firecrests. Two Great Tits, two Blue Tits and a Coal Tit continued the recent showing for this group of birds whilst the roaming Long-tailed Tit flock numbered ten. 

Greenfinch (C) Greg Lee

Corvids enjoyed a busy day too with five each of Jackdaw and Rook over the Narrows, a reappearance of the Hooded Crow, 33 Carrion Crows and 58 Magpies. There were now two Grey Plovers on Solfach along with five Ringed Plovers and a Jack Snipe was flushed from the Wetlands. Gulls had also increased in number as 77 Herring Gulls descended on the Narrows along with 128 Mediterranean Gulls, 90 Black-headed Gulls, 53 Common Gulls and 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls mostly passing by the South End and West Coast.

Away from the birds, a Migrant Hawker at Nant was the first sighting this month.

A very miserable and wet start to the day with gloomy low cloud and a strong south-easterly wind blowing, bringing a fine mizzle that threatened to soak the unwary through to the skin. Eager eyes still risked the weather and headed outside although the birds for the most part were wisely keeping low. A new unringed Yellow-browed Warbler in Cristin Withy was the best discovery of the day, being caught and ringed when the wind dropped later in the afternoon, our fourth contribution to the Yellow-browed project this year whilst the ringed Siberian Chiffchaff also made an appearance. The Cetti's Warbler was rediscovered in the dense vegetation at Nant, having been off the radar for a couple of days. Commoner migrants included 20 Chiffchaffs, 20 Goldcrests, two Firecrests, 14 Blackbirds, six Redwings and seven Blackcaps. A few glances at the sea were made sporadically with 556 Kittiwakes, six Manx Shearwaters, 33 Mediterranean Gulls, five Common Gulls and a Black-headed Gull. 

Yellow-browed Warbler (C) Steve Stansfield

A Sanderling and Grey Plover were on Solfach whilst a single Jack Snipe and two Common Snipes were flushed from the Wetlands. 

A quieter day as the unsettled weather system begins to make an appearance. Goldcrest and Chiffchaff numbers had dropped to 18 each and the supporting cast of two Firecrests, 27 Robins, 10 Blackcaps and a single Yellow-browed Warbler made for slim pickings. Thrushes were thin on the ground too with 11 Blackbirds, seven Redwings, five Song Thrushes and a single Fieldfare. Visible migration was reduced to a trickle with two Siskins, four Skylarks, a single Grey Wagtail, 21 Chaffinches and 29 Starlings recorded.

On the other hand, it was a better day for waders with 35 Turnstones, 37 Curlews, five Redshanks, three Snipes, two Lapwings and singles of Bar-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover, Jack Snipe, Sanderling, Ringed Plover and Whimbrel.

The south-easterly wind was not perhaps the most conducive for seawatching but a passage of gulls occurred early in the morning off the South End with totals equalling to 715 Kittiwakes, 328 Mediterranean Gulls, 298 Black-headed Gulls, 322 Common Gulls, 46 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 27 Herring Gulls, 11 Great Black-backed Gulls and a single Little Gull. In addition, two Arctic Skuas, two Manx Shearwaters, 1100 Razorbills and a single Guillemot passed by. Wildfowl counts included the single Pintail lingering in the Wetlands, four Teals on the West Coast, three Wigeons and 19 Mallards.

Pintail (C) Greg Lee

At least two Merlins were dotted around with a brief appearanace of one of the local Peregrines over the Mountain. 

With a star-filled sky during the night without a wisp of cloud plus little to no wind, it perhaps wasn't a surprise that many of the migrants took the opportunity to move on. Visible migration was reduced on the whole though a trickle of finches were present including 61 Goldfinches, 73 Siskins, 75 Linnets, 27 Chaffinches, seven Greenfinches, five Crossbills, four Bramblings and three Lesser Redpolls. A Lapland Bunting flying north over the South End was only the second for the season and ten Reed Buntings were heard in various places. A push of 95 Skylarks was also noted, with a constant trickle through the day as were seven Swallows, seven Grey Wagtails and 67 Meadow Pipits.

A brilliant night for star-gazing (C) Connor Stansfield

On the ground, it was a rather similar picture with highlights including the lingering Yellow-browed Warbler and ringed Siberian Chiffchaff in Cristin Withy, the Treecreeper at Nant and singles of Coal Tit, Blue Tit and Great Tit. A flock of 17 Long-tailed Tits seemed to enjoy doing a tour of the island throughout the day. It is always worth gleaning the flocks of the gregarious little birds as they tend to attract other species tagging along including various warblers, Goldcrests and Firecrests. The Pintail was still loitering in the Wetlands, enjoying the various pools, as were three Teals and two Wigeons. Commoner migrant totals for the day included 47 Robins, 16 Stonechats, 27 Blackbirds, 16 Song Thrushes, 26 Redwings, 34 Chiffchaffs, 33 Goldcrests, 27 Blackcaps, four Firecrests and a late Garden Warbler in the dense withy by the Chapel. The latter being perhaps a bit frustrating as you could hope for another larger, paler relative of the Garden Warbler at this time of year... On the West Coast, singles of Black Redstart and Wheatear were present. 

Garden Warbler (C) Greg Lee

Sightings of smaller gulls continued with 42 Black-headed Gulls, six Common Gulls and seven Mediterranean Gulls passing offshore. A Lapwing was at the North End and five Redshanks were on Solfach along with 13 Turnstones. Interestingly, there appears to be no less than five Water Rails currently on the island at the moment, with seemingly one hiding in each Withy as well as the vocal bird at Nant. 

Two Common Dolphins were seen off the West Coast. 

A calm day with easterly winds and low cloud. Yesterday's Little Bunting was still at Ty Pellaf showing remarkably well and unbothered by observers presence. Overall, it was a bit of a clearout in the bushes with a reduction in numbers of thrushes and crests with totals including 92 Redwings, 31 each of Fieldfare and Blackbird, 11 Song Thrushes, 32 Goldcrests and four Firecrests. Two Yellow-browed Warblers remained in Cristin Withy from the previous with a new bird briefly in the Observatory garden. There were two Siberian Chiffchaffs, one of these being the bird from previous days but a new unringed bird appeared before being later caught and ringed. Along with the tristis birds, there was a total of 21 Chiffchaffs for the day. A Black Redstart was found on the West Coast and surprisingly, a late Redstart was on the Mountainside near Ty Pellaf, with a Ring Ouzel also briefly behind the Schoolhouse. The Treecreeper and Little Owl remained at Nant and the Hooded Crow was still lurking amongst the 20 Carrion Crows on the Narrows. 

Little Bunting (C) Greg Lee

Redstart (C) Greg Lee

Visible migration remained strong with 1162 Chaffinches, eight Bramblings, 24 Goldfinches, 24 Siskins, eight Reed Buntings and 32 Crossbills moving high over the island. A late House Martin over the Wetlands was a surprise along with 13 Swallows heading south. A Pintail in the Wetlands was a good sighting of this infrequent duck to the island.

Siberian Chiffchaff (C) Ewan Turner.

Calm easterlies and low cloud continued for making for another good day of visible migration. Chaffinches dominated the numbers once more with a minimum of 1112 passing through supported by 277 Starlings, 179 Linnets, 73 Siskins, 14 Goldfinches, four Bramblings, five Reed Buntings, four Grey Wagtails, ten Alba Wagtails, 92 Meadow Pipits and 18 Skylarks. On the ground, there were two Yellow-browed Warblers, with one of these being a bird ringed yesterday, 34 Chiffchaffs, 17 Blackcaps, 43 Goldcrests, four Firecrests, eight Long-tailed Tits, 22 Stonechats, 54 Robins, three Wheatears and singles of Reed Warbler, Treecreeper, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Great Tit.

The Cetti's Warbler was still present and this time was trapped and ringed, just the second to be ringed on Bardsey. Thrushes were again a feature of the day with two Ring Ouzels seen on the Mountain, 15 Song Thrushes, a Mistle Thrush, 62 Blackbirds, 120 Fieldfares and 147 Redwings. Corvids were also passing through with 64 Magpies, 44 Carrion Crows, 10 Ravens, two Rooks and our first Hooded Crow since spring. The Little Owl remained faithful to its hollow on the Mountainside, being seen occassionally in the afternoon. 

Hooded Crow (C) Rosie Durrant

Cetti's Warbler (C) Greg Lee

A Red-throated Diver off the South End was the first of the autumn and an Arctic Tern also passed by whilst a congregation of smaller gulls included 62 Mediterranean Gulls, 40 Black-headed Gulls, 31 Kittiwakes and 19 Common Gulls. 177 Razorbills was a decent count in the calm conditions with seven Guillemots also offshore. A good spread of waders was also to be had with 11 Snipes, 11 Turnstones, two Woodcocks, two Jack Snipes, three Redshanks, 16 Lapwings, four Golden Plovers and singles of Grey Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Ringed Plover and Greenshank. 

The highlight of the day would appear later on with the discovery of a Little Bunting down at Ty Pellaf, only the 17th record for the island but hot on the heels of the sighting last autumn. The bird was remarkably showy as it fed amongst the thistles before perching up in the small withy by the farm allowing everyone to have good views. A much appreciated end to another busy autumn day. 

Little Bunting (C) Steve Stansfield

Little Bunting feeding on Thistle (C) Greg Lee

Little Bunting twitch and a great backdrop (C) Steve Stansfield

In the evening, a Merlin was dazzled near Ty Pellaf, a rather unexpected catch during a night session but very popular. Two Jack Snipes and a Skylark were more expected quarry. 

Merlin (C) Steve Stansfield

A Scrobipalpa ocellatella was the highlight of a decent autumn moth-trap, the first island record of this migrant micro-moth species. Cetacean activity was also notable with 25 Common Dolphins and eight Risso's Dolphins in the calm waters.

Overcast skies overnight again coupled with a north-easterly made for another good day for migration, with another good drop of thrushes with large flocks of Redwings and Fieldfares descending on the island through the low cloud with 1459 and 484 of each. Blackbirds too were evident, totalling 57, with Ty Pellaf particularly being popular with the fresh arrivals, although some well-placed apples in the garden proved popular. Yesterday's Siberian Chiffchaff was first located on the South End before re-appearing in the Withies later on. Three Wigeons were present in Henllwyn with another eight seen elsewhere and 34 Lapwings were flying around. Yesterday's Grey Plover was still loitering too, occasionally dropping in at Solfach. Starling flocks also made their way through with 336 flying through. 

Starling (C) Greg Lee

All the excitement came to a screaming halt though, when perhaps the rarest bird of the autumn was discovered lurking in the depths of Ty Pellaf Withy, a Cetti's Warbler. This is just the fourth island-record of this now very familiar bird of wetland areas across the southern and central regions of the UK. Perhaps in a decade, the explosive song will become a staple of the island soundscape in spring, but that time is not here yet. Naturally, the Cetti's Warbler did what they do best, skulking deep in the rank vegetation but everyone was able to get brief glimpses even though the bird expertly avoided the nets. With a sizeable arrival on the East Coast yesterday, it seemed inevitable that we would get a pulse of Yellow-browed Warblers and no less than four were present, three of which were caught and ringed. Along with the Siberian sprites, 33 Chiffchaffs, 30 Blackcaps, 54 Goldcrests, eight Firecrests and 30 Robins were in the bushes. Chaffinches were again in good number with a minimum count of 200 passing overhead and dropping into the bushes, with them the wheezing call of at least eight Bramblings was heard with other finch totals including 28 Siskins, 46 Linnets and five Lesser Redpolls. Two Black Redstarts were our first records since spring, one briefly sharing the front garden apple tree at Cristin with a Yellow-browed Warbler. 

One of today's Yellow-browed Warblers (C) Greg Lee

A Woodcock flushed near Ty Capel was our first for autumn with seven Snipes and a two Jack Snipes also flushed during the day. A Dunlin over the South End was the first record for some time and six Turnstones and five Redshanks were on Solfach. 46 Curlews were additionally on Carreg Yr Honwy. Offshore, 88 Mediterranean Gulls passed by the South End with 11 Black-headed Gulls and six Common Gulls interspersed amongst them. Both the Little Owl and Long-eared Owl were seen again and the Water Rails at Nant and the Withies were vocal at various times. 

A pod of eight Bottlenose Dolphins offshore were a rare sighting of this cetacean, along with a single Porpoise. In the moth-trap, Yellow-line Quaker and Delicate were new for the year but the highlight was the apparent first island record of Autumnal Moth. 

Autumnal Moth (C) Greg Lee

Clear skies overnight were a slight change to the previous couple of days and brought a small clearout of yesterdays brids along with an arrival of new birds. Perhaps the most unusual sighting of the day was our first record of Little Owl this year. After several second-hand reports of a possible owl being seen around, it was quite the surprise to find out this species is still on the island, even if remarkably elusive and silent, surely this is a migrant? The bird was first seen diving down a rabbit burrow on the North End where it periodically revealed itself during the day.

On the migration front, the first real push of winter thrushes occurred with the distinctive high-pitched seeping of Redwings being the soundtrack of the day. 153 were counted along with 38 Fieldfares, 10 Blackbirds, six Song Thrushes and two Mistle Thrushes. Finch passage was also notable with 171 Chaffinches, 37 Goldfinches, seven Greenfinches, six Siskins, a Brambling and 30 Linnets. Three Reed Buntings also passed over. After a quiet start to the autumn, an increase to 214 Meadow Pipits was the best total so far with 161 Skylarks, 40 alba Wagtails, seven Swallows, six Grey Wagtails and a late flava Wagtail passing through. 

In the bushes, a Siberian Chiffchaff was trapped in the Withies and a Yellow-browed Warbler was at Nant. The lingering Reed Warbler in Cristin Withy was also ringed. Goldcrests numbered 52 on the island with Chiffchaffs totalling 33. Amongst them, 11 Blackcaps, seven Firecrests and a single Willow Warbler were present. A count of seven Wheatears was noted, with a predated individual found in Cristin Withy, presumably a victim of the roving Sparrowhawks. Robins appeared to have dropped in numbers with just 30 on the island today. Yesterday's Long-tailed Tits continuted to roam around the island with two Coal Tits, three Blue Tits and a Great Tit still present. 

Long-tailed Tit (C) Greg Lee

Wildfowl and wader sightings during the day included just our third Grey Plover of the year, found late on the Narrows, four Ringed Plovers, four Snipes, four Redshanks, four Whimbrels, 25 Curlews, 10 Turnstones and a Jack Snipe. A Teal was in the Wetlands, two Wigeons were off the coast and 20 Mallards were in Solfach. In the evening, a Jack Snipe and a Snipe were caught and ringed whilst the Long-eared Owl was seen hunting. 

Grey Plover and Redshanks (C) Greg Lee

Jack Snipe and Common Snipe (C) Rosie Durrant

A bit of non-avian interest was noted in the afternoon, with a bloom of Mauve Stinger Jellyfish in the waters off Cafn. This species although quite striking with the shades of pink and purple has got a painful sting so swimming was off the cards. However, a trip after dark allowed an eager observer to see the bioluminescence in action.

Mauve Stinger (C) Rosie Durrant

More of the same weather with the low cloud continuing and a very light north-easterly wind throughout the day, before clearing into a beautiful and sunny autumn afternoon. Birds continued to be aplenty with lots of variety to be had around the island. Visible migration in particular was at the forefront with 510 Chaffinches, 468 Skylarks, 224 Meadow Pipits, 24 Goldfinches, 20 Siskins, seven Reed Buntings, six Lesser Redpolls and two Swallows during the course of the day. It was a similar situation in the bushes with 72 Goldcrests, 55 Chiffchaffs, 64 Robins, 18 Dunnocks, 19 Blackcaps, 11 Long-tailed Tits, seven Firecrests, six Coal Tits, two Blue Tits and singles of Great Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Reed Warbler and Willow Warbler all to be found. Thrush numbers were also on the increase with 25 Redwings, 17 Song Thrushes, 13 Blackbirds and three Mistle Thrushes logged. In the open areas, 20 Stonechats and nine Wheatears were also evident. A Stock Dove over the Wetlands was our first of the autumn following on from records during the spring. Magpies continued to rise to dizzying heights with 66 in total today, nearly equalling Goldcrests in number! 

Eastern Lesser Whitethroat (C) Greg Lee

Waders were in good supply with five Lapwings, a Jack Snipe, ten Turnstones, three Whimbrels, 50 Curlews and three Redshanks and it was also a good day for raptors with two Buzzards over the Mountain, two Sparrowhawks, six Merlins, a Kestrel and two Peregrines. A flock of 25 Common Scoters passed offshore in the early afternoon. 

Red-breasted Flycatcher (C) Greg Lee

Of course, with all this action occurring it seemed highly likely that there was going to be some scarcity interest and it was the case today with a fine first-year Red-breasted Flycatcher being caught at Cristin mid-morning. Although once an uncommon passage migrant to Bardsey, the number of records has dropped in recent years for this species, with this individual being the first since 2022. After release, the bird was later relocated at Nant in the Plantation. Down at Ty Pellaf, a new unringed Eastern Lesser Whitethroat was found in the garden, particularly showing well in the evening sunlight. 

A stunning sunset to cap off a day of plenty on the island (C) Greg Lee

Low cloud and almost no wind at all are always promising conditions for a bit of movement at this time of year, and so it was with a good arrival of birds through the day. The undisputed highlight came courtesy of the Cristin garden, when a sublime Radde's Warbler was discovered in the net. Just the seventh island record and the first since 2016 of this eastern vagrant. A nice leaving gift for the our departing guests though it did slightly delay staff in starting cleaning for the changeover! After release the bird vanished into the gorse scrub presumably to skulk deep in cover, as is custom for this species. 

Radde's Warbler (C) Greg Lee

Emma showing the Radde's Warbler to volunteers George and Harry with Greg watching on (C) Steve Stansfield

The supporting cast was also very strong with a Yellow-browed Warbler and a Great Spotted Woodpecker at Nant, a Crossbill, three Blue Tits, two Coal Tits, a Great Tit, our first Brambling of the year, our first two Greenfinches of the year and our first two Redwings and Jack Snipe of autumn. An arrival of six Firecrests was unexpected with a swell in Goldcrest numbers to 75. 42 Robins, 15 Chiffchaffs, six Blackcaps, a Reed Warbler, a Willow Warbler, a Wheatear, 15 Stonechats, two Song Thrushes, four White Wagtails and a Reed Bunting represented the commoner migrant totals. Visible migration also proved to be strong with 64 Chaffinches, 30 Goldfinches, two Lesser Redpolls, four Grey Wagtails, 65 Meadow Pipits, 62 Starlings, one Swallow and 68 Skylarks passing through. Corvids continue to thrive with a count of 59 Magpies being quite the day-total for the island.

Firecrest (C) Greg Lee

At least three Hummingbird Hawk-moths visited the garden through the day and five Red Admirals continue the small stream of butterflies at this stage of the year. A Pearly Underwing in the moth-trap was a hint of migrant activity. 

The weather conditions remained practically the same as the day before with no change in the direction or strength of the wind and the sky continuing to be heavily overcast. It was a fairly expected offering on the island with 49 Goldcrests and 34 Robins leading the numbers for grounded passerines. There was a small increase of Blackbirds with six around Ty Pellaf with a single Blackcap and a Song Thrush at Traeth Ffynnon, six Chiffchaffs were in the Withies. Three Coal Tits dropping into the Nant plantation were a nice addition to the day list with a Great Tit (only our second of the year) also ringed at Nant. Two Blue Tits also remained on the island. Finch passage continues to increase with four Lesser Redpolls at Nant, 29 Chaffinches, 15 Goldfinches, 50 Linnets and 10 Siskins passing over. Two Grey Wagtails and 15 Skylarks were also clocked going overhead and a Wheatear was down at Henllwyn. 

A Little Egret over the South End was our first record for some weeks. later feeding down at Cafn. Six each of Redshank and Turnstone were around the Narrows, a Teal was in the Wetlands along with a Snipe and a Long-eared Owl was detected flying over with a thermal during the very calm night. 

Little Egret (C) Greg Lee

In the moth-trap, a Large Ranunculus was new for the year, as was the charming Green-brindled Crescent. 

Large Ranunculus (C) Greg lee

In the afternoon, the staff gathered to clear up the cuttings from the previous day at Nant, using the very efficient and mighty chipper! 

Working with the chipper (C) 

A gentle westerly was blowing during the day with heavy overcast conditions. It seemed perhaps a bit quieter than expected in the weather, however, there were still some new birds for the year. Firstly, a Whooper Swan was picked up flying down the West Coast, first seen by George and Harry, our two volunteers for the next week and a half who both came on our spring Bangor University Week. Any Swan species seen is bound to cause some excitement and all the staff rushed to see the Swan turn eastwards and fly back towards the Sound and the mainland, a typical move by any visiting Whoopers. Next, a Red-breasted Merganser was seen using the calm waters in Henllwyn, this sawbill species only being an occasional island visitor. 

Lapwings (C) Greg Lee

Magpie and Sheep (C) Greg Lee

Other highlights for the day included an uptick in wader activity, with five Lapwings and three Redshanks on Solfach, the Bar-tailed Godwit on the Narrows and two Snipe flushed from the Wetlands. In the Withies, both the Eastern-type Lesser Whitethroat and Reed Warbler remained. Three Song Thrushes werew new in the Wetlands. 37 Robins and 30 Goldcrests were in the bushes and a Wheatear was on the South End. At least two Skylarks, four Lesser Redpolls and a Grey Wagtail flew over. A Hummingbird Hawk-moth was briefly in the Observatory garden, although numbers of this moth thin out, occassionally they can be seen even in the depths of winter during warm spells. 

As the end of the season looms ever closer, it is now time for staff and volunteers to turn to some of the end of season jobs, one of which is managing the various Withies and making sure the growth doesn't get out of control. Today, it was the turn of the small Withy near Ty Capel, which hadn't been cut for at least a decade so was in need of a trim. With a good team, it was soon thinned out in the afternoon and looking well, hopefully the cuttings will be chipped, the larger pieces being useful for firewood in the winter. 

Getting stuck in! (C) Rosie Durrant

A drop down to an F3 westerly was enough to ramp up the bird activity with another spread of birds on the island. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was in the apple tree at Ty Pellaf before flying north to Nant and then over the Sound to the mainland, showing what it thought of the island. In the wetlands, a Reed Bunting was mobile and calling, a Reed Warbler was in Cristin Withy and a pale tristis-type Chiffchaff was in Plas Withy. The Blue Tit remained around the Observatory, favouring the apple tree in the front garden, with a second seen at Nant. Later on, a bit of ringing in the Withies yielded our second eastern-type Lesser Whitethroat of the season, we'll see what the DNA results yield for both birds caught so far. It was also a good day for corvids with a staggering count of 46 Ravens circling over the island early morning, whilst Magpies continued to flock around the South End with 41 across the island in total. A bit of visible migration was also noted with a single Grey Wagtail, 17 Lesser Redpolls, 12 Siskins, 39 Chaffinches, five Swallows and 25 Skylarks recorded. In the bushes, 61 Goldcrests, 54 Robins,  eight Blackcaps,  nine Chiffchaffs were all present along with two Willow Warblers still remaining. Three Wheatears were on the West Coast. 

Eastern-type Lesser Whithethroat (C) Steve Stansfield

Blue Tit (C) Greg Lee

Great Spotted Woodpecker (C) Greg Lee

A Bar-tailed Godwit on the Narrows was our first sighting for some weeks and four Curlews remained around the Narrows. A Merlin also zipped over the Observatory, these small falcons always being a pleasure to see. The Water Rail remained at Nant, three Mediterranean Gulls and a Black-headed Gull were off the North End. 

There was an increase of Red Admirals around in the sunshine. So far, we are just shy of 1000 of these butterflies being seen so far this year, we shall try and see if we can get past this milestone in the remaining couple of weeks. 

Red Admiral (C) Greg Lee

The last day of strong gusting south-westerlies for the week, with highlights being limited to five Golden Plovers over the Narrows, 11 Mediterranean Gulls, six White Wagtails and a Lesser Redpoll over the Wetlands. Eight Swallows passing along the coast were our first sightings for a while with Goldcrests and Robins only numbering 15 and nine respectively. In the Observatory garden, keen eyes found the feather of our first Long-eared Owl of the season, clearly it is hiding somewhere in the vicinity. Interestingly, Magpies appear to be doing something with a big group of 17 on the South End this morning with other birds scattered around the island during the day. 

Robin (C) Greg Lee

The Seal pups are relaxing now the wind is dying down (C) Greg Lee

The winds mercifully dropped just enough to finally allow for a changeover day and it was indeed a very pleasant autumnal morning with sunshine and a light breeze off the sea. The distinctive dry rattle of a Mistle Thrush alerted us to its presence as it briefly passed through the garden. Our first of the year of this nationally declining species. The bird would later drop down into the Wetlands. Overhead, small numbers of Siskins and Chaffinches flew over heading south, with a couple of the latter dropping into the Cristin garden through the course of the day. Both Robins and Goldcrests appeared to be in similar numbers to recent days, though were a bit more vocal in the pleasant sunlight.  A Hobby over the Observatory garden was our first record of the year of this migratory falcon and a male Ring Ouzel was seen at Nant early in the morning. In the Wetlands, there was a minor skirmish between a Merlin and Sparrowhawk, clearly in competition for any migrating passerines that come our way. 

The island from the South End (C) Greg Lee

Offshore, birds were a bit quieter but a flock of Gannets plunging into the turquoise sea got our attention that there was a feeding frenzy going on and sure enough, there was at least 35 Common Dolphins hunting offshore, though they weren't the easiest to see. A Red Admiral at Nant was the first butterfly sighting for a few days. 

Seawatching was the continued theme of the day with the wind still blowing strong for the meantime. Watching through the morning delivered counts of four Sabine's Gulls, two Grey Phalaropes, two Little Gulls, three Great Skuas, two Great Northern Divers, two Arctic Terns, two Leach's Petrels, nine Arctic Skuas, a Pale-bellied Brent Goose, our first Yellow-legged Gull of the year, 20 Mediterranean Gulls, seven Sandwich Terns, eight Golden Plovers, nine Common Scoters and six Manx Shearwaters. Not to forget the 3119 Razorbills, 2015 Kittiwakes and 259 Gannets. It is particularly pleasing to see more Great Skuas around than the past few years after their struggles with HPAI. Likewise, a multitude of chocolatey brown first-year Gannets has been quite evident, on the other hand immature Gannets in their third and fourth-calendar years (hatched during the peak of the bird flu troubles) are much less common. 

Great Black-backed Gull (C) Rosie Durrant

On the land, there seemed to be a few birds around, it'll be interesting to see what happens when the wind calms down later next week. Two Blue Tits remained on the island, the Spotted Flycatcher remained at Nant, 27 Goldcrests were assorted in the bushes, three Blackcaps were at Nant, four Chiffchaffs were in the Withies along with two Willow Warblers, eight White Wagtails were on the South End and a Grey Wagtail flew over the Wetlands. 

A good spot from Rosie was a colour-ringed Great Black-backed Gull from Dublin found during a Seal count. 

Seal and the Observatory behind. (C) Rosie Durrant

Amy continued to rage over night and into the day. As a result, it was a quiet affair on the land for migrants, with most things reluctantly hiding deep into cover. Once the rain had passed and the visibility had improved, it became clear that there was a good movement offshore of displaced seabirds. Totals over several hours in the afternoon amounted to three Leach’s Petrels, two Sooty Shearwaters, a Balearic Shearwater, two Long-tailed Skuas, two Pomarine Skuas, five Great Skuas, 13 Arctic Skuas, 22 Grey Phalaropes, 1272 Gannets, 417 Razorbills, 298 Kittiwakes, 370 Manx Shearwaters, 11 Common Scoters, 21 Golden Plovers and a single Arctic Tern.

The island in the storm (C) Greg Lee

A count of the seal pups in the marginally better conditons in the afternoon thankfully revealed all pups to be present and correct, despite the risk of the heavy storms. Some had even managed to displace themselves in quite impressive locations. 

Seal Pup in a safe location (C) Greg Lee