A bright and calm day was quickly enlivened by the discovery of a 1st-summer male Common Rosefinch singing at Nant. It spent the morning moving between the gardens at the north end of the island before relocating to the observatory in the afternoon. A smart male Pied Flycatcher was also at Nant, along with eight Spotted Flycatchers and three Lesser Redpolls. A Lapwing was found on the South End, a couple of Dunlins were on Solfach and four House Martins were seen. A second brood of Ringed Plovers hatched on the Narrows and were ringed in the morning.

Breeding birds are now taking up where migration is lacking. One brood of Choughs (one live chick) was ringed this afternoon, along with about a dozen young Shags and one of the Peregrine chicks.

Common Rosefinch (c) Steve Stansfield

One of the four Ringed Plover chicks ringed today (c) Richard Brown

Two chicks remained in the nest scrape with a further two hidden close by. (c) Richard Brown

Another quiet day saw little change in the birds that were around. A Sanderling was with the five Dunlins and a Turnstone on Solfach, the Reed Warbler and Turtle Dove remained and a Yellow Wagtail was seen. Small numbers of migrant passerines included two each of Whitethroat and Blackcap, six Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler, three Spotted Flycatchers and three Goldfinches.

A skulking Reed Warbler in the South End gorse was probably the best bird of a quiet and predominantly drizzly day. The Turtle Dove was seen again, 34 House Martins flew through and a Buzzard was on the west coast. Five Dunlins were on Solfach and the pair of Ringed Plovers there hatched four chicks. Four Whimbrels and a couple of Turnstones were found around the coast and the gardens still held two Blackcaps and two Spotted Flycatchers.

The withies moth trap produced another new species for the island. A Nut-tree Tussock was not an expected addition to the island Lepidoptera list, being a species usually found in broad-leaf woodland.

Nut-tree Tussock (c) Richard Else

Today's highlight came in the form of a first summer male Golden Oriole that did the rounds of the island, visiting almost every garden and withy and causing confusion as to whether there were two birds or just the one. There may indeed have been two as the bird did seem to get from A to B at a phenomenal speed without being seen.

While the oriole spent the day shrewdly dodging mist-nets around the island, the remaining Turtle Dove also contrived to avoid capture despite flying teasingly close on several occasions. Both oriole and dove were even heard singing from the withies in the morning. A male Yellow Wagtail of the British race flavissima was on the Narrows and another male Yellow Wagtail, this time of the continental form flava (Blue-headed Wagtail), was later found in the company of a herd of cows. Numbers of other migrants were generally low: ten Sedge warblers (most of them long-staying birds holding territories in the withies), four Whitethroats, two Blackcaps, a Garden Warbler, six Chiffchaffs and a couple of Spotted Flycatchers. A Sand Martin and 14 House Martins passed through, two Collared Doves were still around and a Redpoll and four Goldfinches were also seen.

Golden Oriole (c) Steve Stansfield

Blue-headed Wagtail (c) Richard Brown

Not much of note was seen during a generally pleasant but uneventful day. A late Turnstone flew over the South End, the two Turtle Doves and three Collared Doves remained around the farm and a couple of Siskins were visiting the garden at Cristin. The best of the day’s other sightings were a Garden Warbler, a Whitethroat, nine Chiffchaffs and four Spotted Flycatchers.

A Black-tailed Godwit, an infrequent species on Bardsey, was on the Narrows early in the day, and a Black Redstart was at Cristin. The two Turtle Doves were still here with a couple of Collared Doves, a Reed Warbler was singing at the Observatory again and 12 Spotted Flycatchers were seen. Six Whitethroats, a Blackcap, four Chiffchaffs, six Willow Warblers and three Lesser Redpolls were the only other birds worth mentioning.

The two Turtle Doves again proved approachable (c) Richard Brown

A strong northerly wind made the day feel considerably colder than of late, although the sky was clear and sunny all day. A Black Redstart was an unexpected find at Cristin early in the morning, a Lapwing was on the narrows and the two Turtle Doves remained at the farm with six Collared Doves. A Garden Warbler was just about the best of the summer passerine migrants, although a Blackcap was singing at Nant,five Willow Warblers had arrived on the South End during the night and eight Spotted Flycatchers were seen.

The first Black Redstart for a while moved quickly north in the morning (c) Richard Brown

Spotted Flycatcher (c) Richard Brown

The Turtle Dove remained from the previous day, and was joined later in the day by a second bird. A Heron startled a flock of Oystercatchers as it flew in over the Narrows, and then proceeded to spend the day flying up and down the island looking lost. 26 Swifts gathered above the farm in the afternoon; eight Sand Martins, 45 Swallows and 16 House Martins flew by; two Buzzards and a Kestrel were seen and eight Collared Doves were still present. Two Sanderlings and three Dunlins were on the beach, and numbers of passerine migrants remained low: seven Spotted Flycatchers, six Sedge Warblers, three Whitethroats, five Chiffchaffs and nine Redpolls being the highlights.

Turtle Doves (c) Steve Stansfield

Two new moths for the island were found today. A Campion – a species that had been predicted as a likely addition to the island list – was caught in the Cristin Withy moth trap; and a micro moth, Elachista canapennella, was discovered in the coastal heath at the north end.

Campion (c) Richard Else

Elachista canapennella (c) Richard Else

After weeks and weeks of very little, a bird worth reporting was finally found. It came in the form of a male Subalpine Warbler singing in the bushes behind Cristin. The bird showed well enough to be identified as the subspecies albistriata, Eastern Subalpine Warbler; an identification which was easily confirmed a short time later when it was caught in a mist net. It then came as something of a surprise when, while waiting for the bird to reappear, a second Subalpine Warbler, this time a female, came into view low down in the vegetation!


Subalpine Warbler seems to have become something of a Bardsey speciality. There have now been seven different birds recorded here in the last four years: two male albistriata in spring 2007; an unraced female in spring 2008; a male cantillans in spring 2009 and a young bird in the autumn of the same year; and today's two birds. This is not the first occasion that there has been more than one Subalp on the island at the same time - in 1994, for example, three were present together.


The pictures below show today's male Subalpine Warbler, with last year's male S.c.cantillans for comparison.

Today's male Eastern Subalpine Warbler (c) Steve Stansfield

Today's Eastern Subalpine Warbler - Note the restricted red on the throat (c) Steve Stansfield

Last year's male Western Subalpine Warbler - note the greater extent of the red on the underside, typical of this race (c) Steve Stansfield

Besides the Subalps, a few other birds of note were seen. A Turtle Dove was found on the mountainside in the afternoon, a Reed Warbler was singing at Cristin and 15 Common Scoters flew south at sea. A modest increase in the number of migrant passerines included ten Sedge Warblers, eight Whitethroats, 12 Chiffchaffs, five Willow Warblers, a Garden Warbler, six Spotted Flycatchers, five Goldfinches and three Redpolls. Two Sanderlings and eight Dunlins were on the beach, a smart altifrons Golden Plover was on the South End, the number of Collared Doves rose to nine and 11 Swifts, 220 Swallows, 41 House Martins and 12 Sand Martins all dashed through during the course of the day.

Another hot day made it feel that summer had now arrived, with not a cloud in the sky and hardly even a breeze. A Reed Warbler, the first one this year, was chattering away in Cristin Withy, while a thin scattering of other warblers actively feeding and singing in the warmth included nine Sedge Warblers, two Whitethroats, a Blackcap, six Chiffchaffs and a Willow Warbler. Seven Spotted Flycatchers were counted, a Hooded Crow flew over and four Collared Doves were in the gardens. Three White Wagtails were still present on the Narrows, five Redpolls and a Goldfinch were seen, and a Buzzard and a Kestrel appeared in the morning. Five Swifts, 14 Sand Martins, 80 Swallows and 37 House Martins passed through.

Although heavy mist still lingered early in the morning, it soon burnt off to leave the hottest day of the year so far. With the lifting of the cloudy veil, a small selection of migrant birds was revealed in the withies and gardens, including a Garden Warbler, 34 Sedge Warblers, six Whitethroats, a Blackcap, 15 Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler and six Spotted Flycatchers. A reasonable Wheatear passage has been one of the few positive aspects of a rather poor spring for migrant birds, but numbers seem to have been tailing off in recent days:  today’s count of 21 birds was predominantly made up of the local breeding birds. The calm and clear sky was full of hirundines for much of the day, with 250 Swallows, 55 House Martins and 20 Sand Martins lingering to feed above the island. Two Sanderlings and six Dunlins were on the beach, two Sandwich Terns and a Black-headed Gull were seen offshore, 14 Swifts flew north, and two Siskins and four Redpolls dropped in at Cristin.

The weather was more conducive to butterfly activity than it has been in previous weeks, and 37 Common Blues, six Small Coppers and 70 Green-veined Whites were counted in the fields between Cristin and Ty Pellaf.

Very poor visibility again made finding birds difficult, but all indication was that there weren’t many around anyway. Some waders at least had clearly not been prevented from migrating by the fog, and the beach was full of birds: 21 Dunlins and a Sanderling were feeding amongst the seaweed with the local Ringed Plovers. Seven Swifts, two Sand Martins, 60 Swallows and three House Martins were counted overhead, and nine Sedge Warblers, two Whitethroats, two Blackcaps and three Spotted Flycatchers had probably all been on the island for a few days.

The day’s main talking point was that, on this of all days – in thick mist and very poor visibility – the foghorn at the lighthouse was turned off for good.

The appearance of miserable misty conditions overnight had grounded a small number of common migrants on the island; 22 Sedge Warblers, six Whitethroats, 17 Spotted Flycatchers and a Tree Pipit being the most notable. Three Swifts, 100 Swallows, 15 House Martins and three Sand Martins were counted on passage, and five Redpolls and a couple of Collared Doves were present. 17 Dunlin arrived on the beach where the Ringed Plovers, four Whimbrels and three Turnstones remained.

A single Sanderling turned out to be the underwhelming highlight of one of the least inspiring day’s birding of the year so far. Three Dunlins were also on the beach and migrant passerines, which were just about entirely residue from earlier arrivals, included 45 Swallows, 12 Wheatears, four Sedge Warblers, a Whitethroat, five Spotted Flycatchers and two Lesser Redpolls.

Sanderling (c) Steve Stansfield

A Hooded Crow flew north over the island in the morning and a few minutes later another, or the same bird flying in circles, went the same way. 400 Swallows gathered above Nant before continuing their way north, while four Sand Martins and 33 House martins also passed through. The only other sightings worth mentioning were three Collared Doves, 15 Sedge Warblers and six Spotted Flycatchers.

Hooded Crow (c) Steve Stansfield

A warm and sunny day was generally uneventful in terms of birds, although one or two nice migrants did arrive in the morning. A Yellow Wagtail was in the company of the herd of cows in the lowlands, a Whinchat was seen and a Merlin flew north at sea. Counts of passage migrants included 35 Sedge Warblers, 17 Whitethroats, two Grasshopper Warblers, seven Spotted Flycatchers and 32 Wheatears. Hirundine passage was steady but slower than the previous day, with 200 Swallows, 20 House Martins and three Sand Martins counted. Two Sanderlings and a Common Sandpiper were on the coast, and three Collared Doves and three Redpolls were seen in the gardens.

Spotted Flycatcher (c) Steven Stansfield

Sedge Warbler (c) Steve Stansfield

Spotted Flycatchers increased further to a pleasing count of 31 birds, and a small arrival of Sedge Warblers took their total to 49. After several weeks of fairly half-hearted, sluggish hirundine passage, a sudden surge of birds streaming northwards was very welcome: 950 Swallows made up the bulk of the movement, but 58 House Martins and 18 Sand Martins also went through. Other sightings included a Starling, two Collared Doves, a Buzzard, 52 Wheatears, ten Whitethroats and eight Blackcaps.

A Common Carpet was in the Cristin withie moth trap (c) Ben Porter

A sharp rise in the number of Spotted Flycatchers, to at least 25 birds, was the most noteworthy avian event of the day. A selection of other passage migrants was present, although the counts were much the same as in previous days: 58 Wheatears, 22 Sedge Warblers, 10 Whitethroats, four Blackcaps, two Grasshopper Warblers, a Garden Warbler, 16 Chiffchaffs and ten Willow Warblers. A Reed Bunting and a Jackdaw were new arrivals, three Redpolls were seen and 60 Swallows, seven House martins and five Sand Martins passed through.

Garden Warbler (c) Steve Stansfield

The wind finally swung around to the south, but still only delivered a handful of new birds. A Pied Flycatcher – lamentably only the second one this year – was probably the highlight, although eight Spotted Flycatchers, two Tree Pipits, 86 Wheatears, 31 Sedge Warblers, nine Whitethroats, two Grasshopper Warblers, three Blackcaps, nine Chiffchaffs and 15 Willow Warblers provided a passable supporting cast. 11 Ringed Plovers were on the beaches with 14 Dunlins and the Sanderling, a couple of Collared Doves were present and a Buzzard and a Kestrel were seen.

Blackcap (c) Steven Stansfield

Wheatear (c) Steven Stansfield

Continuing a wearisome pattern of recent weeks, the best bird of the day had been and gone by 7am: a Pomarine Skua, a surprisingly infrequent spring bird off Bardsey, was watched flying north past the west coast. On land, spring warbler migration continued to languish in its protracted period of stagnant inaction, with no new arrivals despite seemingly more promising weather conditions, and the Wheatear count dropped to 60 birds. A Tree Pipit was the most noteworthy landbird, although 16 Redpolls – comprising the usual assortment of small, brown, standard Lesser Redpolls and puzzling, frosty-grey aberrations – spent the day on the island. A reasonable selection of waders was present including the lingering Sanderling and Bar-tailed Godwit, 11 Whimbrels, two Curlews, 12 Turnstones, a Purple Sandpiper, 11 Dunlins and a Snipe.

Common Swift (c) Steven Stansfield

Spotted Flycatcher (c) Steven Stansfield

Dunlin and Ringed Plover (c) Steven Stansfield

The most unusual sighting of the day was an Orange-tip butterfly that visited Nant and Cristin in the afternoon: there are only a handful of records of this species on the island.

An Orange-tip was seen visiting the gardens of the Island today  (c) Ben Porter

With very little change from previous days and no real improvement in the number of migrants it was on the whole another unremarkable day, although a brief view of a Marsh Harrier flying over the South End was a very good record. A ‘Commic’ Tern passed by the South Hide and the elusive Hooded Crow put in another fleeting fly-by appearance in the morning. Numbers of small migrants included 100 Wheatears, a Whinchat, 11 Sedge Warblers, five Whitethroats and five Spotted Flycatchers.

A Hooded Crow was seen again on the Narrows and the Sanderling was still present on Solfach with the Bar-tailed Godwit and seven Ringed Plovers. Six Spotted Flycatchers were seen, as well as a Whinchat, 20 Sedge warblers, 13 Whitethroats, six Blackcaps and four Swifts. Otherwise it was a rather uneventful day.

The first Sanderling of the year arrived yesterday and remained today (c) Richard Brown

Spotted Flycatcher were again prominent around Cristin (c) Richard Brown

Wheatears continued to be just about the most conspicuous species on the island, with the day’s count coming to 139. A smattering of other migrant passerines included three Whinchats, three Spotted Flycatchers, 22 Sedge Warblers, seven Whitethroats, ten Blackcaps, two Grasshopper Warblers, a Garden Warbler, a Jackdaw and 25 Redpolls. The latter of these included 15 Lesser Redpolls and ten others that showed characters associated with Common Redpolls. A Black-tailed Godwit was on Solfach in the morning, and in the afternoon a Sanderling was in the same place. Ten Turnstones and 18 Dunlins were counted, a Snipe was at Nant and a couple of Swifts flew through.

Turnstone (c) Steve Stansfield

A Hooded Crow early in the morning turned out to be the best bird of the day, although a Cuckoo was also appreciated. A Tree Pipit, a Whinchat, a Grasshopper Warbler and a Reed Bunting were the only other notable species, but nine Blackcaps, four Whitethroats, six Sedge Warblers, three Chiffchaffs, 11 Willow Warblers and three Spotted Flycatchers were also counted. Two Common Sandpipers and five Dunlins were present and a couple of Swifts passed through.

The good numbers of summer migrants from the previous day had mostly departed overnight, leaving just remnants of the fall scattered about the island. The only apparent arrival involved Wheatears, whose numbers had risen to 140. 27 Sedge Warblers and 11 Whitethroats remained, along with seven Blackcaps, three Chiffchaffs and 16 Willow Warblers. Singles of Yellow Wagtail, Whinchat and Spotted Flycatcher were seen, while diurnal passage involved 54 Swallows, 11 House Martins, six Sand martins, 15 Redpolls, 25 Goldfinches, two Siskins, four Jackdaws and six Rooks. A Buzzard and a Kestrel were noted, and noteworthy waders included six Ringed Plovers (including a second breeding pair), a Common Sandpiper and the Bar-tailed Godwit.

Moths have featured little on this blog so far this year, mainly because there has not been much worth mentioning. Yesterday, however, the trap in Cristin Withy produced a couple of noteworthy specimens. A Chamomile Shark, which may turn out to be a new species for the island, was the highlight. The first Herald of the year was also caught. This species appears to be becoming a slightly more regular sight on Bardsey, although it is still scarce.

Chamomile Shark (c) Richard Else

Herald (c) Richard Else

After an inauspicious weather forecast for the day it was pleasantly surprising to find that a reasonable fall of migrants had taken place, with the South End and the withies bristling with newly-arrived warblers. Sedge Warblers in particular had appeared en masse; the final count coming to 126 birds, including one bearing a French ring. Whitethroats too reached their highest numbers so far this year: 33 were in the South End gorse, and a further 29 were scattered around the rest of the island. Other warblers included 22 Blackcaps, nine Grasshopper Warblers, two Garden Warblers, a Lesser Whitethroat, eight Chiffchaffs and 80 Willow Warblers. Eight Spotted Flycatchers, two Whinchats, a smart male Redstart and a Tree Pipit were also logged, and 127 Wheatears were counted around the island. A slow procession of hirundines making their way through comprised 129 Swallows, 11 Sand martins and nine House Martins, as well as five Swifts; finch passage included 19 Goldfinches, nine Redpolls and a pair of Siskins; and 18 White Wagtails remained on Solfach. Two Snipe, 13 Whimbrels, six Dunlins, a Common Sandpiper and the Bar-tailed Godwit were seen, but the best wader of the day was a Golden Plover in full summer plumage that arrived in the afternoon.

A Stunning Golden Plover was seen on the south end (c) Judith Read

Willow warblers (middle) and Blackcaps (bottom) were seen in good numbers today. A few Garden warblers (top) were also seen. (c) Ben Porter

Goldfinch (c) Ben Porter

Another very quiet day. A slight rise in the number of Whitethroats and Sedge Warblers, to 12 and 15 respectively, was the only indication that any nocturnal passerine immigration had taken place. Two Spotted Flycatchers were still present, along with the Lesser Whitethroat, four Blackcaps, a Garden Warbler, eight Chiffchaffs and a dozen Willow Warblers. A Kestrel was at Nant, the Snipe was seen again and a second Bar-tailed Godwit joined the first bird in the Whimbrel flock.

A large Slow Worm was discovered in the observatory garden.

Little bird movement was noted during a quiet day. Two Spotted Flycatchers were present, while numbers of warblers remained much the same: 11 Blackcaps, five Whitethroats, one Lesser Whitethroat, ten Sedge Warblers, two Grasshopper Warblers, nine Chiffchaffs and 13 Willow Warblers. A Snipe was found in the morning and the Bar-tailed Godwit remained with 16 Whimbrels and three Dunlins. A single Swift flew through with 48 Swallows, six House Martins and four Sand Martins; a Collared Dove was singing at Ty Nesaf and a Sandwich Tern was seen from the coast.

Yesterday saw the first Spotted Flycatcher of the year. Two more were recorded today.

(c) Ben Porter

Wheatear passage continued today with over 30 recorded. (c) Ben Porter

The best birds of the day had been and gone by 0630: a Little Egret flying over the South End and a Greenshank were seen only by those who were out early enough. At least there was a good selection of commoner migrants present for most of the day including the first Spotted Flycatcher of the year, two Turtle Doves again, a male Yellow Wagtail, a Tree Pipit and a Reed Bunting. Wheatears continued to arrive through the morning until at least 77 were present, and migrant warblers were represented by seven Blackcaps, three Garden Warblers, two Whitethroats, a Lesser Whitethroat, two Grasshopper Warblers, ten Sedge Warblers, seven Chiffchaffs and 16 Willow Warblers. Three Jackdaws and a Buzzard flew north, a Blue tit was heard at Cristin, three Collared Doves arrived in the evening and two Sandwich Terns were seen off the West Coast. The most noteworthy waders were a Common Sandpiper, the Bar-tailed Godwit, 19 Whimbrels and four Curlews.

With the wind remaining in the north it was unlikely that any great number of birds would arrive, but a few interesting things still managed to get here. Both Whinchat and Lesser Whitethroat finally made it onto the year-list with two of each found in the morning. The oddest sighting of the day was a Great Skua flying high above the mountain ridge and attracting agitated attention from the local gulls. A Turtle Dove was located in the company of a Collared Dove, a Common Gull and three Sandwich Terns passed by at sea and a Kestrel was at the North End. Passerine counts included 12 Wheatears, 18 White Wagtails, 80 Swallows, 11 House Martins, seven Sand martins, a Grasshopper Warbler, eight Sedge Warblers, eight Blackcaps, three Whitethroats, a Garden Warbler, 13 Willow Warblers and five Chiffchaffs. A single Rook was seen, and 28 Goldfinches, two Siskins, two Greenfinches and two Redpolls appeared in the morning. The Bar-tailed Godwit was not seen during the day, but was caught and ringed on Solfach after dark.

The first Whinchats of the year were seen today; one was in the Southend gorse whilst another was present in the wetlands. Top (c) Ben Porter, below (c) Richard Brown

A Great Skua flew high over the island in the morning: a rather strange sight!  

(c) Ben Porter

The Peregrines continue to hunt Linnets in the arable fields (c) Richard Brown

A calm and very pleasant day brought a small number of birds including one or two notables. Garden Warblers had been conspicuously absent this spring, but today, at long last, the species made its belated debut on the 2010 log sheets. How many birds were involved was slightly uncertain, but at least three were found lurking in the various gardens. A Turtle Dove (possibly one of the same birds from a couple of days prior) was in the arable fields and a female flava Wagtail on Solfach was the subject of some debate regarding its likely subspecific identity. 21 Blackcaps were counted, including 11 that were ringed at Cristin, while other warblers included six Whitethroats, seven Sedge Warblers, two Grasshopper Warblers, six Chiffchaffs and 22 Willow Warblers. Hirundine passage switched up a gear or two with 180 Swallows, 16 Sand Martins and 12 House Martins streaming through on their way north. Two Sandwich Terns were near Solfach, the Bar-tailed Godwit was still on the beach, and 21 White Wagtails and 28 Wheatears were logged. A few finches were still on the move in the morning including 15 Chaffinches, 15 Goldfinches, six Siskins, two Greenfinches and a Lesser Redpoll.

A small number of Whitethroat were conspicuous arrivals today, this one moving along the coastal fence-line. The worn brown primaries with snapped off tips indicate that this individual hatched last year (an older bird would have better-quality feathers, darker and less worn in appearance). (c) Richard Brown

Female Yellow Wagtails are notoriously awkward to assign to a race. This bird had a darker crown and ear coverts than may be expected of a typical British bird (flavissima) and the supercilium lacked any yellow tones. It is tempting to think that this may be a Western European flava or a hybrid involving this race. (c) Richard Brown

The pattern of unmoulted coverts suggests this is the same summer-plumage Turnstone that was present earlier in the week. Only six Dunlin remained on Solfach. (c) Richard Brown