Sunday 8 August 2010

A fair list of species was recorded during a reasonable day’s birding. Migrant passerines were present only in small numbers, but a good variety was on show including three Spotted Flycatchers, a Grasshopper Warbler, 16 Sedge Warblers, 11 Whitethroats, two Garden Warblers, a Blackcap and 18 Willow Warblers. A Swift, 18 Sand Martins and 110 Swallows passed through during the day, a Collared Dove and four Starlings arrived and the Tree Pipit and the Cuckoo were still present from the previous day. A Great Skua flying over the South End was the most interesting seabird, while the lingering Buzzard and Kestrel were the only migrant raptors.

Good numbers of waders were noted, with flocks of several species increasing on earlier in the week. The highlight today was a Curlew Sandpiper feeding on Solfach with four Dunlins, five Ringed Plovers and five Common Sandpipers. 26 Turnstones and 33 Redshanks roosted on the rocks around the Narrows. Four Whimbrels were around the rocky shores of the South End, but Curlews remained much the most numerous Numenius with a flock of 57 spending the day on Carreg yr Honwy.

The island's Manx Shearwaters are currently busy every night coming ashore to feed their chicks. The young birds will be beginning to fledge towards the end of the month. (c) Richard Else

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