3rd to 5th January

The 3^rd was another quiet winter’s day with gale-force westerly winds blowing throughout the day. A female Sparrowhawk in the Withies and two Song Thrushes along the track were the only notable birds seen. A Kestrel joined the usual Sparrowhawk on the 4^th, whilst only a single Song Thrush was in the wetlands. Despite the continuing onslaught of extremely strong winds from the North-west, the 5^th was a little better bird-wise. Two Great Northern Divers and a Red-throated Diver were seen off the North end of the island during a brief sea-watching session midday; two Golden Plovers flew over the North end, a single Snipe was among the rushes near the Lighthouse and three Whimbrels were seen in Henllwyn.

 The strong winds built up a considerable swell

During this period, a feeding flock of around 300 Kittiwakes fed in scattered flocks around the island's coast

Whereas in December 2010, a cold spell pushed flocks and flocks of Golden Plovers onto the island, the two on the 5th were the first for 2 months

Red-throated Diver