A fine day on Bardsey that got better as the day went on. The morning’s wind dropped rapidly leaving us with a baking day in the sun and a lovely evening sunset. Two Ortolan Buntings were again seen briefly in the afternoon, though they continue to give us the run around.

Seabird passage consisted of the first two Great Northern Divers of the autumn, plus 13 Fulmars, 162 Gannets, four Common Scoters, one Pomarine Skua, two Arctic Skuas, one Great Skua, four Black-headed Gulls, 136 Kittiwakes, one Guillemot, and 167 Razorbills. A lone Teal was on Pwll Cain, with singles of Buzzard, Water Rail, and Golden Plover dotted around the island. The Narrows held a sizeable flock of 41 Curlews amongst three Redshanks, and 37 Turnstones.  Passerine passage through the island consisted of 132 Swallows, three House Martins, one Grey Wagtail, nine White Wagtails, one Whinchat, ten Wheatears, four Whitethroats, seven Blackcaps, 18 Chiffchaffs, five Willow Warblers, 35 Goldcrests, four Spotted Flycatchers, and one Siskin.

In non-avian news, a single Gatekeeper at Nant Withy in the evening was the first confirmed record for three years on Bardsey and only the eighth since 2000. The first Grey Seal pups are also starting to appear now with at least three dotted around Henllwyn and the South End.