Wednesday 16 August 2017

Today the Irish sea was alive with Manx Shearwaters, with 5121 noted (evening counts reached an excellent 100per 1min when the visibility was good enough to see the sea!), and amongst them a single Balearic Shearwater headed south along the West Coast. Furthermore 33 Shags, 15 Cormorants, 152 Gannets, 28 Common Scoters, one Arctic Skua, 4 Black-headed Gulls, 841 Kittiwakes, 3 Sandwich Terns and 1 Puffin were also noted. With Puffin being an uncommon autumn migrant, each sighting now could well represent the last of the year.

Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus) -  Elliot's Birding Diaries 
Amongst the waders counted on the Narrows, undoubtedly the most notable sighting was a total of 29 Whimbrels, a very high count for an already above-average autumn. Also noted were 56 Oystercatchers, six Ringed Plovers, five Purple Sandpipers, six Dunlins, 28 Curlews, 29 Whimbrel, 11 Redshanks and 43 Turnstones

Passerine migration today was again poor. Overhead 63 Swallows and 15 House Martins were noted, with 133 Linnets, 12 nominate-race Wheatears, two Greenland Wheatears, two Blackcaps and singles of Willow Warbler, Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler noted on land. A Little Owl was heard calling too.

Next Generation Birders out at Nant Valley assisting the observatory's studying of Manx Shearwaters - Image Steve Stansfield
In other news, the night before whilst NGB's George Dunbar & Elliot Montieth (our autumn intern), were presenting their fantastic talks about "Birding Iberia" & "Birdinghead" to the BBFO Staff, NGB's & BBFO committee members, a fall of 5 Convolvulus Hawk Moths invaded the island. Other sightings from the moth trap included a Purple-bar and the second Orange Swift of the year (and first to be recorded in the trap), but otherwise little was noted.

NGB George Dunbar presenting his talk about his recent birding trip to Iberia with fellow NGB Jacob Spinks - Image Steve Stansfield

Convolvulus Hawkmoth (Agrius convolvuli) - Image George Dunbar

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