Wednesday 23 May 2018

Today’s calm easterly airflow saw a small but noticeable arrival of migrants. It was another glorious day with scorching sun from the point the sun broke the mountain top until when it set over the West Coast in the evening. Early morning counts out to sea saw a total of 2274 Manx Shearwaters pass by, the highest count this season. On the beaches three Ringed Plovers, 22 Dunlins and eight Turnstones were the first fair arrival of waders in a few days. Overhead passage slowed down a little today, but three Swifts, 46 Swallows and seven House Martins were still recorded.

On the land however, migrants seemed to be on the up, a Black Redstart was the avian highlight of the day in the Lighthouse compound, whilst ten Wheatears were scattered around the coastline. A few migrant warblers were logged today as well, skulking around the vegetation, a total of 19 Sedge Warblers, 12 Whitethroats, four Blackcaps, 14 Chiffchaffs, three Willow Warblers and a Goldcrest were logged, finally this season’s highest count of Spotted Flycatchers was logged at 16.

Though avian diversity was reasonable today, the highlight of the day came in the form of a moth instead. A Netted Pug trapped at Cristin was only the second record for the island, and the first to be trapped at the Observatory in 40 odd years of trapping! The fact that it is a sedentary species whose food plant is Sea Campion, suggests that there is a very localised population on the island, dedicated trapping of certain areas could potentially produce more records of this attractive species.

Netted Pug

Netted Pug in its natural environment (it is in there honest)

Billy admiring the sunset

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