The nets were opened in the morning when the weather was clear, just a slight breeze from the west. As expected for the time of the year, it was not the most productive session, but a Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat and Stonechat were nice birds to catch in amongst a few Willow Warblers.

 

At around 0900 when the nets were closed both at Cristin and in the withies, the fog came in thick, and it carried a fine rain with it which made walking around the island a bit less enjoyable than it would have been… Yesterday, a seal pup was seen on the narrows, this is a month earlier than the earliest pups usually arrive! A walk to the narrows to find the pup proved to be quite disappointing as it was found on top of a rock about 20 or so metres from the shingle where it was seen yesterday. Not the most promising start, but we will see how this progresses.

 

Whilst looking for the seal pup, Sandwich Terns were seen feeding in the fog over Henllwyn, over the course of the day, 26 were counted. Also, with them were Black-headed Gulls and Kittiwakes which then moved to the South End. Gull counts today include 56 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 358 Herring Gulls, 21 Great Black-backed Gulls, 356 Kittiwakes and one Yellow-legged Gull. In the evening, a flying ant emergence on the South End caused a small feeding frenzy to take place.

 

The difference in the weather over lunchtime was dramatic, all of a sudden, the rain and fog cleared and the blue sky came out, for the rest of the day, the weather was calm and sunny and about as nice as it gets. This good weather continued well into the evening, giving way to a brilliant sunset. Whats more, as the sun was setting from Cristin, five Common Dolphins, four Risso’s Dolphins and Arctic Skua were seen off the West Coast.