Well here we go again... After a slightly strange winter in the UK lockdown, the staff of Bardsey Bird Obs were more than keen to escape to the island for 2021. The weather was sunny with a moderate northerly breeze, but nothing that made the boat trip unpleasant. 

This year we have two new staff members, Stuart and Megan, Stuart has been to Bardsey for a week before now, but for Megan it's a first. They're both keen and ready for the change of pace that Bardsey can offer. 

On the way over a small cetacean was seen from a distance likely to be a Harbour Porpoise, hopefully a good sign of things to come. We arrived in Cafn at roughly 14:00 and were met by Emyr,  Gareth and Meriel and reintroduced ourselves after a winter of overindulgence. 

As usual, there was a trailer full of luggage and food to be taken from the boat to the obs, and getting all of this into a semi-convenient place takes the best part of an afternoon. However, before we could arrange our stuff and properly settle in we had to do a COVID test, for each of us, the result was negative... It would have been a spanner in the works if not! 

Two Chiffchaffs were recorded today, one was singing in the garden on arrival, likewise, two Goldcrests were recorded, one at Nant and one in the obs garden. A Canada Goose flew over the Lowlands in the early evening, it's highly possible that a pair will attempt to breed once again this year, despite the failed attempts in the previous two years. Stuart and Megan took a walk up the mountain and saw the first Merlin of the year, racing over the gorse. A Skylark flew over the obs in the light of the setting sun, too. 

It was more or less a day for settling in, the first Manx Shearwater of the year was heard calling up at Nant as night fell, a clear and lovely reminder of the natural calendar ticking on.

Birds today: one Gannet, one Cormorant, one Merlin, one Moorhen, one Lesser Black-backed Gull, three Razorbills, one Skylark, one Canada Goose, two Chiffchaffs, two Goldcrests and three Meadow Pipits.