Sunday 19 May 2024

Thick fog engulfed the island for the morning census with it clearly only in the afternoon where it turned to a rather nice evening with clear blue skies. The South End held the first Lapwing of the year with a Short-eared Owl being flushed from the rocks on the eastern side with a Sedge Warbler a surprise on the rocks on the west coast of the South End with the regular Rock Pipits and Oystercatchers and a migrant flock of 11 Ringed Plovers and a Dunlin. The Grey Plover remained on Solfach. Four Whimbrels remained with a single Curlew, four Sand Martins went over the Mountain with House Martins numbering 12. Warblers were thin on the ground with a Blackcap, three Whitethroats, six Sedge Warblers, five Chiffchaffs and two Willow Warblers. A single Spotted Flycatcher was at Nant.

The day was also marked with the hatching of the Ringed Plover brood, with two freshly hatched chicks seen at the nest and two eggs still to go. Fingers crossed for these fluffy little pebbles on legs!

A Turnstone was trapped last night © Ed Betteridge 

Alongside two Ringed Plovers and three Dunlins © Ed Betteridge 

Lapwing in the fog © Ed Betteridge 

Ringed Plover chicks hatching © Ed Betteridge 

No comments:

Post a Comment