The wind swung around to the north and as a result it was a quieter day on the island with a chill in the breeze. Two Dunlins at Henllwyn indicated the start of increased wader migration. From now on and into late May, small flocks of Dunlins, Sanderlings and Ringed Plovers should be stopping off on the beaches before continuing their migration to their Arctic breeding grounds, with the outside chance of a scarcer passage species amongst them. 

Blackcap (C) Greg Lee

A Red Kite drifted over the island in the afternoon and the first Marsh Harrier of the year quartered over the Wetlands before appearing to drop down into the gorse bushes. A Tree Pipit was also found on the ground near Plas. Despite the bright moon, an evening trip up Pen Cristin revealed c.5000 Manx Shearwaters flying around offshore. Once the current lunar cycle begins to wane, we should see a big arrival of these seabirds back onto the island. Common migrant totals were limited to six Chiffchaffs, ten Willow Warblers, eleven Wheatears, two White Wagtails, two Lesser Redpolls, nine Blackcaps, six Sand Martins and five Swallows. The most notable bird of a morning ringing session at the Observatory was a Great Tit, this is a scarce species on the island. 

Great Tit (C) Ewan Turner