It's getting difficult to come up with new adjectives to describe the unchanging weather at the moment! A few migrants are still making their way through with a Cuckoo singing from the side of the mountain and a handful of Sedge Warblers and Spotted Flycatchers dotted around the island. A Reed Warbler was ringed in the morning along with a Whitethroat, a fellow individual of the latter also jumped briefly out of the South End gorse this morning, though it provided ample time to assure the observer that it wasn't a rare cousin... Two Canada Geese were briefly down in the Wetlands before thinking better of it and flying back out to the mainland. 

The moth-trap is starting to build-up strength in the Cristin garden with Bright-line Brown-eye and Small Square-spot jostling to take the top spot in terms of numbers. A Diamondback was our first migrant for a few days after some battered Dark Swordgrasses, despite the butterfly action earlier in the week. Otherwise, it was a continued run of new species emerging for the year.

Part of the duties for the Observatory team in the afternoon was surveying Manx Shearwater nests for occupancy and whether there are eggs being incubated. Indeed some birds are now on eggs with a notable increase in Shearwater activity with the moon waning.

Working with a view (C) Greg Lee