Today’s weather conditions presented calm and clear conditions with a gentle South-East wind blowing at Force 4, very good visibility, and a smooth sea state of one with no precipitation. Temperatures reached a mild 14°C.

Seabird movement and coastal counts included 12 Gannets, 26 Shags, seven Cormorants, 11 Kittiwakes, five Common Scoters, 22 Razorbills, nine Common Gulls, three Black-headed Gulls, and a Mediterranean Gull. Waders and coastal species were represented by 24 Curlews, three Whimbrels, three Turnstones, a Purple Sandpiper, one Ringed Plover, two Snipes and a Redshank. Raptors numbers featured two Peregrines, a Buzzard, a Merlin, and a Sparrowhawk.

Passage counts of passerines produced 119 Meadow Pipits, 32 Skylarks, 24 Alba Wagtails, 19 Rock Pipits, seven White Wagtails, four Grey Wagtails, two Pied Wagtails, 34 Chaffinches, 29 Goldfinches, 29 Linnets, 23 Siskins, five Lesser Redpolls, four Reed Buntings, one Swallow, 40 Carrion Crows, 46 Choughs, 21 Rooks and ten Jackdaws.

Other passerine counts on the island included two Greenfinches, 31 Robins, four Blackcaps, nine Chiffchaffs, seven Goldcrests, a Yellow-browed Warbler at Cristin, a Firecrest at Nant, three Song Thrushes, and a presumed freshly arrived Great Spotted Woodpecker first spotted on the mountain above Nant before dropping onto a fencepost on the Narrows and working its way up the Island via the Withies, Cristin and Ty Bach.

Yellow-browed Warbler caught and ringed at Cristin (c) Steven Stansfield

Marine mammal monitoring offshore recorded seven Common Dolphins off the South End. Grey seal counts around the island haul-outs tallied 51 at Henllwyn, ten at Solfach, and ten elsewhere at the South End, alongside seven pups. Invertebrate sightings included one Red Admiral.

Today’s weather conditions presented a moderate-to-fresh West wind blowing at Force 6, paired with moderate visibility and a choppy sea state of five. Temperatures reached a mild 13°C. The Northern Lights were briefly visable looking North from the Observatory.

Northern Lights looking North from the Observatory (c) Steven Stansfield

Seabird movement and coastal counts included one Arctic Skua, 2050 Razorbills and 111 Guillemots, 166 Gannets, 168 Kittiwakes, 10 Manx Shearwaters, 15 Shags, one Cormorant, seven Common Scoters, 156 Herring Gulls, 11 Great Black-backed Gulls, three Lesser Black-backed Gulls, three Mediterranean Gulls and one Common Gull with ten Curlews, five Whimbrels, four Turnstones, three Redshanks, one Ringed Plover, and one Snipe on coastal and wetland areas around the island. One Merlin at Withies and one Peregrine were also noted.

Landbird migration and grounded passerines brought a mix of autumn migrants, including one Yellow-browed Warbler at the Observatory, one Blackcap, seven Chiffchaffs, seven Goldcrests, 28 Rock Pipits, seven Meadow Pipits, two Alba Wagtails, nine Goldfinches, one Siskin, and two Chaffinches, 16 Robins,  one Redwing at the Observatory, one Wheatear, one Great Spotted Woodpecker at Nant, and one Skylark at the Narrows.

Marine mammal and seal monitoring recorded a total of 194 Grey Seals hauled out across the island, alongside 25 pups. Invertebrate and mammal records included two Red Admirals, one Painted Lady, and one Common Shrew found in the solar room.

The weather today brought fresh and breezy conditions, featuring a West wind blowing at Force 6 with a rough sea state of seven and moderate visibility. A brief shower midmorning was the only precipitation recorded, while temperatures reached a mild 16°C.

Coastal view over the West Coast from the Narrows (c) Ezra Sherwell

Seawatching efforts recorded some strong movement throughout the day featuring 117 Gannets, 864 Kittiwakes, 26 Manx Shearwaters, two Common Scoters, two Great Skuas, one Arctic Skua, one Arctic Tern, 1993 Razorbills, 148 Guillemots, four Black-headed Gulls, three Mediterranean Gulls, and two Common Gulls all moving south along the west coast. Other seabird and coastal counts included 21 Shags, five Cormorants, 140 Herring Gulls, 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 13 Great Black-backed Gulls, 34 Curlews on Henllwyn, 10 Turnstones, four Whimbrels and three Redshanks. Raptors noted included 2 Merlins and a Peregrine at the North End.

Landbird migration and grounded passerines featured 33 Rock Pipits, 14 Meadow Pipits, one Pied Wagtail at Solfach, 13 Goldfinches, two Linnets, 19 Robins, nine Chiffchaffs, six Goldcrests, one Great Spotted Woodpecker at the Observatory and a Wheatear at the South End.

Marine mammal monitoring offshore recorded a Risso's Dolphin off the west coast. Insects noted were 4 Lunar Underwings at the Observatory, 2 Humming-bird Hawk-moths at the Observatory (including one in Joel's bedroom), and a Red Admiral at the Observatory.