Moderate sea conditions (Sea state 2) and moderate visibility defined the day, with temperatures reaching 19°C alongside some light rain during the mid-morning.

Grey Seals totaled 142 hauled out across the island, with 60 at Henllwyn, 24 at Carreg yr Henwy, 56 around the South End, one near the Narrows, and one at the North End. Insects recorded included two Red Admirals, a Painted Lady, a Silver Y moth, a Vapourer moth, and a Common Plume moth.

Juvenile Grey Seal South End (c) Phoebe Moss

Night-time ringing at the North End during the early hours yielded 40 Storm Petrels flying around, one of which was newly ringed. Other avian sightings included 17 Manx Shearwaters off the West Coast, 21 Shags, four Grey Herons, three Cormorants, three Mallards, a Sparrowhawk, and six Moorhens trapped in the wetlands, five of which were newly ringed and one re-trapped.

Grey Heron with a fish (c) Phoebe Moss

Wader counts across the shores featured 58 Oystercatchers, 22 Curlews, 15 Turnstones, a Dunlin, a Redshank, and a Common Sandpiper at Henllwyn. Gull sightings included five Black-headed Gulls, three Great Black-backed Gulls, two Lesser Black-backed Gulls, and 10 Herring Gulls.

Passerines and other land birds included 27 Swallows, 17 Linnets, 10 House Martins, nine Stonechats, four Woodpigeons, three Rock Pipits, two Chiffchaffs, two Willow Warblers, two Robins, two Wheatears, a Sedge Warbler and a Meadow Pipit.

A gentle westerly breeze at Force 2 and calm, flat seas made for a lovely day with very good visibility, reaching 22°C before some evening fog rolled in.

It was a productive day for cetaceans around the island. Offshore sightings included five Risso's Dolphins to the northeast and 32 Common Dolphins, 30 of which were co-foraging alongside Gannets off the West Coast. Grey Seals totaled 113 hauled out across the rocks, including 54 at Henllwyn, 43 at Carreg yr Henwy, 12 around the South End, and four at the North End.

Insects thrived in the warm conditions. Butterfly records included 59 Meadow Browns, 20 Small Tortoiseshells, 18 Common Blues, 12 Red Admirals, six Painted Ladies, five Large Whites, three Peacocks, three Small Coppers, and a Speckled Wood at Nant. Three Migrant Hawkers were also recorded around the Observatory.

Visible migration saw a noticeable southbound movement of Swallows, with 288 recorded across the island, including 244 heading south through the Narrows and 14 past the South End. Other hirundines and passerines included 47 Linnets, seven Wheatears, six Meadow Pipits, four Sand Martins, four House Martins, and six Choughs. Ringing at the Withies produced 12 newly ringed Wrens along with one re-trap, seven newly ringed Willow Warblers out of nine recorded, three Sedge Warblers, a Robin, and a re-trapped Chiffchaff. Additionally, a single Storm Petrel was trapped and ringed at the North End during a nocturnal catch.

Willow Warbler (c) Ezra Sherwell

Coastal bird counts included 55 Curlews, 49 Oystercatchers, 19 Turnstones, 17 Ringed Plovers at Solfach, nine Redshanks, six Whimbrels, five Common Sandpipers, two Lapwings, and five Moorhens at Pwll Gloyw. Seabirds included 42 Shags, 15 Gannets, 15 Cormorants, 15 Mallards, 12 Common Scoter, two Fulmars including a chick on the East Side, two juvenile Peregrines, four Sparrowhawks, one of which took one of the Islands colour ringed Stonechat which was ringed this year as an adult and had successfully raised two broods this year on the South End.

 It was a scorching summer day on the island, with light easterly breezes (Force 2), calm seas (Sea state 1), good visibility, and temperatures climbing to an impressive 30°C.

The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the solar eclipse, which brought the entire Observatory team together for an unforgettable spectacle. Everyone across the island paused to watch the celestial event unfold, with several of the team venturing to the very top of the mountain to take in the spectacle.

Solar Eclipse 18:40 © Steven Stansfield

Solar Eclipse 19:09 © Steven Stansfield

The warm conditions brought out a few butterflies, including four Common Blues (one in the North West Fields and three at the South End) and a Painted Lady at the South End. Marine monitoring recorded a total of 113 Grey Seals hauled out around the coast, including 68 at Carreg yr Henwy, 14 at Henllwyn, three at Solfach, and 28 scattered elsewhere around the coastline (13 along the East South End, 12 along the West North End, and three at West Narrows).

Feathered highlights around the wetland areas and coastline included three Grey Herons at the Narrows, five Moorhens (four at Pwll Gareth) and one at Nant), and a handful of waders: 40 Curlews (36 on Honwy and four in Henllwyn), four Redshanks at Solfach, and a single Dunlin also at Solfach. Overhead and along the high ground, two Sparrowhawks were recorded at Nant, and two Choughs frequented the Mountain.

Passerine activity centered around Nant and the Green Lane. Ringing efforts at Nant produced a Dunnock and two Blackcaps, along with two Robins (one ringed, one re-trap) and one Wren re-traped. Additional sightings in the area included three Willow Warblers, three Magpies, two Woodpigeons, a Chiffchaff, and a Sedge Warbler along Green Lane.