It was a truly lovely day on the island today, with warm, sunny weather making it feel like spring has finally taken hold - however, it wont last!!. 

The fine conditions meant boats were able to cross, bringing some welcome new faces to the island. We were delighted to greet our new assistant, Ezra, along with Lynda, our dedicated volunteer. A large group of volunteers for the Trust also arrived on the boat, bringing a buzz of energy to the island. 

To prepare for the new arrivals, I spent the morning giving the LSA Hut a thorough clean so it was ready and waiting for Ezra.

LSA as it was over winter

LSA after a good clean and tidy - it smells wonderfully fresh!

Lynda, Ezra and Connor having a cuppa in the sun!

The glorious weather encouraged the birds, and we were thrilled to record our first Wheatear of the spring. It was a female seen down between the Narrows and the South End, always a classic sign that migration is truly getting underway. Around the Observatory itself, there was a small arrival of migrants, with a couple of Chiffchaffs and two Goldcrests flitting through the garden. Another major highlight of the day was seeing the returning pair of Gadwalls back on the pond at Tŷ Pellaf. We are all keeping our fingers crossed that they are successful at breeding this year.

Gadwalls (c) Steven Stansfield

Out on the sea and along the coast, there were four Gannets passed the west coast, while five Cormorants and a single Grey Heron were noted at Henllwyn. Four Shags were around the South End. Waterfowl and waders included five Shelducks at the Narrows, five Mallards, and a Moorhen at the Obs. Oystercatchers were present in good numbers with seventy-six counted around the Narrows and Henllwyn, alongside five Curlews at the Narrows. Gulls included forty-four Herring Gulls, eight Kittiwakes, and a couple of Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

Passerine numbers are starting to build up across the island. We recorded thirty-nine Meadow Pipits and five Rock Pipits, mostly around the Narrows and South End. Ten Woodpigeons, six Pied Wagtails, seven Wrens, and three Robins were logged throughout the day. Two Stonechats were seen in the lowlands, and corvid counts included 18 Magpies, four Carrion Crows, and two Ravens and 27 Choughs over Pen Cristin and a further seven on the South End. A couple of Chaffinches and two Linnets rounded off a brilliant day.

We haven't had many sunsets, but tonights was nice

The Season Begins...

The time has finally come to kick off a brand new season. 

Emma and I left Norfolk on Thursday the 6th, leaving Owlwood Cottage in the capable hands of the letting agent and cleaners. It is always a big transition to shift gears and get on the road, and this trip was certainly no exception.

Our first leg took us to Rotherham, though we did not roll in until 2 am. We managed to spend the following morning catching up with my mum before tackling some essential shopping. From there, we hit the road again heading to Emma's mum's house in Southport, clocking in another late arrival right at midnight. Connor was already there waiting for us. He had headed up a few weeks prior, which gave Emma and me the crucial time we needed to get Owlwood properly reset for the incoming guests.

What followed in Southport were two frantic days of shopping to ensure we had absolutely everything we needed. By Monday, we were finally ready and made the crossing to the island with Colin. There is nothing quite like arriving back, especially when it is capped off with a wonderful welcome home meal with Meriel and Gareth.

Naturally, the weather broke down almost immediately after we arrived and has been generally horrid ever since. We did manage to see a couple of Chiffchaffs braving the conditions. However, the birds have had to take a back seat for now, as we have spent every spare moment scrubbing our house and unpacking endless boxes to finally settle in.

The observatory has fared reasonably well over the winter months, though we have still found lots of mould growing all over the place. Out in the field, the heligoland trap took quite a battering in the recent storms and needs some serious attention. We certainly have our work cut out for us now as we focus on getting everything fully cleaned, repaired, and ready for our first guests arriving on the 4th of April.

Not much room for Connor in the back of the car

Food and 'stuff'

Leaving the mainland behind, the boat being reversed into the sea

Bon Voyage!

First sight of home

and we are there

Unload the tractor

and a fine welcome home

the trap has taken some damage

and mould has taken over - all the black dots are mould!

water ingress into the bedrooms

more mould

and some pretty funky mould

then the rough weather came in!

Another wild and wet day on the island as the tail end of Hurricane Melissa hit us hard. Winds reached force ten during the morning, battering the coastline and making even short walks feel like a battle. The sea was far too rough to produce any visible passage, and visibility was poor throughout.

Despite the conditions, a few hardy Chaffinches and Goldfinches were still clinging to the feeders, riding out the storm as best they could. It’s been a quiet day for birds otherwise, with the weather dominating everything.

We’re hoping to get off the island mid-week, but that’s looking increasingly uncertain—we’ll have to wait and see if the wind drops enough to make it possible.

In the absence of anything new, here's a short video that I put together last week from a few clips when the weather was slightly nicer!!

After a few days of grim weather, today finally brought a break in the gloom. Sunshine bathed the island for much of the day, and the solar panels responded with a modest, but very welcome 4.3kWh—still barely enough to keep me and Emma powered up, especially with the amount of washing we’ve been doing lately!

Tŷ Capel and The Chapel in the morning sun

A quick trip to the Narrows produced a few bits of interest. Skylarks were on the move, with twenty-seven noted overhead, accompanied by a small passage of pipits. A decent count of 740 Starlings was also logged, swirling and chattering in loose flocks.

The bird of the morning was a toss-up between two brief but exciting encounters. A very vocal Richard’s Pipit gave me the runaround while I was scanning for new seal pups; heard clearly but never settled long enough for a proper look or any pictures. Moments later whilst in hot pursuit of said pipit, a Snow Bunting appeared in front of me, only to realise I was there and bomb off towards the lighthouse in a flash of white and cinnamon, but did hang around long enough for me to rattle off a few shots.

Snow Bunting -  nice little addition to the day © Steven Stansfield

A walk along the west coast in search of seal pups proved fruitless, but one new pup was seen on the Narrows. Unfortunately, her mother wasn’t present, so I wasn’t able to get the images we need for our site fidelity project.

a 'new' week to ten days old, seal pup © Steven Stansfield

the Solfach mob © Steven Stansfield

a fine fiery sunset © Steven Stansfield

The weather’s been rubbish lately—grey skies, persistent drizzle, and a biting wind that made even the hardiest think twice about venturing out. 

With little happening on the bird front, Emma and I are pressing on with packing up and tackling the end-of-year admin; always a mammoth task, but one that brings a sense of closure to the season.

So with not much to report from the island in terms of movement, we did receive a nice bit of news from across the Irish Sea.

One of our Bardsey-ringed Rock Pipits has been refound at Carne Harbour, County Wexford, Eire. The bird was originally ringed by Ed on 8 October 2024, part of a small passage of Rock Pipits that moved through during that week. It was seen yesterday (31 October 2025) by Micheal Noonan. This marks the first Irish sighting of one of our colour-ringed birds—a fantastic record.

The bird in question is almost certainly a Scandinavian individual of the subspecies Anthus petrosus littoralis, and was probably just passing through Bardsey on migration. It showed the characteristic much paler streaking and lacked the dark olive tones typical of our breeding nominate petrosus birds.

'Our' colour-ringed Rock Pipit in Ireland - Courtesy of Micheal Noonan

Detail of the ring... APD - Courtesy of Micheal Noonan

 So Halloween was a bit of a stormy washout birdies, the Long-tailed Tit flock still visited the garden and a few finches were still on the feeders.

Just a grey gloomy day!

We have been busy packing op the Obs and getting it all sorted for the winter. Here's a quick video of me getting all the bedding put in sealed bags for the winter super fast!

The day began with a welcome lull in the weather and clearer calmer conditions overnight. Winds were lighter than they’ve been for some time, and the early calm brought a brief window of decent visibility and dry conditions. However, by mid-morning things had deteriorated rapidly, with heavy rain and strong gusts making for horrendous conditions across the island.

The moon over the courtyard at Cristin © Steven Stansfield

A gloomy old day! © Steven Stansfield

In the midst of the worsening weather, a dramatic event unfolded when the Coastguard rescue helicopter arrived and hovered over Ogof Diban on the South End. One man was winched down into the Ogof, and shortly afterwards, two men were lifted out, maybe I missed the first one go down?? The nature of the incident remains unclear and I've not heard anything, so it was probably just a training exercise.

The Holyhead Coastguard rescue helicopter typically operates out of Caernarfon Airport,  
callsign Rescue 936, the Sikorsky S-92A is maintained by Bristow Helicopters Ltd © Steven Stansfield

One man in... © Steven Stansfield

...two men out! © Steven Stansfield

The overnight calm spell appeared to encourage a few new arrivals among the passerines. One Manx Shearwater was heard calling over Tŷ Pellaf just after midnight.

The first Yellow-browed Warbler since 19th was found at Nant, unringed and actively feeding. Two new Firecrests were also present there, along with a Great Spotted Woodpecker at the Observatory. The Cetti’s Warbler remained at Nant, continuing its stay.

New un-ringed Greater Spotted Woodpecker © Steven Stansfield

Offshore, one Great Northern Diver was seen off the West Coast.  Two Cormorants and four Shags were also logged offshore.

Raptors included a Sparrowhawk and a Merlin, both seen at Nant. 

A rather dull morning had me using slow shutter speeds, but it gave an arty impression to this near-adult male Sparrowhawk (and Goldcrest!) © Steven Stansfield

Water Rails were heard calling in Withies and Nant, and five Moorhens were recorded; three at the Observatory and two at Pwll Cain.

Wader counts included 18 Oystercatchers and 14 Curlews on the Narrows. Gull passage was steady, with 34 Mediterranean Gulls off the West Coast, two Common Gulls, three Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 14 Herring Gulls, and 29 Great Black-backed Gulls all noted around the Narrows.

Some of the 29 Great Black-backed Gulls on the narrows © Steven Stansfield

Among the passerines, five Skylarks were over Nant, 12 Meadow Pipits were on the Lowlands, and five Rock Pipits were on Solfach. Wrens totalled 12 and nine Dunnocks were recorded with eight Robins, with birds at the Observatory, Tŷ Bach, and Nant.

Five Blackbirds were present, mostly around the Observatory and Nant, and one Song Thrush was seen at the Observatory. Two Blackcaps were at Nant, along with two Chiffchaffs and one new Siberian Chiffchaff. Goldcrests were active, with 16 at Nant, and the two Firecrests were also there. Eight Long-tailed Tits between the Observatory and Green Lane, and singles of Blue Tit and Great Tit at the Observatory.

Some of the Long-tailed Tits have been here for a while and are wearing rings © Steven Stansfield

Corvids included 14 Magpies and 27 Choughs around the Narrows, eight Carrion Crows across the Narrows, Observatory, and Nant, and two Ravens between the Mountain and Observatory.

Finch passage brought 79 Chaffinches, with 45 at Nant and 34 at the Observatory. Fourteen Goldfinches and 12 Siskins were also logged at the Observatory.

Grey Seal counts were high again for the time of year, with 70 hauled out at Henllwyn and 120 on Solfach, both counted from the Observatory so there were probably more!

Some of the Grey Seals on Solfach © Steven Stansfield

Today brought bright and breezy conditions across the island, with a steady westerly wind keeping things fresh. Temperatures hovered around 11 degrees , and although cloud cover was variable, there were plenty of sunny spells throughout the day. Visibility remained excellent, and the wind, gusting up to 32 mph, added a lively feel to the otherwise pleasant autumn weather.

Away from recording birds, Emma and Steve have been packing up the Lodge for the winter and washing load after load of bedding - over 20 loads of sheets, duvet covers, mattress and pillow protectors and pillow cases, all washed, dried and folded in the past week.

one of the last loads of washing to be done

Offshore movement was notable first thing, with two Great Northern Divers seen off the West Coast, including one adult in full summer plumage again. A single Manx Shearwater headed south; Argentina-bound! while 34 Gannets and four Shags passed by steadily. Three Cormorants were on Carreg yr Honwy, and one Grey Heron was seen on the Narrows.

Wildfowl included three Wigeons and 14 Mallards on Solfach, while a female/imm Tufted Duck off the West Coast was the first of the year.

A single Merlin was over the north end, and a Water Rail was heard calling in Withies. Three Moorhens were at the Observatory.

Waders were again present in modest numbers, with 21 Oystercatchers at Henllwyn, four Curlews off the West Coast.

Gull passage was quite impressive today, with 228 Mediterranean Gulls moving along the West Coast, and as well as the spectacle, it was was particularly striking in the context of long-term trends. Between 1964 and 2004, we logged just 211 bird-days - 179 of those since 1998. But since 2004, the island has recorded a staggering 9287 bird-days (excluding this year). How times have changed.

Also seen were two Common Gulls, 14 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 43 Herring Gulls, and 17 Great Black-backed Gulls. One Arctic Tern was also recorded offshore, along with 126 Kittiwakes and a movement of 338 Razorbills.

Overhead passage included 74 Skylarks over the Observatory, 27 Meadow Pipits across the Lowlands and West Coast. A single Grey Wagtail was seen at the Observatory.

Resident and migrant passerines included six Wrens, four Dunnocks, four Robins, and nine Blackbirds. A lone Song Thrush was also present. Just one Chiffchaff today - at Ty Pellaf and two Goldcrests at the Observatory.

Long-tailed Tit

The tit flocks was still here, with 12 Long-tailed Tits, and singles of Blue Tit and Great Tit. 19 Magpies were logged, mostly around Ty Pellaf, and 24 Choughs were seen feeding on Solfach. 23 Carrion Crows were around the Narrows, and 14 Ravens were seen over the Observatory and the Mountain.

Starling numbers were down on yesterday's arrival, with just 600 moving across the lowlands. Finch passage included was also down, with 245 Chaffinches, one Brambling, 23 Goldfinches, 16 Siskins, and two.

The day ended with a great sunset over the Irish Sea.

Sunset © Steven Stansfield

A lively and blustery day brought strong westerlies and excellent visibility, setting the stage for some impressive movement. 

Offshore, two Great Northern Divers were seen off the West Coast, one of them an adult in summer plumage. Gannets trickled through in small numbers, with 14 noted, and 16 Shags were logged, 14 at Henllwyn and two on Solfach. Henllwyn also held 12 Cormorants and a lone Grey Heron.

Grey Heron, Grey Seals and waders © Steven Stansfield

Wildfowl were scattered across the Narrows, where the regular five Wigeons joined 26 Mallards. A Peregrine powered over Tŷ Pellaf, while Water Rails called from both the Withies and Nant. Three Moorhens lingered around the Observatory.

Waders were well represented. The Narrows held 46 Oystercatchers and 14 Turnstones, and eight  Purple Sandpipers appeared, the first for some time. 

Purple Sandpipers © Steven Stansfield

Solfach produced a Bar-tailed Godwit and two Whimbrels (one of which was colour-ringed from September 2024) while Henllwyn added 22 Curlews and two Redshanks.

This Whimbrel was ringed here on 28 September 2024 © Steven Stansfield

Curlew over the sea © Steven Stansfield

Gull passage saw 65 Mediterranean Gulls moved off the West Coast, accompanied by an adult Little Gull, four Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 27 Herring Gulls, and 25 Great Black-backed Gulls on the Narrows. Offshore counts also included 75 Kittiwakes and 224 Razorbills.

Overhead passage was strong, with 36 Skylarks and 34 Meadow Pipits moving south, plus a single Swallow over the Narrows. On Solfach, 20 Rock Pipits were joined by nine more at Henllwyn, including 12 presumed Scandinavian Rock Pipits and a the regular Water Pipit among them. Two Pied Wagtails were also noted on Solfach.

Water Pipit © Steven Stansfield

Wrens were ever present, with 28 logged across the island, with 15 Dunnocks and 15 Blackbirds scattered across the usual haunts, while two Song Thrushes and two Redwings were seen along with a single Blackcap.

Warblers were thin on the ground, with just two Chiffchaffs and four Goldcrests. The tit 'flock' comprised 12 Long-tailed Tits today, plus the Blue Tit and Great Tit.

Corvids were busy, with 32 Magpies spread across Tŷ Pellaf, the Lowlands, the Narrows, and Nant. 28 Choughs fed on Solfach, three Carrion Crows were on the Narrows, and 18 Ravens flew over the Observatory and the Mountain.

Lammergier Raven (!!) © Steven Stansfield

Carrion Crow © Steven Stansfield

Starling passage was dramatic, with 2,556 sweeping across the West Coast and Narrows. 

Flocks of up to 200 strong Starlings were moving through  © Steven Stansfield

All congregations on the Narrows © Steven Stansfield

and looking smart in the morning sun © Steven Stansfield

Finch movement was equally impressive, with 2,243 Chaffinches heading south in large flocks over the Observatory and West Coast. These were accompanied by 16 Bramblings, 46 Goldfinches, 287 Siskins, 24 Lesser Redpolls, six Linnets, and two Greenfinches.

One of hundreds of Chaffinches that dropped into the garden © Steven Stansfield

Goldfinches were on the feeders all day © Steven Stansfield

A new seal pup was seen on the Narrows, the first for some time, with 124 adults in Henllwyn and 88 more on Solfach, plus six hauled out on the South End.

New pup © Steven Stansfield

New mum! © Steven Stansfield

Henllwyn haul-out © Steven Stansfield

you looking at me? © Steven Stansfield