Strong west-southwesterly force 6 winds brought rough seas and good visibility with no precipitation, and temperatures peaking at 16°C.

Seawatching passage along the West Coast delivered three Sooty Shearwaters, two Balearic Shearwaters, 900 Manx Shearwaters, nine Arctic Skuas, and three Great Skuas (including two off the West Coast and one passing Narrows). Terns passing offshore were represented by a Sandwich Tern and four Commic Terns off the West Coast. Gulls and other seabirds moving offshore included 132 Kittiwakes, six Great Black-backed Gulls, five Herring Gulls, 200 Gannets, seven Cormorants, four Fulmars, three Shags, three Guillemots, and two Razorbills. Coastal waders and waterbirds featured 41 Curlews, three Ringed Plovers, two Whimbrels, two Turnstones, a Common Sandpiper, and a Redshank.

Passerine activity included 15 White Wagtails, four unassigned alba wagtails, 16 Swallows, 41 Linnets, seven Rock Pipits, four Meadow Pipits, five Wheatears, four Robins, two Willow Warblers, a Chiffchaff, and a Stonechat. 

Cetacean and terrestrial mammal sightings were highlighted by six Harbour Porpoises off the West Coast, along with single records of a 120 grey seal including 4 seal pups, and Common Shrew and a Wood Mouse around the Observatory. 

Grey Seal mother defending her pup (c) Phoebe Moss

Much of the day was taken up with the Student Bird Race with fresh southwesterly force 6 winds and rough seas at Sea State 6, accompanied by moderate visibility for the majority of the day and a top temperature of 18°C. Everyone put in a fantastic effort across the island, resulting in close scores and a competitive finish, with the winning team tallying an impressive total of 54 species. The day finished with a fun quiz night hosted by Steve and Emma. 

Quiz night!

A massive thank you also to West Midlands Bird Club, British Birds, Welsh Ornithological Society/Cymdeithas Adaryddol Cymru and Wildsounds for making this week possible by sponsering this student week and helping so many future conservationists gain experience in the field.

Seawatching provided excellent highlights, including a Leach's Petrel off the North End. Shearwater counts featured a single Balearic Shearwater off the West Coast, three Sooty Shearwaters and 130 Manx Shearwaters moving south. A good showing of Skuas were represented throughout the morning with six Arctic Skuas and a Great Skua off the West Coast. Terns passing offshore included 19 Sandwich Terns, 12 Arctic Terns, and four Common Terns. Gull passage included an adult Sabine's Gull off the North End, alongside 100 Kittiwakes, 16 Herring Gulls, nine Great Black-backed Gulls, two Black-headed Gulls, and a Lesser Black-backed Gull. Other seabirds offshore included 190 Gannets, 26 Shags, six Fulmars, five Cormorants, eight Razorbills, two Common Scoters, a Guillemot, and two unidentified auks. 

Waders species recorded included 27 Curlews, 19 Turnstones, 10 Purple Sandpipers, 10 Knot (including 2 passing the west coast), seven Redshanks, four Ringed Plovers, three Whimbrels, three Dunlin, two Common Sandpipers. 

Knot in Henllywn (c) Ezra Sherwell

Purple Sandpiper at the high tide roost on the Narrows (c) Ezra Sherwell

Passerine activity saw good counts of wagtails and pipits, including 43 White Wagtails, four Grey Wagtails, one Pied Wagtail, 38 Meadow Pipits, and 22 Rock Pipits. Overhead hirundines totaled 28 Swallows and four House Martins. Grounded migrants and songbirds included 13 Robins, seven Wheatears (including three Greenland-type individuals at Narrows), five Willow Warblers, five Chiffchaffs, five Blackcaps, a Sedge Warbler, a Whitethroat, a Goldcrest at Nant, 28 Linnet and a Song Thrush. 

Marine mammal sightings featured 12 Common Dolphins off the West Coast. Grey Seal counts reached 52 individuals across the island. Invertebrate records included six Red Admirals, two Humming-bird Hawk-moths, two Orange Swifts, a Painted Lady, a Small Tortoiseshell, a Speckled Wood, a Common Blue and a Migrant Hawker.

Fresh southwesterly force 5 winds generated rough sea conditions, good visibility, and heavy rain, with temperatures reaching 17°C.

Seawatching from the observatory yielded two Balearic Shearwaters moving along the West Coast alongside 152 Manx Shearwaters heading south. Additional seabird movement included an Arctic Skua off the West Coast, 37 Gannets, 14 Kittiwakes, eight Shags, five Common Scoters, four Sandwich Terns, two Cormorants and a single Fulmar. Coastal waders and wetland species were represented by 34 Curlews, 18 Turnstones, two trapped Dunlin at Narrows, a single Bar-tailed Godwit heading south off the West Coast, a Whimbrel at Carreg yr Honwy, and a Redshank at Solfach. 

Passerine counts and visible migration was headlined by 28 White Wagtails (including 25 moving south at South End), two Pied Wagtails, 14 Swallows, seven Meadow Pipits, and a House Martin. Grounded passerines and residents included 12 Rock Pipits, a Song Thrush (trapped and ringed at the Observatory), a Willow Warbler, a Robin and a Wheatear. 

Offshore seal monitoring recorded 140 Grey Seals hauled out with pup numbers now reaching four. Invertebrates recorded despite the rain included five Painted Ladies, two Humming-bird Hawk-moths, a Speckled Wood, and a Silver Y.

Grey Seal pup (c) Phoebe Moss

The students were taken out for an afternoon of rockpooling which produced some interesting sightings including several Blennys, Green Shore Crabs and a range of Sea anemones.

Students rockpooling on Solfach.