Fresh southwesterly force 5 winds generated rough seas (Sea State 5) and poor visibility accompanied by morning rain showers, with temperatures reaching 17°C.

Sunset over the West Coast (c) Steven Stansfield

A quiet start to the days seawatching delivered results late morning and in the evening with a Leach's Petrel passing south past North Hide and three Sabine's Gulls, two of which passed south off the West Coast in the morning and another south past North Hide in the evening. Other offshore passage included one Curlew Sandpiper in with a flock of 13 Dunlin, 598 Kittiwakes, 101 Manx Shearwaters, five Arctic Skuas, 129 Gannets, 117 Razorbills, nine Guillemots, three Sandwich Terns and two Arctic Terns.

Other wader counts were generally low with five Curlews, a Whimbrel and three Grey Herons noted. Raptor sightings featured two Sparrowhawks. Landbird migration included a Firecrest at Nant alongside 12 Goldcrests, five Chiffchaffs, five Blackcaps, 17 Robins, two Grey Wagtails, two Swallows, 19 Rock Pipits and four Meadow Pipits across the island.

Cetacean monitoring recorded at least 10 Risso's Dolphins moving off the West Coast. Grey Seal counts reached 99 adults across the island's haul-outs alongside 23 pups.

The highlight of the day came right at the end when a Short-eared Owl was caught down on the Narrows at around 11pm. The bird was subsequently ringed and released shortly after. 

Short-eared Owl caught and ringed under BTO permit (c) Mervyn Jones 

Westerly force 7 winds generated rough seas (Sea State 6), poor visibility, and moderate afternoon rain, keeping temperatures around 16°C. Despite the windy conditions, seawatching was fairly quiet but did deliver five Arctic Skuas, 79 Manx Shearwaters, one single Sandwich Tern, 351 Razorbills, 103 Kittiwakes, four Guillemots 90 Gannets, and a Common Scoter. Wader counts around the coast produced 35 Curlews at Pen Cristin, eight Turnstones at Solfach, five Whimbrels, a Snipe flushed at the Narrows, a Ringed Plover, one Redshank and two Grey Herons (including one passing the West Coast).

Landbird sightings were largely restricted to sheltered areas with species logged including four Goldcrests, four Chiffchaffs, two Blackcaps, a Willow Warbler, a Wheatear, two Stonechats, seven Robins, 32 Rock Pipits, 16 Meadow Pipits, eight Linnets, and a single Woodpigeon. Visible movement overhead was subdued, featuring nine Grey Wagtails, four unassigned alba wagtails and two Swallows over the Narrows. 

Cetacean records featured at least five Risso's Dolphins off the West Coast. Grey Seal numbers were up again with 201 adults counted across the island's haul-outs. Seal pup numbers also increased with 17 recorded.

Westerly force 6 winds built rough seas at Sea State 5, accompanied by good visibility and a light afternoon shower, with temperatures reaching 16°C.

View from the evening seawatching at the North Hide (c) Ezra Sherwell

Seawatching efforts for the day were headlined by four Sooty Shearwaters with one moving south off the West Coast in the morning and three south past North Hide in the evening and a Pomarine Skua passing south past North Hide. A report of a Mute Swan passing down the west coast of the island made up the most unusual sighting of the day. Some notable movement of other species was also evident with 377 Manx Shearwaters, three Arctic Skuas, and a Great Skua off the West Coast. Terns moving along the coast included 14 Arctic Terns, seven Common Terns, four Sandwich Terns, and three Commic Terns. Alcids dominated the seawatch by numbers with a passage of1,689 Razorbills, alongside seven Guillemots, 306 Kittiwakes, 131 Gannets, six Common Scoters, and a single Fulmar.

Wader sightings were highlighted by a Jack Snipe passing over the narrows just before sunrise. Other wader species included four Whimbrel. and 29 Curlews. Passerine numbers were generally low, however, two Whinchat were spotted down in Traeth Fynnon during the afternoon. Five Grey Wagtails moving south over the Observatory, three Swallows, 13 Rock Pipits, two Blackcaps, a Chiffchaff, a Goldcrest, two Robins, and a Woodpigeon were also observed throughout the day. 

Marine mammal sightings featured a Risso's Dolphin off North Hide. Grey Seal haul-out counts reached an impressive 151 adults across the island with pup numbers now up to 20. A single Painted Lady along the East Side was the lone butterfly record in the strong winds.