An easterly wind at F4 persisted through the day. The sea state was two. Visibility was good. The temperature reached 18 °C.

Ezra found the first ordonata of the year, and it turned out to be a first for the island. It was a male Hairy Hawker on the mountain track between Cristin and Nant. 31 Green‑veined Whites were across the island, along with six Small Coppers, seven Red Admirals, a Speckled Wood and a Diamond‑back Moth.

Hairy Hawker - A new species for Bardsey © Ezra Sherwell

Seven Shelducks and 12 Mallards were recorded with the pair of Gadwall both being seen at Pwll Cain. The male Sparrowhawk continued to linger around Cristin.

A nice count of waders down at Solfach today with two Bar‑tailed Godwits, six Ringed Plovers (seven across the island), 11 Dunlins and two Common Sandpipers.

Two of the Dunlins on Solfach © Steven Stansfield

A Purple Sandpiper was seen at the Narrows and 37 Whimbrels were recorded across the island.

Whimbrels © Steve Stansfield

A Black‑headed Gull flew north over Nant and five Kittiwakes were moving past the South End.

Two Sand Martins, 49 Swallows and nine House Martins were recorded. Three 'flava' Wagtails were briefly grounded at the South End. Other wagtails included a Pied Wagtail, two White Wagtails and two ‘alba’ Wagtails. 

Three Sedge Warblers, four Blackcaps, 19 Chiffchaffs and ten Willow Warblers were recorded. 

Two Siskins flew over, whilst five Goldfinches and 24 Linnets were also present.

A northerly wind at F4 persisted through the day and the sea state was three. Visibility was good. The temperature reached 16 °C.

A good day for butterflies with 11 Green‑veined Whites, four Small Coppers and five Peacocks. Three Green Tiger Beetles were also seen.

During a seawatch off the South End, Ezra recorded 14 Common Scoters. The drake Gadwall was seen again at Pwll Cain.

Two Sparrowhawks were recorded with the male at Cristin and a female at Nant.

A Lapwing was seen on the rocks at Henllwyn whilst over at Solfach two Bar‑tailed Godwits and a Ringed Plover were present. Eight Whimbrel.

The first Common Terns of the year were seen during Ezra’s eawatch with passing the South End heading north-east, good Kittiwake passage was recorded with 516 also moving in the same direction as the terns. 

A Black Guillemot was found by Ezra in the bay at Traeth Ffynnon, staying long enough for all the Observatory staff to connect.

Black Guillemot leaving around the corner of Pen Cristin © Steve Stansfield

One Sand Martin, 39 Swallows and eight House Martins were recorded on the island. A Tree Pipit was on the Mountain.

Four Sedge Warblers, a Whitethroat, four Blackcaps, 22 Chiffchaffs and six Willow Warblers were recorded.

Three Siskins were recorded moving over, otherwise two Goldfinches and ten Linnets, were the only other finches noted.

An easterly wind at force four persisted through the day, sea state was two. Visibility was good. The temperature reached 13 °C.

The first Small Coppers were seen with four being seen and two Green Tiger Beetles were at Traeth Ffynnon.

The Grey Heron remained at Pwll Gareth and the drake Gadwall also remained at Pwll Cain.

The first Sanderling of the year was seen at Solfach along with a Ringed Plover and two Dunlins. A Snipe was at the South End. Seven Whimbrels and two Curlew were seen.

A Feral Pigeon was seen around the East Side and a Collared Dove was heard singing at Tŷ Nessaf.

Hirundines included two Sand Martins, 34 Swallows and four House Martins. 52 Wheatears were seen with 26 at the South End.

Greenland-type Wheatear © Joel Tragen

Nine each of Sedge Warblers and Whitethroats, along with two Blackcaps, 21 Chiffchaffs and ten Willow Warblers. 

Two Lesser Redpolls were recorded flying over Cristin and Nant. One Chaffinch and 24 Linnets were seen.

A light northerly wind at F4 prevailed through the day, sea state was three. Visibility was poor in the morning with fog, improving by midday. Temperatures reached 14°C.

The Grey Heron was seen again at Pwll Gareth and the drake Gadwall was present at Pwll Cain. The male Sparrowhawk remained around Cristin most of the day.

Sparrowhawk © Joel Tragen

Two Dunlins and a Curlew were at Narrow, six Whimbrels were recorded across the whole island.

Two Racing Pigeons were seen with one roaming around Cristin gift shop and the other on the abbey at Nant. A Collared Dove was also at Cristin.

Collared Dove © Ezra Sherwell

Two Sand martins and 21 Swallows were seen across the island with a mixture of birds moving through and some feeding up before departing.

One each of Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat were seen. Also three Blackcaps, 16 Chiffchaffs, four Willow Warblers and a Goldcrest were seen.

A Chaffinch was at Nant. Also two Goldfinches and six Linnets were present.

A light westerly wind at force two, a sea state of one and moderate visibility were recorded, with some fog mid‑morning. A brief light shower passed through early morning. The temperature reached 13 °C.

The nice weather allowed Ezra and Joel to make the first excursion around the East Side of the Mountain for Chough monitoring. Whilst around there they were able to get some good seabird counts, recording the following: 55 Shags, c100 Lesser Black‑backed Gulls, c300 Herring Gulls, five Great Black‑backed Gulls, 82 Kittiwakes, 43 Guillemots, 301 Razorbills and 78 Puffins. All between the North End Gull colony and Bae Felan.

The drake Gadwall was again at Pwll Cain. The male Sparrowhawk was loitering around Cristin garden and one of the Peregrines was seen on the east side of the Mountain.

The only notable waders seen today were nine Whimbrels, two of which were around the east side of the Mountain. Only six Swallows were recorded today.

Warbler consisted of three Sedge Warblers, two Whitethroats, a Blackcap, six Chiffchaffs, two Willow Warblers and a Goldcrest. A nice variety but very low numbers across the board.

Whitethroat © Ezra Sherwell

A handful of finches were recorded. A Siskin and Crossbill were heard over Cristin, as were Lesser Redpoll and a flock of five were seen bombing around the Withies. Other finches included three Goldfinches and ten Linnets.

A very nice sunny day with a light north‑westerly wind at F2, a sea state of two and very good visibility, with much of Ireland, Ceredigion and Anglesey being visible. Temperatures soared to 18 °C.

A male Orange Tip was seen on the track between Cristin and the School House, this is a fairly notable sighting as Orange Tip butterflies are less than annual on the island! Other butterflies included eight Green‑veined Whites, a Red Admiral, a Small Tortoiseshell, two Peacocks, and three Speckled Woods.

The Grey Heron remained around Pwll Gareth. seven Shelducks and six Mallards were present, the drake Gadwall was still on Pwll Cain. The male Sparrowhawk remained at Cristin.

The only note-worthy waders recorded today were nine Whimbrels and a Curlew. The first Feral Pigeon of the year was seen at the North End.

23 Swallows and six House Martins flew over the island.

Sedge Warbler © Joel Tragen

A good arrival of warbler with the first Reed Warbler singing in the Wetlands along with ten Sedge Warblers and seven Whitethroats across the rest of the island. Low number of other warblers with three Blackcaps, nine Chiffchaffs, 13 Willow Warblers and two Goldcrests. The Blue Tit was in the Sallows at Carreg.

Three Lesser Redpolls dropped into the Withies. Eight Goldfinches and 19 Linnets were also present.

Another stunning day with light easterly wind at F3, a sea state of two and excellent visibility allowed views of the wind turbines on the Wicklow mountains of Ireland. The temperature reached 19 °C.

Three Shelducks were at Henllwyn. Mallards numbered 2, both at Pwll Cain.

Sparrowhawks reached 3, with a pair at the Cristin and a female at Nant. A Peregrine was seen over the Wetlands.

A Dunlin was heard on the South End and Whimbrels numbered seven. Two Sandwich Terns were at Solfach.

Another good day for hirundines with 67 Swallows and 14 House Martins being seen across the island.

The Ring Ouzel was seen again by Ezra on the Mountain.

Ring Ouzel © Joel Tragen

A Grasshopper Warblers was reeling at Nant. Sedge Warblers reached six and Whitethroats numbered two. Other warblers included seven Blackcaps, 14 Chiffchaffs, 15 Willow Warblers and a Goldcrest.

A Blue Tit was at Nant and a  Rook flew north. 

Ezra, whilst completing his Breeding Bird Census found a Yellowhammer on Pen Cristin. A Siskin and two Lesser Redpolls were heard overhead. Other finches included two Chaffinch, eight Goldfinch and 22 Linnet.

Another warm light easterly wind at F3, a sea state of two and good visibility prevailed. The temperature reached 17 °C. Census effort totalled six hours.

With all the warm weather 12 Green Tiger Beetles were seen scampering around Traeth Ffinion.

Again the Grey Heron was at Pwll Gareth. Shelducks reached 8, with several pairs dotted around the island. Mallards numbered 9 and the drake Gadwall flew over to Solfach from Pwll Cain.

An immature male Kestrel, was seen at Pen Cristin. A Sparrowhawk remained around Cristin and a large female Peregrine was at the South End.

Summer-plumage Bar-tailed Godwit © Joel Tragen

Wader passage continues to keep us entertained with a stunning summer-plumage Bar‑tailed Godwit at Solfach, later joined by a Greenshank. Three Dunlins on the Narrows looked very dapper in their summer-plumage too, all at the Narrows. Three Common Sandpipers were seen around the coast and a Redshank was on the West Coast. Whimbrels reached 25 and Curlews numbered two.

A Black‑headed Gull flew North along the West Coast and two Sandwich Terns spent time between the West Coast and the North End, also seen at Solfach.

A Collared Dove remained at Nant and a Skylark spent the morning around the North End.

The best day for hirundine movement so far with 19 Sand Martins, 30 House Martins and 75 Swallows moving through the island

The first Tree Pipit of the year was heard flying over the West Coast. A White Wagtail was at the Narrows and four Pied Wagtails were scattered around the island. 

Whilst leading a guided walk, Joel had a Ring Ouzel, the first of the year, flew over the group whilst they were at Pen Cristin. Today was also an incredible day for Wheatears with 196 across the island, at least 72 of these were Greenland‑type birds.

Garden Warbler © Joel Tragen

Two Garden Warblers were the first for Spring, both at Nant. A Grasshopper Warbler and a Sedge Warbler were recorded singing and six Whitethroats were seen. Other warblers included 20 Blackcaps, 39 Chiffchaffs, 40 Willow Warblers and two Goldcrests. 

At least two Blue Tits were present today, sometimes seen bombing it across large distances. A Hooded Crow flew south over the Narrows with a Rook, two more Rooks were recorded moving, totalling three.

Hooded Crow © Joel Tragen

A male Reed Bunting was seen at Tŷ Pellaf. Two Lesser Redpolls and four Siskins were recorded. A Chaffinch was at Tŷ Capel. Other finches included five Goldfinches and 31 Linnets.