A much brighter day dawned with barely any cloud cover leading to a maximum temperature of 19°C. A fresh Northerly breeze at averaging F4 grew gradually throughout the day.

The calm, clear weather created perfect conditions for completing some of the final parts of east side seabird monitoring with a morning boat trip to monitor Kittiwake numbers and breeding success. Later a trip round the east side was undertaken on foot to count Manx Shearwater burrows and ring some of the last remaining Auk. The cliffs have started to look sadly sparse as we approach the end of the breeding season for many of the cliff nesting species.

An unseasonal flock of 15 Common Scoter were seen flying along the West Coast early in the morning. A flock of four Little Egret were also seen flying south over the Narrows early morning by Ben Porter, an additional bird was flushed from the rocks on the east side of Pen Cristin as we went past with Gareth. Two Grey Herons were seen in Henllwyn.

One of the juvenile Oystercatcher that successfully avoided the gulls and Peregrines © Joel Tragen

Curlew numbers hit a high count for the Autumn with 29 seen across the island, a single Whimbrel was noted on the South End and a Redshank flew South along the West Coast.

Seven Black-headed Gulls were noted around the coast, two flying over the South End, another two in Solfach and three off the West Coast.

Juvenile Black-headed Gull accompanied by it's parent © Joel Tragen

An increase in Swifts shot through the island, along with four Sand Martins, 13 House Martins and 49 Swallows.

The first Willow Warblers of the Autumn passed through Nant in the morning, totalling four. Two Chiffchaffs remained around Cristin garden where a Siskin was also noted and three Linnets were seen in the Wetlands.

Today’s weather conditions presented an overcast day with thick fog presiding for most of the day. A gentle F3 breeze combined with a peak temperature of 18°C provided a much cooler day. 

A group of six Risso’s Dolphins were spotted off the West Coast during the morning seal survey. A total of 131 seals were counted during this survey.

Rosy Minor © Joel Tragen

Lots of butterflies were spotted in the still morning with Peacock, Red Admiral, Small Tortoishell and Meadow Brown all present. 

Wader numbers are increasing around the Narrows with two Curlew, one Whimbrel, one Common Sandpiper and two Redshank all present. Two Grey Herons were also around the Narrows.

A Swift was seen over the Narrows, four Swallows and nine House Martins were seen across the island.

Nant was bustling with young birds this morning with a fresh Goldcrest, two families of Chiffchaffs, and numerous other juveniles including Stonechats, Dunnocks, Blackbirds and Wrens. A Blackcap was also heard tacking around the Observatory.

Today was very calm, with light winds blowing from the south-west and high temperatures of 21°C. The afternoon saw fog rolling in off the sea, making visibility challenging, but creating a very mysterious atmosphere. We also had to say goodbye to our amazing volunteers, Saffron and Cameron, who did brilliant work over the past two weeks. Luckily, Ezra also came back from his summer break! 

12 Common Dolphins, including 2 calves, were observed travelling south along the West Coast. This included many synchronised leaps and bows, with the group moving quickly. A Mauve Stinger and Lionsmane jellyfish were also seen in Cafn.

True Lover's Knot ©  Joel Tragen

An Emperor Dragonfly was the invertebrate highlight of the day, observed flying around the gardens at Cristin.

Six Gannets were seen diving off the West Coast and a Kestrel was also spotted hovering above the Lowlands. Six Curlew, a Redshank and a Greenshank were seen and heard around the island today, the later flew south over the island, heard from the office at Cristin.

Juvenile Goldcrest (or more accurately "no-crest"), caught in Heligoland © Joel Tragen

We also had two Swallows and ten Meadow Pipits on the South End. 13 House Martins and three Linnets were also recorded.

Yesterday’s fog stuck around this morning, but finally lifted by midday. It was a warm, calm day, with temperatures of 19°C, a sea state of 1 and winds blowing in from the south. 

We had two Risso’s Dolphin sightings this afternoon. The first was a group of six adults socialising off the West Coast. They stayed for half an hour, performing short dives and slowly moving further westward. The second sighting was much briefer, with 4 individuals leaping closer to our coastline.

A lot of butterfly activity today! 15 Red Admirals, 11 Painted Ladies, 19 Green-veined whites and no fewer than 124 Meadow Browns. For day-flying moths, the most common species was the beautiful Six-spot Burnet with 11 across the island. We also had two Hummingbird Hawk-Moths and two Silver Y moths.

Joel opened the nets at Cristin during the morning and had a productive session catching the resident female Sparrowhawk, a young Magpie and a Sedge Warbler along with a handful of young Wrens.

Female Sparrowhawk © Saffron Forrester

Juvenile Magpie, still with an obvious gape © Joel Tragen

Joel, Saffron and Cameron once again headed to the East Side for some seabird monitoring. Counts of 350 Kittiwakes and 150 Guillemots were quickly overshadowed by the 600 Razorbills still in the colony. 60 Shags, 10 Cormorants and 22 Gannets were also counted between the East side and West Coast. 

We also spotted three Sedge Warblers, nine Chiffchaffs and a Whitethroat at Cristin. Across the island, 15 Swallows, two House Martins, five Meadow Pipits and four Rock Pipits were also recorded. At Cristin we also had one Goldfinch and two Linnets up on Pen Cristin.

Today, a thick sea mist blanketed the island. The sea was almost completely obscured and from Cristin, the lighthouse disappeared completely from view. The sea state (when visible) was a 3 and we had F4 south westerly winds. 

Today, the most common butterfly recorded were Meadow Browns, with 39 seen. We also had ten Graylings, eight Green-Veined Whites, five Red Admirals and four Painted Ladies.  For day-flying moths, the most common moth by far was the Straw-Barred Pearl with 150 seen on the East side! Eight Six-spot Burnets, two Hummingbird Hawk-Moths and a Silver-Y moth were also seen. We also had a Rush Veneer at Pen Cristin; a migrant from North Africa.

Green-veined White © Joel Tragen

Joel, Saffron and Cameron headed to the East Side in the afternoon for some seabird monitoring. 275 Kittiwakes, 100 Guillemots, 400 Razorbills, 40 Shags, three Fulmar and three Gannets were all recorded. The highlight of the day was the recapture of a Razorbill first ringed on the island as an adult in 1999- making it at least 30 years old!

Elin fitting the 30+yr old Razorbill with a new ring whilst Saffron fits it's chick with a ring © Joel Tragen

We also spotted ten Swallows and a House Martin in the Wetlands. There were also three Stonechats, two Wheatears, three Chiffchaffs, four Linnets and a Sedge Warbler found in the Withies.

Winds reached F3 whilst the sea was recorded with a state of two. Visibility started off good in the morning until 15:00 when mist engulfed the island and visibility was limited to less than 100m. Temperatures remained at 18°C.

Meadow Browns remained the most numerous butterfly present on the island with 107 seen. Five Graylings were seen around the East Side, along with a Hummingbird Hawk-moth, another was seen at Cristin.

Early Thorn © Joel Tragen

A female Red-veined Darter was seen by Cameron in the Wetlands, where he also saw an Emperor Dragonfly and two Blue-tailed Damselflies.

Two Grey Herons were seen flying north along the West Coast, where two Curlews were also seen.

Brood of Shags displaying their nice new shiny colour rings © Joel Tragen

A noticeable increase in Swallow numbers today with 20 recorded across the island and four House Martins were seen with a pair at Nant and a pair over the Wetlands.

A total of six Sedge Warblers were seen across the island, this included a bird in Cristin garden, which was likely a new in migrant. Two juvenile Blackcaps were skulking around Nant and a total of ten Chiffchaffs were recorded across the island, including 3 fresh juveniles at Nant. The Goldcrest heard at Nant yesterday was finally seen, allowing us to see it was a juvenile. This confirmed our suspicions that they made a breeding attempt.

The only finches seen today were Linnets, with three pairs seen, all in different locations.

Again, winds reached F5, but the sea only reached a state of three today. Visibility remained good and no precipitation was recorded; temperatures improved, reaching 18°C.

Solfach at golden hour © Joel Tragen

Two pairs of Shelducks were seen with two each off both beaches. Two Common Sandpipers were seen off Solfach, whilst a total of three Curlews were seen.

A single Swift was heard screaming over Carreg. Hirundine numbers remain low with two House Martins and ten Swallows seen. Three adult Pied Wagtails were seen on Solfach in the evening, joined by a female Wheatear.

A Whitethroat was seen above Nant in the Gorse, whilst a Goldcrest was heard from somewhere in the Plantation. Seven Chiffchaffs, split between Cristin and Nant, were the only other warblers detected today.

The only finches today were nine Linnets, with pairs seen at Solfach and the North West Fields, plus a family of five in the Lowlands.

One of the fledged Peregrines learning what is and isn't food... this certainly isn't food but she still chased the GBBG around for 5 minutes © Joel Tragen

Winds reached F5 today and a sea state of four was recorded. Visibility was good and no precipitation was recorded, temperatures reached 15°C.

This Box-tree Moth seen yesterday on the East Side constitutes only the 2nd island record! © Joel Tragen

Another good count of Meadow Browns was achieved today with 75 recorded, 58 of these were in the Wetlands. 26 Six-spot Burnet moths were also counted, likewise much of these were in the Wetlands. Three Hummingbird Hawk-moths were seen around the Narrows and a total of 10 Silver-Ys were seen.

A Grey Heron was loitering around the Wetlands, likely in search of young birds. Two each of Shelducks and Mallards were swimming off Solfach, along with a Common Sandpiper on the shore.

Common Sandpiper © Joel Tragen

Ten Swallows and four House Martins were seen across the island, likely all breeders busy gathering food for their chicks.

Three Sedge Warblers were seen in Cristin Withy, including the first juvenile of the year which was noisily begging for food.

Eleven Linnets were seen today, including a family group of eight around the Narrows.

Three each of Humming-bird Hawk-moths and Silver-Ys were recorded today, mostly around the East Side, along with 500 Straw-barred Pearl.

During the early hours of the morning, the team opened the Storm Petrel nets and caught 11 birds. In addition, three birds were seen on nests around the East Side.

Our view as we set out towards the Storm Petrel net © Joel Tragen

A Whimbrel was heard flying along the West Coast and five Curlews were seen across the island. Around the East Side the first Mediterranean Gulls of the year were seen, with three second calendar-year birds feeding with the Kittiwakes which numbered 500, including a smart black-headed individual. A Sandwich Tern was seen off Henllwyn.

Good numbers of Auks were counted whilst Joel, Saffron and Cameron carried out the Manx Shearwater census around the East Side. 1700 Razorbills, 200 Guillemots and 150 Puffins being counted between Pen Cristin and Seal Cave.

Razorbill © Joel Tragen

The only hirundines recorded today was seven Swallows, five being at Nant. A single Chiffchaff at Nant was the only warbler detected today.

A Chaffinch was present at Nant and four Linnets were seen on Pen Cristin.

South-westerlies of F4 started building through the day from 16:00 onwards with a sea state of three. Visibility was good and there was some brief rain at 15:00. Temperatures reached 17°C.

During the guided wildlife walk, Joel spotted the first Graylings of the year on top of Pen Cristin, many Meadow Browns were on the wing with 53 recorded. Two Humming-bird Hawk-moths were seen buzzing around and a total of four Silver-Y Moths were seen.

Buff Ermine © Joel Tragen

Good passage of “Numensis”, with two Whimbrels and 34 Curlews recorded moving through the island throughout the course of the day. A good count of Oystercatchers was managed today with 179 across the island with 79 on the South End and 51 on Henllwyn.

Swift passage continued with ten Swifts recorded over the island, along with a total of 21 Swallows and 12 House Martins. Cameron spotted one of the skulky island Song Thrushes at Ty Pellaf, which briefly perched before realising it had been seen and darted away.

A Whitethroat was seen by the Schoolhouse, a juvenile Blackcap was seen at Nant and two Sedge Warblers were spotted in the Withies. Five Chiffchaffs were recorded across the island.

A Chaffinch was present at Nant and a total of 13 Linnets were seen across the island.

Today we had a bit of much needed rain! A couple of short, heavy showers in the morning and evening and F4 south westerly wind made the 17°C feel a lot chillier. 

Meadow Browns were the most common butterfly on the island today, with 43 spotted. There were also 16 Painted Ladies, 14 Red Admirals and 6 Green-Veined Whites. Day-moth numbers were dominated by the 50 Straw-Barred Pearl moths seen in the wetlands. We also had one Brimstone at Cristin and elsewhere, two Yellow Shell, two Silver Y and a Six-spot Burnet.

A Whimbrel was seen on the narrows and six Curlew were scattered around the island. A Common Sandpiper was also seen for the first time in two weeks on Solfach, along with two Pied Wagtail. There were also nine Meadow Pipits, 14 Rock Pipits, one Stonechat and five Wheatears.

Meadow Pipit © Joel Tragen

Around the island, 14 Swallows were seen and two House Martins were spotted at Nant Plantation.

Two each of Sedge Warblers and Chiffchaffs were spotted in the usual locations. A total of 13 Linnets were also recorded across the island today.

South-westerly winds continue through to today but have calmed down to F4, with a sea state of four. Visibility was good throughout most of the day, apart from some light rain in the early evening. Temperature held at a steady 17°C.

This morning started the day off well with a Great Northern Diver in full summer plumage was seen as it flew right over the South End.

The diver was only the beginning as shortly after, a Ringlet butterfly was found at Cristin. This was only the 5th record of Ringlet on the island! In addition, thousands of Straw-barred Pearl moths were recorded across the island.

Ringlet © Joel Tragen

A Grey Heron was seen down at Pwll Gareth where it a very fierce Moorhen was trying its hardest to see it off.

Regular numbers of Curlews and Black-headed Gulls today, with two of each on Solfach. No Swift sightings today but double digits of both Swallows and House Martins.

Two Sedge Warblers seen in the Wetlands today and five Chiffchaffs in Nant. Eight Linnets were seen today, with a family group of five seen around the Thistles on the Narrows.

South-westerly winds of F6 gust through today with a sea state of six. Surprisingly good visibility, no rain and a temperature of 17°C.

Usual common butterfly species were found again today with the addition of a Small Copper butterfly seen on the North End of the Island. A total of five Hummingbird Hawk-moths and nine Silver-Y moths. A Foxglove Pug was inside the pantry at Cristin. A Common Shrew was seen at Cristin also.

Riband Wave © Joel Tragen

The pair of Sparrowhawk and a Peregrine were seen flying over Cristin.

Two Curlews detected today as well as a Black-headed Gull over the Narrows. Five Kittiwakes were seen feeding off the West Coast, alongside large numbers of Manx Shearwaters, Guillemots and Gannets.

3rd calendar-year Gannet with classic "piano-tiles" secondaries © Joel Tragen

Again the only hirundines seen today was likely the breeding individuals with eight Swallows and five House Martins seen.

Four Chiffchaffs were the only warblers detected on the island, with two each at Cristin and Nant. 22 Choughs were counted today, as well as two Ravens. Another Chaffinch today but this time at Cristin.

A southerly of F4 blew through the island today and we had a sea state of four with good visibility for most of the day until we were hit with heavy rain in the afternoon. Temperature held at an average of 20°C.

Hummingbird Hawk-moths are still active around the island as three were spotted today. Steady numbers of Lepidoptera today with 14 Green-veined Whites, Eight Red Admirals, 17 Painted Ladies, four  Peacocks and a couple of Small Tortoiseshell butterflies. A Blue-tailed Damselfly was also spotted in the Wetlands today.

After months of monitoring the pair, Joel finally had the chance to carry out a nest check on the Sparrowhawk nest - four healthy chicks were recorded.

Hungry little Sparrowhawk chicks © Joel Tragen

Today brought a single Black-headed Gull and a Curlew in Solfach. On the West Coast, two Sandwich Terns were seen feeding distantly out at sea.

A total of ten Swallows and eight House Martins were recorded across the island in small flocks.

Six Wheatears were sighted today. We had a total of four Sedge Warblers, and at Cristin, we had one each of Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler. Also across the island ten Linnets were recorded.