A late night jaunt to ring petrels and shearwaters saw some very happy faces and semi-clear skies as midnight approached.

By dawn a haziness lay across much of the island and the sky was 8/8 cloud cover. Kevin headed to Nant to open the nets at Dawn and Steve Stayed and spend the nets at the Obs with Jon. It soon became apparent that there were a good number of birds about. During the day Kevin trapped 99 birds at Nant, and unfortunately Steve had a presentation to give so he had to close the nets by 11.30 having trapped about 40 birds.

There were warblers, mostly Willows and Chiffchaffs everywhere. It was like one of the old days when we had lighthouse attractions! Nant alone held over 400 phylloscs, with 50 at the farm and a similar number at the Obs, Pen Cristin and the South End, with another 100 or so along the base of the mountain. What the true total was is anyones guess as there is a massive amount of cover on the island, but it was just fantastic to see clouds of warblers exploding from the grass as you walked along!

A redstart was near the Lime Kiln and a Whinchat was in the south gorse. Seven Spotted Flycatchers were at Nant and another at the farm and four pied were seen between Nant, the Obs and the farm

Sedge warbler

Spotted Flycatcher

Spotted Flycatcher

Willow Warbler

Todays highlights: three Fulmars, four Gannets, two Grey Heron, seven Mallard, three Common Scoter, three Sparrowhawks, four Ringed Plover, one Knot, four Dunlin, one Snipe, 35 Curlew, three Redshank, six Turnstone, 300 Kittiwakes, one Great Spotted Woodpecker, 193 Swallows, five House Martins, one Tree Pipit, 55 Meadow Pipits, one flava Wagtail, two White Wagtails, One Redstart, one Whinchat, 25 Stonechats, three Wheatears, one Grasshopper Warbler, One Sedge Warbler, four Whitethroats, one Garden Warblers, 100 Chiffchaffs, 699 Willow Warblers, one Firecrest, eight Spotted Flycatchers, four Pied Flycatchers, 14 Goldfinch, 60 Linnets