Dense fog blanketed the island as it came in overnight, light winds from the southwest remained but not enough to shift the fog, which later turned out to be a productive day for grounded migrants across the island.

A couple of firsts for the year arrived in the form of Whitethroat, of which there was one on the South End and another later in the day found at Ty Pellaf. Another first of the year was a Common Sandpiper which was favouring the rocky shorelines across the Narrows. Meanwhile, three White Wagtails frequented the Narrows, three Jack Snipe were in the Wetlands and one-two Grasshopper Warblers, four Willow Warblers, two Starling, three Siskin, four Swallows, five Goldcrest, two Merlin, 14 Turnstone, up to 14 Wheatear and 16 Chiffchaff were scattered across the island.

White Wagtail © Jonathan Dodds

Elsewhere, a maximum of seven Shelduck were around Solfach. Three Whimbrel were along the West Coast, all of which were unringed, meaning up to five individuals have frequented the island so far this spring when the two previously colour-ringed birds are accounted for. 

The day quickly livened up when Jonathan heard what he thought was a CORNCRAKE crexing from the Wetlands during census. After spending a further half hour informing Steve, Ed and Kate of the probable sighting we all staked out the Wetlands and waited anxiously for any further calling. Patience paid off and we all managed to hear the CORNCRAKE crexing again regularly. A couple of hours went by and the bird became quite mobile, when Ed and I were eventually treated to brief flight views as it moved between areas of cover! This is the first record for Bardsey Island since 2018, so it certainly was the highlight of the day for us all. 

The Corncrake showed very briefly, too quickly for any of us to get a sharp photo! © Jonathan Dodds