by Kirsty Cox
Today was not the day that I had expected. It all started with a run down to the Landing Bay this morning to check on a seal pup that had been born there yesterday. I wanted to check how it was doing before I set off on Housekeeping for the day as my other island duties meant that I wouldn’t be able to pup check until much later in the afternoon. Sadly, the pup was hauled out above Christie’s Quay and was calling loudly. There was no sign of its mum and I was worried about how it would be during the day as today was a boat day so a lot of vehicles and people would be down on the jetty. When the working day started, I spoke to staff working on cargo and also to Simon and Tara who would be down to meet the boat so everyone was on alert to keep an eye out for the pup.
After a spot of Seal ID and Seal Admin, and feeding the chickens for one of the staff members who is off island at the moment, I joined other staff for a catch up over Toast and then headed off with the Housekeeping team.
We started in Millcombe and then went to both Brambles properties before we split into the driving team and the walking team. I was on the walking team so we headed for Castles and then onto Government, meanwhile the driving team went up to Old Light and Quarters. And then we all met back in the Square. A lot of beds were made, bathrooms scrubbed, kitchens cleaned, surfaces dusted and floors hoovered. I remember when I was here last year being so interested to get to see inside all the properties, and you definitely start to have your favourites as do so many of the visitors!
When we were at Castles, Tara came to find me to talk to me about the pup. The situation wasn’t improving and there was still no sign of its mother. We decided to call for advice from BDMLR (Bristish Divers Marine Life Rescue) who coordinate rescues of seals and cetaceans across the UK using trained Marine Mammal Medics. I did the training last year and was confident we could catch the seal pup as it was in the Landing Bay area which is accessible, unlike many of the other beaches on Lundy. And if we were going to do it, it had to be today as the pup would need to travel on the boat and after today the next sailing isn’t until Tuesday which would likely be too late. But we needed approval from BDMLR and also a guarantee that there was a space available in a Rehabilitation Centre if we were able to get the pup off island.
After calling BDMLR and getting approval and the guarantee of a rehab spot, it was all go for seal rescue! I met Tara in the Landing Bay, after leaving the very understanding Housekeeping team, and running down the hill with the various items we needed. It was a real team effort: Tara was helping me on the beach while I caught the pup; Matt drove the tractor with the cargo box, which we would need to house the pup for the trip; Joseph was keeping the passengers moving to the boat; the feral stock management team helped with lifting the pup into the cargo box; and the Oldenburg crew winched the cargo box onto the deck and into place. Simon was travelling off island today so luckily he was able to monitor the pup in transit and also to liaise with the BDMLR Medic on arrival at Ilfracombe.
All went relatively smoothly and I was even able to carry out some basic assessments on the pup for Simon to pass onto the team on the mainland - it’s amazing how training kicks in when you need it to! Once we waved the boat off, Tara and I were exhausted, it was quite the adrenaline come down! But it felt good to know that we had been able to help the pup and hopefully it will thrive in rehab.
To try and relax from the day, I went off on a very late pup check. As the tide was high by now I didn’t see many pups but it was good to get out and walk the day off a bit! And when I got back there was a message to say that the pup had been successfully unloaded at Ilfracombe and transferred into the BDMLR Medic’s car and by now will be well on its way to RSPCA West Hatch. 
Seal Pup in Transit
A successful end to a very unexpected day!
Elsewhere on the island there were more unexpected arrivals, a Coal Tit, the first since 2021, a Wryneck, a Great Egret and a Red eyed Vireo. 
Red eyed Vireo
And from the Oldenburg there were sightings of a Fin Whale and large numbers of auks, mainly Guillemots.
By Thomas Weston
A busy day on the migration front with some really impressive totals all round, and a couple of new species for the year, which is always exciting. At this time of year, with so much migration going on and a nice number of birders on the island increasing coverage, it does sometimes feel you are ‘clearing up’ some species that may have already passed unnoticed by many.
I awoke to start census. The gorgeous sunrise this morning was incredible, and there were already Skylark and Meadow Pipits passing in the morning light – a sign of a good day ahead. In the Laundry Garden, a little Goldcrest was calling and actively feeding in the lone tall tree. The morning travel meeting was longer than normal, though these things could have been a bonus for the census ahead. All it takes is a few seconds and something could easily have been missed. In Millcombe, there were more Goldcrest, and I could hear a Firecrest before even reaching the gate. A second was in the Pines, though moved over later in the morning. I heard and saw a nice number of Chiffchaffs and Robins, a good couple of migrants at this time of year, as well as a couple of Blackcap in the bushes. There were not masses of birds in Millcombe, and if this was the case all around census, it would not have been so eventful. However….
…Walking up Battlements Corner, it was good to spot a flock of Gannets offshore, a few Shags, one of two Water Rail currently in the valley, and a singing Grey Wagtail from the direction of the pond. St Johns Valley held some more Meadow Pipits and some Linnets plus a single Stonechat. Out of Millcombe is when the bird activity and diversity increased. The slight SE wind is always a great one for migratory, and scarce species in the spring, and to some coincidence it seems like a bonus for the autumn too! Benjamin’s Chair had a flock of Ravens flying overhead, a Rock Pipit (one of three noted today around the route), and out at sea a single Auk spp flew by. The sky was alive with Skylark and Meadow Pipits with good numbers of both recorded. There were parties of Linnets, and it felt birdy. Looking at the track back to the Village by SW Field, I noted two obvious White Wagtails sat on the road. Their plumage that extra bit lighter than our Pied Wagtails of which there were two in the Village. I checked the horses legs in Lower Lighthouse Field and found the Yellow Wagtail showing well, a grey looking bird with the smallest hint of yellow in the vent, an oddball. Overhead, a couple of Grey Wagtails flew by, and a Reed Bunting passed with some Meadow Pipits.
Up at Old Light, I checked the bushes and did not see much apart from a lovely Wheatear on the wall by the Stoneycroft Paddock. The Airfield was alive with passing pipits and larks, a few Swallows too. It was halfway across the landing runway when I heard a bird that sounded somewhat familiar in Lundy terms. A single bird left a Meadow Pipit flock and began circling overhead. The call, a “pew, pew”, followed by a rattling call was of course a Lapland Bunting! This is now the 4th I have personally seen this autumn, though there has certainly been a few more too with the influx only a couple of weeks ago. The bird looked as though it was going to land, but alas turned around and headed off towards Jenny’s Cove or the Earthquake, though these strong flyers could be ending up at North End.
Approaching Pointless Wall and the Bracken seems to hide some goodies every so often. Today, a couple of Stonechats, a single Whinchat, and a surprise Reed Bunting were the best. A lovely trio of species and all migrants at the moment making it even more special. There was not much of note in Brick Field apart from a flock of Carrion Crows, though the everpresent Meadow Pipits were nice. The Quarry Cottages yielded a male Kestrel, a flyover Peregrine and in the bushes a few more Chiffchaff. Walking to the Village I passed the Game Control and checked Barton Field for anything additional. The female type Wigeon was hanging around with 12 Mallards, casually hunkered down and keeping a low profile. There was a Snipe on Pondsbury, which was new in and hunkered down. Meanwhile, the last little bit of census led to a flock of House Sparrows around Pigs.
The only omissions on census were Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Oystercatcher! However, a call to get rid of a dead bird by one of the Housekeepers in Brambles Villa led to me disposing of a Woodpigeon and seeing the Garden Warbler by the Casbah who was first found by Greg this morning.
I then did some admin and after some lunch headed up to Brazen with Eleanor. Amazingly, as we stepped outside our house, we saw a very late Swift flying around the Village, the Wigeon was still in Bartons and before leaving the Village we noted a flock of 10 Grey Herons heading south! Amazing. There was not much else to note to add to such a busy day, but there were more Swallows, some new in House Martins, and a flock of 9 Skylarks on the way back.
Catching up on other sightings reported, there was a Great white Egret seen heading west over Old Light this morning by staying guests – thus the first of the year, a Short eared Owl at North End – thus the first of the year too - who was hunkered in the Bracken and seen by the Game Control team, a few Snipe noted on the pools, a Pied Flycatcher at Tibbetts of all places (there are no trees or bushes here) plus an additional at the Terraces, a Spotted Flycatcher in the Quarries, a Merlin at Rocket Pole Pond heading straight south, and an additional Grey Heron seen before the big flock.
WHAT A DAY 😊!
By Eleanor Harris
As both me and Thomas were on a Tavern shift, we decided to go for a walk. As it was a sunny day, we decided to head along the west coat stopping along the way at Jenny’s Cove to watch the dramatic scenery. A few birds were seen including Linnets, Meadow Pipits and Skylarks but it was largely pretty quiet on this side of the island.
We decided to check Pondsbury but changed our plan when we saw Tom the farmer driving the tractor near the area, so we crossed over to the East to check the Terrace and Quarry area. It was notable that there was a bit of warmth in the air which had not been present on the west. It is crazy to think how on one side of the island it can be rather breezy whereas on the other it can be a hot summers day. Walking along the Quarries the bushes were alive with Blackcaps, with a Pied Flycatcher being one of our highlights. Along the way we bumped into Kirsty who had some exciting news that a new seal pup had been found on Quarry Beach.
Checking the time, we decided to head back for an early lunch and then head to work.
Some other island finds of the day was a Wigeon, the first of the year found by Greg. There was a Little Egret passing the island which was the third record of the year. A Reed Bunting at the top of Millcombe was the first since the spring and a Merlin was found by the Game Control at North End that was also the first since the spring.
Lundy map - click to enlarge