by Kirsty Cox
Another blog day, another day of unexpected events on Lundy!
It all started off as usual with some seal admin in the office. Tara and Simon are planning to put together a presentation about seal disturbance for a forthcoming meeting and so I spent time searching through footage taken during disturbance surveys to see what could be used as examples. I compiled some short clips for Tara and Simon to look at and then also completed some photo ID work before feeding the chickens and heading to recycling to do my weekly two hour stint.
That completed, I got ready to head out on the East Coast Survey. I was due to start at 1pm as we schedule the survey around low tide times, and, of course, the moment that I set out, it started to pelt it down with rain! With the wind too, it felt like quite a battering but by the time I made it to Landing Bay, the sun had come out.
One of the weaned and moulted pups, Asrai, was hauled out on the main jetty! We can only hope he won’t make a habit of it but he did look very content in the sunshine. And around Rat Island there were over 30 seals hauled out. It is wonderful to see how many more seals will haul out around that area when the beaches are closed and there are less people around. 
Asrai on the Jetty
I continued along the Lower East Path, counting and photographing as I went. And when I got to Quarry Beach I was very pleased to discover that the mother of a pup there was a tagged seal! I hadn’t seen the tag previously but as soon as I did I had my suspicions as to which seal it was. I was excited to get back to the office to compare my records and see if my hunch was correct…
But that would have to wait, as when I reached Brazen Ward I had to turn around and run back to the village as I saw a visitor fall and hit their head. Although they said they were ok, I was concerned and didn’t think they should walk all the way back to the village. Normally when you walk the main track you pass lots of people, but of course today I didn’t and with no phone signal I had no option but to run all the way back to alert the first responder on duty to come out to see the visitor and to drive them back to the village!
That done and the visitor safely with Tara, the first responder on duty, and heading back to the village, I continued on my survey. I reached the north end without any further incidents and then walked back along the main track to the office. I checked in with Tara to see how the injured visitor was and luckily they seem to be fine.
A quick look at my records confirmed that my hunch was right, and the tagged seal was indeed Gwynnvys, a seal who was rehabbed at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary and released in 2018, and who had previously pupped on Quarry Beach in 2024. I volunteered at the CSS last year and so it’s particularly special for me to be able to contact them to let them know that one of their rehabbed pups has now pupped successfully herself on Lundy for the second time.
Gwynnvys and her Pup
And in case you were wondering, the pup that we rescued on Saturday, is now settling into life at RSPCA West Hatch and has been renamed Bagpuss by the team there.
Bagpuss at RSPCA West Hatch Rehab
Elsewhere on the island there were sightings of a Lapland Bunting, a Garden Warbler, 38 Oyster Catchers, a Sparrowhawk, a Kestrel, a Yellow Wagtail, a Pied Flycatcher and a Firecrest.
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, meaning 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 the Castle and then on to 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 the Castle, 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, but 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! As we waved the boat off 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 White Egret and a Red-eyed Vireo, which was caught and ringed in Millcombe.
Red eyed Vireo
And from the Oldenburg there were sightings of a Fin Whale and large numbers of auks, mainly Guillemots.
By Greg Lee
A fresher, colder start to the day this morning for census with the northerly creating a much more advanced autumnal day than the preceding one. It perhaps wasn’t surprising that Millcombe overall did seem to be quieter for birds. But, as often seems typical for the quieter days, the scarcity interest did show itself when a Common Rosefinch revealed itself hopping around the Walled Gardens. A slight surprise, even more so when it appeared that this was an unringed bird so was clearly a new arrival. It seems surprising to me that these birds are quite warbler-like in their movements, working their way through the bushes and being quite fast-paced. Luckily, the bird did show quite well before disappearing further up the valley. Elsewhere, two Firecrests were in the Secret Garden Sycamore and singles of Pied and Spotted Flycatcher were in the mature trees on the Beach Road. The higher plateau was also quite quiet with little to be seen on the Airfield or Lower Lighthouse/South West Field. A Whinchat at Stoneycroft was a good spot and a Merlin whizzing over the Village was my first for the autumn. There was no sign of the Wigeon today; clearly the company of Mallards is not ideal.
Rosefinch by G.Lee
Yesterday's Short-eared Owl was still present at the North End, though it probably isn't enjoying the lack of Field Voles on Lundy, a Yellow Wagtail was over the Village, a Pied Flycatcher was with a Spotted Flycatcher at Quarter Wall Copse and a Dunlin flew south from Pondsbury.
Merlin by J. Hair
Lundy map - click to enlarge