New records

Recorded from 12 to 26 Oct with a max of four on 18th & 26th.

New records

6 Feb – One; the first winter record for many years.

3 Oct to 6 Nov – Records of single birds on six dates.

New records

17 Mar – One.

24 Sep to 26 Oct – Singles on 24 Sep and 1 Oct, plus two on 23 & 26 Oct.

New records

11 Jan – a male photographed in Millcombe; an unusual mid-winter occurrence.

4 to 27 Oct – Records of single birds on seven dates.

New record

4 Oct to 4 Nov – Records on six dates; all of single birds, except for two on 13 Oct.

New records

26 Apr – A male in Middle Park (Alan Rowland).

20 Aug – One; an unusual date.

12 to 28 Oct – Singles on five dates.

New records

24 Oct to 30 Nov – Autumn migrants recorded on five dates, including a maximum of four on 24 Oct.

28 Dec – One; an unusual date.

New records

26 & 29 Apr – One was reported on 26th (L. Armstrong/BirdTrack) and a male was in the marshy area around Quarters Pond and feeding on ‘Alpen’ (!) on the track near Brambles on 29th (Terry Armstrong, Richard Campey, Ann Freeman).

7 to 28 Oct – Recorded on nine dates; mainly involving single birds, but there were two on 22nd & 26th and a notable six on 24th, including a flock of five in gorse towards the western end of Quarter Wall.

Male Reed Bunting feeding outside Brambles, 29 Apr 2014 © Richard Campey

New records

12 to 19 Oct – Three on 12th–14th, rising to four on 15th, five on 16th and six on 17th, including at east four around Quarter Wall, one at Pondsbury and one at Threequarter Wall (many
observers). Finally, one was in Millcombe on 19th. Not recorded in any other month.

A 'blank' year

For the 14th time since LFS recording began in 1947, but only the third time since 1995, this amber-listed bird of conservation concern was not recorded on Lundy.

New records

26 Apr – One; the only spring record.

4 Oct to 24 Nov – There were autumn-passage records on 14 dates during this period, with a maximum of six on 1 & 24 Nov. Most other records were of ones and twos.

New records

26 Jan – A female was at Pondsbury (Tim Davis & Tim Jones).

4 Apr – One; the only spring migrant.

1 Oct to 26 Nov – Autumn migrants ocurred on 18 dates with a maximum of eight on 17 & 19 Oct.

New records

2 & 6 Jan – A female was “calling loudly from a gorse bush just south of Pondsbury” on 2nd, with probably the same
bird seen there on 6th (Dean Jones & Zoë Barton).

17 Mar – A “stunning male in near full breeding plumage” was in Millcombe on 17 Mar (Dean Jones).

13 Oct to 17 Nov – During autumn passage three were observed in the Pondsbury/Quarter Wall area on 13 Oct, with two still present the following day when one was also calling in flight over Castle Hill. The year’s peak count of seven occurred on 15 Oct with one over Castle Hill, two in off the sea at the Terrace, one at Threequarter Wall and three at Quarter Wall. Five were between Quarter Wall Pond and Pondsbury on 17 Nov.

New records

Late winter / spring passage – There were four scattered records of single birds from 19 Jan (calling from gorse near the Old Hospital) to 23 Apr (female in Millcombe).

Autumn passage – Recorded on 12 dates from 20 Sep to 8 Nov; there were three on 5 Nov (two at Quarter Wall, one at Rocket Pole); all other days involved ones and twos.

22 Dec – Two; an unusual date.

New records

Late winter / spring passage – The only late-winter/spring-passage records were of two on three dates between 17 and 26 Feb (all in the vicinity of Quarter Wall and Pondsbury), one at Quarter Wall on 29 Mar, one in the Laundry Garden on 1 Apr, one in Millcombe on 9 Apr, and one photographed at Halfway Wall on 10 Apr (all records Dean Jones). In a meagre autumn and early winter showing, one was at Quarter Wall on 17 Oct (Andy Jayne), followed by ones and twos at Pondsbury on four dates from 25 Nov to 26 Dec (Stuart Cossey).

Autumn passage and early winter – In a meagre autumn and early winter showing, one was at Quarter Wall on 17 Oct (Andy Jayne), followed by ones and twos at Pondsbury on four dates from 25 Nov to 26 Dec (Stuart Cossey).

New records

First winter period – A male Reed Bunting was in gorse to the south of Pondsbury on 9 & 16 Jan. Three birds (a male and two females) were in the same area on 23 Jan. A female was by Quarter Wall Pond on 28 Jan.

Spring passage – One calling over Pondsbury on 10 Mar. One above Gannets' Combe on 27 Mar.

Summary of all records

Late winter / spring passage – Not recorded.

Autumn passage – Logged on 17 dates between 2 Oct (two) and 6 Nov (three), with a peak count of six on both 20 & 25 Oct. There were no records after 6 Nov, although coverage during the last seven weeks of the year was greatly reduced.

New records

Late winter and spring passage – Three on 28 Jan and one on 29th, were followed by singles on 15 & 24 Feb, the latter sexed as a male. A female at Pondsbury on 26 Mar was the only record for Mar/Apr – typically the main spring-passage period for this species in South West England.

Autumn passage – Recorded on 20 dates from 24 Sep (one) to 15 Nov (one), with maxima in Oct of ten on 16^th, 6 on 22^nd and 7 on 30^th. Not recorded after 15 Nov, though coverage was significantly reduced.

New records

Late winter and spring passage – Singles were recorded in the Pondsbury/Punchbowl Valley area on six dates from 12 Jan to 28 Feb, followed by one at the eastern end of Quarter Wall on 28 Mar.

Autumn passage – Singles logged on 23 & 27 Sep were followed by records of one to three birds on 13 dates from 6 to 26 Oct, plus four – the highest count of the year – on 22^nd  (comprising singles in Millcombe and at Quarter Wall, and two at Pondsbury).