• Common Rosefinch

    Common Rosefinch © D Jones

  • Lapland Bunting

    Lapland Bunting © R Campey

  • Red-rumped Swallow

    Red-rumped Swallow © D Fox

  • Pale-bellied Brent Goose

    Pale-bellied Brent Goose © R Taylor

  • Great Northern Diver

    Great Northern Diver © S Cossey

  • Hoopoe

    Hoopoe © D Jones

  • Baltimore Oriole

    Baltimore Oriole © T Wright

  • Sora

The island year list is currently sitting at 47 species at close of day on 11th. Amazingly, a Barn Owl was spotted in lower Millcombe from the housekeeping landrover by staff-member Tiina Pehkonen during the late afternoon. Voluntary Bird Observatory Assistant Luke Marriner, who happened to be driving, stopped the vehicle – in his own words – "very abruptly" (!) and was able to capture a video of the Barn Owl emerging from the gas store and flying down to the Beach Road turn at 'Windy Corner' and up over the flank of Castle Hill. It was not seen again, but left a souvenir in the form of a small pellet, found in the gas store. The pellet was dissected by Luke, who identified a Pygmy Shrew jaw-bone among other tiny bones, suggesting that the owl had managed to feed on the island. It seems possible that it had been displaced from the mainland by heavy snow blanketing most of Wales and central/northern England, whilst south-west England experienced less cold conditions, remaining largely snow free. This was the 11th Lundy record and only the second this century.

Kittiwake flocks have been feeding off the southeast coast, peaking at 425 birds on 11th, drawing in an adult winter Mediterranean Gull and 5 Common Gull. The adult Great Northern Diver continues its Landing Bay residence, while overwintering female Merlin is terrorising the Village and sidelands and two Goldcrest remain faithful to Quarter Wall Copse. A Chiffchaff on 9th is the only occurance so far this year and Meadow Pipit remain thin on the ground, with only 2 logged within Rock Pipit feeding parties across the sidelands and plateau. Six Common Scoter were logged within the Lundy recording area during a crossing on 6th. Tillage Field featured 10 Golden Plover on 9th, with singles logged overhead on 10th & 11th. Four Purple Sandpiper were present at Brazen Ward on 9th, but apparently absent on 11th. Pondsbury featured six Teal but numbers of Woodcock (2), Common Snipe (6) and Jack Snipe (1) remain low, maximum counts noted in brackets.

2025 01 06 Barn Owl Millcombe Luke MarrinerBarn Owl in Millcombe, 6 Jan © Luke Marriner

2025 01 11 Primrose QWC JSPPrimrose in flower at Quarter Wall Copse, 11 Jan © Joe Parker