Bird Sightings

A VERY humid start to the day with rain approaching from the east. An odd scenario where it was flat calm but quite warm making a pleasant census.

Whinchat in St John's Valley. ©Thomas Weston

Totals included 11 Mallard in Barton’s Field; 7 Woodpigeons in St Helen’s Field/Millcombe; single Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Turnstone all in the Landing Bay; single Redshank and Snipe over the Church; single Great Black-backed Gull and single Herring Gull over the Village; 4 Shag in the Landing Bay; 12 Carrion Crows and 7 Ravens the only corvids around; single Skylark in the Airfield; 6 Sand Martins, 7 Swallows and a single House Martin south; migrant warblers in Millcombe included 13 Blackcap, single Whitethroat, single Reed Warbler, 5 Willow Warbler, 18 Chiffchaff with additional 5 Goldcrests and the single Firecrest;  14 Wrens were recorded on the route; 67 Starlings split between the village and the fields; 11 Blackbirds in Millcombe; single Song Thrush on the path down to Millcombe House; single Pied Flycatcher at Stoney Paddock; 11 Robins split between the Village and Millcombe; single Wheatear with 4 Whinchat and 8 Stonechat in SW Field; 3 Dunnock in Millcombe; 37 House Sparrows split between Millcombe and the Village; single Yellow Wagtail and 2 Pied Wagtail in Tent Field; 2 Tree Pipits flew South; 19 Meadow Pipits in the fields, with some associated with 4 Rock Pipits around Old Light; single Chaffinch in the Village; with 30 Linnets, and 17 Goldfinches along the route.

An afternoon in the Landing Bay resulted in a nice arrival of Red admiral butterflies with a whole island count of ~1100 individuals flying in from the East and heading SW back out to sea. There were sightings of coasting Red admirals off the North Cornwall coast. There was also an arrival of Lesser-black backed gulls, 4 Cormorants, and a few hirundines.

Other sightings:

• A couple of extra Snipe over the Village
• A scattering of Whinchats around the island
• Wryneck on the Terraces

Ringing

Golden Plover caught and ringed in SW Field. ©Thomas Weston

A short session before the rain lead to four migrants caught however an evening session resulted in a Golden Plover, Skylark, and Wheatear caught adn ringed. The other team near the North End had a successful Storm Petrel session.

Foggy, wet and windy the summary of the weather today.

Census was undertaken but not much else today. Totals included 17 Mallard, 2 Woodpigeons, single Oystercatchers, single Green Sandpiper, single Snipe, 6 Great Black-backed Gull, single Herring Gull, 2 Gannets, 2 Kestrel, 7 Carrion Crows, 8 Ravens, 8 Swallows, single House Martin, single Willow Warbler, single Chiffchaff, 9 Goldcrests, single Firecrest, 10 Wrens, 75 Starlings, 4 Blackbird, single Song Thrush, 2 Spotted flycatchers, single Pied Flycatcher, 2 Robin, 2 Wheatears, 2 Whinchat, single Stonechat, 27 House Sparrows, single Pied Wagtail, 6 alba Wagtails, 2 Tree Pipits, 9 Meadow Pipits, 5 Chaffinches, 87 Linnets, and 12 Goldfinches.

Census was undertaken and included 12 Mallard, 3 Woodpigeons, single Oystercatchers, the single Golden Plover, single Ringed Plover, single Great Black-backed Gull, single Fulmar, 2 Gannets, single Shag, 2 Kestrel, 5 Carrion Crows, 6 Ravens, 4 Skylarks, 10 Swallows, single Garden Warbler, 14 Blackcap, single Whitethroat, 10 Willow Warbler, 3 Chiffchaff, 6 Goldcrests, single Firecrest, 7 Wrens, 63 Starlings, 2 Blackbird, 3 Spotted flycatchers, 2 Pied Flycatcher, 5 Robin, 8 Wheatears, single Whinchat, 4 Stonechat, single Dunnock, 22 House Sparrows, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 5 Pied Wagtails, 6 alba Wagtails, 2 Tree Pipits, 42 Meadow Pipits, 2 Chaffinches, 208 Linnets, and 5 Goldfinches.

A check of the Manx Shearwater boxes was very positive with only two of our chicks remaining in the boxes. One of which was very capable of fledgling and will soon be out of there in no time at all. The other was still very downy and was the last of the chicks to be born.

Reed Warbler in Millcombe. ©ThomasWeston

This led to a walk around Pondsbury which was overall quiet but yielded 3 Mallard. A walk down the Lower East Path from the Quarries to Millcombe was quieter than expected but resulted in a nice mix of Pied Flycatchers, Spotted Flycatchers, Goldcrests and Stonechats. In Millcombe, an evening bird walk resulted in a nice mix of flycatchers and warblers including a Sedge Warbler and Reed Warbler in Millcombe Pond. There was a small flock of Goldcrest in the pines and the friendly Firecrest was showing well again actively calling and feeding throughout the valley.

Ringing

Millcombe ringing in the morning resulted in a small catch of migrants with Blackcaps dominating the catch. A Manx Shearwater catch in the evening resulted in 34 fledglings processed including 4 that dropped into the Village post-fledging.

A busy morning with cloud and a slight NE wind enticing migrants to arrive and then fall onto the island throughout the early morning/dawn. There was a lot to see.

Census was undertaken, but if there weren’t the time constraints of housekeeping, a lot more could have been found out there. Totals included 9 Mallard, 4 Woodpigeons, single Oystercatchers, the single Golden Plover, single Ringed Plover, 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 2 Great Black-backed Gulls, 6 Herring Gull, 18 Shag, single Peregrine, 3 Carrion Crows, 2 Ravens, 4 Swallows, 6 Blackcap, 2 Whitethroats, 42 Willow Warbler, 9 Chiffchaff, 2 Goldcrests, 6 Wrens, 62 Starlings, 8 Blackbird, 6 Spotted flycatchers, single Pied Flycatcher, 4 Robin, 7 Wheatears, single Stonechat, 2 Dunnock, 36 House Sparrows, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 6 Pied Wagtails, 16 White Wagtails, 5 alba Wagtails, 3 Tree Pipits, 3 Meadow Pipits, 3 Rock Pipits, 4 Chaffinches, 49 Linnets, and 13 Goldfinches.

Other sightings:

• Firecrest and Redstart in Millcombe pines
• A flock of 4 Yellow Wagtails and 4 Tree Pipits
• A juvenile Moorhen in Smelly Gully
• A Merlin hunting the east coast.

Ringing

A big fall in Millcombe resulted in the best catch this autumn. A nice mix of warblers, a few flycatchers, and a few of the locals were caught resulting in 118 birds today. Also, a nice catch of Manx Shearwater last night and a few in the Village after being disorientated last night plus a dazzling session resulted in a few dispersing Skylark.