Bird Sightings
10th August 2023
A modest push of hirundines and Swift at 1pm saw 39 Swift, 6 Swallow, 10 Sand and 3 House Martin all push south in the space of 30 minutes. The juvenile Grey Heron is still kicking about, picked up moving north over Quarry Cottages while seeing in the Oldenburg at midday and a flying ant emergence was drawing in a crowd in the Landing with 78 Herring, 6 Lesser Black-backed and 4 Great Black-backed all capitalising on the new food source. The final Kittiwake nests have now all fledged, leaving only the Fulmars as our remaining cliff-nesters still feeding young. Sadly the thick fog put a stop to any potential Storm Petrel ringing last night, although the winds are picking up again somewhat over the weekend opening up another window to get out seawatching. Late report from guests of a possible Ruff at Pondsbury yesterday evening.
9th August 2023
Classic Lundy conditions today with still winds bringing with it localised mist and thick fog rolling in and out through the day. A single Curlew south over Millcombe at 7am later dropped into the Landing Bay and a ringing session in Millcombe continues to be dominated by local fledglings, only migrants being a single Sedge and 3 Willow Warbler. Flight calls of a Green Sandpiper were heard over Barton’s Field in the fog at dusk. Data from a couple of recent Storm Petrel controls has come back revealing one was ringed as an adult on Skokholm, Pembs on 4 Aug 2018 and the other from Porthgwarra, Cornwall on 31 May 2022. Full ringing totals from today's session on Trek below.