Bird Sightings

It’s been another eventful year on the island! As the festivities wind down and we turn our attention to 2025, there’s plenty of exciting opportunities and great birding ahead.

The island has just entered into the annual ‘shutdown’ for maintenance and repairs through January. While our doors don’t open back up to the stayers again until 27 January, our old friend, ex-Lundy Bird Obs Asst. and keen birder, Luke Marriner, is volunteering to supplement coverage during a historically under-recorded time of year. This support is particularly appreciated while the Island Warden is off island on Coastguard training.

Male Siskin on Sue's feeder outside Pigs 1, 30 Dec © Sue Waterfield

Siskin back on Sue's feeder in the village, 31 Dec © Joe Parker

After the record-breaking annual total of 169 species logged last year, the 2025 year list is already starting to take shape. A damp New Year’s Day trudge around Millcombe and the South Coast enjoyed two female-type Black Redstart at Benjamin’s Chair, a lingering male Siskin around the village and a brief glimpse of the overwintering Merlin terrorising the resident House Sparrow and Starling populations. An adult Great Northern Diver continues to frequent the Landing Bay while Kittiwake feeding flocks further offshore are regularly numbering 150 birds and draw in low double figures of Gannet and distant auks.

Orange Ping-Pong Bat Fungus in Millcombe, 26 Dec © Joe Parker

It’s been a quiet season for wintering waders - namely Common Snipe, Jack Snipe and Woodcock – presumably owing to the mild conditions resulting in birds wintering further north. Perhaps the arrival of this cold snap will trigger an influx. Golden Plover made an appearance in late December, peaking at three birds on 28^th; a nocturnal survey that evening resulted in one Golden Plover, one Jack Snipe, one Woodcock, 5 Common Snipe ringed, plus a re-trap of the latter originally ringed as an adult back in October 2020(!).

The Landing Bay has been drawing up to three Great Northern Diver over the last month, although numbers have fluctuated in response to sea state and visibility. Engulfed by fog for what felt like an eternity, the island has been consumed by stubborn, unmoving clag all the way down to sea-level. During brief breaks in the fog, a female-type Common Scoter graced the Landing Bay on 14 December and seen off the Terrace shortly afterwards before moving on.

Common Scoter in the Landing Bay, 14 Dec © Joe Parker

Some of our seabirds are also beginning to think about the season ahead. It was lovely to see 200 Guillemot on Jenny’s Cove breeding ledges on 14 December while up 23 Fulmar have been observed on ledges at Long Roost and Jenny’s Cove. The last Yellow-browed Warbler was recorded in Quarter Wall Copse on 2 December, shortly followed by a Woodpigeon movement involving 64 birds the next day. Tying up from the last blog post, the long-staying Hen Harrier remained until 20 November and the two female Bullfinch lingered around Millcombe until 21 November. The overwinter Purple Sandpiper high-count currently sits at eight birds, recorded on 18 November. We’ll keep an eye on this colony as mid-winter typically marks the peak count.

Here’s to another bird-filled year!

Good birding and Happy New Year
The Lundy Bird Obs Team

Pea Soup on the Terrace! Visibility 50m on Boxing Day © Joe Parker

The 16th started off well with Brennig catching a few birds down in Millcombe and Luke had a nice census with a few finches and thrushes arriving, It wasn't until about 11am when just finishing census a swift flew low over the trees on the west side of Millcombe Valley, after a brief view I shouted down to Brennig and managed to get him on it before the bird moved north out of view.

Once the nets were closed we foucused on re-finding the bird, and after about 30 minutes Brennig had it again over Smelly Gully and heading down to the Landing Bay where it fed for most of the day up and down the beach road affording amazing views as it hawked for late insects, allowing us to confidently identify this to be a Pallid Swift - just the second record for the island following one in October of 2016. Other highlights of the day were 2 Woodcock, 1 Hen Harrier, 1 Merlin, 120 Blackbird, 122 Chaffinch and 1 Bullfinch. 

A quiet few days on the island bird-wise, with little in the way of obvious migration, just a few thrushes still turning over, the two lingering Bullfinches were the only real highlight. 

After yesterday's island scarcities it was nice to wake up to a calm day and a nice arrival of thrushes, mainly Blackbird, so I headed down to Millcombe and opened the mist-nets. This resulted in 58 birds being ringed, 35 of which were Blackbirds, being the most ringed in a day since 2007 and the 8th highest day catch ever. Another surprise today was catching yesterday's Bullfinch only for it to be joined by another female type, the net round after! The rest of the catch was made up of Goldfinches and Chaffinches. Other birds logged were 1 Ringed Plover, 1 Lapwing, 2 Woodcock, 1 Common Gull, a Hen Harrier, 7 Song Thrush, 108 Redwing, 75 Blackbird, 46 Fieldfare, 7 Black Redstart, 2 Brambling and 14 Snow Bunting.