By Greg Lee
Its beginning to feel more autumnal by the day on Lundy at the moment and today's census in the strong winds saw me donning my winter hat. Down in Millcombe, a lot of time was spent waiting for movement in the bushes as birds generally were keeping themselves on the down low. Two Pied Flycatchers were nice to see, one of them being a bird ringed yesterday but the another being an apparent new arrival. A couple of Firecrests and Goldcrests were sifting through the Sycamores, a classic October scene for thes autumn sprites. A Spotted Flycatcher in Secret Garden was a tad on the late side but seemed to enjoy basking in the sun. Birding in strong winds can always be tricky but if you can find a sheltered spot the rewards can be very good!
Spotted Flycatcher by G.Lee
A Tree Pipit buzzing over St John's broke the monopoly of Meadow Pipits, whilst a couple more Firecrests were seen by others near the Terrace and three seen down in the Copse below Hanmers. Interestingly, yesterday, I was treated to a rather exciting sighting of a male Vagrant Emperor which appeared around the ringing bench in Millcombe, where it hawked quite passionately for around five minutes. I was able to take a video of this long-distance migrant, although my screenshots weren't the best, you could see the brown eyes, bronzy colouration and blue saddle. Clearly there had been an arrival of migrant invertebrates as today, Thomas encountered our first Red-veined Darter on the island for a couple of months, which probably arrived on the southerly winds with the Vagrant Emperor!
Red-veined Darter by T.Weston