By Eleanor Harris
Today started with a cold and blustery start, a sign of a weather change. We woke up to bright sunshine but puffy clouds ahead of the storm predicted tomorrow.
It was a Tavern day for me today so I got ready and headed out for an 8am start. As I am more of a morning person, it was great to be out on such a stunning day, talking to visitors whilst serving them food and drinks. On the island the Tavern is central to island life and its community being the place to socialise, meet visitors, and work. It is a shared space which it has unique character and history. As we do not have a set building for the Bird Observatory, it also acts as the hub enabling us to run a Wildlife Log every evening at 8pm. This morning, I met some lovely visitors who were curious about the island asking for recommendations on places to visit and things to look out for. If you, avid readers, are on the island visiting, feel free to come and chat to us.
Whilst I was at the Tavern Thomas conducted census on his morning off before also heading to the Tavern for his shift. Some of his highlights were a juvenile Stonechat, a Cuckoo, a Kestrel and a Siskin. He also managed to catch 3 House Sparrows with the Sparrow Project Team, as well as 2 Starlings.
As the first part of my shift finished at 1pm, I decided to head for a walk to Jenny’s Cove along the main track making a slow wander along the West. Some of the highlights were Puffins, Guillemots, Skylarks, Fulmar and much more. At this time of year Jenny’s is alive with activity so a great place to visit. Once back I decided to make a cake and read for a little before heading back to finish my shift.
This evening after work we ended up going to one of our Manx Shearwater study sites for an evening ringing session. The result was one recapture so not the busiest night. We also found a long dead Manx shearwater with a ring - possibly predated by large gulls or a Peregrine. After this session, we decided to see if the female Corncrake was still on territory. Having not been heard since the 2nd June, we presume she has departed to another island, probably Scottish, and wish her luck on her journey. We did however hear a Water Rail so they must have bred successfully nearby. A successful day overall for all, and we will see what the weather brings in the next few days.