The continued spell of very fine weather has led to another shining week on Lundy!
Millcombe’s wooded slopes have produced a variety of notable species including Hawfinch (15th-17th), Grey Wagtail (13th) and Reed Warbler (15th & 18th), as well as a flyover Hobby on the 13th. Two year high counts for Spotted Flycatcher were achieved on the 13th and 18th, producing 18 and 25 birds respectively, with the majority of sightings coming from the valley. The 18th in particular proved to be an exciting day in Millcombe with sightings of a female Golden Oriole and Crossbill, as well as Cuckoo and Redpoll all coming in around midday.
Female Crossbill feeding in Millcombe Pines, 18 May. Carol Baillie
Crossbill silhouette, Carol Baillie
Further afield notable species included the second Eastern Subalpine Warbler of the year spotted on the Terrace on the 17th, and a Grey Heron seen first at Pondsbury on the 15th. Continued sightings of Blue-headed Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, Tree Pipit, White Wagtail and Siskin were logged throughout the week. Lundy has seen a further trickle of waders: Whimbrel (maximum count of 3 on 14th and 18th), Ringed Plover and Dunlin (both achieving highs of 3 on 17th). Sightings of a Harbour Porpoise and a distant Great Skua were had off the North End on the 14th. Elsewhere on the island, frantic Kittiwakes continue to snatch huge bill-fulls of nesting material, including directly outside Puffin burrows at Jenny’s Cove. The first Kittiwake egg of the year was spotted on the 19th, heralding the beginning of the breeding season for this species.