By Thomas Weston
This week started at around 4:30am this morning, when some extremely heavy and persistent rain fell across the island, and it seemed to last for a good 20mins or so. Getting that extra rest we awoke and enjoyed watching the weather from the comfort of our house for a little.
Today we had a day off and some free time, so me and Eleanor were keen to join the RSPB Large Gull survey that is currently being undertaken across the island. The survey involved counting individuals within each section of the island, and making a note of any sat on something that resembles a nest. Aptly known as an Apparently Occupied Nest (AON), which is a technique we use for studying and calculating the number of breeding pairs of seabird species on the island. During the nicer weather on Saturday, the team made a conscious effort to complete as much of the South and East when they arrived, before finishing the last of the East coast yesterday. Meaning only the West coast to complete today! We met up at 09:30am and joined the team, consisting of four RSPB and three Conservation Team members. We had a breifing, protocol and risk assessment read before we split into two smaller teams consisting of Eleanor, two of the RSPB colleagues, and myself, and then Emma and the other two RSPB colleagues. After a briefing, our team headed to the Battery and began counting gulls within the first survey square, whilst Emma and her team headed to Aztec Bay. After completing our first site, we headed to Jenny’s Cove to complete our second square, before Emma and the team headed North into their second survey square too.
A Wet Wheatear at Dead Cow Point by Thomas Weston
Some our survey highlights included a nice range of gulls, including Lesser Black Backed Gull, Herring Gull, and Great Black-Backed Gulls including some on AONs which was amazing to record and see! It was not only the gulls we saw, but good numbers of 2500+ Guillemots, 100+ Puffins, and 500+ Razorbills within our sections. A flyby Gannet, some resting Fulmars on AONs and a frenzy of nest building Kittiwakes made up the seabird festival. Walking on back, the weather deteriorated, but we did see a colour ringed Wheatear near Dead Cow Point. This male had also been seen by a guest which was quite funny. The Wheatear colour ringing team are on the island currently, so please keep an eye out for some colour ringed bids – one of ‘our breeders’ is a Skokholm ringed bird first seen last year.
We spent the afternoon taking it easy and having a more relaxing day off before giving the Lundy Field Society ‘Discover Lundy’ group a Manx Shearwater talk and walk. The evening was successful with a 45-minute talk in the Church followed by a brief wander out to a colony. The weather was atrocious, gusting 40mph and horizontal rain was not the most fun, but we quickly found a bird and processed the retrap. We walked back with the team and finished at a rather respectable time of 11pm.