The most notable event of the past ten days has been the return to the island of Puffins after their challenging winter at sea, when Chris Baillie saw five rafting with 330 other auks, mostly Razorbills, at Jenny's Cove on 1st March.
Numbers of Teal on Pondsbury have increased steadily, from four on 21st February, to eight on 28th and 15 on 1st March, whilst the highest Mallard count was 18 on 28th.
Woodpigeons reached their highest count of the year so far, with a nevertheless modest four on census on 1st March, but passerines have been distinctly thin on the ground, especially in Millcombe and St John's Valley. Two Goldfinch on 27th February were the first for more than a month, and Pied Wagtail reached a year high of seven on 24th. Numbers of Skylark and Meadow Pipit, which often show significant increases in February, remained low, with no more than five and ten respectively to close out the month.
Lesser Black-backed Gulls also reached a new high-count for the year to date with 61 on 28th, whilst 322 Herring Gulls and 43 Fulmars were logged on the same day. Small numbers of Gannets have been seen on most days, with a maximum of eight on 23rd, whilst the peak count for Shags was 16 on 22nd.
Raptors have featured further sporadic sightings of a single Merlin and up to three Peregrines, whilst a Kestrel on the last day of February was the first since mid-January.
Among less common species, two Great Northern Divers were in the Landing Bay on 22nd February, with one the following day; and a single Golden Plover was logged on 27th. A Red-necked Grebe in the Landing Bay on 22nd & 28th February seems most likely to be the same individual as seen in January.