By Greg Lee
A scorching hot day on the island today, with the recent heatwave reaching its apex, though I'm sure those reading on the mainland will see the island high of 28.6 degrees and prefer that to what their own thermometer is reading!
I was out early with another survey of the Kittwakes and Guillemots at Aztec. Even at 6:00am, the warm breeze was more than comfortable so I was not looking forward to the inevitable rise in the heat. Heading beyond Halfway Wall, I picked up a nice surprise flying over, a Redshank, no doubt an early migrant moving on after possibly failing to breed. Over the next few weeks, birders across the country will see an increase of this noisy wader on their wetland and estuary patches as young birds and postbreeding adults being to appear. They aren't quite so common on Lundy but perhaps a bird may appear on the rocks down in the Landing Bay.
The Guillemot chick numbers are increasing with a range of ages amongst the chicks, although some adults remain on their large eggs. Indeed some youngsters are now not far off jumping and gradually the ledges will begin to empty out of birds. Whilst doing my surveying, another sound and sign of the changing seasons caught my ear, the raucous and far-carrying call of a Sandwich Tern and sure enough, I spotted two birds diving and flying southwards. The Tern migration in July and August is always an enjoyable experience for me and although I won't be sifting through large flocks of Sandwich Terns for other smaller species such as Black or Roseate whilst on Lundy, unlike at other Observatories, any small signs of Tern passage will be greatly appreciated.
Once I'd finished my work for the day, I avoided the heat of the day and did some office-based jobs. Once the temperatures had somewhat repealed in the evening, I joined a few members of the Conservation Team for a swim off the Jetty. Usually, I'm often hesitant to get in and choose to slowly descend my way into the cold water. Today, I chose and different method and plunged straight in, which ultimately paid off.
Storm clouds behind South Light by G.Lee
As darkness fell, so the storm clouds came and as dusk fell, great streaks of lightning flashed the sky from all angles. With the humidity so high and the clouds so dense, I optimistically set the moth-trap at Benjamin's Chair, hoping that the south-facing light may tempt some migrants in. Even within just a few minutes, it was clear the moths were very busy, with many insects coming into the light, so the optimism was high for a busy night in the trap!