Bird Sightings

Today was a busy day in the field. The day began windy and breezy from the SW. With the recent Willow Warbler movements the idea was to go down and open the nets but it was uncertain whether Millcombe would be calm enough. However, an hour and a half passed and what was only a single Willow Warbler was caught. The weather looks a little too hit and miss to attempt mist netting in the next few days but we shall see. Census was undertaken but was quiet, there was no standout notable birds seen.

ManxShearwater from our ProductivitySite. ©ThomasWeston

The breeze was strong but not strong enough to stop the productivity surveys. As a result, a check of the Kittiwakes showed there were few juveniles hanging around that haven’t fledged but also a few fully fledged birds in the small adult flock that was present. Whilst watching this site, a passage of Manx Shearwaters and Gannets occurred along the West coast with all birds heading South just offshore. We are still checking for any of the more unusual shearwaters that have been gracing the waters further to our SW. There was no Fulmar checks today, but a check on the Manx Shearwater chicks show that they are all growing really well. The smallest is just starting to grow quick but still looked very downy and small, the majority were fat balls of fluff and the largest was a mix of feathers and down. It will not be long before the largest of the chicks begin to start stargazing and coming out of their burrows to help them navigate across the Atlantic Ocean to their wintering grounds in South America.

Ringing

 Due to the breeze and cloudy conditions, a night survey of the tracks around the Village resulted in ~20 Wheatears noted and a single bird caught and ringed. We then went to the Manx Shearwater colony and caught a good number of birds. This led to one of the most stunning night skies with the milky way and multiple meteorites seen. The number of birds migrating throughout the night may have been quite high but as soon as the stars appeared the Manxies descended into silence and we left the colony.

Mallards on Bartons Field. ©ThomasWeston

The Mallards of Barton's Field have been a regular feature throughout the census.

Ringing

On a boat day there is always a lot to do. However, a ringing session and split census before boat work resulted in the first two Whitethroats caught in the post-breeding period, another Lundy-born Blackcap, a little fall of Willow Warblers with 18 caught and a new Linnet. There was not much to report after this although some more Willow Warblers were seen in the evening, and this was believed to be a good sign for the coming day. However, spoiler alert, it did not quite turn out like this.  

Seawatch Site at SW Point. ©ThomasWeston

A foggy start to the day with poor visibility all round. The weather was warm and humid and very windy in the afternoon. A brief seawatch from SW point resulted in 2500 Manx Shearwaters, about 78+ Gannets, a single Guillemot and a nice passage of Kittiwakes. Birds on the land included 3 Peregrines, 2 Kestrels, Meadow Pipits, Stonechat, Oystercatcher and flocks of Linnets.

Ringing

Goldfinch in Millcombe. ©ThomasWeston

Today was the annual Air Day on the island where up to 80 aircraft came and left Lundy for the day. The slightly breezy SW conditions and partly clear skies were ideal for take-off and landing on the island with planes arriving from all across country. The parallels between this event and migration is verry apt as this morning ringing in Millcombe resulting in another little movement of Willow Warblers, a new Sedge Warbler and the capture of a few more of our resident breeding juveniles who were born on the island. Census was also completed today and resulted in 3 Mallards, 3 Woodpigeons, a single Great Black-backed, 6 Herring and a single Lesser Black-backed gull, 22 Manx Shearwaters, 5 Gannets, 4 Shags, 3 Kestrels, 6 Carrion Crows, 8 Ravens, 2 Skylarks, 2 Swallows, single Blackcap, single Sedge Warbler, 37 Willow Warblers, single Chiffchaff, 7 Wrens, 55 Starlings, 5 Blackbirds, single Robin, 4 Wheatears, 2 Stonechats, 2 Dunnocks, 14 House Sparrows, 3 Pied Wagtails, 17 Meadow Pipits, 2 Chaffinches, 51 Linnets and 5 Goldfinches.