Bird Sightings

By Emma Abel

Another foggy day, the cloud hanging low over the island for an atmospheric day of strimming. As Assistant Ranger my role has had significantly less grass cutting than a usual year due to the ongoing drought conditions. But today was an exception to that as I was given the important task of cutting a length of St John’s Valley free of bracken and brambles to put up new mist nets. Many small eyes watched my movement, the ticking and twittering of a Robin and a small flock of Linnets, hiding safely away in the scrub.

Foggy net rides, ready for a mist net - E Abel

Greg’s census was quiet, with the fog keeping anything that may have been interesting hidden away. However Thomas, Eleanor headed to the North End joined by Chris Dee and experienced a very different weather to the rest of us – sun! As the cloud hung like a cap over the island, down the steps at North Light, these three were sunbathing under blue sky (and doing important monitoring work too, I guess). The clear skies granted them a great view of a Great Skua heading South, a first for the year.

Great Skua passing North Light by Thomas Weston

After an uneventful census, Greg headed out in the afternoon and had more luck with a Grey Heron passing the Landing Bay and a Dunlin flying over St Johns Valley. This bird was likely seen on the track near Tibbets later that day by a visitor. Making his way into Quarter Wall Copse, Greg spotted a Pied Flycatcher and was also greeted by the Western Bonelli’s Warbler still hanging around, seemingly refusing to leave Lundy for the moment.

Upon leaving the Lodge to start census today, I was greeted with a thick fog, reducing visibility to a mere few metres. As a result, most of the following birding was rather difficult indeed. A small flock of Blackcaps in Lower Millcombe was milling around the area but unfortunately, with the thick fog hanging in the air, the nets couldn't be opened. Before I reached Old Light, all my optics were saturated, as were my waterproof – the very light rain was the perfect type to get you soaked without realising! At the end, I managed just over 20 species, well below the average count for census, although a Pied Flycatcher at Quarry Pond, although not on census, was a nice highlight. 

The rest of the day was spent diving through all the Wryneck rarity descriptions, meaning a bit of creativity needed to write a few different ways to describe a Wryneck. This is not a complaint though, the birding gods are welcome to bring plenty more Wrynecks this way! Of course, once our descriptions are up to date, we'll have to try and find more. Thomas and Eleanor certainly made a start when, in the fog last night, they heard a Stone-curlew flying overhead. The distinctive, mournful, flight-call of this nocturnal and unique wader to Britain is a much more regular occurrence in the south-east, where migrating individuals from the East Anglian breeding population clearly pass over. This far out west, Stone-curlews are a rare occurrence, with just six Lundy records. The nearest breeeding population is presumably in Wiltshire, so perhaps this is where the visting bird hailed from. Although I did make an attempt to find grounded waders in the thick fog later in the afternoon, I was unsuccessful. However, I did get to dry myself out with a busy Sunday KP shift in the evening.

By Eleanor Harris

Today was a bit of a busy one for the whole of the conservation team with Simon seeing the boat in and me, Thomas and Greg Houskeeping. 

The weather was changeable with a dampness in the air foreboding what was predicted to come. We will see if the island gets cloaked in mist for the next few days! 

It started off with Greg conducting a rather quiet census with few birds to be seen. It seems that everything is sheltering from these rather blowy conditions. A few birds were seen including Carrion Crows, Ravens and a few Mallards but nothing crazy to report. Greg headed back to the village to start Houskeeping at 10am. 

During the morning me and Thomas saw few species but this did include some Mallards visiting our pet ducks pond, something that happens daily. As we were both Houskeeping we really did not see much. 

It’s been a very quiet day overall with the weather setting in so we will see what happens in the next few days. 

By Simon Parker

Something a bit different today... I've been away in Wales for the past couple of weeks, spending some time in the mountains and generally avoiding work.  One of the things I do miss about island life are the mountains, I've always been drawn to mountain communities and North Wales is one of my favourites.  There's something about the vastness and freedom to roam, it could also be a kick back from growing up in the famously mountainous region of North East Lincolnshire, but I always aim for the mountains on my time off.

On the way back down South, I managed to sneak a small stop on Flat Holm Island.  Flat Holm is the most Southerly point in Wales, you can visit from Cardiff bay.  I spent two years here as warden and it was good to pop back and see some of my old volunteers.  The island is tiny compared to Lundy, a circular lump almost exactly one mile in circumference.  It's packed with historical buildings, heavily fortified in the Napoleonic era to fend off French and Russian invaders, then again in WW2 as an anti aircraft/shipping fortress.  The island bears the scars of industrial fortification with 350 men packed on in WW2.  One of my favourite aspects is called Bengers Goalpost, named after the islands commanding officer - David Benger.  Benger designed a simple scaffold goalpost to stop the gunners blowing the top off the lighthouse when they were rotating quickly, they would hit the post with their barrels and have to go up and over the goalpost which ensured the survival of the lighthouse.

 Flat Holms Cholera Hospital

These days, the island is a large Gull colony and nature reserve with a small tourist attraction.  It's a much, much smaller and very basic version of Lundy.  There's no tavern or shop here, power is solar generated mostly and supplies are hard to transport.  There's no Oldenburg, the island relies on small ribs doing all the logistics.

 Flat Holms famous pink rock, deposited during the last ice age

Bird wise, being closer to the mainland it has more of the garden variety birds.  Robin, Blackbird, Wren, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Dunnock are present all year round in good numbers.  Water Rail have started to nest in the scrub over the past few years and they can be heard constantly screeching away.  Shelduck and Oystercatcher nest here too, the former being heavily predated by the gulls and unlikely to be productive.  In total, the gulls numbers around 3000 birds.  Between the months of April and August, it's dominated by the Lesser Black Backed and Herring Gull colony and can be an intimidating place to be if you're not familiar with their protective parenting.  This time of the year it's very peaceful, the gulls have finished nesting and the Lessers have started migrating South to Spain, Portugal and North Africa.   

 Building the new Barn door

Back on Lundy, before I tackled the email inbox I did manage to get out and do census.  Notable sightings were an influx of Meadow Pipit, large numbers of Carrion Crow have arrived.  Linnet are still here in big numbers, the super flock is between 250-300 birds.  The Wryneck down around the quarries was spotted and three Lapland Bunting were at the top of Benjamins chair.  There's a lot of fog forecast over the next few days, I expect the bird sightings will be quite meagre but hopefully that fog will translate to water as the Island is still in desperate need for a downpour.