Bird Sightings

As anticipated from recent monitoring of the Manx Shearwater colony nest boxes, the first chick has hatched! More and more eggs are starting pipping - it won't be long until several more grey fluffs appear. With the help of visiting researchers, the Conservation Team have deployed 10 GPS tags onto our breeding Manx Shearwater to investigate short-term foraging patterns, and 3 long-term GLS loggers, which will begin to build a picture of winter foraging routes on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

The first Manx Shearwater chick! A. Zhang, June 9th

We have also been continuing to monitor the Island's breeding Oystercatcher, closely following the development of several broods around the Landing Bay and Rat Island. Records of any other waders have been very minimal recently, with just 1 Curlew heard calling at sea level below Mousehole and Trap.

In terms of seabird news, the first Kittiwake chicks have hatched! 5 nests were noted in a productivity survey on the 13th. A nice count of Guillemot was undertaken on 13th too, with 533 adults and 60 chicks recorded on St Mark's Stone.

On the 11th, we had a high count of 29 Common Swift throughout the day, including 24 over the Church at 09.00hrs.

We have been much lower on the ground for herons and egrets this year when compared to last year, however on the 11th a single Grey Heron was seen at Quarter Wall Pond. Another curious sighting was a juvenile Rook, seen within the loose Carrion Crow feeding groups in Brick and Tillage Fields.

Typical of this month of the year, there has been an almost complete halt in passage migrants, and the Island is brimming with breeding birds. Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Chiffchaff continue to sing in low numbers in Millcombe and Quarter Wall Copse. Starling juveniles are dispersing with their family groups all over the coast, filling the Millcombe trees, the Quarries and the rocky slopes of the shearwater and gull colonies. Some of the most notable breeding birds, due to the fierce diligence of the territorial adults, Wheatear and Stonechat fledglings are cropping up all over the place. Breeding evidence for Meadow Pipit and Skylark continues, with birds carrying food and singing across the moors, nests buried in the rapidly growing bracken, gorse and grasses.

Moth trapping has been more successful as of late thanks to the more settled weather at night, catching taking place in Millcombe and at the North End over these last few days. A good count of 62 moths of 24 species was gained on the 9th. Visiting experienced moth trapper Andrew Cleave flushed a Bordered Straw at the North End on the 13th, an exciting migrant species. Increasing sitings of Large White, Red Admiral, Small Heath, Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell and Meadow Brown butterflies are being noted as the days continue to warm and we move into a period of low winds.

Puffins in Jenny's Cove, K Power

As Lundy’s seabirds get even busier feeding hungry offspring, and Millcombe throngs with young Passerines, especially Starlings, we notice the absence of passing non-resident birds. However, there is plenty of breeding activity to occupy us. On 7th during Manx Shearwater nest box checks, the team observed that the first egg laid this season had begun to hatch. We await sightings of the first chick of the year during the next checks! Guillemot productivity monitoring on 6th resulted in 17 chicks observed within 2 hours, and Razorbill young have been spotted around the island. St Phillips Stone buttress, which homed 4 Puffins in 2003, held 150 proud birds standing on the cliffs on 6th June. 

Several Oystercatcher chicks have been spotted around the Landing Bay and pairs are active all around Lundy’s coast. Shag offspring are craning their heads out of nests now, with over 27 known nests on the East Coast.

Blue-Headed Wagtail and Peregrine sightings remain strong, and Wren, Wheatear and Goldfinch juveniles have been seen. 

Wren fledgelings, E Sherwell

Absences of Teal and Water Rail on Pondsbury are notable for this time of year. 

A Ringed Plover passed on the East on 2nd, and Collared Dove was recorded on 3rd and 8th. The 8th also provided sightings of a likely Jackdaw close to the village, an infrequent visitor to Lundy.

A North End sea watch on 8th produced a Mediterranean Gull passing close to the island, and at least 450 Manx Shearwater dancing above the waves.

The last three days of May brought a few late passage birds including Golden Plover on 31st, and continued light passage of Hirundines and Swift. Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Willow Warblers continue to be seen in small numbers, and a few have remained to breed. A Spotted Flycatcher was seen on 30th and 31st, in Millcombe. Fledglings of Robin, Blackbird, Starling, Sparrow and Stonechat have been seen harassing their parents for food. Interestingly, our ringed Blue-Headed Wagtail pair have been seen again after a short hiatus, collecting nesting material around the village. 

Thankfully, Peregrine Falcon sightings have increased again (5 birds recorded on 29th) and birds appear to be busy, mostly active along the East Coast, with a sub-adult male frequenting the West, including Jenny’s Cove.

Lundy’s first Guillemot chick of 2025 was spotted at Jenny’s Cove on 30th, and a few of the Kittiwake nests which suffered storm damage have been rapidly and diligently rebuilt! Several of the loafing Kittiwakes on the West are first year birds, with striking patterning. Thousands of Manx Shearwater were recorded flying over the North End at night (29th) using thermal imaging cameras, and Storm Petrels have been detected by the same means, near the Battery and North.

Finally the winds have swung round and we’ve been met with Westerlies once again, bringing some considerably more unsettled weather than the past few months! Hirundine and Swift passage has continued but at a slower rate, now that we are late in May, and a couple of Greenland Wheatears have been seen: 22nd and 25th. 

We had another flurry of Golden Oriole activity between 22nd and 24th, with males seen each day (Millcombe) and a male and female together on 23rd. Millcombe also produced a singing Garden Warbler on 25th, and small numbers of Spotted Flycatchers almost every day. Siskin were only recorded on 20th at the Terrace. The Terrace continued its Subalpine Warbler streak with another bird, female this time, on 20th.Subalpine female on Terrace, 20th May, R Bower Redpoll have been seen on 4 days, either on the East coast or around the Tavern/church, and a Turtle Dove, which didn’t appear to stick around, was seen on 22nd at the top of St John’s Valley.

The last confirmed sighting of our Blue-Headed Wagtails was on 20th, so we wonder if the individuals that have been around since late April have finally departed.

The 20th brought several sightings of a Marsh Harrier, and the female-type bird was seen again on 21st. Following this, the next notable raptor sighting was a Hobby on 27th, a day which brought a Force 9 gale to Lundy. A 1h15min seawatch at the end of this day produced 1039 Manx Shearwater, including a raft of c500. It is lovely to see good numbers of our 25,000 birds rafting at sea. In further Manx Shearwater news, we now have 14 eggs in our 30 monitored Manx nest boxes, a great start to their breeding season. 

The seabird season appears to be off to a great start, and all Lundy’s cliff-nesting seabirds are being counted week of 26th May by a dedicated RSPB team. RSPB team in actionDuring surveys (26th May especially), several Shag chicks have been spotted in the North of the island, some only hours old. On 26th one of the team flushed a Storm Petrel from the entrance of its burrow at the North End.

However, unfortunately the recent stormy weather has had its impacts. Small numbers of the monitored Kittiwake nests have been washed off by the high waves. Thankfully there is still time for a second brood: fingers crossed.

Good land Puffin counts came from the Battery on 21st, 35 birds present, and 50 were seen on the St Phillips Stone buttress on 25th. We have now noticed a few birds coming into burrows with sand eels at Jenny’s Cove, which suggests chicks have begun to hatch!

Lundy has seen minimal Teal activity at Pondsbury, 2 males spotted on 21st, followed by a female on both 23rd and 25th. Waders continue to visit the island in passing: 2 Whimbrel North End on 22nd, a Dunlin on Middle Park Pond 20th and 28th.

Two Raven family groups continue to be seen, likely broods from Long Roost and Benjamin’s Chair.Raven family, Aztec Bay, K Power A Peregrine pair has also been recorded around Gannet’s Combe.

Despite the winds, we have sighted Painted Ladies, Red Admirals, Green Veined, Large and Small Whites, Common Blue and Peacock butterflies. 95 Small Heaths were seen on 21st, a bumper count for the species. Several Brown Silver-Lines have been seen throughout, and a nice Cream-Spot Tiger in a trap moth trap this week. 

Visitors viewed 7 Common Dolphin from the Oldenburg crossing on 20th, and the same day 3 Harbour Porpoises were seen during a seawatch at South Light.