Bird Sightings

Over the last four days we have successfully retrieved the last of the 10 GPS tags from our breeding Manx Shearwater! The data are currently being processed by the OxNav team, but we do have exciting preliminary results from some of the birds' tracks to share. This map shows the incredibly long foraging journies some of the breeding shearwaters on Lundy are taking...Preliminary Manx Shearwater tracks, Lundy 2025.

We are continuing to monitor our Storm Petrel nest box colony, and more breeding evidence is being found with each check, including one nest which is developing nicely and several boxes with feathers and nest scrapes. Propsecting birds have definitely been about!

With the help of Lucy Pécasse, who was the Assisstant Seabird Warden Volunteer here on Lundy last season, we have now ringed 87 Shag (including four adults) on the Island, a record number for this species ringed on Lundy for over 60 years! Small numbers of Herring Gull and Great Black-backed Gull chicks have also been ringed on colonies around the Island recently, and we are beginning some colour ringing on chicks which are large enough.

A nice passage of Swift has been noticed on and off over this last week. 67 birds were seen moving north off the North End on the 25th. A Swallow nest was found by Nik Ward just before he left the Island, situated in the eaves of a shed at the end of Government House. The nest contained 5 healthy chicks, which we have now ringed! The adult pair are seen frequently foraging about Millcombe and the fields of the southern end of the Island. Other nest news: our nest monitoring of the breeding pair of Channel Wagtail in Aerogenerator field continues, and on our last check three of the four eggs had hatched! Things are looking good for this attempt so far.

A cosy nest of of Swallow chicks. F Turner, June 26

Three out of four Channel Wagtail chicks have hatched! F Turner, June 26

A butterfly survey on the 26th, encompassing the Upper Eastside Coastpath and Milcombe Valley produced a good species list: Large White, Small White, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Small Heath. 5- and 6-Spot Burnet moths were also seen about the Island on this day, as was a single Gatekeeper butterfly.

We have nearly retrieved all the GPS tags from our tagged Manx Shearwater! Just two more to go! We are already getting some incredible results from the data collected so far, with the tracks showing birds foraging around the Channel Island and as far south as France! Sadly, we have had our first breeding failures of the year in the shearwater colony. One box was found with just a cold, abandoned egg, possibly due to one of the parents perishing not far from the burrow, and another with a very small chick perished inside its box. However, the hatched chicks in the other nests are all growing strong, some are even getting quite feisty already! 

The Racing Pigeons have decided to take shelter in the Village. Birds are frequently found cowering inside the Black Shed and the Tavern!

The biggest count of Kittiwake for June was recorded on the 20th, with 450 in a feeding frenzy off the Battery, and 100 beyond the North Light. Two Black-headed Gull were seen on the 21st: one in Millcombe, the other following a grass mower outside the Church!

With the help of visiting ringer Nik Ward, the Conservation Team have begun ringing the Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gull chicks in various colonies along the west coast of the Island, attaching colour rings as part of a new project for the Obs. Many of the chicks are still too small for ringing, and so this will pick up more over the next couple of weeks. However, we have had continued success catching Shag, so far ringing 62 birds, including four adults. An additional ringing highlight has been seven Razorbill (two adults and five chicks) and eight Guillemot (all chicks), the first of each species ringed on the Island since 2010!

Razorbill Chick, one of several ringed this past week. Nik Ward, June 22

During his visit, Nik spent some time observing the Channel Wagtail pair and successfully located a nest with four eggs! An exciting breeding an attempt that we will certainly be keeping an eye on.

The nest of our two returning Channel Wagtail. Nik Ward, June 19

A small amount of ringing in Millcombe was possible over the last few days during breaks in the gusty, drizzly, foggy weather. Interestingly, a handful of Willow Warbler were caught - perhaps the rain has brought a sprinkling of failed breeders on the move off the Welsh coast.

Dragonflies noted over the last few days include Black-tailed Skimmer and Emperor Dragonfly. A Clouded Yellow butterfly was seen on the 23^rd, and other notable butterfly sightings include 72 Red Admiral on the 20^th.

Beginning with the progress from our Manx Shearwater nest box monitoring, 7 out of the 15 nests now have chicks! In addition to this, a total of 12 GLS tags have been successfully deployed. We are now working hard on nocturnal surveys in attempt to retreive the GPS tags. Although we had no luck in our first two night missions, we were treated to a beautiful chorus of the singing shearwaters in the starlight. In other nest box news, a check of the monitored Storm Petrel colony showed 10 boxes with signs of activity, 2 of which contain nest scrapes! Things are starting to look more positive.

 In other seabird news, on the 15th a probable estimate of 8000-10,000 Guillemot was counted! This is all thanks to fab Island coverage from the Conservation Team, our Manx Shearwater Researchers and visiting birders, recording sitings at The Pyramid, The Battery, North End, Long Roost and Gannets Rock. Colony surveys by Assistant Seabird Warden Volunteer Kathleen show lots of Guillemot chicks have now been hatched and parents are busy brooding and feeding their young. Another high seabird count was on the 16th, with 102 Fulmar recorded breeding off Gannets Rock and off the Terraces.

North End feeding frenzies were observed on the 15th and 18th, inviting seasbirds of all sorts, including Manx Shearwater, Gannet, Shag, Kittiwake, Fulmar, Puffin, and Great and Lesser Black-backed Gull, and Herring Gull.

We have begun ringing the Shag chicks from nests found along the cliffs at Long Roost, and on the 18th managed to ring 13 chicks. Other recent ringing includes 4 Oystercatcher chicks across 4 broods, around Lammetry Bay and Landing Bay. Continued monitoring shows these wader chicks to be growing well, avoiding predation from the ever-hungry gulls and getting closer and closer to fledging.

Oystercatcher chick. F Turner, June 17Shag chick. F Turner, June 18

3 Sandwich Tern were spotted from the Oldenburg during a crossing by Assistant Ranger Volunteer Amber. Not quite within the range of Lundy to be included in our counts, but still super to see!

We are continuing to have fly-bys of Racing Pigeon in this sunny season, and on the 15th c.300 birds risking their lives as they flooded past the West Coast in tight flocks. A pair of Peregrine Falcon dove repeatedly on the passing flocks with immense speed. 

The male and female Channel Wagtail, confirmed offspring of the Blue-headed/Yellow Wagtail pair which bred on Lundy last year, have been observed multiple times prospecting a nest site in the rushes of Aerogenerator Field and foraging in Barton's Field. It's looking more and more likely they might breed. The numerous breeding Meadow Pipit have other thoughts though, scolding the wagtail couple left right and centre.

Swift have been noted fairly frequently these last few days. on the 15th, 4 were seen over the Village, and 2 on the 17th. On the 18th, 55 were counted in total across the Island!

A single Grey Heron was seen on the 16th and 17th, causing quite an upset with the Oystercatcher and gulls.

We have recently had some nice invertebrate sightings recorded in the daily Bird Log. Rose Chafer are being seen daily. The Lundy Field Society have recorded good numbers of Lepidoptera species on their tasks about the Island, including: Small Tortoiseshell, Common Blue, Small Heath, Red Admiral, Green-veined White, Painted Lady, Meadow Brown, Six-spot Burnet, Brown Silver-line and, just starting to appear, the fantastic Hummingbird Hawk Moth. Notable flowers found by the team include 15 Heath Spotted-orchid, 10 Common Spotted-orchid, 1 Bog Asphdel and Sundew around Pondsbury.

On midnight swim in Landing Bay, bioluminsescence lit up the still, dark water with a magical glow, a beautiful and surprising sight for so early in the summer.

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.