Bird Sightings

Another day of Northernly winds leading to a real reduction in the activity of the birds.

YellowWagtail Flavissima male in Bartons Field. ©ThomasWeston

On census, 6 Mallard were in Barton’s Field with the Yellow Wagtail male and Blue-headed Wagtail female. In the Village vicinity, 41 House Sparrows and 5 Pied Wagtails. Millcombe was sheltered quite a bit from the breeze and held 3 Swallows, 2 Willow Warbler, 2 Chiffchaff, single Blackcap, 8 Wrens, 2 Blackbirds, single Song Thrush, 2 Blackbirds, 2 Robins, 2 Dunnocks, 2 Whitethroats, 9 Chaffinches, 20 Linnets, 6 Goldfinches. From the Ugly, a single Oystercatcher was seen. Moving around to Benjamin’s Chair saw a single Kittiwake, 94 Guillemots, 38 Razorbills, 39 Puffins, a single Fulmar, a single Rock Pipit and 22 Manx Shearwaters. In the Fields, 3 Great-Black Backed Gulls, 97 Herring Gulls and 10 Lesser-Black Backed Gulls were spotted, as well as 6 Wheatear, 2 Stonechat, 9 Meadow Pipits, 6 Carrion Crows, 3 Ravens, 8 Skylarks.

Yellow Wagtails Flava (female) and Flavissima (male) in Bartons Field. ©ThomasWeston

The female Blue-headed Wagtail and the male Yellow Wagtail were seen again in Barton’s Field and showing very well.

On census, 3 Mallard were in Barton’s Field, a Feral Pigeon, 23 House Sparrows and 70 Starlings was in the Village, and a single Swift flew North. Millcombe was sheltered quite a bit from the breeze and held a single Woodpigeon, a flyover Sand Martin, 7 Swallows, 2 House Martins, single Willow Warbler, single Chiffchaff, 8 Wrens, 5 Blackbirds, single Song Thrush, 5 Robins, 3 Dunnocks, single Blackcap, 2 Whitethroats, 6 Chaffinches, 21 Linnets, 11 Goldfinches. From the Ugly, 4 Oystercatchers were seen. Moving around to Benjamin’s Chair saw 134 Guillemots, 41 Razorbills, a single Shag, a single Fulmar, and a single Rock Pipit. In the fields, 7 Wheatear, single Stonechat, 6 Great-Black Backed Gulls, 97 Herring Gulls and 6 Lesser-Black Backed Gulls were spotted, as well as 3 Carrion Crows, 3 Ravens, 7 Skylarks. In the Village, 4 Collared Doves, 70 Starlings, 23 House Sparrows, single Pied Wagtail, 8 Meadow Pipits.

A breezy Northernly wind braced the island again today.

A male Stonechat from the Ugly. ©ThomasWeston

On census, 5 Mallard were in Barton’s Field and a single Feral Pigeon remained in the vicinity of the Lambing Shed. Walking through Millcombe, this was by far the busiest place on the route with a single Woodpigeon, 6 Collared Doves, 4 Swallows, 4 House Martins, 2 Chiffchaff, a single Blackcap, 4 Whitethroat, 13 Wrens, 9 Blackbirds, single Song Thrush, 2 Robins, 5 Dunnocks, single Chaffinch, 35 Linnets and 6 Goldfinches.From the Ugly, a single Oystercatcher was in the Landing Bay, as were 2 Manx Shearwater, 2 Gannets, and a single Shag. Benjamin’s Chair saw a single Kittiwake, a single Rock Pipit, 54 Guillemots, 21 Razorbills, 29 Puffins. Gulls were seen at the latter two sites but were spread across the census with 15 Great-Black Backed Gulls, 165 Herring Gulls and 7 Lesser-Black Backed Gulls spotted, with the majority in the fields. Other counts from the fields included a single Peregrine, 6 Carrion Crows, 6 Ravens, 5 Pied Wagtails, 7 Skylarks, a Wheatear, 4 Stonechats (2 from the Ugly), 34 Starlings, and 16 Meadow Pipits. A Grey Heron was the best on Ackland’s Moor Pond, an unusual site for this species to be found. A flock of 20 House Sparrows were noteworthy in the Village.

Even though we are stuck in NW winds, a female Blue-headed wagtail was found in Barton’s Field today. Meanwhile, House Sparrows and Starlings are currently undertaking their second broods, with both species currently being impacted by the cold, sometimes wet weather we are experiencing. We caught a good number of Manx Shearwater last night with a range of new and retrap birds from previous years recorded.