Bird Sightings

By Tara McEvoy-Wilding

I'll start my Thursday blog with Wednesday evening, as the conservation team took an excursion to the South Light area to take moth trapping on tour! The aim was to trap a Netted Pug who favour Sea Campion, and there is lots of plants around South Light. We split the trap into parts and carried a bit each up the very long set of steps! After setting up the trap we attempted to herd the group of 8 goats out of the area... Unfortunately we were outsmarted.

Being heckled by the Wingnuts

On Thursday morning we met at South Light at 6:30 to check the trap, sadly there were no Netted Pugs. We caught 3 moths, 1 Marbled Coronet and 2 Mullein Waves. Today was a Bideford boat day and we had divers arrivng so at 11, me and Simon headed down to the Landing Bay to collect the divers' luggage and and see the Oldenburg in. After lunch, helping the shop with their stores arrival, and a bit off office work, we headed back down to the Landing Bay to fill the divers' cylinders and see off the Oldenburg.

In the bird world, Greg spotted a Golden Oriole at Pointless Wall! It was decided that it was a different individual to the Golden Oriole seen a few days previously. Quarter Wall Copse was full of singing birds including Dunnock, Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Wren. A Wood Pigeon was seen on the West Coast near Aztec Bay and a Garden Warbler on the Terrace. At Belle Vue Cottages a Yellow Wagtail was seen by Thomas and Greg spotted a ringed Female Pied Flycatcher in Millcombe. Off the west coast both Common and Risso's Dolphins were sighted!

Golden Oriole at Pointless Wall by Greg Lee

In the village, a Sedge Warbler was caught- which we later learned was ringed as a juvenile in Dorset last year!

In the evening the conservation team headed out to the west coast to ring Manx Shearwaters. It was a busy night and we ended up catching 56 Manx Shearwaters, including 24 new birds and 32 retrap birds- a successful night!

Manx Shearwater ringing on the west coast

By Thomas Weston

Another breezy day from the east, though clearing to become another sunny day before some cloud and threatening weather arrived in the evening.

Bearded House Sparrow in the Village by Thomas Weston

I started census this morning with a bearded House Sparrow and a soundscape full of birds. The ‘residents’ were in full song with Robins, Dunnocks, Wrens, and our Song Thrush, all in fine voice. The migrants were also rather active too with Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, and Willow Warbler in full voice across the Millcombe area. Our finches have started nest building now and will soon be sat on eggs, so numbers of Linnets, Goldfinches and Chaffinches were down on previous days. A surprise Sedge Warbler in front of Government House was the best from the top, whilst a few Shags and the usual mix of gulls at the Landing Bay was the best from the bottom of Millcombe.

Walking to Benjamin’s Chair was breezy and a little chill in the air. A Whimbrel spiralled over the Church before drifting NE was apparently flushed near Quarter Wall on the main track. The Razorbills off the Chair were showing nicely and a passing Gannet was the best out to sea. Along the cliffs, our pair of Wheatears were singing whilst the 2^nd calander year Peregrine spent the whole duration flushing gulls and harassing the fledged Raven family – one of three successfully fledged broods this year so far! There was a more predominate chill now, which halted the Skylark and Meadow Pipit activity, though they too are nesting now so activity is a lot lower than a month ago.

The Lighthouse Fields and the Airfield were rather quiet; butterflies were found on the ground keeping warm and a few odd Chiffchaffs, plus some singing Wrens were the highlight. Large flocks of Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-Backed Gulls are now roosting in High Street Field, so they required some extra scrutiny in case anything else was hidden in amongst them. The Quarter Wall/Belle Vue Cottages were not massively active today though a Whitethroat male in the brambles was nice, and a few Swallows headed North past this spot. Brick, Tillage and Barton Fields remained quiet in the breeze – the Channel Wagtail was the best bird in these areas.

Male Kestrel in the Village by Thomas Weston

An afternoon of admin was good. A quick break saw our male Kestrel on the Church. However, our Manx Shearwater box checks went really well – we now have an increase in the number of pairs breeding since last week, and we even got to see a feeding frenzy of seabirds under impressive crepuscular clouds – mainly Herring Gulls, Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Great Black-backed Gulls, Shags, Kittiwakes and Manx Shearwaters offshore. Without seeing any signs of cetaceans to begin with, it is highly likely something was under the water causing fish to rise to the surface. Greg did however spot some distant Dolphins, and we recorded a Rock Pipit singing too – very nice, whilst visiting bird researchers in Millcombe saw a Golden Oriole who has been around for four days now!

By Emma Abel

The day started out grey and wet, and yet an Osprey had already been spotted before I even had my breakfast! It was heading North along the East coast, being chased off by all the gulls in the area.

Over on the West I headed out to Aztec to monitor Guillemots and Kittiwakes. It was good to see birds back on the cliffs and looking more settled. Kittiwakes were gathering nesting material from the grassy slopes together and some pairs have made good progress in constructing their nests on the precarious cliff shelves. Guillemots were also back in highest numbers I have seen at Aztec, with 323 in my plot (compared to a big fat zero last week!). My monitoring was accompanied by the soundtrack of singing Grey Seals, as there were three hauled out in a cave with their mournful calls echoing around the bay.

Aztec Bay by Emma Abel

Then just as the sun emerged, I headed to Jenny's Cove for a warm afternoon of seabird station and chatting to visitors. I met up with Greg to walk back and two minutes later we saw a female Black Redstart flitting around the rocks. She was very fidgety, not sitting still for long periods and hiding behind every rock between us and her, but it did mean we got a nice show of her beautiful rufous tail feathers. As we continued our walk back we saw many Painted Lady butterflies with the total over the island reaching 30 for today.

Female Black Redstart by Emma Abel

In other Bird News, Greg spotted Sunday's Golden Oriole which is hanging around and popping up in various locations around the island. Another returning rarity was the Tufted Duck that was diving on Pondsbury again today. A male Whinchat and a Redstart were also highlights hiding in the Heather. Four showy Golden Plovers were also in Barton Field. On the insect front, at least two Green Tiger Beetles and 38 Painted Ladies were counted. 

Golden Plover by Greg Lee