Bird Sightings

By Greg Lee

The first still day for a while and an indicator of what should be an upturn in the fortunes of the weather over the next couple of days.

Today, Thomas, Eleanor, Maddie and I joined Tony and Ann Taylor who are currently here adding to the Wheatear colour-ringing project on Lundy. We concentrated mainly on the Castle area in the morning where a couple of unringed birds were present along with already colour-marked individuals. It was quite the success today with three new birds added to the project along with a previously known individual which found the temptation of a Waxworm all too strong. Since many birds now have hungry mouths to feed, any good food source is worth taking. Whilst waiting patiently, it was also apparent that a large movement of House Martins was going on with large flocks of birds pushing through in the low cloud along with the occasional Swift racing over. Meanwhile, there was also a significant arrival of insects with Painted Ladies beginning to stream through. Looking at Benjamin’s Chair, we also noted some Puffins now amongst the Razorbills rafting offshore, over the next couple of months they should become a regular feature of census on this part of the route. An attempt to catch more Wheatears further up on the West Coast in the afternoon wasn’t quite as successful, but the settled weather over the next few days should provide further opportunities.

Spotted Flycatcher

Elsewhere on the island, it was a good day for birds with two new Golden Orioles found on the East Side near Quarter Wall Copse and the amazing sight of three Cuckoos perched along the fenceline near Quarter Wall. More additions in what has been a good spring for both these species on Lundy. A Tree Pipit overhead was another good record, a Pied Flycatcher at Goat Island, two Reed Warblers were logged and Spotted Flycatchers totalled 14 across the island. Perhaps the highlight of the day was a smart male Red-veined Darter, just the third record of this migrant dragonfly species for Lundy.

Red-veined Darter by Thomas Weston

By Thomas Weston

The morning started with me going down to Millcombe to lead a Lundy Field Society (LFS) Ringing demonstration. It was rather breezy from the SW and there was fog on the plateau which did not fill me with much hope. However, parts of Millcombe were calm and the nets I planned to open were in the shelter. The meetup and start time were both 6am, though on walking down I could hear people chatting and having tea and coffee. It was only a couple of mins after 6am but everyone was super keen, and I was just opening nets!

I was joined by another S permit ringing trainer Rackie, as well as conservation team member Maddie (with Alex), plus 20 LFS participants. The session started well with a nice range of species. Singles of Goldfinch, Linnet and Blackcap were nice, followed by a couple of Chiffchaff, an unusually new male Dunnock in full breeding attire, as well as a pair of Chaffinches – one being new and the other a retrap. The surprises came in the form of the ‘Acros’. We ended up catching 3 Sedge Warbler and 2 Reed Warbler. Amazingly, whilst the ringing demonstration was going on we ended up seeing at least three more Sedge Warblers fly in off the sea and land in Smelly Gully, and a third unringed Reed Warbler remained singing in Millcombe Pond. Where else would you like to be when that’s the best habitat around?

The session ended around 10:00, though I was lucky enough to see some of the moths from the LFS Moth Trapping session too. A personal favourite was Chinese Character, though the Buff Tips are always fun to see.

Back to birds and there was a burst of Spotted Flycatcher migration noted on the way up to the Tavern. This was also noted by Greg who was on census this morning. At first he initially saw at least five in Millcombe, though birds migrating through led to at least seven being seen whilst walking up after the end of the session – in reality I think there were a few more! In addition to this there were at least four along the East Coast, and I subsequently found another at Old Light, so there were at least twelve on the island today.

Whilst Maddie, Emma and Greg were helping RSPB undertake some seabird surveys in Jenny’s Cove, the rest of the Conservation Team consisting of Simon, Tara, Eleanor and I met a wildlife film crew who are keen to showcase our Puffins and Manx Shearwaters. We showed them a Puffin colony on the west coast, and we saw about thirty-six individuals on the water which was nice and gave food for thought for the coming filming days. We aimed to show the team the Manx Shearwater study colony, though some logistical issues led to this being delayed until the evening. As a result, we walked back to the Village and before we had a well-earned chill, after the 5am start and busy daytime + nighttime schedule, the next surprise flew overhead calling. It was a Red-throated Pipit, a rare bird who has not been recorded on the island since 2023. The bird gave two or three calls as it flew over heading from East to West. The bird was independently heard by me and a fellow bird watcher who were both close in distance, but unaware of each other’s presence or the fact we both heard the bird. We discussed our observations of this bird and confirmed each other’s thoughts and beliefs. Amazing!

Ready for the evening ahead and a night on the cliffs with the Conservation Team and hopefully some Manx Shearwaters too! And with the wind noticeably dropping, the temperatures rose! The cold, miserable, windy and wet weather of the past few days was just a memory as the warm, high pressure rose from the south. Surely there will be some rather more special birds on the way!

By Greg Lee

The rain swept in overnight with the horizontal element to the downpour causing an early wrap-up to our LFS Manx Shearwater evening, the strong precipitation would last well into the morning, curtailing census in the adverse conditions.

However, with the rain subsiding late morning, members of the Conservation Team were able to join the RSPB in counting the gull colonies along the southwestern corner of the island. Despite the strong breeze, it was good work out there with the stunning scenery and landscape complemented by carpets of Thrift and the familiar scent of the emerging Bracken along with some of the Mint that grows on the slopes. We have recently acquired something to record a rare moth associated with Thrift and hopefully we can report on some success when the weather begins to calm. Some Bluebells still remain in flower, a plant I normally associate with woodlands still emerald green from freshly-emerged leaves at this time of year, but on Lundy seems quite content on growing around Ackland's Moor and elsewhere on the island. On the other hand, the purple-blue of emerging Sheep’s-bit Scabious battled to outshine the Bluebells in terms of who can claim the title of superior blue flower.

Thrift by Greg Lee

Back on to the birds and it was a positive turn out for the gulls, with the Lesser Black-backed Gulls perhaps doing slightly better than expected, their smart yellow legs glowing as they sat amongst their colonies. A couple of Great Black-backed Gull nests were also spotted, these overlords of the cliffs often choosing isolated areas away from the other gull species, who aren’t keen on being close neighbours with their brutish cousins. Interestingly, there seemed to be a good number of Razorbills about, possibly suggesting that they are spreading around the island to new areas, with many birds whirring off the cliffs and over the waters close by. Gazing out to sea, a constant stream of Manx Shearwaters was also evident, having probably appreciated the foul conditions the previous night to return to the cliffs. A good flying demonstration by a pair of Peregrines was also appreciated. Over near Old Light, a lone Painted Lady was being thrashed about by the winds.

Later on, with the winds ramping up, a report of a possible interesting bird had us scouring the airfield, though perhaps sensibly, apart from a few Meadow Pipits, most birds were laying low. However, a consolation was a lone Ringed Plover feeding nicely on the turf near the Water Tanks, these birds being fairly scarce visitors to the island in most years.

Ringed Plover by Greg Lee