Bird Sightings

by Greg Lee

A grey and still morning on Lundy with not a breath of wind for the first couple of hours. Sensing this as a rare opportunity, particularly with the upcoming forecast, I decided to carry my shotgun mic around with me to see if I could get some sound recordings of any birds that were around during census. Despite the wind dropping down early in the morning, there didn’t seem to be a hint of any major arrivals with Millcombe hosting single figures of both Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff, quite the reduction on the numbers experienced on Wednesday. I had been hoping to record both species in song with my microphone; however, this may have to wait as the birds were very hesitant to use their voices today! Joe and Flo had decided to set the nets up and their totals for the ringing session also reflected that it was a quiet day for migrants. Indeed, I saw a few Warblers still sporting rings, so they were likely birds from Wednesday that were still lingering in the area. Goldfinches were again active in the area, and the small flock were flitting around the area chittering to each other during my walk. As I approached Old Light, a Wheatear was sat on the dry-stone wall singing, a perfect opportunity to get some sound-recordings sorted as well as testing the wind-proofing ability of my "dead-cat" microphone cover. Hirundines were in short supply this morning, it seemed, which was perhaps surprising with the lack of wind but a mixed party of Sand Martins and Swallows over Quarter Wall caught my eye. Approaching Quarries, another Wheatear was perched nicely close to me and also broke out into song, starting with a bit of Green Sandpiper, which seems to be a popular species to mimic in the island bird community before turning to the scratchier notes typical of Wheatear, just a short while later, a female appeared, possibly by the fine vocal antics on display. High overhead, a circling Sparrowhawk was also interesting to see, we have had a few birds around recently with one even seen heading south out to sea in recent days, so perhaps this was another passing migrant.

Wheatear by G.Lee

Later on in the day, Emma and I tasked ourselves with making an indent into the recycling, a constant job but very important to sort it out on a weekly basis. It was a good effort with the pile of bags going down considerably through the afternoon. Elsewhere, Thomas relocated the Greenfinch around the village, seemingly taking company with the House Sparrows and an island scarcity in the form of two Canada Geese were seen flying down the East Side. The Mallards have also been active recently and a brood of nine ducklings was seen near the Lambing Shed, hopefully over the coming days that number stays as a constant rather than being seen as an opportunity for the local corvid population to get some food.

By Emma Abel

One of the catch! By Emma Abel

Jenny's Cove by Emma Abel

By Thomas Weston

Today was always going to be a calm day, the high pressure was building and the signs of an amazing migration day were being shown.

I awoke at 5am, long before the generator had begun so sat with a phone torch eating breakfast whilst getting ready for the day ahead. The light was gaining and the sound of the resident Herring Gulls began to fill the air as they started to move to fields to feed. I started walking down to Millcombe around 6am, joined by our volunteer Anna who is helping with the team over the next couple of weeks. 

The day was calm, tranquil and still. Unusual after the last few months but we were not complaining. We joined Greg at the bottom of Millcombe and opened the nets to undertake some ringing. It was calm, and the local Robins were first heard, plus a peep of a Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler. Within the first five minutes we had already caught 12 birds consisting of Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap too. The next net round was the same again and the ringing remained steady until around 8:30am. The birds calmed down a little with a couple of new Wren and Linnet ringed, which provided some new variety. The next few rounds gained in speed and the 10 o'clock rush occured with more Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Chiffchaff adding to the totals. A migrant Robin was a nice different species, and a control Chiffchaff from elsewhere was very exciting. Offshore we heard a Curlew and a Common Sandpiper and around 11:30, our first Common Whitethroat of the year hopped out of the bushes. Migrants never seemed to ease much, so I sent the volunteers off for lunch and asked for a cheeky takeaway one too. We gained the 100 birds processed by midday. And by the time they returned, another 30 birds had been ringed and processed. I closed the nets around 14:45 for a much needed break and a short walk to the Landing Bay with a Goldfinch being the last species/bird ringed this session. 

Admin called but an evening mist-net session called again; we shall see if there are any more birds around. The numbers of Willow Warbler will be in triple digits and the Chiffchaff not far behind with Blackcap too. Elsewhere, the first Grasshopper Warbler, Turnstone, Whimbrel were all seen this morning, as well as a few late Snipe.

by Greg Lee

The easterly wind picked up overnight and made for quite a breezy census this morning on the island. Yesterday, we were treated to a good spectacle of migration with the change in the wind direction with many Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and Swallows arriving well into the afternoon. So, I had hopes that a few new birds for the year would follow suit this morning. The normally sheltered Millcombe was more of a wind funnel today, with lots of the vegetation shaking in the breeze and causing birds to drop deep into the scrub. Nonetheless, Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs were flitting through, with some individuals even singing, creating a rich soundscape as I worked my way through the area. Though the numbers we had seen during a brief evening ringing session last night appeared to have moved on in the conditions, there was still plenty to look for and appreciate. As I headed up the road towards the village, the scent of the Alexanders wafting in the air, a bit of movement caught my eye in the trees to my left. Sure enough, I then sighted a quivering, orange/red tail attached to a very fine male Redstart, our first for the year. The bird looked at home amongst the trees, catching insects and feeding up to get that last bit of energy that may take it to a lush, Celtic rainforest woodland in a secluded Welsh valley, or perhaps even further north to Scotland. Thomas also scored an island year-tick when he reported a Tree Pipit buzzing northwards over the village, not long after a Jackdaw flew through. The rest of census saw a few more warblers in interesting places, with a Chiffchaff low in the long grass near Quarter Wall and a Willow Warbler scrambling around the staff accommodation in the village. Meanwhile, a few brave Swallows and Sand Martins were being pushed along the island by the tailwind. 

Redstart by G.Lee

Later on, the breeze died down and it was quite a muggy day. This allowed for a new cohort of guests to arrive on the island, but also another opportunity to look at Millcombe, where, like yesterday, there were plenty of birds up in the trees and in the bushes. Notably an increase in Blackcaps compared to this morning, which was pleasing to see as we approach peak passage time for this species. The tinkling of Goldfinch charms was also very evident and there obviously had been a small arrival of these birds as they noisily called to each other in loose flocks over my head. Tollie, our volunteer ranger, also managed to spot a Firecrest in the square. A Red Admiral zipping through was also a good harbinger for our butterfly transect tomorrow with Green-veined Whites also spotted yesterday across the island.