Continued calm weather with plenty of sun to welcome our next set of guests onto the island on changeover day.

The birding highlight came fairly early doors when the distinctive flight calls of a Dotterel were heard and the wader was seen flying northwards over the Mountain. Later attempts in the afternoon to relocate the bird on the Mountain and Northwest fields were unsuccessful. Otherwise, it was a fairly steady day on the migration front with 12 Willow Warblers, two Whitethroats, three Goldcrests, two Chiffchaffs and a Sedge Warbler noted. White Wagtails have also began to appear with seven seen. 

Stonechat (C) Greg Lee

A single Bar-tailed Godwit was on Solfach along with ten Turnstones and three each of Purple Sandpiper and Dunlin were on the Narrows with a increase in Oystercatchers at the latter site to 26, after a drop in numbers post-breeding. 

Red Admirals continue to increase with 20 seen across the island along with two Painted Ladies, eight Small Whites, four Large Whites and a single Small Copper. 

Views across the Bardsey Sound from the Mountain (C) Greg Lee

The wind switched over to the west and although gentle, it was a quieter day for migrants on the island. A Swift flew over the Observatory, a Sand Martin was over the South End, two Spotted Flycatchers were at Nant, two Whitethroats were in the Wetlands and there were 12 Willow Warblers, eight Goldcrests and three Sedge Warblers.

On the Narrows, there were now four Grey Herons, including a lingering bird sporting a ring and four Sandwich Terns. Three Dunlins were at Solfach along with four Turnstones and three Redshanks. On the South End there were two Common Sandpipers and a Ringed Plover.

Sandwich Tern and Oystercatchers (C) Greg Lee

It was a good day for marine mammal sightings with several Risso's Dolphins being seen well during the afternoon after a quiet few days for cetacenas. Butterfly totals for the day included 15 Small Whites, 14 Red Admirals, 13 Green-veined Whites, nine Meadow Browns, eight Small Tortoisehells, three each of Painted Lady and Large White and singles of Common Blue and Small Copper. A Pearly Underwing in the moth trap was a nice migrant amongst an increase of Dark Swordgrass. 

Pearly Underwing (C) Greg Lee

A glorious day on Bardsey with the breeze dropping as the day went on. There was an uptick in grounded migrants with 52 Willow Warblers across the island in the various gardens and withies with the majority of birds at Nant, where a single Pied Flycatcher was also present. Three apiece of Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat were also recorded and there appeared to be a small influx of Goldcrests with nine across the island including a single bird on the South End, three ringed at the Observatory and a single on the Mountain. Another pulse of House Martins was also noted with 271 birds descending in a flock over the Wetlands and the Observatory though they hesitated to find their way into the nets. 

Pied Flycatcher (C) Greg Lee

Gull numbers had slightly dropped down from recent days with 1302 Kittiwakes noted as well as 405 Herring Gulls, 22 Black-headed Gulls and two each of Common and Mediterranean Gull. Offshore, five Sandwich Terns were raucously calling and a juvenile Common Tern was off the South End. 

Fledgling Swallows (C) Greg Lee

Wader numbers continue to trickle through with singles of Ringed Plover, Dunlin and Purple Sandpiper at Solfach along with seven Turnstones and three Redshanks. 19 Curlews flew into Henllwyn in the evening and there were two Common Sandpipers with birds at the North and South End respectively. 

Red Admirals appear to be enjoying another influx with 34 noted today, a large proportion of these being found in the Observatory Garden, Small Whites numbered 10 and there were now four Painted Ladies. A Hummingbird Hawk-moth was also seen at Nant. 

The day was overcast and cool with the wind direction switching north into the afternoon. The gulls were congregated again in large flocks on the island with 792 Herring Gulls, 529 Kittiwakes, 43 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 14 Great Black-backed Gulls, 12 Black-headed Gulls and two Sandwich Terns off the Narrows. 

Migrants in the bushes were represented by a Redstart at Nant, a Spotted Flycatcher at the Observatory, a Sedge Warbler in the Withies and 33 Willow Warblers. It was a quieter day for hirundine passage though with 30 Swallows and 16 House Martins logged during the day. Waders included two Common Sandpipers, four Turnstones, two Redshanks, 18 Curlews, two Whimbrels and singles of Dunlin and Ringed Plover. 

Willow Warbler feeding on the cliffs (C) Greg Lee

A count of the Grey Seals in the afternoon yielded 187 across the island including the pup on the West Coast and seven Painted Ladies were on the island, the majority being on the South End.

Seal underwater (C) Greg Lee

The easterly breeze continued for the day before switching to northerly in the afternoon. It was a quieter day over all with just 12 Willow Warblers noted as well as singles of Goldcrest in the Withies and Observatory garden with two remaining at Nant. A juvenile Whitethroat was along the track to Nant from the Observatory in addition. One of the roaming Collared Doves was also calling at the Observatory periodically throughout the day. 

Collared Dove (C) Greg Lee

Gull numbers remained high with 1811 Herring Gulls being joined by 70 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 16 Great Black-backed Gulls and 14 Black-headed Gulls. Two Sandwich Terns were also off the Narrows. Two Common Sandpipers were at the North End whilst Solfach held four Turnstones and singles of Dunlin and Ringed Plover. 

Butterflies were also quiet with the highlight being our third Clouded Yellow of the year on the South End with other counts including 13 Red Admirals, six Painted Ladies, eight Small Whites and four Large Whites. 

Small White (C) Greg Lee

A blustery day with a F4 easterly and sunshine starting the morning before switching to the west bringing a drop in wind and cloud cover.

Kittiwake numbers were still high with 2220 gathering on the Narrows, South End, Carreg Yr Honwy and North End. Likewise, there was still a large amount of gulls with 1426 Herring Gulls, 152 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 17 Great Black-backed Gulls, 27 Black-headed Gulls, six Mediterranean Gulls and a Common Gull. A Common Tern was on the rocks off the West Coast in the afternoon and five Sandwich Terns were routinely diving just offshore. 

Common Tern and Herring Gull (C) Greg Lee

A Bar-tailed Godwit was new in on the Narrows, being caught and ringed after dark and other waders included three Whimbrels, six Curlews, six Turnstones, two Redshanks and singles of Common Sandpiper, Dunlin, Ringed Plover and Sanderling. 

Bar-tailed Godwit (C) Ewan Turner

On the land there were 31 Willow Warblers, five Goldcrests, a Sedge Warbler and a light overhead passage of hirundines including two Sand Martins, 72 House Martins and 22 Swallows. A Short-eared Owl was seen on the Narrows during the night.

There was a reduction in butterfly activity in the breeze with singles of Common Blue and Painted Lady recorded along with nine Red Admirals, ten Green-veined Whites and eight Meadow Browns. Migrant Hawkers were in the Observatory garden and Plas Withy. 

An adult Risso's Dolphin was with a juvenile on the West Coast.

A cooling breeze from the east kept the temperature down for much of the day although it was still lovely and sunny. 

Kestrel (C) Greg Lee

A Kestrel was loitering around the Lighthouse on the South End and a Little Egret was on the North End. Our first Teal of autumn was in Solfach and a Pied Flycatcher was in the Observatory garden in the morning with it or another later being found at Plas Withy. Ten Willow Warblers were scattered around the island, a Marsh Harrier also flew through and our first Short-eared Owl of the year was a nice sighting up on the Mountain in the evening. An impressive collection of gulls and Kittiwakes was also evident with the South End logging 1860 of the latter rafting just offshore. Carreg Yr Honwy was also smothered and looked white for most of the day as it was packed with birds. Three each of Ringed Plover and Dunlin were on Solfach often associating with 11 Turnstones.

Kittiwakes rafting off the South End (C) Greg Lee

Teal and Mallard (C) Greg Lee

Six Risso's Dolphins were spied off the West Coast after a couple of days with no sightings. Insect sightings for the day included four Small Whites at Ty Pellaf, two Small Coppers, two Common Blues, 19 Red Admirals, 19 Green-veined Whites, two Large Whites, 14 Meadow Browns, one each of Small Tortoiseshell and Painted Lady and a single Migrant Hawker over the Observatory front garden. 

The night sky proved to be spectacular with the Milky Way showing well. 

Lighthouse against the night sky (C) Greg Lee

A busy day for staff as the University week came to a close, with the students departing after having a fortunate week for the weather and birds. We also said goodbye to Lauren who has concluded her field research on the Manx Shearwaters and is having a very well-deserved rest back on the mainland. We're very much looking forward to seeing the final results of her work.

There were a few noteable sightings during the day with singles of Tree Pipit and Grey Wagtail over the Wetlands, a Marsh Harrier flew north over the Narrows and two Sand Martins headed south. Around Plas, a small flock of House Martins alighted during the early afternoon with 23 birds taking interest around the chimneys. At least 14 Willow Warblers were present in the bushes and two Goldcrests remained at Nant. 

On Solfach, the crop of seaweed on the beach held 12 Turnstones, two Ringed Plovers, two Dunlins and a Redshank, with another two of the latter on the rocks at Henllwyn. A Grey Heron was still loitering around the Narrows and 16 Sandwich Terns were just offshore.

Other fauna sightings included two Porpoises off  the West Coast, singles of Silver Y and Migrant Hawker in the garden and butterflies included two Common Blues, five Painted Ladies, nine Red Admirals, four Small Tortoishells, seven Green-veined Whites and 11 Meadow Browns. 

The University students (C) Emma Stansfield

A calm start to the day before the northerly breeze increased in strength. It was cloudy and overcast in the early morning but had become a much sunnier day in the afternoon. 

It was a quieter day for grounded migrant with the totals amassing to two Pied Flycatchers at Nant, 16 Willow Warblers, three Chiffchaffs, three Sedge Warblers and a single Goldfinch. 10 Ringed Plovers, six Dunlins, 14 Turnstones, 43 Curlews, three Whimbrels and singles of Common Sandpiper, Redshank and Sanderling were recorded. 18 Sandwich Terns remained offshore and 21 Black-headed Gulls and eight Mediterranean Gulls were around the coast. 

Another Clouded Yellow in the Wetlands was a good find, a Speckled Wood was at Nant and six Painted Ladies and seven Red Admirals were logged, whilst a Silver Y was buzzing around Pen Cristin. Three Migrant Hawkers were recorded across the island with singles at Nant, Pen Cristin and the Observatory. The Grey Seal pup on the West Coast was still going strong and three Porpoises and six Risso's Dolphins passed off the North End.

Seal Pup (C) Phoebe Moss

In the evening, the students got together for a game of football on the Narrows, with a very close 5-3 score recorded before the failing light stopped play. Fortunately, the pink football was quite bright!

The much anticipated day of the bird race for the University Students with the teams getting out into the field early. 

All in all, it seemed to have been a bit of clear-out of passerine migrants with 36 Willow Warblers, one Spotted Flycatcher and five Whitethroats. However, there were now three Pied Flycatchers in the Plantation at Nant. Two Skylarks over the North End were the first records for some time and a good "blocker" for the lucky bird race team. A White Wagtail was on Solfach and 22 Wheatears were counted. 45 Swallows and 32 House Martins would pass over during the day.

It was a good day for Tern passage on the other hand with 32 Sandwich Terns descending on the West Coast and Solfach plus three each of Common and Arctic Tern briefly dropping in on the rocks, both the first of autumn. Wader totals for the day included 44 Curlews, five Whimbrels, 30 Turnstones, three Redshanks, 17 Ringed Plovers, two Dunlins and singles of Sanderling and Purple Sandpiper. 

Sandwich Tern (C) Steven Stansfield

A Harbour Porpoise was off the North End in the morning. Insect highlights during the day included a Hummingbird Hawk-moth at the Observatory, a Grayling in the North End, 11 Red Admirals, six Painted Ladies, three Common Blues, one Small Copper and a Migrant Hawker.

Grayling (C) Steve Stansfield

In the afternoon, the students were treated to a circuit round the island on Gareth's boat as well as investigating some lobster pots holding various goodies. When evening came and the kindly baked Smartie Cookies provided by Gwen and Poppy had been snaffled, it was time for the results with the winning total being 54 species. The following quiz also proved to be a nailbiter, with half a point being the difference between the winning team and the nearest competitor! A trip to catch Storm Petrels resulted in the best catch of the year with 30+ birds being ringed.

Velvet Swimming Crab (C) Greg Lee

The Lighthouse viewed from offshore (C) Greg Lee

The breeze picked up today with a rather cool and foggy start to the morning which quickly dissipated into another sunny day.

Grounded migrants were in good supply with 73 Willow Warblers leading the charge, with many birds flicking in various bushes around the island and alighting on fences. Spotted Flycatchers totalled 21 in number with many birds around the Withies and the Plantation at Nant and other migrants in lower numbers included our first Whinchat and two Redstarts of autumn, two Pied Flycatchers, four Whitethroats and two Sedge Warblers. Hirundine passage was also noted with 71 House Martins and 62 Swallows during the day.

Pied Flycatcher (C) Greg Lee

Willow Warbler (C) Greg Lee

Waders were well represented with two Lapwings seen flying south along the West Coast before briefly perching on Solfach, six Ringed Plovers, 25 Turnstones, five Redshanks, eight Curlews, four Whimbrels, two Dunlins and a single Sanderling.

At least one Kestrel remained on the island, four Common Scoters were offshore and 42 Black-headed Gulls were around the island with three Mediterranean Gulls. In the evening, seven Storm Petrels were at the North End.

Butterfly sightings were highlighted by our first Clouded Yellow of the year which was found on the South End. Elsewhere, eight Painted Ladies, 11 Red Admirals, nine Small Tortoiseshells, two Common Blues, two Graylings and a Peacock were recorded. A Migrant Hawker was at Nant and a Hummingbird Hawk-moth was at the Observatory. 

Clouded Yellow (C) Greg Lee

It was also a momentous day in the calendar with the first Grey Seal pup of the season seen down on the West Coast, lets hope many more are to come! 

Another addition to what has turned out to be quite the summer of warmth on Bardsey. This time, a gentle easterly wind was blowing in and the temperatures rose to 26℃.

There was a noteable increase in migrant passerine action with 30 Willow Warblers, seven Spotted Flycatchers, a single Whitethroat and our first two Pied Flycatchers of autumn. In the afternoon, the shaded plantation was full of action with lemon-yellow Willow Warblers  and two Goldcrests flitting through the twigs and both Spotted and Pied Flycatchers sallying for the bounty of winged insects. It also was another good day for House Martins with another 610 recorded over the island, the Lighthouse being particularly favoured. Amongst them, 58 Swallows and a single Sand Martin were also logged. 

House Martins around the Lighthouse (C) Greg Lee

House Martins on the Lighthouse (C) Greg Lee

Spotted and Pied Flycatchers (C) Greg Lee

A Red Kite toured over the Wetlands late morning, three Grey Herons were on the Narrows and two Collared Doves flew past the Observatory whilst two Kestrels remained around the island. It was quieter day for gulls and seabirds in the calm conditions with totals including five Mediterranean Gulls, 21 Black-headed Gulls and six Sandwich Terns. Waders on the island during the day consisted of seven Turnstones, two Ringed Plovers, one Common Sandpiper, 12 Redshanks, four Whimbrels, 21 Curlews and the first two Purple Sandpipers of the autumn. 

Ringed Plover (C) Greg Lee

A Speckled Wood at Nant was notable and other butterfly counts were 23 Red Admirals, 11 Small Tortoiseshell, five Painted Ladies, two Peacocks and 20 Meadow Browns. Three Migrant Hawkers were also sighted.

Offshore, six Rissos's Dolphins, two Harbour Porpoises and 39 Common Dolphins were seen.

In the evening, after a brilliant talk about birding in Israel from Steve another effort to catch Storm Petrels at the North End. Three were caught including a UK control before a combination of the very bright moon and an increase in the breeze stopped play. However, as it was the peak of the Perseid shower, there were some spectacular shooting stars. 

Meteor Showers and Storm Petrels (C) Steve Stansfield

A still and sunny start to the day before clouding over and even bringing a light bit of rain during the afternoon. The wind switched to the east during the day, it'll be interesting to see if that brings a change to the birds over the next week.

It was a day of interesting sightings throughout with a pod of eight Risso's Dolphins offshore performing for the students seawatching from the Observatory, with sightings of another 15 individuals throughout the day offshore. 23 Common Dolphins also passed by the island and a Harbour Porpoise  was off the West Coast.

On the birding front, two Marsh Harriers and two Kestrels were seen flying south, a group of five Redshanks on Solfach were joined by a Greenshank early morning (it has been a good year for this infrequent wader) and 15 Willow Warblers were in the bushes. The main talking point of the day occurred when the cloud cover rolled in and a spectacular flock of House Martins appeared over the island with a minimum count of 960 birds, the majority being over the Lighthouse, Nant, Henllwyn and the Observatory. Amongst them, two Swifts were spotted wheeling over the South End.

Offshore, three Common Scoters, 11 Sandwich Terns, 42 Gannets and 1870 Manx Shearwaters. In the warm weather, it quickly became apparent it was going to be a flying ant day with a blizzard of insects appearing across the Narrows in the afternoon. As a result, gulls were massing with 815 Herring Gulls, 20 Great Black-backed Gulls, 17 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 120 Kittiwakes, 20 Black-headed Gulls, 10 Mediterranean Gulls and a Common Gull all recorded. 

Other wader totals for the day included a single Dunlin on Solfach, five Ringed Plovers, eight Turnstones, 46 Curlews and 10 Whimbrels. 

In the afternoon, the students were then taken out to ring Manxie chicks with everyone getting involved in finding them, resulting in 19 being processed over a couple of hours.

Manx Shearwater chick (C) Steve Stansfield

Students getting stuck in (C) Steve Stansfield

Followed by an investigation into looking at some of the rare plants such as Rock Sea-Lavender and the Autumn Ladies Tresses which are spiking into the hundreds in suitable areas of short turf.

Autumn Ladies Tresses (C) Greg Lee

The main event for the evening where two talks presented by Greg and Ewan on their career path before coming to Bardsey. 

Ewan giving his talk (C) Steve Stansfield

A thankfully calmer breeze today with the sun shining nicely for the entire duration.

It didn't take long for the students to get some good birding in when a juvenile Sabine's Gull was picked up early morning flying south off the West Coast before settling on the sea and eventually drifting north. Continued efforts offshore also delivered some good seabird counts with 1405 Manx Shearwaters, 19 Fulmars, 64 Gannets, 288 Kittiwakes, 44 Sandwich Terns, 39 Black-headed Gulls, 14 Mediterranean Gulls, six Razorbills and a juvenile Puffin off the North End. 

Some large gull flocks also gathered around the island anting on the bountiful crop of flying insects with 393 Herring Gulls feeding around the Narrows, Pen Cristin and the South End.

On land, it was slightly quieter for migrants with nine Willow Warblers, five Goldcrests, five Sand Martins, 24 Swallows, 23 Wheatears and a Chiffchaff at Nant. Wader passage was represented by two Ringed Plovers, five Common Sandpipers, a Dunlin, three Turnstones, eight Whimbrels, 45 Curlews and two Redshanks. 

Turnstones (C) Greg Lee

Resident species counts included two Song Thrushes, 73 Linnets, two Blackbirds, seven Dunnocks and five Robins.

As if that wasn't enough, there was also some good dolphin activity with two pods of 20+ Common Dolphins passing off the West Coast during the day as well as two Risso's Dolphins.

Invertebrate sightings consisted of a Wall Brown on the Narrows (a rare butterfly for Bardsey), a Grayling on the North End,  two Hummingbird Hawk-moths, two Small Coppers, 14 Red Admirals and seven Painted Ladies.

In the evening, the still night allowed for a chance to catch some Storm Petrels, ultimately delivering three birds plus an additional Manx Shearwater. 

The gathering of the team (C) Steve Stansfield

Ewan assisting a student with a Storm Petrel (C) Steve Stansfield

Well, it was touch and go but the University Week managed to go ahead despite the wind trying to throw a spanner in the works! Our students from universities across the country arrived mid-afternoon on slightly choppier seas than normal along with Ewan who returned from his summer break. 

As it was changeover day, sightings during the morning were somewhat limited after a few of the Observatory Staff were conscripted into another sheep round-up on the Mountain. However, three Willow Warblers were in the Withies, a flock of 24 Curlews passed off the West Coast along with seven Sandwich Terns, two Whimbrels were on Solfach and a Grey Heron was loitering around the Wetlands.

Willow Warbler (C) Greg Lee

Insect highlights included two Hummingbird Hawk-moths, two Painted Ladies and nine Red Admirals.

Once the students had arrived and been briefed on the events of the week, followed by an orientation walk led by Greg, it was time for dinner with an excellent and vast quantity of chilli and rice followed up by some marble cake.

The arrival of the students (C) Steve Stansfield.

The vats of chilli made by Steve and Emma (C) Steve Stansfield

Later in the night, with the skies lovely and clear some stargazing was done with the bright Sturgeon Moon lighting up the sky with the occasional Perseid Meteor streaking across, the reach their peak mid-week so it should make for some great watching! Lets hope some good bird migration comes this way for the students!

Sturgeon Moon (C) Steve Stansfield

The F6 south-westerly continued today although it remained bright and sunny. 

In the breezy conditions, a large gathering of gulls was on the Narrows with 650 Herring Gulls interspersed with smaller numbers of Great Black-backed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Two Black-headed Gulls were on Solfach. 

Passerine migrants were thin on the ground with three Willow Warblers and a Goldcrest sheltering in the bushes. A new brood of House Martins had fledged on the South End, with a swirling party of youngsters routinely flying around the Lighthouse. Raptor activity consisted of singles of Peregrine and Sparrowhawk over the Mountain.

Insects logged during the day included a Painted Lady in the Wetlands, 11 Small Tortoisehells, six Red Admirals and singles of Peacock Butterfly and Migrant Hawker in the Observatory Garden. 

Painted Lady (C) Greg Lee

 A strong south-westerly dominated the first half of the day with light rain arriving in the early hours of the morning. A seawatch from the South End proved to be quieter than hoped with totals consisting of 215 Manx Shearwaters, 19 Gannets and 22 Kittiwakes. On the South End itself there was an impressive showing of Gulls with a mixed flock containing 368 Herring Gulls, 44 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and eight Great Black-backed Gulls. Over on Solfach, four Black-headed Gulls were using the area with two Redshanks.

Meadow Pipit (C) Greg Lee

Passerine numbers were unsurprisingly stifled by the wind with highlights including two Willow Warblers in the Withies and the Goldcrest from the previous day still in the Observatory garden. A check of the second-broods of the Swallows on the island revealed some healthy chicks clearly enjoying the better quantity of insects this season. 

The top sighting of the day was an addition to the Bardsey Odonata list when a Brown Hawker was found mid-morning hawking in the lee of the wind by Plas Withy. This large and striking species with its bronzy wings is fairly widespread across mainland and southern Britain but becomes less numerous in west Wales. This individual appears to be a male owing to the blue markings on the side of the abdomen. 

Brown Hawker (C) Greg Lee

Other invertebrate sightings included a Migrant Hawker in the Observatory garden, a Common Blue, Small Tortoiseshells and 15 Red Admirals.

A lovely calm day on Bardsey with sun shining all the way through. Activity on the South End was more pronounced in the still conditions with 20 House Martins swirling around the Lighthouse, consisting of the some of the juveniles from the various nests in the complex this season. Likewise, there appeared to be a conference for Meadow Pipits with a small flock gathering on the walls of the Lighthouse. 

There was an uptick in Willow Warblers with 16 recorded across the island and a Goldcrest squeaking in the garden at Cristin was a new arrival. A couple of very newly-fledged Dunnocks were also noted around the Observatory Garden. A single Chiffchaff was at Nant along with a Goldfinch.

Wader totals for the day included two Common Sandpipers at Henllwyn, a Ringed Plover over the Narrows, two Redshanks at Solfach and a Greenshank which flew calling loudly over the Observatory heading south. 

The Kestrel continued its stay on the Mountain and a lone Black-headed Gull resided on Solfach. 

Meadow Pipits at the Lighthouse (C) Greg Lee

Invertebrates included a Migrant Hawker at Nant, 25 Meadow Browns, six Red Admirals and seven Small Tortoiseshells. 

Another breezy start to the day with an F6 westerly blowing from the sea. This time though, the sun was out for the whole day. 

It was a quieter day for passerine migrants with sightings including three Willow Warblers and a Whitethroat. Waders were also quiet with two Ringed Plovers, two Redshanks and singles of Common Sandpiper, Whimbrel and Curlew. 

Gull numbers were up again though not quite to the heights of last week with 277 Herring Gulls, 54 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 13 Great Black-backed Gulls. On Solfach, 11 Black-headed Gulls were concentrated and a juvenile Mediterranean Gull was amongst them. Five Sandwich Terns also passed by including a juvenile in Solfach. 

It was a decent day for raptors too with the lingering Kestrel over the Mountain, two Peregrines, a Sparrowhawk in the Wetlands and our first sighting of a Buzzard on the island for a while, this bird was duly escorted around by three Ravens and a variety of agitated Gulls. 

With the sea too churned up to do any cetacean surveying, Phoebe walked around the island to count the Grey Seals. The majority were sheltering in Henllwyn with a very impressive final total of 252 for the day. We await the first pups to appear in September. 

There were some insects in the sheltered areas with three Migrant Hawkers (one at Cristin, two at Nant), 19 Red Admirals and eight Small Tortoiseshells (the latter seemingly have a nice emergence/influx). In the moth trap, an Orange Swift was new for the year and another smart Antler Moth was caught. 

Antler Moth (C) Greg Lee

The unseasonal F8 south-westerly gale roared in during the morning providing some much needed rain for the relatively parched island. An attempt was made to look at the sea when visibility moderately improved yielding a moderate passage of 571 Manx Shearwaters, 47 Gannets, 43 Kittiwakes, eight Fulmars and an assortment of gulls during an hour period. 

Solfach proved to hold some activity with two Ringed Plovers, a single Common Sandpiper, a Black-headed Gull, eight Magpies, two Choughs and a few large gulls. 

Once the wind had passed through, the afternoon was a complete juxtaposition to the morning with fine sunshine and blue skies. A few passerines had made it through the rain with 18 Willow Warblers, a Sedge Warbler and a Whitethroat seen along the track from the Observatory towards Nant. A Goldcrest was recorded in the Plantation.

Butterflies were unsurprisingly suppressed by the strong winds in the morning but as things calmed there was an improvement in numbers with 21 Red Admirals, eight Large Whites, four Green-veined Whites and singles of Common Blue, Small Copper and Painted Lady logged during the day. There was even some moth action with a Magpie Moth flushed in the garden and a Hummingbird Hawk-moth nectaring on some Honeysuckle at Nant. 

Sedge Warbler (C) Greg Lee

An increase in the wind and rain occured early in the morning, perhaps only a precursor for the forecast conditions on Monday. Despite this unsettled start, it turned into a lovely warm day on Bardsey with the temperatures hitting over 20 degrees on the island in the afternoon.

Passerines were slightly quiet on the migration front although five Willow Warblers were present on the South End with another squeaking away deep in the bushes in Cristin Withy. A Sedge Warbler was present in the Observatory Garden. Over on the South End, the parties of Linnets continued to feed in small parties, flying over noisily on occasion and Meadow Pipits were feeding on the turf. 

Waders were represented with three Redshanks, two Turnstones, a Whimbrel and 15 Curlews. One of the Curlews provided the sight of the day as the bird repeatedly ditched itself in the sea to evade the interest of the young female Peregrine.

Peregrine bothering a Curlew (C) Greg Lee

The lingering Kestrel remained around the Island, being seen hovering over the side of the Mountain before later being relocated over the Wetlands. 

Sandwich Terns were routinely heard throughout the day with several seen off the West Coast during the day, the far-carrying calls often giving away their presence. The largest party containing seven birds diving for fish. Over on Solfach, the Black-headed Gull count reached 11 birds. 

Chough (C) Greg Lee

Away from the birds, a count for Grey Seals yielded a final of result of 197, the majority of which were in Henllwyn. Once the weather had warmed, the insects began to appear with a Migrant Hawker in the Observatory Garden, three Common Blues, nine Red Admirals and a Painted Lady. 

A bright day and fairly warm with the temperature maxing out at 17.8 degrees and a force three north-westerly wind. Like most Saturdays, it was a day of arrivals and departures with Bethany and Tom leaving the island after a week of excellent work volunteering and Greg returning back to the island after his fortnight away on the mainland. 

As usual on a Saturday, changeover was the priority so coverage was lessened but there was a good selection of autumn fare around the island with nine Sandwich Terns including some speckled juveniles feeding off the West Coast and landing on the rocks off Solfach, nine Black-headed Gulls, two Mediterranean Gulls and a Common Gull.

Wader sightings consisted of 18 Curlews and two Whimbrels on the Narrows and three Redshanks on Solfach being joined by a single Turnstone. 

On the passerine-front, the highlight was yet another group of Crossbills with three heading south over the Observatory, mirroring the continued passage being seen across the UK. In the Observatory Garden, two Chiffchaffs and four Willow Warblers were feeding up in the bushes whilst the Song Thrushes ticked from deep in the undergrowth. 

The female juvenile Peregrine on the South End and a Kestrel were the only records of raptor activity.

The Manx Shearwater chicks are sporting some very interesting looks at the moment (C) Lauren Evans

Insects were highlighted by an Emperor Dragonfly over the garden, a Painted Lady on the South End and 12 Red Admirals. 

In the afternoon, a big pod of 15 Risso's Dolphins passed by the West Coast consisting of 13 adults, one sub-adult and one juvenile. The group were even seen interacting with fishing equipment offshore!

Risso's Dolphins (C) Phoebe Moss