Although migration was limited today on the island, it was the perfect opportunity for the Observatory staff to continue work for the upcoming and very busy seabird season. Today was the first Gull count of the North End colonies, particularly focusing on the Herring Gulls. Although most nests still contained clutches of up to three mottled eggs, several very young chicks were seen and some eggs were even hatching as the staff undertook their counts. Several colour-ringed birds were also read in the field.

Herring Gull chick, note the egg is just about to hatch. (C) Greg Lee

At least one brood of Shags had hatched and we also found Razorbill eggs on the ledges and a Puffin egg in the many new burrows starting to appear on the East Side. A brood of 10 Mallard ducklings slap bang in the middle of the Gull colony seemed a little risky (as were the Oystercatcher nests), but the mother duck appeared to have it under control, at least for the time being...

Puffins and Razorbills (C) Greg Lee

On the non-avian front, a Cinnabar Moth in the Nant valley was a very good record, this distinctive species being quite the scarcity in recent times on Bardsey and a pheromone session brought in our first Thrift Clearwing of the year.

Thrift Clearwing (C) Greg Lee

Below is a video taken by Steve showing a some of the work undertaken today. 

A day where several highlights were noted across the island. The Cuckoo was singing in the Wetlands early morning, with a Reed Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher in Cristin Withy. A further nine Spotted Flycatchers were enjoying the Plantation at Nant whilst two new Chiffchaffs were caught in the Observatory garden. A Golden Plover flying over the Mountain was only our second sighting of the year. Our first fledged Rock Pipits of the year were sighted on the East Side during a check of the seabirds.

Spotted Flycatcher (C) Greg Lee

On the non-avian front, a check of the wetlands yielded our first Early Marsh Orchids on the cusp of flowering and a male Orange-tip in the Withies was an interesting find of this irregular butterfly species. A Garden Tiger caterpillar was found in the garden, the striking adults will be gracing the trap by the end of July. 

Early Marsh Orchid- just getting there! (C) Greg Lee

It's getting difficult to come up with new adjectives to describe the unchanging weather at the moment! A few migrants are still making their way through with a Cuckoo singing from the side of the mountain and a handful of Sedge Warblers and Spotted Flycatchers dotted around the island. A Reed Warbler was ringed in the morning along with a Whitethroat, a fellow individual of the latter also jumped briefly out of the South End gorse this morning, though it provided ample time to assure the observer that it wasn't a rare cousin... Two Canada Geese were briefly down in the Wetlands before thinking better of it and flying back out to the mainland. 

The moth-trap is starting to build-up strength in the Cristin garden with Bright-line Brown-eye and Small Square-spot jostling to take the top spot in terms of numbers. A Diamondback was our first migrant for a few days after some battered Dark Swordgrasses, despite the butterfly action earlier in the week. Otherwise, it was a continued run of new species emerging for the year.

Part of the duties for the Observatory team in the afternoon was surveying Manx Shearwater nests for occupancy and whether there are eggs being incubated. Indeed some birds are now on eggs with a notable increase in Shearwater activity with the moon waning.

Working with a view (C) Greg Lee

A rather quiet day today with small numbers of migrants and nothing particularly out of the ordinary. A Swift flew North in the afternoon, along with two Sand Martins, 11 Swallows and seven House Martins across the course of the day. 12 Whimbrels were on the Narrows and South End. Four Sedge Warblers, one Reed Warbler, two Blackcaps, four Willow Warblers, five Chiffchaffs, one Goldcrest and seven Spotted Flycatchers were also recorded.

Whitethroat (C) Ewan Turner

A scorching day on our island with the temperature reaching 21.7 degrees celsius. It was no surprise then that the island was awash with migrants, however, these weren't avian arrivals as it became clear that there was a considerable movement of migrant butterflies with both Painted Ladies and Red Admirals seemingly arriving in off the sea and moving northward. A visit down on the South End yielded a minimum count of 150 Painted Ladies feeding on the Thrift with a smaller total for Red Admirals. 

Painted Lady (C) Greg Lee

Avian migrants during the day included a mobile Cuckoo first seen at Nant and later relocated at Ty Pellaf, 12 Spotted Flycatchers, seven Whitethroats, two Chiffchaffs, two Sedge Warblers and a single Willow Warbler. Three Sandwich Terns passed offshore and three Turnstones were joined at Solfach by two each of Dunlin and Sanderling. 

Another arrival on the island concerned the cattle herd, having not been present during 2024 they were put to work in the wetlands to provide some beneficial conservation grazing. They certainly seemed to be enjoying the warm sun and their new pastures. 

Cows in the wetlands. (C) Greg Lee

 A  big day for butterfly migration today, with a minimum of 168 Painted Ladies record across the island, 150 of which were all on the South End feeding on the thrift. 37 Red Admirals were also recorded, the majority of which were also on the South End.

Two Sanderlings, two Dunlin, three Turnstone and a Whimbrel were on the Narrows this morning. A Common Sandpiper was on the North End along with a Merlin and one of the first Oystercatcher chicks of the year - unfortunately seen only in the talons of the Merlin!

A Cuckoo was at Nant, along with nine Spotted Flycatchers seven Whitethroats and a Chiffchaff. A Tree Pipit flew north over the Obs first thing this morning also.

Spotted Flycatcher (C) Ewan Turner

Another day with an exciting bird! Census was fairly quiet this morning with the odd migrant dotted around. A few Spotted Flycatchers, Sedge Warblers and Chiffchaffs mainly. Me, Steve and Greg went down to the Narrows to help Gareth with his preparations to bring the cattle back onto the island. After we had finished helping, Greg picked up a Kite circling high above the wetlands, alerted by the alarm of a flock of Choughs below it. As we all got onto the bird it quickly became apparent that it was a Black Kite! we watched it circle high with a Buzzard until it was lost from view, Emma managed some photos of it from the Obs.

Black Kite (Right) and Buzzard (Left) (C) Emma Stansfield

Black Kite (C) Emma Stansfield

Other sightings of note include a Grey Wagtail south over Henllwyn, Three Whimbrel, 25 Turnstone, two Collared Doves, one Reed Warbler and one Whitethroat. 

A day of quality over quantity with a respectable list of notables to fill the notepads up. Three Crossbills at Nant in the early morning appeared to be young birds starting their dispersal. Crossbills are early breeders which often begin laying in February so coastal migration watchpoints can begin to see movements of birds from mid-May onwards. 

Over at Solfach, it appeared to be a good day for the waders with our first Lapwing of the year which moved on quickly, possibly a non-breeder or maybe even a failed breeder. A smart Grey Plover was a good find of this irregular visitor on the island, again a first for the year. This particular bird dropped down into a charming mixed wader flock which boasted two Ringed Plovers, six Sanderlings, eight Dunlins and nine Turnstones.

Sanderlings, Turnstone and Dunlin in the foreground (C) Greg Lee

A Blue-headed Wagtail was on the Narrows in the morning but was particularly mobile. Other notable highlights inlcluded a Swift moving quickly through the wetlands, a Tree Pipit at Ty Pellaf, a Spotted Flycatcher at Nant and two Reed Warblers. 

This morning was quiet with few migrants around and almost nothing in the nets. So it was quite the surprise when, during the welcome talk for our oncoming guests, Steve spotted a large bird flying along the West Coast, NW of the Obs. It was a Black Stork! Representing the first ever record for the island. after a quick dash to the north end it was seen again flying distantly over the mainland where it was picked up again and seen to land in a field in Rhoshirwaun. 

Black Stork (C) Ewan Turner

Other than that, the day was quiet - but we weren't complaining! A female Yellow Wagtail was on the South End and singles of Reed Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Spotted Flycatcher were recorded across the island. Two Sedge Warblers, one Sand Martin, eight House Martins, 29 Swallows and 14 Whimbrels were also seen.

A breezy start with fine weather, perhaps too fine and clear to drop many migrants in with a quiet ringing session at the Observatory yielding singles of Spotted Flycatcher and Blackcap. A Cuckoo discovered mid-morning on the side of the mountain was relatively accommodating to admirers, later being seen in the Observatory garden with a big Lackey caterpillar as its prize. A small uptick in waders was also noted with six Ringed Plovers feeding on the grass on the Narrows, two Bar-tailed Godwits, nine Turnstones and 12 Dunlins.

Cuckoo (C) Greg Lee

The main event of the day for the Observatory staff was a boat trip around the east side of the island to count the Shag and Fulmar nests with 64 of the former a good count, it is still a little early for the Fulmars to hit their peak. Aside from the target species, the ledges were holding a healthy number of Guillemots, Kittiwakes, Razorbills and Puffins, the auks in particular were rafting on the water in their hundreds. A Purple Sandpiper right on the water's edge was an added bonus. A rather impressive Barrel Jellyfish was floating in the turquoise waters in the Sound and a few smaller jellies were noted in Henllwyn. 

Some lovely views to be had of the scores of rafting auks on the sea. (C) Greg Lee

There was positive signs on the Puffin front too with more new sites potentially holding nesting birds. (C) Greg Lee

 A rather quiet day today with few migrants around. Small numbers of Spotted Flycatchers arrived mid morning with five in the Obs garden and one in the withies. Four Sedge Warblers, two Blackcaps, eight Chiffchaffs and two Willow Warblers were also in the garden.

14 Swallows, seven House Martins and a single Sand Martin passed through the island and 11 Whimbrel and one Curlew were the only waders recorded apart from Oystercatchers.

A visit to the East Side to monitor Choughs and seabirds was successful, many Razorbills, Guillemots and Shags are on eggs, Puffins are in Burrows and Fulmars on ledges!

Razorbill (C) Ewan Turner

A drop in the winds and a bit of cloud later on in the night may have raised hopes that some further migration this morning could've occurred. The general prognosis on the early rounds, on the other hand, detailed a clearout of the migrants from yesterday rather than arrival. However, the nature of birding on the island teaches us that surprises are always around the corner. When Ewan broadcasted the news on the intial crackle of the radio, you could sense the excitement in his voice as our sixth Hoopoe of the season had managed to find itself in a mist-net in the Observatory garden, only the fourth to be ringed on Bardsey! 

Hoopoe (C) Steve Stansfield

The Hoopoe was aged as a young bird from the previous year based on plumage detail and subsequently flew strongly north alongside the edge of the mountain on release. A rather unexpected result in the continued northerlies. 

Other bird news was relatively limited with a Spotted Flycatcher around the Observatory along with a smattering of Chiffchaffs and a Willow Warbler, a Common Sandpiper on the North end, a singing Skylark on the South End, a flock of 16 Whimbrels on the Narrows and a Little Egret off the West Coast.

A bit of nest-finding in the afternoon paid off with several Linnet nests found in the Gorse bushes on the island, one of which had a clutch of eggs.

Linnet nest (C) Ewan Turner

Northerlies are still persisting yet birds still keep turning up in small numbers. A Yellow Wagtail was on the South End this afternoon, representing our third record of the spring. We also had our third Pied Flycatcher at Nant this morning along with a Redstart and a Spotted Flycatcher. A second Redstart was also seen in the Withies and a single Spotted Flycatcher was in the Obs Garden. 

Spotted Flycatcher (C) Ewan Turner

Three Sedge Warblers, two Whitethroats, three Blackcaps and 15 Wheatears were also recorded, along with two Skylarks on the South End (the first for a number of weeks). 29 Swallows, 11 House Martins and two Sand Martins were seen across the island over the course of the day. A good variety of waders also remains, with 11 Whimbrels, five Dunlin, one Ringed Plover, two Bar-Tailed Godwits and a single Turnstone.

Northerly winds continue to dominate proceedings and limit the migration currently. A Little Ringed Plover on the beach at Solfach was a good island record (11 previous records, last being in 2016!)  for this charming wader and a Black-headed Gull off of the South End was another "island oddity". Otherwise, things were relatively the same with the two Bar-tailed Godwits from yesterday still favouring the turf near the Lighthouse, the Hooded Crow once again over the Narrows, two Dunlins on the beach at Solfach, a Spotted Flycatcher at Nant and four Sedge Warblers lurking in the Withies. A small congregation of five Wheatears on the West Coast were likely Greenland birds moving through. In previous years there have been impressive triple-figure counts of these birds in May when weather conditions allow for such falls. In the early evening, two Stonechat broods were ringed and fitted with colour-rings. Hopefully in a few weeks we'll be seeing the fledglings all over the island.

Away from the birding, our Assistant Wardens and volunteer Dylan took advantage of the relatively quiet day to complete the rather herculean task of assembling the new "poo-pit". After several drills breaking, wrong pieces assembled, minor injuries and distractions from various birds, we've finally got it levelled and looking swish! Here is hoping it lasts for many years!

Lots of adjusting to get that levelling just right! (C) Greg Lee

The nearly-finished result, just needs the concrete to set and hinges for the doors. (C) Steve Stansfield

We were not expecting much this morning with the strong northerly winds, so you can probably imagine our complete surprise when a Bee-eater flew through the island mid afternoon! After hearing it call it showed itself above the Obs, circling overhead giving fantastic views! It then headed south along the mountain to Ty Pellaf before circling low overhead some more, and then shooting off south and out over the sea! 

The sunset this evening, as everybody rushed out without a camera when the Bee-eater turned up! (C) Ewan Turner

Aside from the Bee-eater excitement we had our first Reed Warbler of the year, along with  three Sedge Warblers, one Whitethroat, four Chiffchaffs, 21 Wheatears, one Tree Pipit, four Sand Martins, 12 House Martins and 40 Swallows.

Wader numbers are beginning to pick up with five Sanderling, nine Dunlin, two Bar-tailed Godwits, 17 Whimbrel and two Turnstone recorded. A single Common Scoter was also recorded heading south.

A cold bite to the strong northerlies made it hard work birding out there ,which, coupled with it being changeover day, limited coverage of the island. The Hooded Crow perhaps took top billing, particularly when it gave an atypically close flypast of the Observatory! Solfach held some wader action in the morning with a Sanderling and a small flock of 12 Dunlins using the beach with another three favouring the short turf on the South End. A flock of ten Whimbrels were also down the South End and a Common Sandpiper was in Henllwyn. As the wind picked up in the evening, it appeared the Seal population wanted some respite from the cold breeze too with 100+ hauled out at Henllywn, where it was relatively sheltered. Off the South End, a large gathering of Manx Shearwaters and Kittiwakes were offshore and a House Martin had returned to prospect the Lighthouse complex for the nesting season. Mainland visitors included singles of Kestrel, Grey Heron and Buzzard. On the migrant passerine front, it was a little quiet but a Spotted Flycatcher was around the Observatory during the day. 

Hooded Crow (C) Greg Lee

A sunny but windy day today which was fairly quite but with a nice bit of variation. The highlight was a third sighting of a/the Red-Rumped Swallow at Ty Pellaf briefly this morning. Warbler numbers were low but varied with a Lesser Whitethroat in the Obs garden this morning along with a Garden Warbler and single Blackcap. Four Whitethroats were recorded across the island as well as six Sedge Warblers, two Chiffchaffs, 15 Wheatears, one White Wagtail, three House Martins, two Sand Martins and 44 Swallows.

26 Whimbrel, one Curlew, one Sanderling, three Turnstone and two Collared Doves were also recorded today. Oystercatchers are settling down and breeding with the first few nests appearing on the island, there will be many more to come as the season progresses!  

Oystercatcher nest (C) Ewan Turner

The warm weather continues on the island, though the wind is due to swing to the north at the end of this week. The morning ringing session was highlighted by a fine Redstart, a Garden Warbler and two Spotted Flycatchers along with a Lesser Whitethroat seen in the vicinity of the Observatory garden. The Hoopoe from the previous few days was still around Pen Cristin and Ty Pellaf, another Spotted Flycatcher was down at Nant and at least three Dunlins were around. The main talking point of the day was another Red-rumped Swallow which was seen briefly around Ty Pellaf before moving north with a Swallow. 

Redstart (C) Ewan Turner

Garden Warbler (C) Ewan Turner

In action (C) Rosie Durrant

Highlight of today was yesterdays Hoopoe which reappeared at Ty Pellaf in the afternoon and showed reasonably well but was still flightily! Ringing in the morning was successful with our first Pied Flycatcher of the year and first few Spotted Flycatchers of the year as well. Three were trapped and ringed and 9 were seen in total.

Pied Flycatcher © Ewan Turner

15 Sedge Warblers, two Whitethroats, one Garden Warblers, seven Blackcaps, 17 Dunlins, 21 Whimbrels and two Common Sandpipers were also recorded. We also colour-rinnged our first Stonechat chicks of the year this afternoon!

First Stonechat chick colour-ringed © Ewan Turner

Hoopoe © Dylan Donnely

Hoopoe © Steve Stansfield

The warmth and still weather was almost akin to the Mediterranean on the island today but the question hung over our heads, would the birds respond to the improvement in weather?

The answer was relatively quick with a lovely Nightingale found singing deep in the scrub in the Observatory garden, before being trapped and ringed early in the morning, an excellent life-tick for Ewan and an irregular migrant on the island. 

Nightingale (C) Steve Stansfield

Greg, who had been trying to rustle something up on the South End, decided to miss out on the Nightingale but managed to make his own luck when on his umpteenth scan of all the fences and bushes on the island, his binoculars fixed onto a superb Woodchat Shrike on a fence west of Ty Pellaf! The first record since 2021 of this colourful and much hoped for southern overshoot. Fortunately, the bird stuck around for an admiring crowd and showed very well along the fenceline, despite getting a bit of stick from the local Stonechats. However, it soon flew north into the central lowlands of the island and disappeared.

Woodchat Shrike with a Chiffchaff photobombing (C) Greg Lee

Woodchat Shrike (C) Steve Stansfield

The Mediterranean theme was not done for the day just yet, however, as whilst attempting to refind the Shrike, Ewan then discovered the fifth Hoopoe of the season in the North-west Fields which would then head south after giving everyone some flight views. Whilst walking along the West Coast to catch up with the Hoopoe, it was then Steve's turn to tap into the spring overshoot vein with a Red-rumped Swallow blasting northward over the island in the company of two Sand Martins!

Other notables on the island during the day included yet another Hooded Crow loitering on the Narrows with the Carrion Crows, two Ringed Plovers, a Kestrel around Pen Cristin, two Dunlins over the South End and an increase in Blackcaps and Sedge Warblers. Up to 49 Whimbrels were feeding around the South End, West Coast and Narrows in the morning. 

Whimbrel (C) Steve Stansfield 

It wasn't just the scarcities on the bird-front either, with a Water Carpet in the Observatory moth-trap just the seventh record for the island. 

Water Carpet (C) Greg Lee

A rather quiet day today with the highlight being a Bar-Tailed Godwit on Solfach this morning. 11 Whimbrel were seen across the island, four of which were trapped and added to our colour-ringing project this evening. Four Turnstone and a single Curlew were the only other waders recorded today. One of the Whimbrels seen today was already wearing colour-rings and was ringed on the island in 2022! Great to see this bird passing through the island once again whilst on its way to its breeding grounds in the north!

Whimbrel ringed on the island in 2022 (C) Ewan Turner

Another Whimbrel added to the project! (C) Greg Lee

Five Sedge Warblers, four Chiffchaffs, seven Willow Warblers, 30 Swallows, five House Martins and a Red Kite were also recorded today.

A rather blustery, grey day on the island but there were a few highlights to be had for those who ventured out. Our first Arctic Terns of the year were recorded with a pair heading north offshore mid-afternoon and our first Sanderling of the year in Henllywn was hopefully an advance party for the upcoming May wader passage. A Garden Warbler and a Sedge Warbler were in the Withies, two White Wagtails were at Solfach and common migrants were in relatively short supply with four Willow Warblers, five Blackcaps and eight Chiffchaffs making up the rest of the slim pickings. Whimbrels had also cleared out with just 15 recorded across the island.

Dazzling bycatch! A Wood Mouse on the Narrows last night. (C) Greg Lee

There are still some nest-sites to be claimed this year but a recent uptick in activity for our Choughs has sparked promise that these vacancies won't be occurring for too much longer. (C) Greg Lee

An early start today to get the Obs cleaned and ready for the next group of guests to arrive. We said goodbye to the 12 Bangor University who joined us for the first of this years University weeks. A fantastic week with some great birds and we hope that all the students had a great time! 

A fairly quiet day for birds with 34 Whimbrels, three Black-Headed Gulls, two Sandwich Terns, one Dunlin, 35 Swallows, 18 Sand Martins, four House Martins and 18 Wheatears the only birds of note.

The end of the Bangor University week! (C) Steve Stansfield

 The last full day of the trip from Bangor University and the weather unfortunately was rather dark and dreary. On the plus side though, the migrants seemed to have come in with at least one Cuckoo having passed through, first seen on the Mountain but a smart feather was found in the Withies. There was also a couple of new birds for the year with a Lesser Whitethroat and two Garden Warblers in the Withies which were joined by a new male Firecrest. Other migrant totals included 40 Willow Warblers, 23 Chiffchaffs, 26 Blackcaps, six Sedge Warblers, three Grasshopper Warblers, three Tree Pipits, seven Lesser Redpolls and one Whitethroat. A large Pipit sp. was disappointingly elusive and vanished into the Gorse on the Mountain before it could be clinched. 

Firecrest (C) Nathan Jackson

Garden Warbler (C) Nathan Jackson

The Whimbrels continue to increase with up to 40 favouring the South End and the Narrows at times, two of which were caught after dark and ringed. Other notable sightings included a Ringed Plover, a Purple Sandpiper, a male Chaffinch, a Collared Dove and the lingering Gadwall pair. 

The skulking Sedge Warbler at Nant in the evening murk (C) Greg Lee

The day of the University bird race and as such, coverage of the island was almost constant throughout the day as three teams competed to get the highest bird total. 

Highlights found during the race included two Canada Geese off the North End, two Rooks on the South End, the Gadwall pair, our first Black-headed Gull of the year touring just offshore, a Ringed Plover, a Purple Sandpiper and flyovers of Siskin and Lesser Redpoll. Migrant totals included three Grasshopper Warblers, four Sedge Warblers, 12 Willow Warblers, six Chiffchaffs, three White Wagtails, 55 Swallows, 32 Sand Martins and four House Martins. The results were very close with the winning team captained by Greg achieving 53 species and also proving that the early bird catches the worm, as they were out at 6am to join Greg for his breeding bird census up on the Mountain! This is despite missing out on some expected species such as Peregrine and Merlin. 

Purple Sandpiper- one of the highly prized species sought by our teams (C) Nathan Jackson

In the evening, it was time for the quiz with a very close result with a sudden death round needing to determine who was the winning team, rounds included feather ID, botanical knowledge, invertebrates and even a topical bonus round on the papacy! Ewan's team just managed to clinch victory with some extremely impressive anagram solving speed on display from all teams.

The teams ready for action (C) Steve Stansfield

A still, calm morning after a lashing from the rain overnight. As the rain had only stopped at dawn, there seemed to be less birds about with 19 Wheatears, eight Willow Warblers, four Chiffchaffs, one White Wagtail, 45 Swallows, four House Martins and seven Sand Martins. Whimbrel numbers are beginning to increase with up to 18 recorded around the island today. A trip around the East side for the students on the boat courtesy of Gareth allowed views of the seabirds colonies which are beginning to build although numbers where slightly low in the mid-afternoon. 

Kittiwakes on the cliffs (C) Nathan Jackson

The Puffins proved to be popular with close views on the water. (C) Greg Lee

In the afternoon, a rockpooling session with the students was successful with a Risso's Crab being the first documented record for Bardsey, this species usually being found further south.  

The rather smart Risso's Crab (C) Steven Stansfield

A photo in it's natural habitat (C) Yolanda Evans

Gem Anemone (C) Steven Stansfield

In the evening, the students were taken out to do some more Manx Shearwater ringing, with plenty of these birds founds in the North West Fields.