Life on Bardsey

I began my position as Assistant Warden on Bardsey on 13^th March this year, so far it’s been a none stop rollercoaster of learning and birds! Following an eventful winter, I returned, with the wardening team (Steve, his family and Liam), to Bardsey. Though winds were calmer than they had been previously the crossing was still partly choppy, but spirits were high with the prospect of what the coming season was to bring. Crossing the sound into the waters around Bardsey, the Mountain loomed above us to our right, before we turned into Cafn. Having brought our luggage up to the observatory, we set about tidying and cleaning Cristin for the next few weeks.

Ty Pellaf and the South End viewed from Pen Cristin

Gannet

Fulmar long-exposure

The first couple of weeks saw a routine build up, were the morning would be spent covering our census routes, be it the South or North End, and the manual labour would be left for the afternoon. On arrival on 13^th the first Spring migrants were already on the move, with Mark having already recorded Swallow Hirundo rustica, Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis and Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe that day! We had come over just in time, to see the build-up of migration. The next few weeks were slow, but held their highlights with migrants such as Meadow Pipits Anthus pratensis reaching peak counts of 373 birds!

Wheatear

Skylarks in flight

Meadow Pipit chart

Followed by the occasional bird of interest, Great Northern Diver Gavia immer, Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator, Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros or Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus, not to mention a Merlin Falco columbarius which had become near semi-resident on the South End. The end of March however, brought the first scarce bird of the year, in the form of a Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus, which flew through the Lowlands of the Island before landing on the Narrows and feeding with the Lesser Black-backed Larus fuscus and Herring Gulls Larus argentatus.

Glaucous Gull

It wasn’t really until the 7^th April that things really began to heat up. When a combination of the right winds and low lying mist dropped a significant number of birds on to the island. Willow Warblers Phylloscopus trochilus were spread across most of the island with at least 120 recorded along with 81 Chiffchaffs Phylloscopus collybita, 25 Goldcrests Regulus regulus, 16 Blackcaps Sylvia atricapilla and the years first three Grasshooper Warblers Locustella naevia! This resulted in over 100 birds being ringed at Cristin for the first time in 2017!

Wheatear

Little Owl

This broke down the barrier for more migrants to start streaming through, there was a slow trickle of Wheatears Oenanthe oenanthe, Tree Pipits Anthus trivialis, Blackcaps Sylvia atricapilla, Grasshopper Warblers Locustella naevia, Lesser Redpolls Carduellis flammea cabaret and many other common migrants. A Mealy Redpoll Carduellis flammea flammea found in the nets at Cristin was a personal highlight of the early weeks of April, since the species had somehow managed to allude me since I started birding!

With migration in full swing, it was just a matter of time before something rare appeared, but it definitely wasn’t what we expected. On 18^th a Pallas’s Warbler Phylloscopus proregulus hit the nets at Cristin, and was duly ringed and processed, although this represented the 21^st record for the island, it was the first to be recorded in Spring! With all the previous records falling in-between October and December. Another fantasic day of migration was recorded on 19^th and 20^th with good numbers and diversity of birds arriving on the island. Waders on Solfach had now increased to an impressive two Ringed Plovers Charadrius hiaticula, a Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria, a Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola, a Sanderling Calidris alba, a Dunlin Calidris alpina, a Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica, 45 Whimbrels Numenius phaeopusand four Common Sandpipers Actitis hypoleucos along with the usual Turnstones Arenaria interpres and Oystercatchers Haematopus ostralegus!

 Whimbrel

Dunlin

Hirundines had started to move as well with 51 Sand Martins Riparia riparia, 144 Swallows Hirundo rustica and 20 House Martins Delichon urbicum logged on 19^th and nine Sand Martins Riparia riparia, 216 Swallows Hirundo rustica and 36 House Martins Delichon urbicum recorded on 20^th. Highlight on the 19^th however, went to a cracking male Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus, and 20^th was the huge fall of over 691 Willow Warblers Phylloscopus trochilus!!! Needless to say, over 100 birds were ringed with ease.

Displaying Wheatear

Sparrowhawk

Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler chart

Things settled down partly following a fantastic run of migrants, but a good assortment of birds were still passing through allowing for pleasant birding. This was interspersed with the occasional highlight, such as Goshawk Accipiter gentilis, Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus and Ring Ouzels Turdus torquatus. However, it wasn’t over yet, April still had a final hurray, once again a favourable wind and low-lying fog grounded an incredible mixture of birds, though no migrant reached triple figures the diversity made more than up for it. Highlight was a vibrant Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix, but a supporting cast of eight Pied Flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca, 96 Willow Warblers Phylloscopus trochilus, 33 Blackcaps Sylvia atricapilla, 13 Chiffchaffs Phylloscopus Collybita, six Sedge Warblers Acrocephalus schoenobaenus, four Whitethroats Sylvia communis, three Garden Warblers Sylvia borin, three Grasshopper Warblers Locustella naevia, two Lesser Whitethroats Sylvia curruca, a Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus and six Redstarts Phoenicurus phoenicurus were much appreciated!

male Redstart

Stonechat

Ring Ouzel

May began well, as April ended. A highlight for me was a Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula flying north along the West Coast, quite the island rarity with somewhere around 30 previous records! However, a Long-eared Owl Asio otus was probably the more conventional bird to get excited about. More ringing highlights on 2^nd with Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix, multiple Spotted Flycatchers Muscicapa striata and a Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca caught at Cristin. The less said about 3^rd the better, my morning census resulted in a bird which was almost certainly a Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus bombing towards the mountainside, silhouetted by the bright and low sun. More gripping however, was when one was spotted in the Withies a mere few hours later!

Golden Oriole

Luckily, redemption came on 5^th when Liam found a Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus as it flew over the garden which continued to give good flight views throughout the rest of the day, efforts to trap the bird however were fruitless.

Wheatear

 Spotted Flycatcher

 Spotted Flycatcher

Early on 7^th reports came in of a Pallas’s Warbler Phylloscopus proregulus at Ty Nesaf, just a few minutes from the observatory. Following initial views the bird was said to have a ring, the obvious conclusion we all drew was, it was the same bird I had ringed a few weeks prior. However, following brilliant views in Nant Withy later in the day, Steve and I were able to piece the ring number together using our photos. Which resulted in an astounding discovery that this bird had infact been ringed elsewhere! A few calls later and we knew that this bird had been ringed at Spurn Bird Observatory on 11^th October 2016! 

Pallas's Warbler

What an awesome recovery, this means that this bird had successfully wintered somewhere, I hypothesis perhaps in Portugal or Spain, before doing the natural thing and back tracking its steps north and passing through Bardsey! Things quietened down after this, with a scattering of Pied Flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca, Spotted Flycatchers Muscicapa striata, Redstarts Phoenicurus phoenicurus, variuous ‘Flava’ Wagtails and Tree Pipits Anthus trivialis the only migrants of interest.

 Peregrine

 Shag defending nest

 Raven

 Razorbill close-up

Razorbill

However, a monstrous number of Hirundines made their way through the island daily. A Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio, found by Ben on his first day back, was the only highlight nearing the end of the month. It was at this point surveys and censuses began occupying most of my time.

Hirundine chart

Shelduck

 Puffin

Oystercatcher

Manx Shearwater

More blogposts to follow, discussing some of my duties as Assistant Warden on Bardsey.

A Year in Photos

2016 has been a defining year for me. In fact, 2015 seems almost like a life time ago. The first half of the year was consumed by stress and fear concerning A-levels, but perseverance and occasional birding revision breaks did get me through it, and offered a distraction from the mind numbing boredom. And having finished them, I rewarded myself with an incredible visit to the Isles of Scilly and then spent the rest of the birding year volunteering on Bardsey at the observatory.

Below I’ve made a collage of just a few of my favourite moments of 2016. Wildlife never fails to astound me.

Birding in the Algarve, Portugal (07-11/12/16)

Arriving at Faro Airport, even at 9am, the first thing that struck me was the heat. Coming from England, where we had needed to scrape the ice off the car before leaving, and arriving in Faro where it was t-shirt weather. The mild climate, made birding very enjoyable, not to mention that it provided the perfect environment for a fantastic array of wintering birds. The most obvious of which were visible on our drive to Aljezur, where we were staying. Cattle Egrets Bubulcus ibis littered the sides of the road and most fields, along with Iberian Magpies Cyanopica cyanus exploding from most bushes, sometimes in sizeable flocks of over 50 birds. Unfortunately, the day was taken up primarily with trivial tasks and it wasn't until the evening that I could actually walk the land around the house. The evening sun illuminated the shrubbery and a few birds were still flycatching in its golden glow. On my ten minute walk before the sun completely disappeared I was able to pick up on two sylvias, Sardinian Warbler Sylvia Melanocephala and Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata a nice duo to observe on your back door step.

Sardinian Warbler Sylvia Melanocephala

The 8th dawned, and once again it was a clear day, with the sun beating down as always. No time was wasted, and I set about exploring the area more thoroughly. Both Dartford and Sardinian Warbler were still chattering in the undergrowth, occasionally visible through the thick cover. Birds still seemed quite active many calling as part of the dawn chorus. Included in the mix were Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus Collybita, Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major, Serin Serinus serinus and of course both sylvia warblers.

Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major

On the wires a group of three Woodlarks Lullula arborea were singing accomponied by some Spotless Starlings Sturnus unicolor. A flight of Crag Martins Ptyonoprogne rupestris circled overhead, occasionally being lunged at by a hungry Kestrel Falco tinnunculus. Moving on to a more overgrown area, I was instantly greeted by a Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis which flushed from the dense undergrowth and a small group of four Cirl Buntings Emberiza cirlus trilled nearby.

Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus

Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis

Finally, I approached the stream running along the bottom of the valley, where I had heard a faint call reminiscent of Yellow-browed Warbler the evening before. Once again I picked up the distinctive "tsew-wit" call of a Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus, and this time there was no doubt in my mind. The bird did eventually show itself, its citrus supercilium s out from behind the leaves. Incredibly, there were a mere 20 records of this elegant species from 1985-2010, with irruption years since then producing dozens more. It is still a description species in Portugal, but whether this is because of a lack of coverage or that this is still a scarce sibe is unknown. However, I would favour the former, due to reports of a wintering population in Iberia.

Yellow-browed Warbler (record shot) Phylloscopus inornatus

Back to work on he 9th again, sorting out various problems with the house, a brief walk around the area produced very little new, but the same birds were still on show. An errand trip saw me and my father head out to Portimão in the afternoon. I saw this as an opportunity, to visit a nature reserve en route. I was dropped off at 15:30 with an hour an a half to run round Ria de Alvor before the sun would set. A magnificent pair of Black-winged Kites Elanus caeruleus hunted not to far from the road, but a tight time schedule didn't leave me much time to admire them.

Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus

Once at the reserve, there was a half an hour walk to the actual salt marsh. However, this was far from uneventful, more Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis easily reaching double figures called from around the paths, triple figures of White Stork Ciconia ciconia were also visible, accompanied by the usual Portuguese specialities including Iberian Magpie Cyanopica cyanus, Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis, Common Waxbill Estrilda astrild, Hoopoe Upupa epops and Sardinian Warbler Sylvia Melanocephala.

Stonechat Saxicola rubicola

White Stork Ciconia ciconia

The salt marsh itself borders onto the sea (or rather Ocean) creating a wide variety of habitats. On the beach, groups of waders were feeding on the invertebrates, mostly birds we are familiar with in Britain, Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola, Ringed Plover Chaadrius hiaticula, Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus, Knot Calidris canutus, Redshank Tinga erythropus, Greenshank Tringa stagnatilis, Sanderling Calidris alba and Dunlin Calidis alpina.

Dunlin Calidris alpina

Separated by a bank of mud, the lagoons held a completely different selection of birds, Spoonbills Platalea leucorodia sifted through the water next to resting Black-winged Stilts Himantopus himantopus among other waders like Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos, Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria and most notably Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus! On the passerine front the highlight was my first ever Bluethroat Luscinia svecica, a full male seen for a total of 3 seconds.

Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus

The 10th saw very little change in terms of diversity, another stroll around the area produced no new species, instead I was adamant on photographing a Sardinian Warbler Sylvia Melanocephala, since they had evaded my camera thus far.

Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala

The 11th was our last day in Portugal, I spent as much time checking the local area as possible which turned up a fly over Rock Bunting Emberiza cia and a pair of Nuthatch Sitta europaea (not quite on the same level). Before boarding the plane at Faro back to London Gatwick, we stopped at Ria Formosa, one of Portugal's most famous wildlife reserves.

Ria Formosa with roosting Little Egret

It was just before 4pm when we arrived, which left little time to explore, but I did my best. The reserve once again held a magnitude of wildlife, over a hundred waders could be seen feeding on a single lagoon, mostly made up of Redshank Tringa totanus, Greenshank Tringa nebularia, Sanderling Calidris alba and other common wintering waders. The first birds I saw on exiting the car were two Booted Eagles Aquila pennata, a pale morph and a juv. thermaling up among a group of White Storks Ciconia ciconia. On the reserve, you were surrounded by the calls of various warblers, Sardinian, Willow and even Zitting Cisticola. A Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus hovered above one of the lagoons, occasionally diving into the grass, flocks of Black-tailed Godwits Limosa limosa flew over, relocating to another lagoon, Little Egrets Egretta garzetta fed in the shallows and huge numbers of Coots Fulica atra and Gulls Larus were to be seen.

Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa

Black-winged Kite Elanus Caeruleus

Further on, another lagoon held an astounding amount of avifauna. There were flocks of White Stork Ciconia ciconia, Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus, Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia, Grey Heron Ardea cinerea, Shoveler Anas clypeata, Wigeon Anas penelope, Teal Anas crecca, Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus and Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus!

Flock of Wigeon Anas penelope

Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia

The lagoon was a veritable mecca for wintering birds. As the sun began to set, I had to make my way back, but not without one last scan, which revealed a Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia and Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis feeding and diving into the lagoons.

Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia

Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis

It was a huge shame that I only had an hour to enjoy it, I worry about the countless birds I must have missed.