Saturday 29 November 2014

It was a stunning day on the island, with light south-easterly winds coupled with glorious clear skies and mild temperatures. There were several new arrivals during the day: a Snow Bunting flew south over the mountain ridge in the late afternoon; one Fieldfare, two Redwings and five Song Thrushes were all new in; at least four Chiffchaffs were seen alongside seven Goldcrests, with three alone together in Cristin Withy; and  a small finch passage comprised one Greenfinch, four Goldfinches and nine Linnets. A Teal was seen around The Narrows, where 15 Purple Sandpipers and a Hooded Crow were also present.

A slightly unusual angle on the Choughs feeding on Solfach

Turnstone

One of the highlights of the day was that of the discovery of a large number of micro moths on the mountain. Well over 100 Agonopterix umbellana were seen on the gorse on Pen Cristin, and five Argyrotaenia lijungiana were also found, which is a new species for Bardsey.

Acleris hyemana- a common species in the UK which emerges in October and overwinters as an adult. The larvae feed on heather, and the adults tend to rest well-camouflaged amongst low heathland plants. At least five were found near the gorse on the mountain, although there were likely to be many more
A record number of Agonopterix umbellana was found on the mountain top

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