Tuesday 25 August 2015

It was a great day's birding on the island, with an ever-increasing wind from the south-east encouraging some good movements of seabirds - common and scarce - past the island's coast. A few noteworthy passerines also popped up at intervals.

Headline birds for the day were largely seen out so sea:the year's first Long-tailed Skua flew south past the west side mid-afternoon, accompanied during the rest of the day by three Arctic Skuas and a Bonxie; three Gadwalls heading North up the West Side later in the day were the first to be seen on Bardsey since 2013, and were accompanied by a single Teal; two Ruffs flew south past the North Hide in the afternoon, whilst a single Green Sandpiper flew over the Observatory in the morning. Noteworthy passerine migrants included a single Tree Pipit, two Whinchats and the autumn's first Pied Flycatcher.

Totals of more common species included the following: 26 Fulmars, 14,623 Manx Shearwaters, 296 Gannets, five Common Scoters, 845 Kittiwakes, 27 Common Terns, 15 Arctic Terns and 75 Commic Terns out to sea, and one Ringed Plover, nine Purple Sandpipers, nine Dunlins, one Snipe, three Whimbrels, 34 Curlews, six Redshanks, two Common Sandpipers and 34 Tunrstones around The Narrows. Passerine counts comprised four Grey Wagtails, five White Wagtails, 13 Stonechats, 14 Wheatears, one Whitethroat, two Blackcaps, four Chiffchaffs, 11 Willow Warblers, 10 Goldcrests and one Spotted Flycatcher.

Up to 35 Turnstones have been busy feeding on Solfach recently

A handful of Dunlins have also been amongst them

The Autumn Ladie's Tresses have emerged in their thousands around the island

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