Northerly winds did their best to damper migration with two Spotted Flycatcher in Cristin Withy and five White Wagtails on Solfach the only passerines of note. A small hirudine passage saw 50 Swallows, 13 Sand Martins and four House Martins logged with waders numbering seven Dunlins, 34 Whimbrels, two Curlews, six Turnstones and four Ringed Plovers. Other birds seen included a Grey Heron, a Sparrowhawk, a Collared Dove, 18 Wheatears, three Sedge Warblers, a Whitethroat, two Chiffchaffs, five Willow Warblers, two Goldfinches and seven Lesser Redpolls. Shelduck © Ed Betteridge Du ..read more

The wind had switched to northerly overnight and dominated the days weather, causing a few birds to drop on the island. A vocal Blue-headed Wagtail was on Solfach during the high tide before heading north alongside seven White Wagtails. A good variety of wading birds were also in Solfach, including the first Sanderling of the year, 15 Dunlins, three Turnstones, six Whimbrels, three Ringed Plovers and a Common Sandpiper. Three Jackdaws at the North End were the first for a while with a female Chaffinch new in at Cristin where the ..read more

Today saw a good arrival of Sedge Warblers with 16 logged including six trapped at Cristin. Garden Warblers were at Cristin and Nant with a Spotted Flycatcher also at Nant. A new juvenile male Sparrowhawk hunted the Wetlands with two Dunlins on Solfach. Sedge Warbler © Ed Betteridge During the afternoon during the first productivity checks of the Manx Shearwater burrows on the Mountain above Cristin, the first eggs were found. Other birds included a Kestrel, a Merlin, 23 Whimbrels, a Curlew, ten Wheatears, seven Swallows, five Blackcaps, a Whitethroat, ten Willow Warblers, four ..read more

Still for much of the day, light south westerly winds. Thick fog set in from mid-morning until the evening which dropped a few birds, bringing a bit of variety to the day. The highlights of the day were the first Redstart of the year, with a female seen in the South End Gorse, two Pied Flycatchers around the island (a male in the Carreg Withy, and a female ringed at Cristin), a mobile Tree Pipit, a Lesser Whitethroat at Cristin, and a beautifully bright Wood Warbler which was ringed in the Nant Plantation. A 'flava' wagtail was also heard calling from a distance towards Treath Ffynno ..read more

Calm south-easterly winds didn't produce as much as hoped but still a few birds around. The South End was suprisingly busy with a Tree Pipit, a Lesser Whitethroat, two Common Whitethroats, 14 Chiffchaffs and six Willow Warblers in the gorse. A Flava Wagtail went over with another Tree Pipit over Cristin. A male Chaffinch was at the North End with a Garden Warbler in the garden at Cristin. Waders included 11 Purple Sandpipers, eight Ringed Plovers, three Turnstones and 24 Whimbrels. A passage of hirudines saw 40 Swallows, 13 Sand Martins and six House Martins logged. Ringing at Cristin was high ..read more

On a somewhat calmer day by comparison to recently, with a southeasterly wind combined with some light rain, meant some light passage was seen throughout the day. New migrants were moving through with a further three Garden Warblers seen, a male Whinchat briefly showed itself before venturing further up the Mountain and a Cuckoo sang proudly. Other highlights included five Whitethroats, a Lesser Whitethroat, four Chiffchaffs, three Sedge Warblers, 11 Blackcaps, 19 Willow Warblers and up to 28 Wheatears around the island. Along the shoreline two Common Sandpipers and 25 Whimbrels were ..read more

 The poor weather continued with a slight easterly wind producing a small arrival. A female Pied Flycatcher was at Nant, with a Garden Warbler and two Whitethroats at Cristin and another Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler in the Withies. A pair of Gadwall were on Pwll Cain with a Teal in the Wetlands. A total of 21 Whimbrels were on the Narrows with an addittional Ringed Plover on Henllywn. A Swift went over the South End. A Siskin went over the Lowlands with a total of seven Willow Warblers, four Blackcaps and a Chiffchaff. Garden Warbler © Ed Betteridge ..read more

Todays weather can only be described as awful, with strong southerly winds and heavy rain during the day. Birdlife was in short supply with 13 Purple Sandpipers, 23 Whimbrels, a Curlew and seven Turnstones around the Narrows. Two Collared Doves toured the Island, with a Grasshopper Warbler at Cristin, a Sedge Warbler in Ty Pellaf Reedbed and a Goldfinch over.  Ringing last night produced another Whimbrel, a Common Sandpiper, six Wheatears, three Oystercatchers and a Moorhen.    Whimbrel © Ed Betteridge Common Sandpiper © Ed Betteridge We have recently hea ..read more

After days of winds with a northerly bias, today the direction changed through the course of the day finishing on a south westerly which was progressively increasing. There was a variety of migrant birds to be seen around the island. There was another push of Wheatears, with 55 logged including mostly 'Greenland' race birds. Other passerines included a Grasshopper Warbler, five Sedge Warblers, a Whitethroat, a White Wagtail, 17 Swallows, four Sand Martins, five Blackcaps, seven Willow Warblers, four Chiffchaffs as well as a calling Siberian Chiffchaff from Plas Wihty during a guided walk ..read more

The wind was still coming from the north but clear sunny skies meant temperatures didn't drop too low. A Merlin was hunting the West Coast, a Snipe was in the Lowlands, a total of 34 Whimbrels were around the Narrows and West Coast, two Sandwich Terns went north, a Colloared Dove was at Nant, a Rook flew over the Narrows and warblers totalled three Sedge Warblers, ten Blackcaps, 11 Willow Warblers and three Chiffchaffs. A total of 30 Swallows, two House Martins and four Sand Martins were feeding over the Wetlands. The day ended with a male Pied Flycatcher hunting in the front garden.  ..read more