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

The wind remained a cold northerly with a hint of east. A Red Kite went north over Cristin mid-morning; the fourth of the month. A Grasshopper Warbler was trapped at Cristin with a Whitethroat in the Green Lane and four Sedge Warblers, two Chiffchaffs, 14 Willow Warblers and 17 Blackcaps elsewhere. Waders continue to passs through with 33 Whimbrels, a Curlew, 40 Purple Sandpipers a Dunlin and six Ringed Plovers logged. Other birds included a Grey Heron, two Buzzards, a Sparrowhawk, a Merlin, a Collared Dove, 16 Swallows, three House Martins, 13 ..read more

Sunny spells for much of the day with a moderate northerly wind kept migrant totals low. A Bar-tailed Godwit was still with the Whimbrels that numbered 44 with a single Curlew with them. A female Teal was on Pwll Cain. A decent hirudine passage saw 17 House Martins, 23 Swallows and six Sand Martins through north. Ringing at Cristin first thing produced an unexpected Meadow Pipit with three Goldfinches, three Blackcaps and a Goldcrests. The nets were opened for an hour in the Withies mid-afternoon and caught three Sedge Warblers, two Blackcaps, a Chiffchaff and two Willow Warblers.  Other ..read more

The wind was a moderate northerly with a hint of east at times. The highlight of the day was a young male Waxwing found in the Sycamore at Cristin. The bird remained in the garden for around a quarter of an hour, calling constantly before heading off high north. Surprisingly, this is only the eighth record for the Island involing 25 individuals.  Waxwing © Ed Betteridge Elsewhere, the first Lesser Whitethroat of the year was at Cristin with the first Whinchat at Pen Cristin. A summer plumage Bar-tailed Godwit joined the Whimbrel on the Narrows with a Common Sandpiper in Solfach ..read more