Easterlies on the 18th which strengthened into the Nineteenth. A
quick interval of calm on the twentieth allowed unbelievable migrant passage earlier than some
sturdy southerly winds returned on the Twenty first. The week completed with average
prevailing winds.
Protection has remained wonderful this week and we now have
loved a file breaking passage of winter thrushes, in addition to a number of good
arrivals of birds which might be unusual on Lundy comparable to Wigeon, Jackdaw, Nice Noticed Woodpecker, Hen Harrier, Passion and
a number of species of small gull.
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| Daybreak over Millcombe © Tim Jones |
The primary Wigeon
of the yr was discovered on Quarter Wall Pond on the twenty third and a feminine Teal has been current all week at
Pondsbury.
Two Inventory Doves
have been seen on the 18th and only one on the Nineteenth. Water Rail will be heard
calling fairly recurrently in Millcombe Valley, and as much as three people have
been recorded this week.
We’ve had a refined inflow of Lapwing, with two roosting in a single day on the Nineteenth and a flock of six
spent the day in numerous fields within the south of the island. One other single chicken
was current on the twenty third up by the airstrip. We had 4 Golden Plover on the seventeenth
and three have been seen heading out to sea on the morning of the 18th. Another was
heard calling on the twentieth. Dunlin singles
have been heard most days, and on the twentieth three Dunlin flew over Stoneycroft earlier than heading out to sea, accompanied
by a single Ringed Plover. One Turnstone was with three Oystercatcher
within the Touchdown Bay on the Twenty first. Excessive rely of Snipe for the week was 5 people current or flying over on
the Nineteenth. A single Jack Snipe was by
Pondsbury on the Nineteenth.
There was a big motion out to sea off of the east coast
on the Twenty first and 1550 Kittiwake have been
recorded together with three Arctic Skua, six Mediterranean Gulls, 10 Widespread Gull, 30 Nice Black–backed Gull, 70 Gannets and 1500 Auks spp. One other single Mediterranean
Gull was seen on the seventeenth and single
Arctic Skuas have been seen on the 18th and Nineteenth. 27 Lesser Black–backed Gulls have been recorded on the Nineteenth, with small numbers current on daily basis
this week. A Nice Skua was picked up off of the west coast
on the Nineteenth in addition to six Manx Shearwaters and 124 Gannets, whereas three ‘Commic Terns’ have been seen on the east
coast. 4 Cormorants have been seen flying
collectively on the 18th.
This week three Sparrowhawks
have been seen on daily basis (one male and two females). Most excitingly we now have
had two separate ringtail Hen Harriers passing by, one juvenile
male briefly seen after which heading out to sea on the 18th. One other chicken was
seen within the afternoon of the twenty third working its approach alongside the west coast. It was
then seen once more low over Bartons Subject at 6pm earlier than heading north to roost for
the evening. A late juvenile Passion additionally
spent the evening on the island on the Nineteenth, seen from Authorities at nightfall and
picked up at first gentle from Millcombe on the twentieth. Merlins have been noticeably shifting by too with some seen
arriving in off of the ocean or departing south. The very best rely for Merlin was three birds on the seventeenth,
with two people on the Nineteenth and Twenty first. The excessive rely for Peregrine Falcon was 5 on the twenty third, which is probably the most for some time.
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| Merlin, Midway Wall © Tom Wright |
A single Jackdaw was
seen close to Quarter Wall on the twenty second, one other for the yr checklist(!). It has moved
in direction of the village on the twenty third, additionally seen in Barton’s Subject and even present in
the backyard of the lodge within the night of the twenty third! Moreover, a Nice Noticed Woodpecker was
seen flying east over Lighthouse Subject on the Nineteenth, one other unusual chicken on
Lundy – an outline species no much less!
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| Jackdaw, Brick Subject © Stuart Cossey |
Skylarks have
nonetheless been shifting over on the much less windy days, with 70 on the 18th and 40-50
in direction of the tip of the week. Swallows
have continued to trickle by with 10-20 most days and 49 on the twenty third. One Home Martin was seen on the 18th.
A few very late Willow
Warblers have popped up with one
ringed in Millcombe on the twentieth and seen at Quarter Wall simply a few hours
later. As much as seven Chiffchaffs have
been current, principally in Millcombe and alongside the decrease east path. Max Blackcap rely has decreased to twenty. A Firecrest continued to be current all
week, with two birds seen on the 18th. Goldcrest
numbers have dropped considerably although with 22 on the seventeenth lowering to
totals between 4 and 9 for the remainder of week, excluding Saturday
when 15 have been recorded. The week has seen fairly a number of sightings of Yellow-browed Warblers, someday with
two in Millcombe in addition to one Noticed
Flycatcher on the twentieth.
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| Noticed Flycatcher, Millcombe © Tim Jones |
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| Yellow-browed Warbler, Smelly Gully © Tim Jones |
The climate system within the North Sea this week has opened the
floodgates to migrants coming south, and the UK has been flooded with big
numbers of thrushes. Right here on Lundy we now have seen an uncommon steadiness of
considerably extra Fieldfare than Redwing, with 4000 Fieldfare passing over on the twentieth together with 700 Redwing. This greater than doubles the
final earlier most each day complete for Fieldfare.
The chicken actions on at the present time was an out and out spectacle, and selecting
by the lots of thrushes additionally resulted in: 23 Track Thrush, 20 Ring Ouzel, a Mistle Thrush, 1200 Chaffinch, 75 Siskin and
8 Reed Bunting. Starlings have
been shifting by as nicely with a peak of 350 on the Nineteenth and 200 most different
days. Our resident flock sometimes numbers about 130.
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| Ring Ouzel, Millcombe © Tim Jones |
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| Fieldfare © Tim Jones |
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| Fieldfare, Tillage Subject © Tom Wright |
Elevated numbers of Black
Redstart have been recorded on the
Nineteenth-Twenty first, with 4 people on the twentieth. One other very late Whinchat was picked up on the east
coast on the Twenty first and later seen by rocket pole. Stonechats quantity between 10-20 every day. One maybe ultimate Wheatear was recorded close to Tibbets on
the seventeenth. About 80 Meadow Pipits have been shifting by every
day after a robust begin to the week with 400 on the 18th.
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| Whinchat, St Helens Copse © Stuart Cossey |
A number of Yellow Wagtails have been shifting by in direction of
the tip of the week with one or two on daily basis because the twentieth. There was a
smattering of Gray Wagtails too with a pair most days,
one which was tantalisingly near mist nets in Millcombe however sadly
wasn’t efficiently caught. Highest rely of Pied/White Wagtails was 39 on the very busy twentieth October!
Goldfinches and Linnets have been in very low numbers
this week, with singles or pairs of Goldfinches
solely amounting to a weekly max of 25 on the twenty second, and a minimal of three on the
twenty third. There have been 22 Linnets on the
18th, however simply 6 on every of the next three days. A few Lesser Redpoll have been picked up in direction of the tip of the week in what appears to
be a poor yr for this species. Â Nonetheless
Chaffinches have been persistently shifting
by in pretty excessive numbers (a number of hundred on daily basis and 2000 on the 18th),
and there are good numbers of Siskin
too, with a excessive rely of 125 on the twenty second. Extra Brambling have additionally been recorded with a cumulative complete of 21,
most of which have been early within the week (max each day complete of seven on the Nineteenth).
One Greenfinch flew over on the twenty third
and the weak name of what’s proving to be a particularly elusive Bullfinch has been heard on the Nineteenth
and twentieth, with only one sighting alerting us that it’s a male.
As much as eight Snow Buntings have been seen this week,
delighting guests on the primary monitor with their obvious fearlessness. There
have been 19 data of Reed Bunting this week, with a max of eight
on the twentieth.
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| Reed Bunting, Millcombe © Tim Jones |
A number of late Small Copper butterflies have been recorded
this week in addition to as much as 4 Hummingbird
Hawk–moths in Millcombe on the seventeenth.
Contributors: Stuart Cosset, Rosie Ellis, Angus Croudace,
Tom Wright, Tim Jones, Tim Davis, Tim Worfolk, Paul Holt, Chris Baillie, Nik
Ward, Greg Conway, David Lindo, Andy Jayne