by Kirsty Cox
This week has been a week of ‘lasts’ as on Monday I come to the end of my time on Lundy. It has been quite the three months and I can’t quite believe it is coming to an end.
Today was my last East Coast Survey and this is also my last Blog, so another two ‘lasts’ ticked off!
I started with some ID work in the office which led to more updates to the ever evolving Seal Report I am writing as I managed to ID one of the tagged seals that I had photographed earlier in the season. She has visited Lundy before and is a West Hatch rehabbed seal known as Combe Florrie Tutti Frutti.
Then I walked to the north end to start my survey at 11.35. It was a lovely day to be walking the East Coast - the wind has dropped and although it was overcast, there was no rain. The north end of the island was suspiciously quiet seal wise but I realised why when I reached Quarry Beach and there were 68 seals hauled out! That counts as the biggest haul out this season by some way as all the others have all been around 30-40. It was just wonderful to see them relaxing undisturbed on the beach. 
Spot the Seals at Quarry Beach!
And I was also treated to the sight of a new white coat pup! There hasn’t been a new one in two weeks now so I had thought it was unlikely there would be any more but it felt very special to see another one before I go. So, for a last East Coast Survey it was certainly eventful!
Creating the survey album and processing the photos in the office took a while but it meant I could also have a catch up with Thomas who had done census this morning and had also been up to visit the Storm Petrel colony at the North End. There were some amazing counts on the island today with lots of visible migration. At log the final numbers were 444 Woodpigeon (the highest Lundy count ever!), 1191 Starlings, 108 Song Thrushes, 3 Mistle Thrush, 1592 Redwing, 34 Blackbird, 27 Fieldfare, a Ring Ouzel, 10,111 Chaffinches, 15 Brambling, 3 Greenfinches, 131 Siskins, a Lapland Bunting, 9 Snow Buntings, 2 Golden Plover, 1 Woodcock, 3 Snipe, 2 Merlin, 5 Sparrowhawk, 81 Skylark, 4 Swallows, 17 Chiffchaff, 31 Blackcap and an Eastern Lesser Whitethroat.
And that’s the end of my last Blog post. Thank you for reading - it has been lovely to meet people visiting Lundy who have said that they have enjoyed hearing about the seals over the past months. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to count myself as part of the Lundy Conservation Team this season and to feel as if I have contributed in a very small way to the protection of the amazing Grey Seal population here. Thank you for having me Lundy!
by Kirsty Cox
In a short break between weather hitting us from Storm Austen and Storm Boelo, there was an opportunity today for the helicopters to run, so a Sunday unexpectedly became a travel day which meant I was on Housekeeping.
But first thing, making the most of the window of calmer weather, I was able to get out and do a full pup check for the first time since the 22nd. Since then the winds have been too strong for me to get to all the check points. There were a number of seals hauled out during the check which was good to see following the stormy seas. Sadly there was no sign today of the smaller pups who are still around but there was a weaned and moulted pup on Quarry Beach and another in the Landing Bay.
Back at the office, there was time for toast before heading out with the Housekeeping Team. There were ten properties in total to clean across the island ranging from Tibbetts in the north to Castles in the south. It was so windy that we had to coordinate getting out of the Land Rover without getting blown away, especially when we were up at Old Light!
However the main event of the day was at lunchtime when we made a trip back to the village to say goodbye to Emma. As she boarded the helicopter the staff were all there to wave her off and Cornelius, the helicopter pilot, even treated her to a fly by over the island! Emma arrived on Lundy on the 31st March and spent the first months she was here working as the Seabird Fieldworker and then stayed on when the seabirds left to take on the role of Volunteer Assistant Ranger. She has been a core member of the Conservation Team this season and will be much missed. We wish her all the best for all her future endeavours! 
Emma Abel and Herring Gull Chick!
by Greg Lee
As the unsettled weather approaches, it was quite surprise to get out for census this morning and find that the weather was somewhat a bit better than expected with a nice amount of sunshine and the wind, although very much present, not as strong as maybe anticipated. With the approaching Atlantic storms, it was expected that for some migrants, it was a bit of a last chance saloon to get moving before being held up by the combined efforts of Storm Austen and Storm Boelo (which I learnt was pronounced Boo-low). With that in mind, the expected flavour of the day was a bit of Chaffinch movement and although some flocks were in Millcombe, it wasn't quite as pronounced as hoped. Millcombe itself held relatively the same array of species with Chiffchaffs, Robins, Goldcrests and Blackcaps all present and just a few winter thrushes, which have been dwindling in numbers slowly since the extraordinary events of the 18th. Over at Rocket Pole, I was pleased to hear a Snow Bunting overhead, expecting it was our familiar bird but was surprised to cut across South-west Field to Old Light and come across two feeding on the grass with a third over Old Light. My usual experience of Snow Buntings is coming across small numbers shuffling on the flat shingle and sandy beaches of the East Coast (North Norfolk, Sandwich Bay etc.) Although I do remember when I was at Spurn in November 2021, seeing a flock of up to 30 individuals all on the breach connecting the long, sandy penisula to the Warren and the rest of the Spurn Recording Area. Therefore, seeing them here on the island feels bit novel to my past experiecnes.
With a bit of office work needing doing, I decided to get started since with the upcoming forecast there will be lots of time to get a hot drink and plug my way through some data-entry whilst the wind howls outside and the rain lashes down. Saturday is particularly looking like the perfect opportunity. The Tavern fireplace will be roaring!
Other sightings across the area today included a Redpoll that couldn't decide which direction to fly (being seen in various locations on the East). This species has been quite absent so far this autumn here, likewise for Black Redstart, with a lone individual being spotted briefly at Old Light before disappearing. I always remember hearing a saying from a former Bird Observatory Warden that Black Redstarts can warp space and time and this individual seemed to be showcasing that ever-so-frequent ability to vanish into thin air. This is the first record since a female bird on 5th May, which was equally impressive in its ability to vanish, despite the fact that Emma and myself were watching the same patch of rocks from different vantage points. A Lapwing near Pondsbury was a nice sighting and was just by the main track heading out to Halfway Wall. With the East Coast getting a healthy number of eastbound migrants over the past week along with a few scarcities and even extreme rarities, it is nice to at least get something of eastern origin this way out west and the Lesser Whitethroat found by Adam Hobbs at the Terrace yesterday was performing quite nicely today for the visiting birders. Although a DNA sample would be needed to pin down the exact race, this bird looks very much like an Eastern, following on from the individual at Stoneycroft garden at the end of September. As the weather really deterioated with the approach of the storms, you couldn't help but feel very sorry for the few Swallows that were still sticking around the island. Let's hope they can find some shelter and roost peacefully.
Eastern Lesser Whitethroat by T.Jones
Eastern Lesser Whitethroat showing the tail-pattern by T.Jones
Lundy map - click to enlarge