Bird Sightings
March 3rd sightings – A nice sunny day!
Sightings
A ringed Robin in Millcombe © Thomas Weston
A sunny, calm day resulted in a little ringing at Millcombe this morning whilst the census was undertaken. Totals were not high (see below), but it was certainly nice to be out. Combined census/ringing sightings included the overwintering adult Great-northern Diver in the Landing Bay, whilst in the valley a flock of 8 Woodpigeons, 2 Water rail, a Woodcock (flushed whilst opening nets), 3 Goldcrest, 3 Song thrush, 3 Redwing (one in sub-song) and 11 Blackbirds were noteworthy. A sign of some migration came in the form of a flock of 4 Goldfinches flying between the trees and a small increase in Chaffinches to 7 individuals.
On the census route, the warmth enticed about 200 Razorbills and 12 Guillemots to raft off Benjamin’s Chair this morning. However, there were no sign of any Puffin yet, but this is a good place to have a look if you are on the island in the next few weeks/months. Whilst walking around the Southwest field and across the Airfield, it was really nice to hear the Skylarks in full song and the first Meadow Pipit starting to sing and perform their parachute display – this really is a sure sign early spring is here. Moreover, the numbers of Stonechat, Meadow Pipit and Starling were down on yesterday’s counts with 5, 25 and 178 birds, respectively, showing how each day can be quite different here. A pair of Pied Wagtails were setting up territory around the north of the village, whilst the ever-present flocks of non-breeding Carrion Crow and Raven continue to remain around the village.
A guided walk in the afternoon yielded 4 Teal on Pondsbury, as well as a total of 12 Mallards on the freshwater pools/ponds. The walk took guests from the Old Hospital on the east coast to Jenny’s Cove in the West. A large feeding frenzy off the east resulted in 641 Herring Gulls, 28 Great-black backed Gulls, 18 Kittiwake, and 34 Gannets seen. However, on the west coast, displaying Rock Pipits were singing on the cliffs whilst 32 Fulmar were seen on their breeding ledges.
Ringing
A quiet session with only one new bird caught today. Retraps were mostly from last Autumn with one Blackbird ringed in 2021 and showing signs of breeding!
March 2nd sightings – Meadow Pipit migration + more
Stonechat male on a gorse bush © Thomas Weston.
Sightings
Today was the first day it felt like spring migration had begun. It was noticeable that a small passage of Meadow Pipits was heading NW over the island throughout the morning with a total of 87 birds recorded between 07:00-11:00. It was great to watch as they came in off the south coast before pausing for only a few seconds before heading on their travels. In addition, the non-breeding flock of Carrion Crows in Brick field increased to 25 (up from 9 yesterday), 13 Skylarks were seen on the airfield after their winter vacation off island, 5 Linnet were touring the south coast, 7 Pied Wagtails arrived on Tillage, 273 Starlings were feeding in Highstreet Field, and 10 ‘new’ Stonechats arrived on the east coast with a flock of 6 (5 males and a female) arriving just after 09:45 at the Old Hospital. With some new birds in the area, it was not too surprising that the birds of prey were to follow. This included a new female Sparrowhawk, and a pair of Peregrine seen hunting the east cliffs. Migration in action!
Alongside the species noted above, other species seen around the island included the overwintering female Merlin seen darting around the church field. On the freshwater areas of the island, 11 Mallard, 2 Eurasian Teal (a decrease overnight) and 2 Water rail were recorded, whilst on the coast, a single Oystercatcher, 11 Kittiwake, 118 Herring gulls, 14 Lesser-black backed gulls, 2 Fulmar, 7 Gannet and 4 Shag were noted.
Ringing
We set up the nets in Millcombe this afternoon, so we hope to get out soon. However, this evening we went out with a small group of guests. We managed to see 3 Woodcock, 13 Snipe and 2 Skylark. Our ringed birds were all originally ringed last Autumn, so it is great to see they have remained for the winter.
March 1st Sightings – An exciting start to the month
Today welcomed three new excitements for the Bird Observatory.
Firstly, our Bird Observatory Assistant Thomas Weston will be joining our team today until the end of September. Thomas will be resident on the island and help with the ongoing projects of the Bird Obs. Thomas is a S permit bird ringer so he will be helping with the ringing projects we undertake on the island and will be helping to set up and try new techniques too. Thomas is also a keen birder and will be able to help with the Bird Obs counts and surveys. This leads onto the second excitement of the month which is the start of our standardised bird census began. The bird census is a daily task undertaken by the team whereby the number of species, and the total number of each species are recorded. Due to the census being standardised, the counts provide an idea of the amount of migration through the island up to the quarter wall. Therefore, any counts undertaken beyond the quarter wall, or during your stay are valuable. This takes us onto the third and final excitement, the daily bird log. Our daily bird log will be undertaken every evening at 8pm in the Tavern by the Bird Obs team. During the log, we will take into account everyone’s counts before adding a total count to the logbook. We encourage sightings of birds, butterflies, cetaceans, lichens, or any other taxa you may be interested in.
Sightings
Sightings from around the island today included the continuing male Green-winged Teal who was loosely associated with 9 Eurasian Teal on Pondsbury. Our resident Mallard flock remained at 10 individuals split between Pondsbury and Rocket Pole Pool. It will not be long before this species starts thinking of breeding. On our rocky south coast, a pair of Rock Pipit and a small mixed flock of Guillemot (10) and Razorbill (1) were seen. Around the landing bay 3 Oystercatchers were heard defending their territory as they begin thinking of breeding. Due to the weather, the most unusual species of the day, a 2nd calander year Common Gull, was seen heading south. Out at sea, small numbers of Herring gull (32), Kittiwake (15), Shag (10) and Gannet (6) were recorded. An equal number of Raven and Carrion crow (both 9) were sighted with non-breeding birds frequently spotted flying around the village. Out in the fields, 3 Skylarks, 23 Meadow Pipits, 60 Starling, and a single flyover Linnet were recorded. Millcombe Valley was quiet with a small flock of Woodpigeon, 3 Chaffinch, a Goldcrest and 5 Redwing the highlights.
Ringing
No ringing was undertaken today.
7th - 12th February
Most of my recent birding has taken place at night while conducting nocturnal surveys around the southern quarter of the island with the fantastic new support from enthusiastic islander, Jane Sharkey! A session on 7th revealed the elusive female Snow Bunting is still overwintering, roosting in South West Field. A couple of additional nocturnal sessions puts our current annual ringing totals at 21 new Common Snipe, 7 new Jack Snipe, 3 new Woodcock and 5 new Skylark. The Green-winged Teal continues its residence at Pondsbury, logged during visits to the site on 7th and 12th. A high tide visit to Brazen Ward on 7th only revealed 6 roosting Purple Sandpiper, however it's likely more were out of sight. Further north, a roosting Woodcock flushed from Gannet's Coombe while the female Kestrel worked the sidelands. The day also welcomed the first stirrings of spring with a hint of passerine movement, namely 7 Meadow Pipit and 9 Skylark. A visit to Jenny's Cove on 12th enjoyed 190 Kittiwake going in and out of breeding sites, accompanied by 12 Guillemot on ledges while 2 Great Northern Diver were feeding in the Landing Bay.
Re-trap Skylark returning to Airfield breeding grounds, 7 Feb © Joe Parker