Bardsey's Wildlife 2022

5 MIGRATION DIARY 6 6 : 4 8 - 6 9

5 0 BETTERIDGE, KING & STANSFIELD REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. SPRING SUMMARY The Cattle Egret found in January was present until late March. Early spring passage started fairly slowly although quality won out over quantity and built to some days of strong avian movement. March was a good month for Black Redstarts with 12 recorded on a single day, the second-highest island count; a Firecrest, a Brambling, a Crossbill and a Bullfinch were all recorded. April saw the ninth record of Pink-footed Goose on 2nd, and the highest spring fall of Willow Warblers and Blackcaps, with 126 recorded of both species on 12th. Finch passage was notable with the third-highest spring count for Goldfinches (394) and Linnets (303) recorded on 14th. The 27th saw a Nightingale singing in the Withies and the first spring record of Black Tern, whilst Blue-headed Wagtail, Twite and Siberian Chiffchaff were seen towards the end of the month. May started quietly with the earliest notable species, a Hobby, off the East Side on 15th. A fall of 91 Spotted Flycatchers together with the first Striped Hawkmoth for the island came on 16th, with a Golden Oriole recorded the following day. The second confirmed spring UK record of Siberian Lesser Whitethroat came on 27th with an individual singing in the Withies, whilst another Pink-footed Goose was sighted on 28th. Two Siberian Chiffchaffs were seen towards the month’s end, one male holding territory at Nant for over ten days! June started with a bang as a Black Guillemot, a red-spotted Bluethroat, a Golden Oriole, a Turtle Dove, a Wood Warbler and a Thrush Nightingale (the first live record for Wales) were all recorded on 2nd. A Marsh Warbler singing at Nant on 6th was the last highlight of the spring. Cattle Egret © Ed Betteridge

5 1 MIGRATION DIARY 6 6 : 4 8 - 6 9 AUTUMN SUMMARY The highlight of August came on the last day, when a Marsh Warbler was trapped and ringed at Cristin. Scarce migrants recorded throughout the month included 30 Tree Pipits, ten Whinchats, two Redstarts, three Grasshopper Warblers, seven Pied Flycatchers and a Hooded Crow. A good month for birds of prey resulted in three Marsh Harriers, and an Osprey during the first half of the month and two Hen Harriers and an early Merlin during the second half. A minimum of eight Little Egrets were seen as well as three Greenshanks and two Black-tailed Godwits. Off the West Coast, Kittiwake numbers grew to a peak of 3069; this gathering attracted a Little Tern, two Little Gulls, two Roseate Terns, a Pomarine Skua, and a Yellow-legged Gull. Early September produced four Ospreys, a flava Wagtail and a peak day count of 11 Pied Flycatchers on 12th. On the same day a Barred Warbler was trapped at Cristin, which was followed by another in the garden at Cristin on 17th and finally an individual in the Withies on 29th. Five Tree Sparrows took up residence in the crop fields around Tŷ Pellaf from 15th, with the last seen on 20th. The first and only Yellowbrowed Warbler of the month was seen at Tŷ Pellaf on 25th. Notable birds logged during seawatching sessions in September included 25 Balearic Shearwaters, a Redbreasted Merganser, two Pintails, two Sabine’s Gulls, a Grey Phalarope, 11 Pomarine Skuas, two Longtailed Skuas, three Great Skuas, a Great Northern Diver, six Red-throated Divers, three Little Gulls, four Little Terns and three Black Terns. Following the record in spring, 11 Pink-footed Geese circled the island on 16th; this was followed by two more on 28th. Wader passage produced a Ruff, two Greenshanks, 16 Bar-tailed Godwits and 14 Knots. The first Long-eared Owl of the autumn arrived on 25th and was seen until the end of the month, when it was joined by a Barn Owl. October started with a young male Common Rosefinch at Tŷ Pellaf; a presumed different Rosefinch was seen the following day at Cristin with Chaffinches. The third Cetti’s Warbler for Bardsey was in the South End gorse on 10th. Visible migration produced a Richard’s Pipit (14th), a Woodlark and three Lapland Buntings. The fourth Barred Warbler of the year was at Nant on 22nd along with a Red-breasted Flycatcher. This was followed by different Red-breasted Flycatchers on both 26th and 27th, at Nant and Cristin respectively. A Pallas’s Warbler was trapped in the Cristin Heligoland trap on 24th. The month ended with a Red-flanked Bluetail trapped and ringed in the Withies on 29th. Scarce passerines recorded in the month were ten Yellow-browed Warblers, five Black Redstarts, a ‘Siberian’ Chiffchaff, three Firecrests, a Tree Sparrow and two Twites. Ringing confirmed that at least three Long-eared Owls were present on the island during the month. Out to sea four Sooty Shearwaters, five Balearic Shearwaters, two Sabine’s Gulls, four Little Gulls, three Great Skuas, four Great Northern Divers, a Red-throated Diver, four Eiders and a Grey Phalarope were recorded. Three Whooper Swans went over the South End before landing on the sea off the West Coast on 12th. Wader highlights of the month were two Curlew Sandpipers past the South End on 14th, along with a Black-tailed Godwit, a Bar-tailed Godwit and a Woodcock. The season ended with a Snow Bunting over Cristin on 4 November.

5 2 BETTERIDGE, KING & STANSFIELD REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. MARCH 87 species recorded Ringing - 77 birds of 11 species The year began well, with the Cattle Egret, found in January, still being present when staff arrived back on the island on 20th. By 21st Chiffchaff numbers had reached 15, along with four Blackcaps, five Crossbills and a fine male Black Redstart. A Red Kite, four Black Redstarts and a Bullfinch were the best of the day on 22nd. On 23rd two Bramblings and three Greenfinches were seen as well as the first White Wagtail of the spring, a Golden Plover and the first Peacock butterfly. The Black Redstart count reached 12, the second largest count ever! Nine of these were still present the following day. The first Firecrest of the spring was seen on 26th, as were the first Stock Dove and Blue Tit. The following day saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker and 15 Risso’s Dolphins along with a Grey Wagtail and another Red Kite. The 28th saw a small fall of Phylloscopus Warblers to start off the day: 26 Willow Warblers and 24 Chiffchaffs were seen. On 30th a Shoulder Stripe and a Chamomile Shark were the Lepidoptera highlights of what had been a good start to spring moth-trapping, being first and third records for the island respectively! A change in the winds led to an arrival of thrushes overnight, as 173 Redwings, 13 Fieldfares, 20 Blackbirds and a Song Thrush were seen on the island. APRIL 106 species recorded Ringing - 456 birds of 27 species April began with very little action on 1st as staff spent the whole morning trying to get one over on each other! The 2nd produced an island rarity in the shape of a Pink-footed Goose, only the ninth record for the island, and the first Swallow of the year announced that spring was truly on its way. Three Sandwich Terns and two Hooded Crows on 3rd took the year’s avian total to 89 species, with a Jack Snipe on 5th breaking the 90 species barrier. Tempestuous seas and strong westerlies dominated the first half of 7th, which kept most terrestrial birds out of sight. Out at sea, however, there was some noticeable movement. Over four hours of seawatching produced a Great Skua, two Red-throated Divers, a Sandwich Tern, a Common Gull, a Common Scoter, 727 Kittiwakes, 406 Guillemots, 322 Razorbills, 71 Gannets, 27 Fulmars and nine Puffins. A Harbour Porpoise was also seen dipping in and out of the waves and a Common Seal was in Henllwyn. A change in the wind direction in the late evening on 9th to a southerly resulted in a small increase in migrants on 10th. The highlight of the day was two Barnacle Geese that flew high north along the West Coast, this is only the 22nd record for the island. Other migrant totals included: two Whimbrels, a Sand Martin, three Swallows, five House Martins, two White Wagtails, six Blackcaps, 13 Chiffchaffs and 12 Willow Warblers. Strong easterly winds and overcast skies were accompanied by an arrival of migrants on 11th. A smart male Ring Ouzel, seen on the Mountain behind Cristin was the highlight. A small fall of Phylloscopus Warblers was also noted as 18 Willow Warblers and four Chiffchaffs were seen around the island. Further migrants included eight White Wagtails at Solfach, 18 Wheatears, and a Sand Martin zipping through the Wetlands. The 12th began with heavy rain which cleared late morning, resulting in a fall of migrants across the island. Highlights included a male Redstart at Nant and a male Ring Ouzel on the Mountain. Other totals were two Whimbrels, a Sandwich Tern, 126 Blackcaps (68.6% of which were males), 126 Willow Warblers, 44 Chiffchaffs, 40 Swallows, 29 House Martins, 17 Sand Martins, 42 Wheatears and 16 White Wagtails! The following day saw a 50% reduction in numbers of most migrants, Red Kite and Ollie © Steven Stansfield

5 3 MIGRATION DIARY 6 6 : 4 8 - 6 9 though two Grasshopper Warblers were heard reeling from the lowlands. The 14th was an overcast but calm day with many finches moving south into a light headwind during the morning. This resulted in a total of 23 Siskins, 394 Goldfinches (the third-highest day count and highest spring count ever!) and 303 Linnets being counted, along with three Grasshopper Warblers, 31 Common Scoters, nine Whimbrels, three Collared Doves and 13 White Wagtails. Saturday 16th saw the arrival of our student group from universities from all over the UK as we finally managed to hold our longawaited University Week, which it was great to see up and running again after Covid (see later). The students were treated to the first Common Sandpipers, Sedge Warblers and Tree Pipits of the year with five, one and four respectively. Other highlights included four Whimbrels, a male Lesser Redpoll, 31 White Wagtails, a Crossbill, 78 Goldfinches and 380 Linnets. The highlights on 17th were a Hooded Crow on the Narrows, a Great Skua that cut across the island, two Jackdaws seen coming in off the sea from the West Coast, a Tree Pipit and a Common Sandpiper. Migrants were still passing through, with an increase in White Wagtail numbers to 34, together with 28 Swallows, 12 Sand Martins, ten House Martins, 21 Willow Warblers, 14 Chiffchaffs, 15 Blackcaps, 25 Wheatears and a Sedge Warbler. The number of finches passing through had dropped, but still resulted in 105 Goldfinches, 151 Linnets, 12 Siskins, two Chaffinches and a Lesser Redpoll. Other bird highlights for the day included a Curlew and eight Whimbrels. The highlights on 18th were a Twite and two Grasshopper Warblers, with a Hooded Crow, 30 Wheatears and 16 White Wagtails the best of 19th. The 20th saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker whilst good weather graced the island on 21st and the easterly winds brought a few new migrants: the avian highlight of the day came in the form of a Cuckoo that flew through the garden; the first for the year! Bird highlights included three Ringed Plovers, 25 Whimbrels, 27 Wheatears, 12 Sand Martins, five House Martins, 34 Swallows, 13 White Wagtails, a Rook and a Hooded Crow. Further migrant totals were three Blackcaps, eight Chiffchaffs and 17 Willow Warblers. Whilst at sea a variety of cetaceans were sighted, with two Bottlenose Dolphins at the North End (the first for the year), three Risso’s Dolphins and seven Harbour Porpoises. The 22nd was the final full day of the University Week and it ended with a bang; a north-easterly wind mixed with light rain showers in the morning resulted in a good fall of migrants, mainly on the South End. This included two Grasshopper Warblers, a Ring Ouzel, a Whitethroat, 59 Blackcaps, 92 Willow Warblers and ten Chiffchaffs, a male Pied Flycatcher at Cristin, a Twite over the North End, a Tree Pipit over Cristin and the South End, a Sandwich Tern over the Narrows and a Red-throated Diver past the South End. Other birds included a Grey Heron, six Common Scoters, 54 Whimbrels, six Purple Sandpipers, a Merlin, two Common Sandpipers, a Black-headed Gull, six Common Gulls, four Collared Doves, nine Sand Martins, 43 Swallows, two House Martins, seven White Wagtails, 22 Wheatears, a Song Thrush, a Sedge Warbler, a Rook, a Hooded Crow and three Lesser Redpolls. What a treat and way to end a fantastic week with a lovely bunch of students! After the students had departed and we had rapidly cleaned Cristin and welcomed the new guests for the week, we headed out on census. The continuing north-easterly winds grounded many migrating Wheatears, resulting in the highest count of the year so far with 189 (mostly Greenland birds O.o. leucorrhoa). The winds eased up somewhat later in the day and resulted in a Blue-headed Wagtail on Solfach, a Ring Ouzel, two Whitethroats, a Crossbill, a Grasshopper Warbler and a Dunlin. Ring Ouzel © Ollie King

5 4 BETTERIDGE, KING & STANSFIELD REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. The 26th saw a Siberian Chiffchaff at Tŷ Pellaf, with other highlights including a Stock Dove in the Wetlands and two Tree Pipits over Cristin along with a Grasshopper Warbler. The 27th was another lovely day: bright skies and easterly winds that swung to the north with cloud cover which brought an arrival of migrants to the island. The highlights were a Nightingale that was found singing in Tŷ Pellaf Withy, the first to be recorded since 2017, and a Black Tern that flew along the West Coast, the first spring record ever! Two other additions to the year list came in the form of a Swift over the South End, and a singing Reed Warbler in the withies. Additional highlights of the day were a Ring Ouzel and a fly-over Blueheaded Wagtail. Other migrant totals included 24 Sedge Warblers, three Whitethroats, 72 Swallows, six House Martins, four Sand Martins, 48 Blackcaps, 12 Chiffchaffs and 26 Willow Warblers. On 29th light easterlies brought some migrant turnover as more birds were recorded passing through the island. The highlights were three Spotted Flycatchers (two of which were ringed at Cristin), a Canada Goose that flew across the Narrows, a male Redstart and a Tree Pipit at Nant, a female Bullfinch, two Ring Ouzels, a Reed Warbler and a Garden Warbler. A quieter day, with calm sunny weather on 30th resulted in little new arrivals; birding highlights included a Reed Warbler trapped at Cristin along with the remaining female Bullfinch and a Tree Pipit still at Nant. Also seen were a Dunlin, 11 Whimbrels, six Purple Sandpipers, two Ringed Plovers, a Common Sandpiper, 24 Swallows, two Sand Martins, a House Martin, two White Wagtails, 20 Wheatears, nine Sedge Warblers, a Whitethroat, six Blackcaps, 11 Chiffchaffs, seven Willow Warblers, a Goldcrest, six Siskins and a Lesser Redpoll. MAY 92 species recorded Ringing - 269 birds of 30 species May began with very little of note on 1st, followed by a mixed day on 2nd with some wader arrival including 17 Whimbrels, five Turnstones, a Snipe, seven Ringed Plovers, a Sanderling, six Dunlin and 15 Purple Sandpipers. Hirundine passage also picked up with 121 Swallows, 39 Sand Martins and 21 House Martins recorded. The female Bullfinch remained in the apple tree at Cristin. The second guided walk of the year was another success, and the first Ruby Tiger moth of the year was in the moth trap. Other birds included a Grey Heron, a Sparrowhawk, a Grey Wagtail, four White Wagtails, 27 Wheatears, seven Whitethroats, seven Sedge Warblers, 27 Willow Warblers, four Blackcaps, seven Chiffchaffs, three Goldcrests, a Hooded Crow, a Siskin and three Lesser Redpolls. Continuing light southerlies brought a variety of migrants to the island on 3rd. The highlights were a Red Kite over Cristin, a Cuckoo being relentlessly mobbed at Nant, two Spotted Flycatchers in the Lowlands, a Hooded Crow, and a Tree Pipit buzzing overhead south. The female Bullfinch remained in the garden at Cristin, and the Sanderling was still on Solfach. Hirundine passage was quieter with 63 Swallows, four Sand Martins and three House Martins. Other bird highlights for the day were a Grey Heron, a Buzzard, 33 Purple Sandpipers, seven Dunlins, 14 Whimbrels, 21 Wheatears, 13 Willow Warblers, five Chiffchaffs, seven Blackcaps, seven Sedge Warblers, five Whitethroats, two Siskins and two Lesser Redpolls. Overnight 25 moths of 13 species, including a smart Puss Moth, a Pebble Prominent and a Herald were trapped at Cristin. Whimbrels © Steven Stansfield

5 5 MIGRATION DIARY 6 6 : 4 8 - 6 9 A warm and sunny day on 4th saw the birding highlights include a Hooded Crow over the Mountain, a Reed Warbler trapped at Cristin, a Grasshopper Warbler at Nant and the first Lesser Whitethroat of the year. Other birds included: a Curlew, nine Whimbrels, two Dunlins, four Ringed Plovers, four House Martins, a Sand Martin, 36 Swallows, a White Wagtail, 14 Wheatears, 13 Willow Warblers, five Chiffchaffs, four Blackcaps, six Whitethroats, seven Sedge Warblers, a Lesser Redpoll and the Bullfinch. The 5th saw staff undertaking project work, surveying the breeding birds of the island. In the morning, Oystercatcher and Rock Pipit surveys were carried out along the island's coastline, along with Chough monitoring later in the afternoon. The highlights in terms of birds were a Swift, a Common Sandpiper, two Purple Sandpipers, three Collared Doves and 13 Sedge Warblers, and a Merlin was seen again after not being seen for a while. Light northerly winds on 7th were accompanied by blue skies and warm sunshine until the wind picked up later. There was little turnover of migrants, with the highlights being a Hooded Crow, a Spotted Flycatcher at Nant, and two Common Sandpipers. However, the most exciting moment of the day came when a Peregrine Falcon bolted over the Wetlands and was seen snatching a Whimbrel out of the air! Other migrant totals for the day were four Whitethroats, 36 Swallows, a Sand Martin, six Sedge Warblers, three Willow Warblers, and two Blackcaps. Strong southwesterlies on 9th resulted in little movement and kept most birds hidden away. However, a Swift was seen scything its way south, and a Blueheaded Wagtail flew over the Wetlands. Continuing south-westerlies generated a reasonable passage of hirundines on 11th, with 169 Swallows, four Sand Martins, nine House Martins and 12 Swifts. A new addition to the island's year list came in the form of a Bar-tailed Godwit, bringing the total up to 115. The Blueheaded Wagtail was seen again in the Northwest Fields, and two Hooded Crows flew across the West Coast. This was the Global Big Day, so Observatory staff decided to try to see how many species could be seen (along with changeover and Chough monitoring on the East Side!). A total of 51 species were managed with the standout highlight being a ‘ringtail’ Hen Harrier distantly off the East Side. The day also saw an arrival of Spotted Flycatchers with 13 across the island along with two Sandwich Terns along the West Coast and the Garden Warbler still at Nant. A trip around the East Side saw yet more activity in the seabird colonies, with many Kittiwakes nestbuilding, Shags hatching, newly fledged Rock Pipits and the first Herring Gull chicks of the season. A drop in wind speeds and a swing to easterlies made for a small arrival of a range of species on Bullfinch © Ed Betteridge

5 6 BETTERIDGE, KING & STANSFIELD REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. 15th. The highlight of the day was a Hobby that flew low over the water across Henllwyn and was constantly mobbed by Oystercatchers. Wader numbers increased to ten Ringed Plovers, eight Dunlins, two Curlews, six Whimbrels and two Turnstones. Corvids also made their way over to the island, with three Jackdaws and three Rooks recorded. Hirundines were still moving through, with 45 House Martins, 62 Swallows and six Sand Martins being logged. Other highlights were nine Spotted Flycatchers, nine Sedge Warblers, three Whitethroats, five Lesser Redpolls and a White Wagtail. Most of the afternoon was spent working on the Manx Shearwater census and productivity projects, as we mapped out survey squares on the East Side and searched for more occupied burrows with eggs. Whilst we were there, the first Green Tiger Beetle of the year was seen, as well as a Small Copper butterfly. A good arrival of birds on 16th saw a total of 91 Spotted Flycatchers recorded along with a singing Firecrest and a Tree Pipit at Nant, a Hobby along the West Coast, and a Redstart above the Abbey. An increase in waders saw 22 Dunlins, seven Ringed Plovers, a Curlew, two Whimbrels, 12 Turnstones, three Purple Sandpipers and two Common Sandpipers being logged. The highlight of the day, however, went to a Striped Hawkmoth found in the North End gorse by Ollie, which represented the first record for the island. Other migrant Lepidoptera included the first Painted Lady, Silver Y and Diamond-Backed moths of the year. Rain delayed any birding for most of the day on 17th, while strong south-westerlies kept blowing through. However, later in the afternoon the winds calmed, and the rain stopped, resulting in a small fall of birds. A Golden Oriole flew south from Nant towards Cristin, and then dropped into the Withies. A Cuckoo was also found as we tried to re-find the Oriole, and the Firecrest was heard singing again in the Plantation. Other bird highlights for the day were 25 Spotted Flycatchers, four Whimbrels, a Curlew, a Common Sandpiper, 11 Turnstones, 12 Purple Sandpipers, 11 Dunlins, 40 Swallows, seven House Martins, a White Wagtail, ten Willow Warblers, three Chiffchaffs, five Whitethroats and six Sedge Warblers. The 19th saw shifting winds and clear skies that made for a small turnover in avian life on the island. A Whinchat, which was new for the year, was seen in the Wetlands during one of the Breeding Bird Surveys in the morning. A Reed Warbler was heard delivering its steady, rhythmic song from Cristin Withy, and a Siskin flew over Pen Cristin. The next ten days were relatively migrantfree with little of note. Strong north-westerlies that Spotted Flycatcher © Ollie King

5 7 MIGRATION DIARY 6 6 : 4 8 - 6 9 calmed down during the day made for a more productive day on 27th, with a mixed arrival noted. An interesting singing bird was heard in the Withies, so the nets were opened to try to reveal its identity. To our surprise it was a Lesser Whitethroat giving a sub-song. It was soon trapped, feathers were taken under license, and DNA analysis confirmed that this was only the second ever spring record of Siberian Lesser Whitethroat for the UK! A Cuckoo was seen in the Wetlands; however, the highlight of the day was a Jay that flew over Solfach. It was the first time one has been sighted on the island since 18 October 1993! Saturdays on Bardsey mean one thing: changeover. The 28th saw nets opened at Cristin during cleaning and resulted in a male and female Blackcap, the latter with a brood patch indicating these were the first failed breeders of the autumn. The highlight of the day was a Pinkfooted Goose found in Henllwyn. This was only the tenth record for the island after the bird in early April this year. After changeover, the Manx Shearwater census resumed, with another square being completed. After the census was completed for the day, the first three Shag broods of the year were ringed. The 29th saw a slight change in the winds that resulted in a small arrival of migrants of both birds and moths. Two Siberian Chiffchaffs were heard belting out their songs at Cristin and Nant, and later in the afternoon the Nant bird was ringed, where the Jay was sighted again. On Solfach, a Sanderling and two Dunlins were seen. The other highlights of the day were a Cuckoo, a Lesser Whitethroat, three Blackheaded Gulls and a Grey Heron. 12 Silver Ys and a Hummingbird Hawkmoth were seen across the island, the highest count of the year so far. The 30th saw a small arrival of waders, with a Golden Plover on the Narrows, two Dunlins over the South End and a Sanderling, six Dunlins, a Turnstone and two Ringed Plovers on Solfach. Nant held the Siberian Chiffchaff and a Cuckoo. As the month drew to a close the Siberian Chiffchaff remained around Nant on 31st, a Spotted Flycatcher at Tŷ Pellaf was the first in a few days and the Sanderling was still around Solfach. The afternoon was spent around the East Side ringing another Chough brood before finishing ringing a range of the breeding seabirds including the first Pufflings of the year. Other birds recorded included a Whimbrel, a Curlew, five Dunlins, a Ringed Plover, a Sand Martin, 35 Swallows, nine House Martins, two Chiffchaffs, two Willow Warblers and three Blackcaps. JUNE 83 species recorded Ringing - 1307 birds of 33 species June began quietly with very little of note and staff wondering if spring migration’s rarity week was going to produce anything at all… The 2nd dawned with plans to visit the nearby Gwylan islands. As time moved on however, we realised it was a good day. The magic of Bardsey struck all at once, resulting in a day that none of us will be forgetting anytime soon. A snifter of southeasterlies overnight had us hoping for some good arrivals, however first thing in the morning there were few signs of any migrant activity whilst carrying out the Breeding Bird census, apart from the continuing Siberian Chiffchaff at Nant. At sea, however, Gareth found a Black Guillemot that flew north whilst he was going round his lobster pots, and then Ollie found a singing male redspotted Bluethroat at Plas Withy. Then 30 seconds later a Golden Oriole flew out from the same withy, a few metres away from the Bluethroat! Steve then swiftly cancelled the pre-arranged trip to the Gwylans as he knew there was more in store on the island, and Ed returned to Cristin to open the nets as the Oriole had been singing in the garden. A few minutes later, we could see from the Wetlands that the bird had gone into one of the nets! After a quick lunch, the staff (and guests) went straight back out with Ed heading out to Nant, with Steve and John not far behind. Ed found a Turtle Dove at the Chapel at Nant, Steve saw a Phylloscopus warbler flick from Nant Withy, and felt it was a Wood Warbler. A few minutes later it sat out in full view, showing its lemon and silvery-white underside. Already a surreal day's birding, the climax was yet to come. Steve had a grey Sylvia warbler that looked exciting, however, it was not seen or heard again that day. Whilst looking around for it, he heard a deep 'chook' call coming from the brambles below the mountain at Nant. It then began to sing and sat out in full view 20 metres away: a Nightingale! The song was deep and succinct, with many gurgling and clicking notes in it. It had a faint malar stripe, yellow gape, breast mottling and a darkish back, though it appeared somewhat rufous in bright sunlight. Steve began asking why it wasn’t a Thrush Nightingale… trying as hard as he could to convince himself it was the commoner of the two species, but with little success. After scrutinising photos and sound

5 8 BETTERIDGE, KING & STANSFIELD REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. recordings, the ID was nailed - it was indeed a Thrush Nightingale - the first live record for Wales. In addition to the manic birding events, it was also a decent day for non-avian species, with a male Orange Tip in the withies, several Blue-tailed Damselflies, Diamond-backed Moths and a Thrift Clearwing. In the evening, we went to the South End and celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee as Trinity House had placed a special beacon there to be lit - one of hundreds to be lit across the country. It was a great way to round off a spectacular day. During the next few days up to two Golden Orioles lingered on the island and on 6th a Marsh Warbler was singing at Nant, one of the final arrivals of spring. The 7th was relatively quiet, with a juvenile Starling (first of the year) and the Siberian Chiffchaff being the only birds of note. The second Lapwing of the year was logged on 8th along with a Whimbrel, whilst on 9th howling south-westerlies rendered birding futile. A slightly clearer 10th saw little turnover with a fly-over Grey Heron, a Dunlin and two Turnstones all logged. The winds picked up again the following day bringing four Racing Pigeons to the garden at Cristin, whilst the Siberian Chiffchaff continued to belt its song out at Nant. A fly-over Siskin at Cristin was all of note on 12th, whilst 13th saw a Dunlin, a Collared Dove, and a Sand Martin go overhead. The next day saw clear skies and some further migratory movement as a Lapwing was at the South End, along with six Swifts, 51 Common Scoters, three Dunlins, three Curlews, two Turnstones, a Collared Dove, and a Chiffchaff. The re-scheduled trip to the Gwylans went ahead on 15th without rarities interrupting any plans. Signs that return migration was beginning to gear up were seen on 16th as ten Curlews, three Blackheaded Gulls and two Swifts were logged moving south. The Siberian Chiffchaff was also seen again for the 20th day since its arrival. The 17th was quiet with a Collared Dove and a Swift the only birds of note, but the following day produced the first Redshanks of autumn passage, along with an additional Ringed Plover, a Curlew and two Collared Doves. This was also the last day the Siberian Chiffchaff was seen. A Siskin and a Lesser Redpoll flew over Cristin on 20th, and on 21st there were 36 Swifts logged including a single flock of 32 birds, whilst the assistants made a second trip to the Gwylans. Further wader movement was seen the following day as a Curlew, three Dunlins and a Redshank were logged along with a Red Kite and 14 Swifts; however, the highlight was a Black Guillemot sighted off the South End. Another day at the Gwylans on 23rd saw little turnover, while the next day saw ten Curlews and a Redshank on the Narrows. The 25th was quiet, but strong southerlies mixed with some showers on 26th produced some arrivals, with a Golden Plover, three Redshanks, three Curlews and a Black-headed Gull. The 27th, 28th and 29th saw almost no avian turnover; however, on the last day of the month some movement was noted, with eight Starlings, three Swifts, two Curlews and a Grey Heron the highlights of the day. Thrush Nightingale © Steven Stansfield

5 9 MIGRATION DIARY 6 6 : 4 8 - 6 9 JULY 80 species recorded Ringing - 539 birds of 29 species A small arrival of birds kicked off a typically quiet month for migration, with a Collared Dove, two Siskins and 22 Starlings all logged. The 2nd was quiet, whilst wader passage on 3rd included 11 Curlews, four Redshanks and a Common Sandpiper, along with two Starlings. Four Blackheaded Gulls and a Collared Dove were the highlights of 4th, whilst 5th saw 27 Common Scoters, eight Curlews, a Swift, a Collared Dove and a Song Thrush. Five Curlews and a Common Sandpiper were of note the following day. Return passage picked up slightly on 7th as two Common Sandpipers, eight Curlews, five Lapwings, three Redshanks, a Chiffchaff and a Willow Warbler were recorded. Light winds and golden sunshine on 8th were accompanied by some movement, most notably the first Grasshopper Warbler (a fresh juvenile), along with a Kestrel, six Swifts and five Starlings. A Grey Heron, two Curlews and four Swifts were sighted the following day, but 10th saw little migration. The next day made up for this as a smart juvenile Marsh Harrier was sighted flying south, as well as a Little Egret, both of which were the first records of the year. The afternoon proved fruitful for birding as a Mediterranean Gull, six Black-headed Gulls and 14 Curlews were logged flying overhead, and a Lapwing, a Kestrel, ten Redshanks and five Swifts were recorded. In the early hours of 12th, a Little Owl was unexpectedly flushed at Pen Cristin as the staff were returning from Manx Shearwater ringing. During daylight hours, a Reed Warbler was heard singing in Cristin Withy, and a Lapwing and a Siskin were also sighted. Calm winds on 13th saw a Grey Heron, 16 Curlews, four Common Gulls, a Sand Martin and a Siskin pass through the island. On the following day the juvenile Marsh Harrier was again seen, and this time joined by a Buzzard. Elsewhere, there were two Curlews, a Redshank, two Common Sandpipers and a Sand Martin. The first two Whimbrels of the year were seen on 15th along with 12 Redshanks, the continuing Marsh Harrier and five Black-headed Gulls. The following day saw four Curlews and a Racing Pigeon, whilst on 17th Curlew numbers climbed to 20, and a Dunlin, four Ringed Plovers, three Blackheaded Gulls and two Starlings were logged. The juvenile Marsh Harrier continued to tour the island. The 18th was a good day for midsummer migrants as a Red Kite, ten Sandwich Terns, 16 Blackheaded Gulls, four Collared Doves, a Grasshopper Warbler and a Starling were all recorded. The following day was quiet, but migrants continued to trickle through on 20th with a Buzzard, two Willow Warblers, a Blackcap, two Whimbrels, two Curlews, a Black-headed Gull, a Common Gull and four Common Scoters all recorded. Some wader and seabird passage on 21st was noted as a Dunlin, six Curlews, four Redshanks, six Black-headed Gulls and three Sandwich Terns were logged. Willow Warbler passage started to build as six bright, lemon-coloured juveniles were seen. Curlews increased to 12 on 22nd, and a Lapwing, six Black-headed Gulls and six Sandwich Terns were other migrants of note. Calm winds and overcast skies produced a juvenile Mediterranean Gull, three Whimbrels, 20 Curlews and three Willow Warblers on 23rd before the winds picked up later in the day. Some passage was noted on 24th with a Knot on Solfach, a Lapwing, 12 Whimbrels, six Redshanks, four Willow Warblers and the continuing Marsh Harrier all recorded. Strong westerlies made for a good start to autumnal seawatching on 25th as seabirds began their return passage post-breeding. A pale morph Long-tailed Skua, ten Sandwich Terns, three ‘Commic’ Terns, 400 Kittiwakes, five Mediterranean Gulls and a Common Gull were all recorded. On land there was further passage as 16 Turnstones, the first of the autumn, were logged along with a Sanderling, 13 Whimbrels, 19 Curlews, a Cuckoo and 11 Willow Warblers. Light winds on 26th resulted in a bit of a clear-out, however six Common Sandpipers, a Lapwing, two Mediterranean Gulls and 12 Sandwich Terns were all recorded. Warm, sunny skies were accompanied by some avian passage on 27th, including 43 Curlews, eight Turnstones, four Sandwich Terns and 11 Willow Warblers. There was little turnover on 28th save for nine Redshanks and a Buzzard. The following day was similarly quiet with a Whimbrel, 12 Redshanks, a juvenile Mediterranean Gull and a Swift all logged, however the highlight was the first Greenshank of the year was heard calling at night during a Storm Petrel ringing session. Two Swifts and four Willow Warblers were all of note on 30th. A breezy 31st saw a small influx of Mediterranean Gulls with 18 recorded, along with 11 Whimbrels.

6 0 BETTERIDGE, KING & STANSFIELD REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. AUGUST 80 species recorded Ringing - 1065 birds of 21 species Calm winds and muggy skies on 1st resulted in a reasonable fall of 90 Willow Warblers across the island. Elsewhere, three Teals in Solfach (the first of the autumn), 43 Redshanks, a Grey Heron, 16 Turnstones, a Swift and 63 Linnets were also logged. The following day saw Willow Warbler numbers drop to 54, with the first Purple Sandpiper of the autumn was recorded as well as a juvenile Cuckoo, a Sedge Warbler, 12 Whimbrels, a Swift and three Mediterranean Gulls. A warm, bright 3rd saw wader numbers climb as 53 Curlews, 33 Turnstones and a Common Sandpiper were all logged, as well as a flock of 20 Sandwich Terns and six juvenile Mediterranean Gulls. The 4th was quieter with a new Chiffchaff, 12 Willow Warblers, two Sedge Warblers, four Racing Pigeons, a Common Gull and 14 Sandwich Terns. A range of new arrivals were dotted around the island on 5th with a Buzzard over the Mountain, two Collared Doves and a Stock Dove at Tŷ Pellaf, and 11 Mediterranean Gulls around the Narrows including a French colour-ringed bird. Elsewhere 27 Curlews, 25 Turnstones, 24 Willow Warblers and nine Goldfinches were recorded. The 6th was another gloriously warm and calm day which saw a juvenile Cuckoo, a Common Gull, a Kestrel and a White Wagtail on the Narrows all logged, while Curlew numbers increased to 31. Continuing warm still weather on 7th produced some bird of prey movement as a Buzzard, a Sparrowhawk and two Kestrels were sighted. There was some passerine turnover noted too, with five Chiffchaffs, 35 Willow Warblers, 17 Goldfinches and 129 Linnets. The balmy weather continued on 8th and saw some further avian passage as the South End produced two Little Egrets, 96 Kittiwakes, and the first Snipe of the autumn. Hirundine movement began to pick up as nine Sand Martins, 96 Swallows and 26 House Martins were logged. Other highlights of the day were a fine male Redstart, a Tree Pipit, a fly-over Stock Dove, 13 Mediterranean Gulls and 139 Linnets. The 9th saw two juvenile Marsh Harriers soar over the Mountain, as well as two Spotted Flycatchers at Nant, 89 House Martins, 86 Swallows, 27 Wheatears and 31 Willow Warblers. Northwesterly winds and clear skies the following day saw a large hirundine passage occur with a final total of 468 House Martins, 110 Swallows and two Sand Martins. Early morning on the South End produced an adult and juvenile Arctic Tern, a Tree Pipit, a fly-over Little Egret and a Greenshank. Other highlights of the day were five Purple

6 1 MIGRATION DIARY 6 6 : 4 8 - 6 9 Sandpipers, 26 Black-headed Gulls, 55 Curlews and 257 Linnets. The 11th saw some more return passage as the good weather persisted. A Tree Pipit, a Whinchat, a Marsh Harrier and two Lesser Redpolls were seen in the morning; however, the highlight was the first Osprey of the year that circled over Pen Cristin whilst staff were conducting seabird monitoring. The next day saw more House Martin movement as over 200 were seen flying over Cristin in the morning. Other highlights of note were two Tree Pipits, a Pied Flycatcher, two Red Kites, a Marsh Harrier, 83 Black-headed Gulls, five Swifts, 70 Swallows, eight Blackcaps, three Spotted Flycatchers and 276 Linnets. It was another hot yet quiet day on 13th, whilst 14th saw more extensive passage. At sea, a Little Gull, five Mediterranean Gulls, three Common Gulls, an Arctic Tern, 32 Sandwich Terns and a minimum of 12,000 Manx Shearwaters were sighted. Passerines were again dominated by hirundines as 468 Swallows and 325 House Martins, of which 71 were trapped at Cristin. Other notable species were four Tree Pipits, a Goldcrest and an Arctic Skua past Henllwyn in the evening. A change in the weather resulted in a more overcast and cold day across the island on 15th. Birds seemed to be thin on the ground with only a Golden Plover on the South End, a Common Sandpiper in Henllwyn and two Pied Flycatchers at Nant. Other birds included two Grey Herons, seven Mallards, two Kestrels, seven Dunlins, four Purple Sandpipers, nine Curlews, six Redshanks and 22 Turnstones. Breezy conditions on 16th resulted in a quiet seawatch with two Common Scoters, an Arctic Skua, three Common Terns and 17 Mediterranean Gulls. The only other highlight of note was a Whinchat in the Wetlands. Kittiwake numbers on the South End increased on 17th with 560 recorded. Amongst them, four Mediterranean Gulls, 20 Black-headed Gulls, a Common Gull and a Sandwich Tern were seen. Passerine highlights for the day were a Tree Pipit over the Wetlands, a Spotted Flycatcher at Nant and 346 Linnets. It was a quiet day on 18th with a Whitethroat and two Swifts the highlight of the day, whilst Curlew and Turnstone numbers increased to 61 and 41 respectively. The following day saw only an adult Arctic Tern and a White Wagtail of note. Passage improved on 20th as a morning seawatch produced the first Roseate Terns (adult and juvenile) and Black-tailed Godwits of the year along with four Arctic Terns, four Sandwich Terns, two ‘Commic’ Terns, 17 Common Scoters, 159 Gannets, eight Fulmars and 3069 Kittiwakes. Other birds included two Grey Herons, four Black-headed Gulls, a Mediterranean Gull, six Turnstones, two Kittiwakes © Steven Stansfield

6 2 BETTERIDGE, KING & STANSFIELD REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. Whimbrels, 32 Curlews, two Redshanks, 12 Guillemots, 35 Razorbills, a Song Thrush, two Blackcaps and a Willow Warbler. Calmer weather on 21st led to a small increase in passerine numbers with four Tree Pipits, a Pied Flycatcher, two Goldcrests, six Willow Warblers and four Blackcaps recorded. Flying ant emergence saw an increase in gull numbers, producing 26 Mediterranean Gulls, four Black-headed Gulls, six Common Gulls, 187 Herring Gulls, 16 Lesser Blackbacked Gulls and 14 Great Black-backed Gulls. A single Sand Martin, 76 Curlews, 310 Linnets and a Kestrel were other highlights of the day. A dry start to 22nd saw little change, with a Teal, two Sparrowhawks, nine Ringed Plovers, 13 Willow Warblers and a Tree Pipit the avian highlights of note. A small arrival was recorded the following day as south-westerly winds produced two Tree Pipits, five White Wagtails, three Spotted Flycatchers and a Pied Flycatcher. Willow Warbler and Wheatear numbers increased to 22 and 12 respectively. Calm conditions on 24th produced some light Sterna movement with 12 Sandwich Terns, 23 Arctic Terns and nine ‘Commic’ Terns recorded. Elsewhere, a ‘ringtail’ Harrier species was seen by guests along with a Grey Wagtail, three Spotted Flycatchers, a Sedge Warbler and 44 Willow Warblers. Warm southerlies and clear skies the following day saw a Lapwing and Golden Plover new in at the South End, along with an Arctic Skua, 3000 Kittiwakes, 11 ‘Commic’ Terns and seven Sandwich Terns. Passerine-wise it was quieter, with a Chiffchaff, 21 Willow Warblers and three Spotted Flycatchers the highlights. Southerly winds swung north in the morning of 25th which resulted in some good sea passage, producing the first Little Tern of the year along with 76 Common Scoters, four Arctic Skuas, 13 Sandwich Terns and nine Arctic Terns. On land, there was a Grasshopper Warbler, a Whinchat, a Teal, a Tree Pipit, five Spotted Flycatchers and 365 Linnets. Light north-easterlies on 27th produced a small arrival including the first Merlin of the autumn, a Whinchat, four Little Egrets, a Golden Plover, an Arctic Skua, two Arctic Terns, a Grey Wagtail and a Snipe. However, 28th saw more substantial passage as the winds turned easterly overnight. At sea, the first Pomarine Skua of the year was seen along with three Arctic Skuas, 11 Common Scoters, four Sandwich Terns, two Common Terns, an Arctic Tern and a ‘Commic’ Tern. Overhead passage from the South End included ten Tree Pipits, six Grey Wagtails, and two Rooks. Hirundine numbers notably increased as 299 House Martins and 362 Swallows were logged. Other highlights included a Hooded Crow, a Whinchat, a Snipe, three Collared Doves, six Purple Sandpipers, a Golden Plover, 80 Meadow Pipits and 16 White Wagtails. Continuing easterlies on 29th brought some good migrant numbers to the island, including a female Hen Harrier that drifted over the Mountain, the first Little Gull of the year, a Greenshank, 54 Black-headed Gulls, three Buzzards, a Golden Plover, two Grey Wagtails and a Grasshopper Warbler. Clear, warm skies accompanied by winds from the east on the following day saw another good arrival including a Pied Flycatcher, 15 Spotted Flycatchers, two Whinchats, a Redstart, two Swifts, five Grey Wagtails, 46 Willow Warblers, 16 Wheatears, nine Goldcrests, a Siskin, a Bar-tailed Godwit, a Greenshank, a Snipe and an Arctic Tern. The 31st saw arguably the highlight of the month in the form of a Marsh Warbler that was trapped and ringed at Cristin. There were good numbers of other migrants present as well with the continuing Bar-tailed Godwit, two Tree Pipits, six Grey Wagtails, 25 White Wagtails, three Whinchats, a Reed Warbler, a Grasshopper Warbler, a Sedge Warbler, a Garden Warbler, 37 Willow Warblers, five Spotted Flycatchers, a Collared Dove, 21 Robins and eight Sandwich Terns. Tree Pipit © Ed Betteridge

6 3 MIGRATION DIARY 6 6 : 4 8 - 6 9 SEPTEMBER 114 species recorded Ringing - 198 birds of 27 species September started with continuing easterlies and clear skies. Passage out to sea included 15 Arctic Terns, three Common Terns and 15 Sandwich Terns. Passerines were highlighted with six Tree Pipits, nine Spotted Flycatchers and a Pied Flycatcher, as well as 66 Willow Warblers, 20 Goldcrests, two Garden Warblers, four Blackcaps, a Grasshopper Warbler, a Sedge Warbler, four Whitethroats and a Sand Martin. A good showing of waders saw 16 Ringed Plovers, seven Purple Sandpipers, 11 Dunlins, a Snipe, a Bar-tailed Godwit, three Whimbrels, 46 Curlews, 11 Redshanks, a Greenshank, a Common Sandpiper and 23 Turnstones logged. Bird passage continued on 2nd with easterlies producing an Osprey which briefly landed on the South End, four Swifts, a Grasshopper Warbler, ten Grey Wagtails, 16 White Wagtails, 450 Swallows, 128 House Martins and three Tree Pipits. Out to sea, three Arctic Skuas, two Common Terns, 17 Arctic Terns, 21 Common Scoters and a Sandwich Tern passed, and yesterday’s Bar-tailed Godwit was joined by another. A change of weather on 3rd meant a quieter day; the highlight was a late Puffin on the West Coast, two Sand Martins, a Rook and the first two Chiffchaffs for a few days. Strengthening south-easterly wind on 4th saw two Arctic Skuas, one Balearic Shearwater, four Blackheaded Gulls, a Common Tern, ten Arctic Terns and five 'Commic' Terns off the West Coast. On the land, six Sanderlings, seven Whimbrels and three Spotted Flycatchers were notable. The weather continued in a similar vein the following day, and a seawatch produced the first Pintail of the year along with 27 Fulmars, 194 Manx Shearwaters, three Balearic Shearwaters, 127 Gannets, 28 Common Scoters, seven Ringed Plovers, three Knots, 27 Dunlins, six Sanderlings, a Greenshank, six Bar-tailed Godwits, a Pomarine Skua, seven Arctic Skuas, two Little Gulls, a Common Gull, four Little Terns, seven Sandwich Terns, five Common Terns, two Arctic Terns, four 'Commic' Terns, 54 Razorbills and 15 Guillemots. The only other highlight was the first Ruff of the year around Carreg yr Honwy. The 6th saw yet more seawatching in south-easterly weather with 2164 Kittiwakes, 104 Sandwich Terns, 107 Common Terns, 193 Arctic Terns, 18 'Commic' Terns and 188 Razorbills, 14 Fulmars, 171 Manx Shearwaters, three Balearic Shearwaters, 178 Gannets, eight Common Scoters, six Ringed Plovers, six Knots, six Bar-tailed Godwits, a Whimbrel, a Greenshank, three Black-headed Gulls and a Common Gull recorded heading south. A small passerine arrival saw a Pied Flycatcher at Cristin along with a fly-over Tree Pipit, a Grey Wagtail and a Spotted Flycatcher. A Common Sandpiper was on the Narrows. The next day saw yet more south-easterly winds with 36 Common Scoters, 54 Sandwich Terns, ten Arctic Terns, 52 Common Terns, three Black Terns and an Arctic Skua the highlights of a morning seawatch. The Pied Flycatcher remained in Cristin Garden and was joined by a Water Rail. Other notable sightings included a Kestrel, seven Teals, six Snipes, two Common Sandpipers and two Sanderlings. The 8th was yet again windy from the south-east. An early morning seawatch produced a Longtailed Skua, two Pomarine Skuas, eight Arctic Skuas, 146 Common Scoters, nine Balearic Shearwaters, four Arctic Terns, 65 Sandwich Terns, 585 Kittiwakes, 388 Gannets, 28 Fulmars, 235 Razorbills, a Guillemot, 18 Dunlins, a Knot and nine Ringed Plovers. Clear blue skies saw two Ospreys move high south along with a Swift, a 'flava' Wagtail, four Grey Wagtails, 20 ‘alba’ Wagtails, nine White Wagtails, a Tree Pipit, a Sand Martin, 122 Swallows and four House Martins. Other birds recorded were 31 Purple Sandpipers, eight Dunlins, a Greenshank, a Pied Flycatcher, two Spotted Flycatchers, a Grasshopper Warbler and 18 Willow Warblers. The winds switched to northwesterly with light rain, though the sea was still producing birds, with six Balearic Shearwaters, two Pomarine Skuas, seven Arctic Skuas, a Common Tern, 34 Sandwich Terns and 55 Common Scoters. On land there was a notable arrival of birds which included a ‘flava’ Wagtail, ten Grey Wagtails, 11 White Wagtails, 12 'alba' Wagtails, 13 Tree Pipits, nine Wheatears, six Whinchats, 37 Robins, 21 Goldcrests, 14 Blackcaps, four Whitethroats, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Sedge Warbler, a Garden Warbler, 43 Willow Warblers, 32 Chiffchaffs, nine Spotted Flycatchers and three Pied Flycatchers, while another Osprey flew south and a Little Egret, Golden Plover and two Knot were around the southern parts of the island. The weather finally calmed on 10th and saw an influx of a minimum of 49 Robins around the island. Other species recorded were a Pied Flycatcher, four Grey Wagtails, five White Wagtails, two Spotted

6 4 BETTERIDGE, KING & STANSFIELD REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. Flycatchers, six Blackcaps, two Whitethroats, a Merlin, a Little Egret still and four Grey Herons. The wind returned to south-easterly the next day and resulted in the first Wigeon of the year. Midmorning, hirundines started to move, with 228 Swallows, 15 Sand Martins and 6 House Martins recorded. Other highlights included a Tree Pipit, a Merlin and a Knot. Heavy rain overnight and light drizzle in the morning resulted in a small fall on 12th; the standout highlight was a Barred Warbler trapped and ringed at Cristin. There were 11 Pied Flycatchers across the island; other migrant highlights were five Tree Pipits, a Whinchat, a Grasshopper Warbler, 13 Wheatears and 17 Willow Warblers. A quieter sea yielded six Sandwich Terns, three Common Terns and an Arctic Skua. The 13th saw a cold northerly wind which gave a more autumnal feel; a noticeable arrival of chats saw 45 Robins, a Whinchat and 23 Stonechats logged, along with two Reed Warblers, seven Spotted Flycatchers and nine Pied Flycatchers. Moderate northerlies meant little passerine turnover the following day, but a short seawatch produced 35 Common Scoters, two Common Terns, two Arctic Skuas, 100 Kittiwakes, 50 Razorbills, and nine Sandwich Terns. Overhead ten Grey Wagtails and two Golden Plovers went south, and four Pied Flycatchers and a Spotted Flycatcher were still around. Strong north-westerly winds during 15th produced some passage off the West Coast with three Redthroated Divers, a Fulmar, 335 Gannets, 22 Common Scoters, a Little Gull, 1201 Kittiwakes, 11 Sandwich Terns, ten Common Terns, a 'Commic' Tern, 13 Guillemots, 738 Razorbills, four Arctic Skuas and a Pomarine Skua. The main highlight of the day was the arrival of five Tree Sparrows in the crop fields around Tŷ Pellaf. The chilly northerly wind continued into 16th; a good day for migration saw the first Sabine’s Gull go south off the West Coast along with a Pomarine Skua, two Arctic Skuas, two Red-throated Divers, 595 Kittiwakes, eight Sandwich Terns, nine Guillemots, 1011 Razorbills, two Fulmars, eight Manx Shearwaters, 195 Gannets and nine Common Scoters. Remarkably, 11 Pink-footed Geese circled the island before heading north midmorning; this represented only the 11th record for Bardsey though the third this year and the second highest day count. On land it was relatively quiet, but the five Tree Sparrows were seen again at Tŷ Pellaf feeding in the crop field, and elsewhere on the island there were two Pied Flycatchers, two Spotted Flycatchers, two Grey Wagtails and a Reed Warbler. The winds dropped and the sea early morning produced a Pomarine Skua, four Common Scoters, a Mediterranean Gull, 11 Sandwich Terns and a 'Commic' Tern. The five Tree Sparrows remained at Tŷ Pellaf. However, the bird of the day was a Barred Warbler seen a few times mainly in flight at Cristin in the evening; unfortunately, all the views were too brief to see if it was the ringed bird from a few days earlier. Moderate north-westerlies on 18th produced less than expected: out to sea were three Arctic Skuas, 20 Common Scoters, two Mediterranean Gulls, a Common Gull, two Black-headed Gulls, 34 Kittiwakes, three Sandwich Terns, 81 Razorbills, and 131 Gannets. On land, little arrived apart from eight Rooks, a Siskin and a Merlin. The 19th felt like a day of true Indian summer as the island was greeted by warm, blue skies and a sudden calming of the winds. There was some turnover with a small arrival of 26 Goldcrests, ten Willow Warblers, two Chiffchaffs, a Spotted Flycatcher and three Blackcaps all logged. Overhead passage held some moderate visible migration, with the first Skylark of the autumn logged, along with five Grey Wagtails, two White Wagtails, 19 ‘alba’ wagtails, 20 Swallows, ten House Martins, 49 Goldfinches, and 86 Linnets. Other species recorded were 14 Common Scoters, a Collared Dove, a Buzzard and a Kestrel and the four Tree Sparrows remained. The 20th saw further blue skies and sunshine, accompanied by southwesterlies; birds seen included four Skylarks, 13 Grey Wagtails and three Tree Sparrows. Southwesterly winds continued to build in strength on 21st and saw little of note apart from an Arctic Skua, seven Grey Wagtails, a Merlin and a single White Wagtail. The winds swung round to the north-east the following day, accompanied by heavy showers throughout, keeping most of the birds out of sight. Before rain ended the proceedings, a short seawatch in the morning had produced an Arctic Skua, two Manx Shearwaters, three Common Scoters, 87 Gannets and 39 Kittiwakes. An improvement in weather on 23rd made for some further good seawatching with an adult Pomarine Skua and three Arctic Skuas the highlights, along with a Fulmar, a Manx Shearwater, 127 Gannets, 25 Common Scoters, seven Black-headed Gulls, 450 Kittiwakes, 1000 Razorbills and six 'Commic' Terns. An influx of Goldcrests saw 30 recorded across the island as well as a Tree Sparrow, a Skylark, a Grey Wagtail, a White Wagtail, two Rooks, 23 Swallows, two

6 5 MIGRATION DIARY 6 6 : 4 8 - 6 9 House Martins, six Blackcaps, five Chiffchaffs and four Willow Warblers. Building north-westerlies were a bit too strong for much passage, however the first Grey Phalarope of the year flew along the West Coast. Rain showers during the day grounded a Lapwing, a Wheatear and two Skylarks and saw a Golden Plover head south. A drop in the wind overnight and into 25th saw a Yellow-browed Warbler at Tŷ Pellaf and a Longeared Owl in Cristin Garden. Passage at sea was fairly quiet save for a good movement of Razorbills, with 2119 heading south. Elsewhere, 30 Goldcrests, four Blackcaps, four Chiffchaffs, three Grey Wagtails, two Skylarks and a Reed Bunting were noted. Howling north-westerlies the following day resulted in an adult Sabine's Gull, a juvenile Long-tailed Skua, two Great Skuas (the first of the autumn), an Arctic Skua, three Mediterranean Gulls, a Common Gull, 886 Kittiwakes, 21 Sandwich Terns, 859 Razorbills, 20 Guillemots, 19 Manx Shearwaters, 742 Gannets, five Common Scoters, a Knot, two Whimbrels and a Curlew off the West Coast. The winds eased on 27th; out to sea two Red-throated Divers, a Pintail, an Arctic Skua, a Great Skua, 12 Manx Shearwaters, 86 Gannets, seven Teals, 24 Common Scoters, two Mediterranean Gulls, 304 Kittiwakes, and 1232 Razorbills passed. A further drop in the wind on 28th saw the first Redwing of the autumn in Cristin Garden, along with a Lesser Whitethroat at Tŷ Pellaf. A morning seawatch produced a Pomarine Skua with two Pink-footed Geese and a Great Northern Diver seen during the afternoon. A seawatch in moderate northwesterlies on 29th saw a good movement of wildfowl with the first Red-breasted Merganser along with 14 Wigeons, four Teals and 36 Common Scoters. The third Barred Warbler of the autumn was seen briefly in the Withies. Overhead five Golden Plovers, two Grey Wagtails, three White Wagtails, 14 Swallows and 19 Skylarks were logged. An arrival of thrushes saw 42 Redwings and two Song Thrushes. The Long-eared Owl was seen again at Tŷ Capel and the Lesser Whitethroat remained around Tŷ Pellaf. An arrival of finches saw 54 Goldfinches, a Siskin and a Lesser Redpoll recorded across the island. In the afternoon two Reed Warblers were trapped in the Withies. Strong south-westerlies and heavy rain dominated much of 30th; the sea was quiet with six Manx Shearwaters and four Arctic Terns the only birds of note. During the evening a trip to Nant produced the Long-eared Owl and the first Barn Owl of the year. OCTOBER 125 species recorded Ringing - 331 birds of 33 species The month started with a brisk westerly wind; this produced some good sea passage with more quality rather than quantity, with four Sooty Shearwaters, five Balearic Shearwaters, seven Arctic Skuas, a Great Skua, a Sabine's Gull and two Little Gulls, along with 26 Manx Shearwaters, 201 Gannets, two Mediterranean Gulls, six Blackheaded Gulls, 692 Kittiwakes, four Common Gulls, 1260 Razorbills and nine Guillemots. On land, the bird of the day was a young male Common Rosefinch first heard sub-singing at Tŷ Pellaf before being found feeding in the crop fields, where it showed on and off for the whole day. A Reed Bunting was also seen around Tŷ Pellaf. Overhead two Skylarks, 67 Swallows and nine Grey Wagtails passed over, and a Whitethroat was above Carreg Bach. Dropping wind speeds on 2nd saw possibly a new Common Rosefinch behind Cristin with Chaffinches, a Twite on the South End, a Lesser Whitethroat in Cristin Withy and a Black-tailed Godwit in Henllwyn. Gull passage was the most notable aspect of the day's seawatch with a Sabine’s Gull, 22 Mediterranean Gulls, 22 Common Gulls, 160 Black-headed Gulls, 400 Kittiwakes and 74 Herring Gulls logged. Long-eared Owl © Ed Betteridge

6 6 BETTERIDGE, KING & STANSFIELD REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. Overhead movement saw 62 Skylarks, 18 Chaffinches, 29 ‘alba’ wagtails, 154 Goldfinches, 26 Swallows and eight House Martins head south. The 3rd saw the second Yellow-browed Warbler of the year, this time trapped and ringed at Cristin. A break in the weather also meant many birds were migrating overhead, with 63 Chaffinches, 39 Skylarks, 11 Swallows, 131 Meadow Pipits, four Siskins, 317 Goldfinches, 111 Linnets, 14 Grey Wagtails, ten Pied Wagtails, eight 'alba' Wagtails and two Jackdaws seen. Gulls were also on the move, with 359 Herring Gulls, eight Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 141 Blackheaded Gulls, four Common Gulls and six Mediterranean Gulls all flying south. Out to sea an immature male Eider went south along with 38 Common Scoters. A miserable day on 4th with strong winds and heavy rain resulted in few birds seen. The winds remained the same the next day, but clear skies saw a Great Skua, an Arctic Tern, 58 Manx Shearwaters, 60 Gannets, five Common Scoters, 280 Kittiwakes, 13 Guillemots and 477 Razorbills out to sea. The best on land were a Blackcap and ten Goldcrests. The winds remained for 6th with 12 Manx Shearwaters, 257 Gannets, two Common Scoters, a juvenile Little Gull, 987 Kittiwakes and 1586 Razorbills off the West Side. Other birds seen included a Merlin, two Golden Plovers, a Skylark and two Swallows. The 7th saw yet more strong wind, and seawatching during dry spells produced two Common Scoters and a single Manx Shearwater. The weather finally calmed a bit the following day and saw good overhead passage which included 58 Skylarks, two House Martins, 18 Swallows, 43 Meadow Pipits, three Grey Wagtails, ten 'alba' Wagtails, two Buzzards, six Rooks, seven Ravens, three Chaffinches, 17 Siskins, 259 Linnets, 61 Goldfinches, five Lesser Redpolls and three Reed Buntings. Out to sea, eight Common Scoters, an Arctic Skua, seven Mediterranean Gulls, six Common Gulls, 30 Black-headed Gulls, 419 Kittiwakes, 568 Razorbills and seven Guillemots passed. A Little Egret was new in Henllwyn as were a Greenfinch at Cristin and a Redstart at Tŷ Pellaf. Strengthening southerlies on 9th produced some moderate passage at sea with four Arctic Skuas, 73 Common Scoters and 443 Razorbills. Gull movement was good too with 599 Kittiwakes, 60 Mediterranean Gulls, two Common Gulls and six Black-headed Gulls. A few more waders greeted our shores with a Sanderling, a Dunlin, six Purple Sandpipers, 59 Oystercatchers, a Ringed Plover, two Snipes, a Whimbrel and 56 Curlews all recorded. Other notable sightings were the first Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon and Starling for a while. Northwesterly winds on 10th produced yet more gull movement with 74 Mediterranean Gulls and 574 Kittiwakes. Also, a Black Redstart was around Cristin and the Redstart remained at Tŷ Pellaf. Overhead 34 Skylarks, seven Swallows, two House Martins, 31 Meadow Pipits, two Grey Wagtails, two White Wagtails, two 'alba' Wagtails and 128 Siskins went over. However, the bird of the day was an elusive Cetti’s Warbler in the South End gorse, only the third record for Bardsey. Mild south-westerlies made for a great day's birding on the island on the 11th. During the morning 539 Meadow Pipits, 359 Skylarks, ten Reed Buntings, 119 Starlings, 89 Siskins, three Lesser Redpolls, 15 Greenfinches, 147 Chaffinches, 66 Goldfinches, 103 Linnets, 102 ‘alba’ Wagtails, 12 White Wagtails, 11 Grey Wagtails, four Golden Plovers, four Merlins and four Grey Herons were all recorded moving overhead. The sea was busy with 307 Mediterranean Gulls, a Great Skua, 1400 Kittiwakes, 748 Black-headed Gulls, a Redthroated Diver, a Great Northern Diver, 530 Razorbills, a Guillemot, 58 Common Scoters and two Manx Shearwaters. Elsewhere on the island, the first Ring Ouzel of the autumn was logged, along with a Garden Warbler, a Reed Warbler, three more Grey Herons, a Little Egret, 31 Goldcrests, nine Chiffchaffs, a Blackcap, two Cetti’s Warbler © Ed Betteridge

6 7 MIGRATION DIARY 6 6 : 4 8 - 6 9 Song Thrushes and three Snipes. A wet and windy start to 12th meant it was not until the afternoon that birds started to show themselves: a Yellowbrowed Warbler was found calling in Plas Withy, which was quickly followed by four more Yellowbrowed Warblers at Nant. Other passerines were two Swallows, three 'alba' Wagtails, 19 Robins, four Blackcaps, 12 Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler, 27 Goldcrests, eight Starlings, eight Chaffinches, five Siskins and 85 Goldfinches. Out to sea, an Arctic Skua, a Great Northern Diver, a Fulmar, four Manx Shearwaters, four Common Scoters and 33 Mediterranean Gulls went past. The day ended with three Whooper Swans seen flying west over the Narrows before landing on the sea off the South End. The birding continued to be busy the next day; two Long-eared Owls were seen in Cristin Garden at dawn, while a Barn Owl was found roosting at Nant, along with two Yellowbrowed Warblers and a Firecrest. Overhead passage saw 754 Skylarks, 530 Meadow Pipits, 65 ‘alba’ Wagtails, 266 Chaffinches, five Bramblings, nine Greenfinches, 259 Siskins, 316 Goldfinches, 182 Linnets, 13 Lesser Redpolls, 13 Reed Buntings, two Jackdaws, 25 Rooks, 24 Starlings, a Grey Heron and two Merlins logged moving through the island. Out to sea, 16 Mediterranean Gulls, 267 Black-headed Gulls, 11 Common Gulls, 81 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 289 Herring Gulls, 26 Great Black-backed Gulls, 71 Kittiwakes, 2 Guillemots and 85 Razorbills passed. An ‘eastern type’ Lesser Whitethroat, a Whitethroat, a Willow Warbler, a Stock Dove, two Redwings, a Mistle Thrush, three Blackcaps, nine Chiffchaffs and 28 Goldcrests were also seen. A seawatch off the South End on 14th saw a Great Northern Diver, a Manx Shearwater, 50 Common Scoters, an Arctic Skua, 105 Mediterranean Gulls, a Little Gull, 417 Blackheaded Gulls, three Common Gulls, 482 Kittiwakes, six Guillemots, 1004 Razorbills and the first two Curlew Sandpipers of the year. The highlight of the day was a Richard’s Pipit which briefly landed on the South End. Other passerine highlights were 17 Skylarks, five Swallows, 220 Meadow Pipits, three Grey Wagtails, four Pied Wagtails, 24 'alba' Wagtails, 38 Starlings, three Chaffinches, 58 Goldfinches, 77 Siskins, 64 Linnets and three Lesser Redpolls. Moderate south-westerlies in the morning of 15th allowed for some seawatching before the winds picked up. The second Grey Phalarope of the year was sighted, along with a Fulmar, five Manx Shearwaters, 95 Gannets, 69 Common Scoters, seven Mediterranean Gulls, a Black-headed Gull, 390 Kittiwakes, eight Guillemots and 360 Razorbills. Overhead passage was very quiet, with nine Skylarks, 28 Meadow Pipits, a Grey Wagtail, two ‘alba’ wagtails and a Lesser Redpoll logged in the morning. The only other bird of note was a Barn Owl seen hunting the Wetlands after dark. The wind eased the following day and produced a Yellowhammer, a Brambling, 230 Skylarks, a Swallow, 325 Meadow Pipits, a Rock Pipit, 11 Greenfinches, 41 Linnets, three Lesser Redpolls, 69 Goldfinches, 231 Siskins, 199 Chaffinches, 27 Starlings, seven Rooks, a Reed Bunting, 13 Pied Wagtails, 41 'alba' Wagtails and five Grey Wagtails overhead. Out to sea, 106 Mediterranean Gulls, 117 Black-headed Gulls, 157 Kittiwakes, 132 Guillemots, 843 Razorbills, two Common Scoters, two Manx Shearwaters and 90 Gannets went past. Warblers included a Blackcap, a Willow Warbler and seven Chiffchaffs along with 18 Goldcrests. Dazzling after dark saw two Long-eared Owls trapped and ringed. A brisk south-westerly on 17th saw little turnover on the land with a seawatch producing an Arctic Skua, a Fulmar, 17 Manx Shearwaters and 139 Gannets. A break in the weather on 18th with light easterlies saw a good arrival: movement over the South End included a Woodlark, a Tree Sparrow, three House Sparrows, 78 Goldfinches, 21 Greenfinches, 111 Siskins, 105 Linnets, 90 Chaffinches, two Bramblings, six Reed Buntings, 238 Starlings, 13 Rooks, 45 'alba' Wagtails, five Grey Wagtails, 215 Meadow Pipits, 268 Skylarks, six Little Egrets and a Great Northern Diver. Additionally, seven House Sparrows, two Reed Buntings, three Lesser Redpolls, 40 Linnets, 67 Siskins, 23 Greenfinches, 89 Chaffinches, 35 Starlings, 27 Redwings, seven 'alba' Wagtails, two Pied Wagtails, two Grey Wagtails, 41 Meadow Pipits and 108 Skylarks were recorded over the rest of the island. Other birds logged included a Merlin, a Water Rail, 949 Blackheaded Gulls, 19 Common Gulls, 229 Mediterranean Gulls, two Collared Doves, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, six Song Thrushes, a Lesser Whitethroat, six Blackcaps, seven Chiffchaffs, a Firecrest, 18 Goldcrests and a late Willow Warbler. The 19th saw the wind increase from the east which resulted in one of the best days for migration on the island this year. Throughout the day Fieldfares were seen coming in off the sea, flooding through predominantly eastwards, with a total of 6970 recorded, the highest-ever count

6 8 BETTERIDGE, KING & STANSFIELD REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. for the island. Also recorded overhead were two Lapland Buntings, 2310 Redwings, nine Song Thrushes, 1560 Starlings, eight Bramblings, four Greenfinches, 45 Siskins, 24 Snipes, 26 Skylarks, five Grey Wagtails and two Stock Doves. Movement at sea produced a late Common Tern and a Sandwich Tern, five Mediterranean Gulls, 41 Black-headed Gulls and 23 Common Gulls. The other highlights of the day were a Firecrest, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Little Egret, two Eiders, a Kestrel, three Merlins, three Peregrines, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, three Blackcaps, three Chiffchaffs and 33 Goldcrests. Light south-easterlies and clear skies the next day meant that most of the thrushes had moved on. A Woodcock was flushed from Cristin Garden, a late Spotted Flycatcher was in the Withies, a Reed Warbler was at Tŷ Pellaf, the two Eiders were still around the West Side and a Hooded Crow was new in on the South End. Overhead passage included 84 Skylarks, three Grey Wagtails, a Lapland Bunting, a Reed Bunting, 128 Starlings, 96 Chaffinches, three Bramblings, 129 Siskins, 72 Goldfinches and three Lesser Redpolls. The 21st saw a Black Redstart, a Spotted Flycatcher, a Wheatear (Greenland race), a Yellow-browed Warbler and a Firecrest. An arrival of Blackbirds saw a minimum of 38 across the island. A switch in the wind on 22nd to strong southwesterlies with rain showers resulted in a good fall of migrants. Nant held a Barred Warbler, a Redbreasted Flycatcher, two Yellow-browed Warblers and a Reed Warbler sheltering from the weather. Another Reed Warbler was at Tŷ Pellaf, with a Firecrest at Cristin. Other birds logged included two Fulmars, a Manx Shearwater, 1900 Kittiwakes, 24 Redwings, ten Fieldfares, three Skylarks, 74 Magpies, 19 Goldcrests, seven Chiffchaffs, six Blackcaps, a Lesser Redpoll, a Reed Bunting and 12 Siskins. The wind moved back to a strong easterly on 23rd, with two Yellowbrowed Warblers, a Firecrest and two Reed Warblers the only birds of note. The 24th was dominated by south-westerly wind and heavy rain showers. During the morning a Black Redstart was around Tŷ Bach and a Kestrel hunted the Mountain. Despite the wind some birds were coming in off the sea at the North End with 54 Skylarks, 304 Starlings, 46 Goldfinches and ten Linnets moving south. The highlight of the day, however, was a Pallas’s Warbler caught in the Heligoland trap at Cristin. It was mostly clear and bright on 25th with a moderate breeze; while taking down the nets at Nant a new Redbreasted Flycatcher was trapped and ringed. There was a small amount of overhead movement across the island with 245 Starlings, 167 Chaffinches, six Siskins, a Reed Bunting, seven Skylarks and 58 Meadow Pipits all recorded, mostly from the South End. The next day saw strengthening winds; a gathering of large gulls in Solfach brought in a second-year Yellow-legged Gull - the second record of the year. There was little else of note aside from two Long-eared Owls trapped after dark. Heavy rain overnight produced little migrant arrival on 27th apart from a Red-breasted Flycatcher which performed well in Cristin Garden for much of the day and a small arrival of thrushes which contained 52 Redwings, a Fieldfare and a Song Thrush. The 28th started with a small finch arrival: 52 Chaffinches, a Greenfinch, six Siskins, a Twite and 12 Goldfinches were seen from Cristin. Starlings were also on the move with 608 flying south during the morning. Seawatching off the West Side held a late Manx Shearwater, three Common Scoters, 114 Mediterranean Gulls, 124 Black-headed Gulls, five Common Gulls, 461 Kittiwakes, 36 Guillemots and 656 Razorbills. The only other bird of note was a Lapwing on Pwll Cain. Overnight rain and easterly wind the following day produced a Black Redstart at Cristin first thing; this was followed by a Red-flanked Bluetail found in the Withies whilst taking the down nets for the winter. The bird was trapped and ringed, the first since 2017 and the third record for Bardsey. The weather turned to south-westerly on 30th and brought rain showers with it and little of note. The 31st saw the wind go to the south-east which produced a Black Redstart at Tŷ Bach and a Siberian Chiffchaff at Tŷ Pellaf, also ten Song Thrushes, two Blackcaps, a Chiffchaff, seven Goldcrests and two Siskins. NOVEMBER 29 species recorded Ringing - 1 bird of 1 species November started with 35 Siskins and a Lesser Redpoll over Cristin on 1st. Most observatory staff left the island at this point, apart from the Warden who remained until 4th. The sole bird of note during this time was the only Snow Bunting of the year over Cristin on the morning of 4th.

6 9 MIGRATION DIARY 6 6 : 4 8 - 6 9 … so this brought the 2022 season on the island to an end, with 179 species recorded. Red-breasted Flycatcher © Steven Stansfield

Stansfield Rep. Bardsey Bird Fld Obs. SYSTEMATIC LIST Annotated list of birds seen during 2022 Steven Stansfield Bluethroat © Steven Stansfield

Systematic lis t 59: 4 0 - 114

7 2 STANSFIELD REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. 1 INTRODUCTION One of the core objectives of the Observatory is to record the birds on the island; this includes resident and breeding birds, and all birds migrating through the island. The Observatory has recorded birds on the island since it was established in 1953; before this there are a few ad-hoc records dating back to the late 1700s. Due to its position in the Irish Sea, Bardsey is an important stop-over location for migrating birds and as such attracts a number of rare species; there have been 334 species of bird recorded on the island. There are several nationally and globally important species that use the island, in particular Choughs and Manx Shearwaters, and many others are in decline and are Red- or Amber-listed as Birds of Conservation Concern. The Observatory documents the numbers of every species enabling us to observe changes. The purpose of recording is to provide scientific evidence for study, and to inform changes in policy; the information is used by governments, conservation bodies and economic developers. The data are sent to the British Trust for Ornithology and Bardsey Bird Observatory’s data currently form 3% of their BirdTrack database. For selected species, the maximum daily counts and bird-day totals per month are shown in a table. There are also charts within the text for some species showing bird-day totals during six five-day periods in each month (grey and olive columns), as well as the maximum count each month (brown line and dot). 1.1 CONSERVATION STATUS The species’ conservation status is listed if they are on the Red or Amber lists of Birds of Conservation Concern. Birds of Conservation Concern 4 (BoCC 4) is a report by compiled by UK bird conservation and monitoring organisations. It reviews the status of all regularly occurring birds in the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man. Each species is assessed and placed on the Green, Amber or Red List (indicating increasing concern) according to their global status and international importance, their European status, and, within the UK, their historical decline, current population, range trends and localised distribution are taken into account. ¨ Red-listed - highest conservation priority, species requiring urgent action ¨ Amber-listed - moderate conservation priority Sandwich Tern with Sand Eel - an Amber-listed species © Ollie King

7 3 SYSTEM ATIC LIST 6 6 : 7 0 - 141 1.2 LOCAL STATUS The status for Bardsey of each species is listed in brown; this status changes if numbers fluctuate over time. The definition of each status follows ‘The Birds of Bardsey’ (Roberts, 1985); however the definitions of ‘vagrant’ and ‘rare’ have since been adjusted 1.3 TAXONOMY The British Ornithologists’ Union (BOU) maintains the BRITISH LIST, the official list of wild birds recorded in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales and associated waters). The List is managed by the BOU’s Records Committee (BOURC). Two years ago we changed the taxonomic order throughout Bardsey’s Wildlife and adopted the BOU’s 9th Edition of the British List (December 2017). This order follows the International Ornithological Congress (IOC) World Bird List version 12.1. Each species on the list is assigned to a species category. Only those species in Categories A, B and C form the British List. As of 30 June 2021 the British List stands at 626 species, 334 of which have been recorded on Bardsey. Vernacular names that are widely used in everyday English are used in order to enable clear understanding by all. The Welsh names follow those in ‘Birds in Wales’, and for species that have not been recorded in Wales before, the names follow those on the ‘Avionary’ website. 1.4 RARE BIRDS AND DECISIONS FROM RARITIES COMMITTEES Up to 1998, rarities on which a records committee has made a decision were noted in the introduction to this list. It was decided in 1998 that the format used in the annual report of the British Birds Rarities Committee (BBRC) in British Birds would be adopted and, therefore, the accepted/not proven records would appear in the systematic list of the year in which the decision was made. Records awaiting decisions will appear in the list of the year in which they were recorded, and then again when accepted/not accepted, under a sub-heading of the year of the record. Decisions on all species dealt with by BBRC will also appear in British Birds and all species dealt with by the Welsh Birds Rarities Committee (WBRC) will appear in Birds in Wales, should the record be accepted. STATUS DESCRIPTION OF STATUS VAGRANT 20 records or fewer RARE 21 to 50 records SCARCE one to five birds or records on average per annum UNCOMMON six to 50 birds recorded on average per annum FAIRLY COMMON 51 to 250 birds recorded on average per annum COMMON 251 to 1000 birds recorded on average per annum ABUNDANT 1001 to 2500 birds recorded on average per annum VERY ABUNDANT in excess of 2500 birds recorded on average per annum

7 4 STANSFIELD REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. Bluethroat, one of the species considered by WBRC, recorded on Bardsey in 2022 © Steven Stansfield

7 5 SYSTEM ATIC LIST 6 6 : 7 0 - 141 1.5 SPECIES REQUIRING DOCUMENTATION BY THE WELSH BIRDS RARITIES COMMITTEE Scarce species (assessed by WBRC) are defined as those occurring on average five times or fewer annually in Wales. As of 1 January 2021 the full list of species which the Panel considers is as follows: Scarce races are considered on the same basis (i.e. all those occurring on average five times or fewer annually). However, it is acknowledged that the status, and in some case the identification, of some races is very uncertain. WBRC welcomes well-documented submissions of races that observers consider to be scarce in Wales. Through this process WBRC hopes to establish the occurrence of these forms but submissions will probably in most cases require detailed descriptions, photographic evidence and in some cases biometrics or a specimen. Any species not on the BBRC or the WBRC lists that is recorded for the first time on the island should be fully documented and supported by a description for circulation around the WBRC. A complete list of species requiring descriptions for consideration by the Bardsey Observatory Records Committee (BORC) can be found at the Observatory and is available upon request. Records that require consideration by BORC will not be included in the report until a description is submitted for consideration and accepted by the panel. Any record in this report of a rare species for the island has been accepted by the BORC. There is occasionally a small number of records that are considered not acceptable by the relevant bodies. Many of the records are not accepted because the relevant panels were not convinced, on the evidence before them, that the identification was fully established. Only in a very few cases are the panels satisfied that a mistake had been made. Taiga Bean Goose, Tundra Bean Goose, American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Ringnecked Duck, Surf Scoter, Smew, Alpine Swift, Corn Crake, Spotted Crake, Crane, Red-necked Grebe, Stone Curlew, American Golden Plover, Temminck’s Stint, White-rumped Sandpiper, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Rednecked Phalarope, Ring-billed Gull, Caspian Gull, White-winged Black Tern, Whitebilled Diver, Wilson’s Petrel, Cory’s Shearwater, Great Shearwater, White Stork, Glossy Ibis, Night Heron, Purple Heron, Golden Eagle, White-tailed Eagle, Montagu’s Harrier, Black Kite, Rough-legged Buzzard, Bee-eater, Red-footed Falcon, Redbacked Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Golden Oriole, Short-toed Lark, Shore Lark, Redrumped Swallow, Greenish Warbler, Arctic Warbler, Dusky Warbler, Radde’s Warbler, Pallas’s Warbler, Barred Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Melodious Warbler, Marsh Warbler, Blyth’s Reed Warbler, Rose-coloured Starling, Bluethroat, Nightingale, Red-flanked Bluetail, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Penduline Tit, Citrine Wagtail, Tawny Pipit, Olive-backed Pipit, Common Rosefinch, Common Redpoll, Arctic Redpoll, Serin, Corn Bunting, Ortolan Bunting, Cirl Bunting, Little Bunting.

7 6 STANSFIELD REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. 2 METHODS Bird Observatory staff conduct a census of all the birds on the island every day. The less accessible area of the East Side is observed from vantage points, as well as from a boat on pre-arranged trips, and is covered in depth during specific monitoring excursions. Members of staff are required to have keen observation and hearing skills as well as considerable experience in the field identification of birds, including knowledge of calls and songs, and a good understanding of the rarer species that could occur. Visitors to the island are also encouraged to contribute records which are then verified by observatory staff. High-specification binoculars and telescopes are used to aid location and identification of the birds which are then recorded in field notebooks. All the information that is collected is entered into a digital ‘log’ every evening; these data are used to create the list of all species seen during the year which is presented systematically below. In 2022 birds were recorded from 16 March when the staff arrived on the island until they departed on 5 November, with a few incidental winter records from individuals who either visited or were resident on the island for part of the winter. Cattle Egret © Steve Stansfield

7 7 SYSTEM ATIC LIST 6 6 : 7 0 - 141 3 RESULTS This year, a grand total of 179 species of birds was recorded during the season, the same as last year. There were the ninth to 11th records of Pink-footed Geese, including a flock of 11. Four Sabine’s Gulls and two Yellow-legged Gulls were seen in autumn. Record numbers of Mediterranean Gulls were seen, including a flock of over 300, and also the 25th record of Roseate Tern. The third Cattle Egret for the island took up residence over the winter, being present from early January to late March. Raptors were well represented, with a good run of five Ospreys, eight records of Red Kites, several Marsh Harriers, a couple of Hen Harriers and nine Long-eared Owls. Four Golden Orioles added a splash of colour to spring and the first record of Jay since 1993 was a surprise in May. The island’s third Cetti’s Warbler played hard to get on the South End in October, with the 21st record of Pallas’s Warbler just a few days later. Two Marsh Warblers were seen and a singing Siberian Chiffchaff took up territory in May and June, one of four seen during the year. A Siberian Lesser Whitethroat was found singing in May and identity proven by DNA analysis, becoming just the secondever record in spring for the UK. Three Barred Warblers showed a good return to form after a few blank years. A record movement of Fieldfares took place in October with the previous record of 2000 being smashed when 6970 passed over the island. The second Thrush Nightingale for Bardsey and sixth Bluethroat were both recorded on 2 June, and the first Common Nightingale since 2017 was singing in April. A Richard’s Pipit, a Common Rosefinch, three Red-breasted Flycatchers and the island’s third Redflanked Bluetail were seen in October, along with a Little Bunting that was sound-recorded as it flew over the South End. Excellent numbers of Goldfinches and record numbers of Siskins were also counted through the season.

7 8 STANSFIELD REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. SPECIES ACCOUNTS BRENT GOOSE Branta bernicla Gŵydd Ddu ¨ Amber-listed Scarce, 86 previous records, ten records in 2017 and eight in 2021 The only record of the year was a single on 3 March (WGR) of the pale-bellied Canadian population B.b.hrota which is the commoner of the two usual races to occur on Bardsey. Surprisingly there were no records in autumn, and none of the dark-bellied form B.b.bernicla whose population originates in the Taimyr peninsula in the central Russian Arctic and winters in northwest Europe. CANADA GOOSE Branta canadensis Gŵydd Canada Scarce, 55 records pre-2019 when two pairs were resident throughout the spring and summer of 2019 & 2020 There was just one record this year, in April, of a single on 29th (OHK). BARNACLE GOOSE Branta leucopsis Gŵydd Wyran ¨ Amber-listed Rare 22 previous records, last in June 2019 In April, two flew north along the West Coast on 10th (OHK, JAL, EJB). PINK - FOOTED GOOSE Anser brachyrhynchus Gŵydd Droed-binc ¨ Amber-listed Vagrant, seven previous records – 1981, 1991, 1992, 2000, 2013, 2016 to 2017 and 2018 In April a single flew north along the West Coast and then landed in the Wetlands on 2nd and was still present on 3rd (OHK, SDS, EJB). May saw a single in Henllwyn on 28th (MWJ et al.). In September a flock of 11 arrived from the north before heading back to the mainland (JJT et al.). Finally two flew south past the South End of the island on 28th (OHK, SDS). The best ever showing for this species on the island. Pink-footed Goose © Ed Betteridge

7 9 SYSTEM ATIC LIST 6 6 : 7 0 - 141 WHOOPER SWAN Cygnus cygnus Alarch y Gogledd ¨ Amber-listed Vagrant in spring with two previous records, otherwise scarce, 52 previous records in total In October three birds flew south along the west side of the island on 12th and landed on the sea (RCL, WE et al.). SHELDUCK Tadorna tadorna Hwyaden yr Eithin ¨ Amber-listed Scarce breeder, scarce to uncommon on passage Four pairs were present during the spring and accounted for most of the records in that time. The year’s peak count was 15 on 22 March, although there were several counts of 12 during April. Only one pair was seen to have any young and all perished within 24 hours. The final record of the year was on 6 July. J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 15 12 9 8 2 0 0 0 0 0 Bird-days 0 0 81 212 160 93 4 0 0 0 0 0 Days seen 0 0 12 29 31 23 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 0 10 20 30 40 50 J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. daily count per month Bird-day totals Five day periods Five-day totals Max count Shelduck © Ed Betteridge

8 0 STANSFIELD REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. WIGEON Mareca penelope Chwiwell ¨ Amber-listed Uncommon but regular on passage in small numbers during autumn The only records came in September, with a single on the Narrows on 11th, and 14 off the South End on 29th. A poor showing for a second consecutive year. MALLARD Anas platyrhynchos Hwyaden Wyllt ¨ Amber-listed Scarce breeder, fairly common in autumn and winter Mallards were ~30% less numerous than in 2021, with over 600 fewer bird-days recorded, primarily due to much lower numbers of birds present in autumn. Up to ten were seen in late March with a peak of 13 in April. May's peak was also 13, with further peaks of just nine and 11 in June and July respectively. August saw numbers increase with birds recorded on a daily basis, though the peak was only 17; up to 20 were seen in September with the year’s maximum of 23 seen on 14 October. J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 10 13 13 9 11 17 20 23 8 0 Bird-days 0 0 85 287 217 58 85 157 224 371 8 0 Days seen 0 0 12 30 31 19 20 24 25 28 1 0 PINTAIL Anas acuta Hwyaden Lostfain ¨ Amber-listed Scarce, 54 previous records A single flew south along the West Coast on 5 September (SDS), with another doing the same on 27th (SDS). TEAL Anas crecca Corhwyaden ¨ Amber-listed Uncommon but regular on passage, and winter visitor in small numbers During the early winter months of 2022, there were sporadic reports of Teals from island residents, though no specific counts were made or dates logged. In March, daily records began on 20th when staff returned to the island. The number of Teals seen increased steadily throughout the month, with up to 14 birds seen on 29th. However, after the end of March, the numbers began to drop. There were records on the first six days of April, with only a single bird seen on 6th. The first record in autumn was one in Solfach on 4 July with another three there on 1 August. From 22nd there were a further four records to the month’s end with three on 24th. There were 19 records in September of two to seven birds. October only saw singles, on 28th and 31st. 0 5 10 15 20 25 0 20 40 60 80 100 J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. daily count per month Bird-day totals Five day periods Five-day totals Max count

8 1 SYSTEM ATIC LIST 6 6 : 7 0 - 141 J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 14 8 0 0 1 3 7 1 0 0 Bird-days 0 0 99 31 0 0 1 9 48 2 0 0 Days seen 0 0 12 6 0 0 1 5 19 2 0 0 EIDER Somateria mollissima Hwyaden Fwythblu ¨ Amber-listed Rare, 80 previous records After last year’s blank, 2022 saw three records in October. An immature male flew south along the West Coast on 3rd (SDS), a female was seen on 11th from the South End (OHK, SDS) and two females were seen off the western side of the island on 19th and 20th (RIT et al.). TUFTED DUCK Aythya fuligula Hwyaden Gopog Rare, 36 previous records In July a female/immature was seen on the Lowlands ponds on six dates from 13th to 21st (SC et al.). COMMON SCOTER Melanitta nigra Môr-hwyaden Ddu ¨ Red-listed Fairly common to common passage migrant There were two records in March and nine in April, with 20 on 20 April the peak, and the final record of spring. Return passage began in mid-June with 21 on 14th. July saw three records, with 27 on 5th the peak. There were eight records in August, most in double figures, with counts of up to 76 on 26th. There were 24 records in September, with 12 double-figure counts and a peak of 146 on 8th, and 555 bird-days recorded. October saw lighter passage, with 17 records and a total of 357 bird-days. Most records were single figures, with six double-figure counts of between 23 and 73. 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. daily count per month Bird-day totals Five day periods Five-day totals Max count 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. daily count per month Bird-day totals Five day periods Five-day totals Max count

8 2 STANSFIELD REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 9 31 0 51 27 76 146 73 0 0 Bird-days 0 0 14 85 0 51 41 127 555 357 0 0 Days seen 0 0 2 9 0 1 3 8 24 17 0 0 RED - BREASTED MERGANSER Mergus serrator Hwyaden Frongoch ¨ Amber-listed Scarce A ‘red-head’ was seen on the West Coast on 29 September (OHK) which was the only record of the year. SWIFT Apus apus Gwennol Ddu ¨ Red-listed Common passage migrant, occasionally abundant The first record of the year was of a single over the South End on 27 April. Another was seen on 5 May and was followed by a further five records during the month, mostly of one or two birds, with 12 on 11th. There were 12 records in June, mostly in single figures, with four double-figure counts, with a peak of 36 on 21st. There were nine records in July of one to six birds. August produced ten single-figure counts of up to five birds. September saw four on 2nd and the final bird of the year on 8th. J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 0 1 12 36 6 5 4 0 0 0 Bird-days 0 0 0 1 19 102 25 20 5 0 0 0 Days seen 0 0 0 1 6 12 9 10 2 0 0 0 CUCKOO Cuculus canorus Cog ¨ Red-listed Uncommon, occasional breeder The first record of the year was one at Cristin on 21 April, two days earlier than the first bird in 2022. May produced five records: singles were seen on 3rd, 17th, 27th, 29th and 30th. One was at Nant from 4 to 6 June. In July a single was seen on 10th, with another on 25th. August saw a juvenile at Nant on 2nd and 3rd, with another on 6th in the Wetlands. There were no signs of successful breeding this year. ROCK DOVE Columba livia Colomen Ddôf Common No genuine Rock Doves were recorded this year; all the birds seen were thought to be directionally challenged ‘Racing Pigeons’. Largest numbers are normally seen at Bank Holidays in early May (May Day), late May/early June (Spring Bank Holiday) and then following the August Bank Holiday. 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. daily count per month Bird-day totals Five day periods Five-day totals Max count

8 3 SYSTEM ATIC LIST 6 6 : 7 0 - 141 J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 1 4 5 5 1 4 2 0 0 0 Bird-days 0 0 1 9 28 20 8 16 8 0 0 0 Days seen 0 0 1 5 14 10 8 10 7 0 0 0 STOCK DOVE Columba oenas Colomen Wyllt ¨ Amber-listed Scarce A mobile single was seen on 26 March. April produced four records, two were seen on 8th, one on 19th and singles on 25th and 26th. In May a single was at Carreg Bach on 8th. August produced singles on 5th and 8th, with another single on 13 October and two on 19th. WOODPIGEON Columba palumbus Ysguthan ¨ Amber-listed Common migrant and scarce breeding summer visitor There were nine territories located on the island in 2022, though numbers of birds present during the summer months suggested there were more. These birds masked any signs of passage early in the year. As the Bardsey breeding birds left the island, a small amount of passage could be detected, especially during the final few days of August and first days of September when numbers doubled from the regular counts – see graph below. J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 31 37 31 18 13 14 11 2 0 0 Bird-days 0 0 155 441 427 199 157 185 88 10 0 0 Days seen 0 0 9 29 31 28 30 31 25 6 0 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 J F M A M J J A S O N D Daily count of birds 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. daily count per month Bird-day totals Five day periods Five-day totals Max count

8 4 STANSFIELD REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. TURTLE DOVE Streptopelia turtur Turtur ¨ Red-listed Scarce; the status of this species has changed from uncommon to scarce The only record of the year of this rapidly declining species was a single at Nant on 2 June (EJB et al.). COLLARED DOVE Streptopelia decaocto Turtur Dorchog Fairly common to common migrant The first of the year was a single on 21 March, and was followed by a further two singles in the month. There were 13 records in April, with four the peak on 22nd. May saw 14 records; most were of one or two birds, with three birds on two dates in the month. Up to four were recorded on 11 dates in June. Fewer were seen in July with just five records of up to four birds. August saw the start of autumn passage, with two on 5th and then daily records of up to three from 28th. Only a single bird was seen in September, on 19th, and two on 18 October were the last of the year. 0 1 2 3 4 5 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. daily count per month Bird-day totals Five day periods Five-day totals Max count Turtle Dove © Ed Betteridge

8 5 SYSTEM ATIC LIST 6 6 : 7 0 - 141 J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 1 4 3 4 4 3 1 2 0 0 Bird-days 0 0 3 28 21 19 10 9 1 2 0 0 Days seen 0 0 3 13 14 11 5 5 1 1 0 0 WATER RAIL Rallus aquaticus Rhegen y Dŵr Uncommon but regular on passage, numbers can vary from scarce to fairly common A single bird was in the Wetlands on 3 April and was the only record in spring. September saw a single bird at Cristin on 6th and 7th. It was in weak condition. October saw a single in Carreg Withy from 12th to 14th, with another at Cristin Withy on 18th; two were trapped in the Wetlands on 25th and singles were there on 27th and 28th. MOORHEN Gallinula chloropus Iâr Ddŵr ¨ Amber-listed Scarce/uncommon breeder, population falling, occasional passage migrant The population fell again this year, with six pairs present. A total of seven broods containing a minimum of 18 young was recorded. There were no signs of immigration in spring; however, October saw a spike in numbers mid-month, when numbers jumped from single figures to 17 on 16th. J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 8 10 6 4 5 11 11 17 1 0 Bird-days 0 0 63 168 92 36 56 106 120 147 1 0 Days seen 0 0 12 30 31 22 30 30 30 30 1 0 OYSTERCATCHER Haematopus ostralegus Pioden y Môr ¨ Amber-listed Common breeder, passage migrant and winter visitor As observer coverage improved in March the daily counts increased, with a peak of 138 on 21st. Up to 196 were counted in April, with near-daily counts into three figures. Numbers generally fell in May, with 16 counts over 100 and a peak of 155 on 10th. Numbers in June fell further; a complete census of the whole island on 8th resulted in 163, which was the only count over 97 in the month, and more representative of the numbers actually present. July saw counts continue to fall, with a peak of 94 on 2nd. August’s maximum was 75 on 17th, and September’s was fewer at 48 on 1st. October’s peak was 60 on 16th. J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 138 196 155 163 94 75 48 60 35 0 Bird-days 0 0 1262 3453 3178 1551 1243 858 583 826 47 0 Days seen 0 0 12 30 31 30 31 31 30 29 2 0 0 5 10 15 20 J F M A M J J A S O N D Daily count of birds

8 6 STANSFIELD REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. LAPWING Vanellus vanellus Cornchwiglen ¨ Red-listed Former breeder (last bred in 1997), now uncommon passage migrant in spring and autumn There was one heard calling after dark on 6 June. On 8th one was at the North End and another was at the opposite end of the island on 14th. Post-juvenile dispersal/migration began in July with five birds seen on 7th, followed by singles on 11th, 12th and 17th, then from 22nd to 28th. August saw singles on 7th and 25th while September produced another single on 24th. One on 28 October was the only record in the month and the last of the year. Yet again, a very poor showing from this nationally declining Vanellus. GOLDEN PLOVER Pluvialis apricaria Cwtiad Aur ¨ Red-listed (Wales) Uncommon but regular passage migrant in spring and autumn A single was on the Narrows on 23 March, with singles there on 30 May and 26 June. August saw singles on seven dates from 15th. September produced five records: singles on three dates, two on 14th, and five on 29th. There were also five records in October: two on 6th, 14 on 10th, with four the following day, and then singles on 14th and 16th the last of the year. 0 50 100 150 200 250 0 200 400 600 800 1000 J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. daily count per month Bird-day totals Five day periods Five-day totals Max count Golden Plover © Steve Stansfield

8 7 SYSTEM ATIC LIST 6 6 : 7 0 - 141 GREY PLOVER Pluvialis squatarola Cwtiad Llwyd ¨ Amber-listed Scarce One present on Solfach on 7 June was the only record of the year. RINGED PLOVER Charadrius hiaticula Cwtiad Torchog ¨ Red-listed Rare but regular breeder since 2010, fairly common passage migrant Two birds arrived on Henllwyn in late March and were present intermittently to the month’s end. They were recorded on and off through April, and settled to breed in May, fledging two young in June and another two from a second clutch in August. April and May both saw light passage with up to ten seen in May. All records in June and the first half of August were of the breeding birds and their young. Up to 11 were recorded in the third week of August. September saw 25 records, six of which were in double figures including peaks of 16 on 1st and 5th, and 15 on 8th. There were just five records in October from 5th to 11th. Several small and dark birds thought to belong to the race C. h. psammodromus were recorded through both spring and autumn. J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 2 5 10 5 4 11 16 2 0 0 Bird-days 0 0 4 36 65 27 19 101 146 7 0 0 Days seen 0 0 3 16 21 12 11 29 25 5 0 0 WHIMBREL Numenius phaeopus Coegylfinir ¨ Red-listed Fairly common to common passage migrant, with two or three presumed resident birds There was a single seen in March on 22nd, and presumably the same bird on 3 and 5 April before spring passage got underway, suggesting that at least one bird had once again over-wintered on the island. Passage birds were first noted from the second week in April and peaked at 54 on 22nd. Numbers then fell, but remained in double figures to the month’s end. There were four double-figure counts on the first five days of May and then counts were in single figures only between 5th and 23rd, with a further single noted on 31st. June saw five singles to 8th. Autumn passage began from mid-July when numbers of returning birds began to arrive, with up to 12 present on 24th and 13 the following day. There were near-daily records in August, with most being seen in the first three weeks of the month, including two double-figure counts of 12 on 2nd and ten on 9th. Counts in the latter half of the month were all in single figures and from 29th records became sporadic. There were only 14 records in September, with a peak of seven on 4th. On 1 October a bird that was 0 5 10 15 20 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. daily count per month Bird-day totals Five day periods Five-day totals Max count

8 8 STANSFIELD REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. originally trapped and colour-ringed on Bardsey on 27 September 2016 was seen and stayed on the island until the end of the season. October produced 17 records: all bar one (two on 1st) were singles. J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 1 54 23 1 13 12 7 2 0 0 Bird-days 0 0 1 377 135 5 45 107 25 17 0 0 Days seen 0 0 1 23 23 5 12 28 14 16 0 0 CURLEW Numenius arquata Gylfinir ¨ Red-listed Abundant migrant and non-breeding resident; last bred in 1967 By the time Observatory staff arrived on 20 March numbers were in low figures, with a peak of just 16 in March, on 22nd. April’s peak was three, and May produced eight records with a peak of two. There were 17 records in June of up to 14 birds on 25th as returning failed breeders began to arrive back. Autumn passage continued into July and numbers increased to 43 on 27th. August saw peak counts increase further with almost daily double-figure counts regularly in excess of 50 and a peak of 76 on 21st. Numbers fell in September with a peak of 61 on 30th. Totals remained fairly stable in October, with around 60 to 65 birds present and a peak of 67 on 19th. J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 16 3 2 14 43 76 61 67 0 0 Bird-days 0 0 46 33 9 68 282 966 962 1258 0 0 Days seen 0 0 11 20 8 17 30 31 29 27 0 0 BAR - TAILED GODWIT Limosa lapponica Rhostog Gynffonfrith ¨ Amber-listed Fairly common migrant The first of the year and only record of spring was one in Solfach on 11 May. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 J F M A M J J A S O N D Daily count of birds 0 20 40 60 80 J F M A M J J A S O N D Daily count of birds

8 9 SYSTEM ATIC LIST 6 6 : 7 0 - 141 The first record in autumn was a single in Solfach on 30 and 31 August. There were then daily records in the first six days of September: one or two on the first three days, three on 4th and then eight on both 5th and 6th. BLACK - TAILED GODWIT Limosa limosa Rhostog Gynffonddu ¨ Red-listed Scarce, an average of six birds per annum, but becoming commoner in the past few years August saw two fly along the west side of the island on 20th (SDS, EJB) with another on 2 October in Henllwyn (MWJ). TURNSTONE Arenaria interpres Cwtiad y Traeth ¨ Amber-listed Common migrant and winter visitor, occasionally summers March produced daily records from staff arriving back, with a peak of 51 on 22nd. Numbers in April were slightly lower with records on 27 days and a peak of 34 on 1st. May saw records on 13 dates with a peak of 12 on 16th. June saw records of two birds on 10th and 14th. There were no records in the first three weeks of July, but from 25th autumn passage began with 16 on the Narrows and then picked up with almost daily counts of up to 22 by 31st. August saw a similar pattern with a peak in the first half of the month of 33 on 3rd; numbers further increased in the latter half of the month with regular counts of up to 50 and a peak of 59 on 26th. September began with regular counts over 30 and a peak for the first half of the month of 68 on 8th. Numbers in the third week of the month were generally lower, with 50 on 18th the largest count in the latter half of the month. The final week of September saw numbers fall further with no more than 39 counted on 29th. October saw 25 records; numbers generally varied, but remained around the 30-50 mark in the first two weeks, the third week seeing an increase with a peak count of 54 on 16th, with numbers remaining in the low 30s for the rest of the month. Bar-tailed Godwit © Ed Betteridge

9 0 STANSFIELD REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. KNOT Calidris canutus Pibydd yr Aber ¨ Amber-listed Uncommon to fairly common passage migrant and occasional winter visitor A single was seen on Solfach on 20 March. July saw a single on the Narrows on 24th. September produced three singles, then two on 9th, three on 5th and six on 6th. RUFF Calidris pugnax Pibydd Torchog ¨ Red-listed Scarce A single was seen on Carreg yr Honwy on 5 September (SDS). CURLEW SANDPIPER Calidris ferruginea Pibydd Cambig ¨ Amber-listed Scarce, 67 previous records Two flew south off the South End on 14 October (EJB). SANDERLING Calidris alba Pibydd y Tywod ¨ Amber-listed Uncommon passage migrant The first of the year was a single in Solfach on 1 and 2 May. This was followed by a single there from 29th to 31st. June saw two on 2nd. July saw a single on 25th as autumn passage got underway. There were no records in August. September produced records on eight days, most were of two or three birds with six seen on 4th and ten on 5th. The only record in October was a single on 9th. J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 10 1 0 0 Bird-days 0 0 0 0 5 2 1 0 30 1 0 0 Days seen 0 0 0 0 5 1 1 0 8 1 0 0 DUNLIN Calidris alpina Pibydd y Mawn ¨ Amber-listed Fairly common to common passage migrant A single was seen on 23 March. April saw almost daily records from 23rd to the month’s end with three on 26th and 29th. Numbers in May increased with 17 records, mostly up to eight, with 22 on 16th and 11 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 J F M A M J J A S O N D Daily count of birds J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 51 34 12 2 22 59 68 54 0 0 Bird-days 0 0 239 243 43 4 60 698 803 826 0 0 Days seen 0 0 11 27 13 2 5 30 28 25 0 0

9 1 SYSTEM ATIC LIST 6 6 : 7 0 - 141 on 17th. There were nine records of up to seven birds in June and then three records in July; two were singles and five were seen on 31st. Passage strengthened in August with 15 records of up to seven on 15th. There were daily records in the first two weeks of September, with a peak of 31 on 5th and 26 on 8th with all other records being fewer than 12. From 16th there were seven records of up to four to the month’s end. The only records in October were singles on 9th and 18th and four on 19th. J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 1 3 22 7 5 7 31 4 0 0 Bird-days 0 0 1 12 84 31 7 38 130 6 0 0 Days seen 0 0 1 7 14 9 3 15 22 3 0 0 PURPLE SANDPIPER Calidris maritima Pibydd Du ¨ Amber-listed Fairly common to common migrant and winter visitor, becoming scarcer March saw seven records from 21st when staff returned to the island. There were 38 on 21st and then 109 the following day. This was the largest ever count for the island beating the record of 108 that was set in February 2003, and was only the fourth three-figure count ever on the island. There were 18 records in April: five double-figure counts up to 44 on 11th. There were 16 records in May including four doublefigure counts up to 36 on 13th. The last record of spring was four on 31st. The first returning birds in autumn were on 2 and 3 August when a single bird was seen. There were then a further 11 records in the month of up to 12 birds on 14th. September saw just nine records, four of which were double-figure counts, including the month’s maximum of 31 on 11th. There were 15 records in October; only six were into double figures, with 18 on 21st the peak. 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 J F M A M J J A S O N D Daily count of birds 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. daily count per month Bird-day totals Five day periods Five-day totals Max count

9 2 STANSFIELD REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 109 44 36 0 0 12 31 18 0 0 Bird-days 0 0 264 196 131 0 0 44 97 117 0 0 Days seen 0 0 8 18 16 0 0 13 9 15 0 0 WOODCOCK Scolopax rusticola Cyffylog ¨ Red-listed Uncommon to fairly common migrant There was just one record this year, a single on 20 October (EJB, OHK). JACK SNIPE Limnocryptes minimus Gïach Fach Uncommon passage migrant and rare over-winterer, probably overlooked The only record of the year was a single in the Wetlands on 5 and 6 April (OHK et al.), a poor showing. SNIPE Gallinago gallinago Gïach Gyffredin ¨ Amber-listed Fairly common passage migrant in both spring and autumn and common winter visitor March saw a total of nine records: most were of one to four birds with six on 21st, seven on 28th and eight on 29th. There were 20 records in April: most were of one to four birds, with five on 1st and six on 7th. There was a single on 2 May, with three on 3rd, and the last record of spring was a single on 27th. The first returning passage birds were seen in August, with one on 8th, and then another three singles to 30th and two on 31st. September saw 15 records, all in single figures, with six on 7th the highest count. Of the 21 records in October most were of one to eight birds, with 24 seen across the whole island on 19th. J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 8 6 3 0 0 2 6 24 0 0 Bird-days 0 0 37 56 5 0 0 6 33 83 0 0 Days seen 0 0 9 20 3 0 0 5 15 21 0 0 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 1953 1958 1963 1968 1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 2018 Annual bird Year's daily maxima -day totals Bird-day totals Yearly maxima 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 J F M A M J J A S O N D Daily count of birds

9 3 SYSTEM ATIC LIST 6 6 : 7 0 - 141 GREY PHALAROPE Phalaropus fulicarius Llydandroed Llwyd Scarce, 63 previous records – none in 2016 and 2019 One flew south along the western side of the island on 24 September (OHK) with another there on 15 October (EJB). COMMON SANDPIPER Actitis hypoleucos Pibydd y Dorlan ¨ Amber-listed Common passage migrant Spring passage began on 16 April when five were seen on the Narrows. This was followed by a further 11 records of one to four birds in the month. May produced just six records: four were seen on 1st and the rest were all singles or twos. The final record of spring was a single on 4 June. Return passage began in early July with 19 records from 3rd. Most were of one to three birds though there were six on 26th. There were 11 records in August, all of one or two individuals. There were eight records in September to 18th; again all were of one or two except for three on 9th. J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 0 5 4 1 6 2 3 0 0 0 Bird-days 0 0 0 24 12 1 36 15 12 0 0 0 Days seen 0 0 0 12 6 1 19 11 8 0 0 0 REDSHANK Tringa totanus Pibydd Coesgoch ¨ Amber-listed Fairly common migrant and winter visitor Most of the over-wintering birds had departed by the time staff returned to the island in mid-March. March’s peak count was 17 on 22nd, the only count into double figures. There were 18 records in April and passage was greatest in the first week with ten on 12th the peak. There were no records in May. The first returning birds in autumn were two on 18 June followed by a further four records of one to three birds in the month. There were near-daily records in July of which six were in double figures with a peak of 14 on 30th. Numbers in August reached 43 by 1st, but then fell and were generally low, though there were seven double-figure counts including 19 on 29th. The first week in September saw mostly singlefigure counts; however, 16 on 5th was the month’s peak, with five other double-figure counts. October saw 24 records including 15 double-figure counts with the month’s peak of 19 on 13th. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. daily count per month Bird-day totals Five day periods Five-day totals Max count

9 4 STANSFIELD REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 17 10 0 3 14 43 16 19 4 0 Bird-days 0 0 55 67 0 9 133 253 173 249 4 0 Days seen 0 0 10 18 0 5 25 31 27 24 1 0 GREENSHANK Tringa nebularia Pibydd Coeswerdd Scarce to uncommon on passage One was heard calling over the North End at night on 29 July. August produced a single on 10th, with one on 29th and another on 30th. One was present on 1 September, with one on the west side of the island on 5th and 6th and another over the Observatory after dark on 8th. KITTIWAKE Rissa tridactyla Gwylan Goesddu ¨ Red-listed Fairly common breeder, very abundant on passage and in winter The island’s nesting population was already back on the cliffs when staff returned to the island in March. There were no obvious signs of movements in spring. Even though there were 230 pairs, which fledged 158 young on the East Side in July, there were just seven counts in June over 100, with 300 on 30th the peak. July’s peak counts were 395 on the east side on 22nd including 145 chicks, though 400 were seen off the west side of the island on 25th. The build-up in late summer of failed or non-breeders began in August, with up to 400 off the South End on 3rd. By 20th up to 3069 had congregated off the south and west sides of the island with regular counts of 3000-4000 to the month’s end. There were 27 records in September, with three four-figure counts, including 2164 on 6th the peak count. There were 26 records in October, most of which were three-figure counts, though two were over 1000: 1400 were seen on 11th, with 1900 on 22nd. 0 10 20 30 40 50 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. daily count per month Bird-day totals Five day periods Five-day totals Max count 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000 16000 J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. daily count per month Bird-day totals Five day periods Five-day totals Max count

9 5 SYSTEM ATIC LIST 6 6 : 7 0 - 141 J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 40 727 350 300 400 4000 2164 1900 30 0 Bird-days 0 0 115 1830 2615 1717 1649 27,492 10,168 9899 30 0 Days seen 0 0 11 25 29 18 13 29 27 26 1 0 SABINE'S GULL Xema sabini Gwylan Sabine Scarce in autumn, 129 previous records of 195 individuals, one vagrant in spring There were four records of four individuals. In September a juvenile passed the west side of the island on 16th (EJB, SDS et al.), and an adult did the same on 26th (SDS). In October a juvenile was seen off the west side on 1st (PJ), with another juvenile passing on 2nd (EJB et al.). BLACK - HEADED GULL Chroicocephalus ridibundus Gwylan Penddu ¨ Amber-listed Uncommon in spring, abundant to very abundant in autumn and winter There were 12 records in single figures in the first half of the year. From July records began to increase in number, though the only double-figure counts during the month were 16 on 18th. August saw 26 records of up to 83 birds, while September produced 18 records, most of which were in single figures, though there were two double-figure counts of up to 16. October saw the strongest passage of the year: there were 24 records, including nine three figures, with peak counts of 748 on 11th, and 949 on 18th. J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 1 1 3 3 16 83 16 949 1 0 Bird-days 0 0 1 5 8 4 69 344 94 3302 1 0 Days seen 0 0 1 5 4 2 16 26 18 24 1 0 LITTLE GULL Hydrocoloeus minutus Gwylan Fechan Scarce, becoming uncommon in recent years, but rare in spring A juvenile was seen off the West Coast on 14 August (EJB), with another juvenile off the South End on 29th (SDS). September saw two on 9th and another on 15th. An adult and a juvenile were seen on 1st, with a juvenile on 6th and an adult on 14th. October saw juveniles on 1st (two) and singles on 6th and 14th. MEDITERRANEAN GULL Ichthyaetus melanocephalus Gwylan Môr y Canoldir ¨ Amber-listed Uncommon on passage in autumn and winter, with numbers increasing The first record of the year was two from the North End on 23 June. July saw seven records with 18 on 31st the peak. There were near daily counts in August with up to 26 seen on 21st. September saw just ten records of up to five birds. October produced 22 records, of these, five were in triple figures: 307 (285 0 200 400 600 800 1000 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. daily count per month Bird-day totals Five day periods Five-day totals Max count

9 6 STANSFIELD REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. adult/2nd winters and 17 juveniles) - a new record count for the island - were seen on 11th (SDS, RIT, OHK). There were then 105 on 14th, 106 on 16th, 229 on 18th and 114 on 28th. J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 0 0 0 2 18 26 5 307 0 0 Bird-days 0 0 0 0 0 2 30 150 23 1154 0 0 Days seen 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 28 10 22 0 0 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 0 100 200 300 400 500 J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. daily count per month Bird-day totals Five day periods Five-day totals Max count 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 0 500 1000 1500 1953 1958 1963 1968 1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 2018 Annual bird Year's daily maxima -day totals Bird-day totals Yearly maxima Mediterranean Gull © Ollie King

9 7 SYSTEM ATIC LIST 6 6 : 7 0 - 141 COMMON GULL Larus canus Gwylan y Gweunydd ¨ Amber-listed Scarce in spring, generally uncommon to fairly common in autumn and early winter March saw one on 20th and a single on 30th. There were three records of one or two in early April, plus six on 22nd. May saw a single on 19th. July saw four on 14th and then three singletons. August saw 12 records of up to eight, with six records in September, all of single birds. There were 17 records in October, with six double-figure counts of up to 23 on 19th. J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 1 5 19 0 0 Bird-days 0 0 3 0 2 0 0 5 18 84 0 0 Days seen 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 5 6 13 0 0 GREAT BLACK - BACKED GULL Larus marinus Gwylan Gefnddu Fwyaf ¨ Amber-listed Scarce but regular breeder, uncommon to fairly common resident and on passage There were no real movements of note during the first half of the year with regular daily counts in single figures. However, in mid-August a large number of gulls began to accumulate on the southern part of the island again, and numbers rose from the regular counts in single figures to produce nine doublefigure counts during the month including 24 on 29th. September also saw nine double-figure counts with a peak of 27 on 6th. October saw 28 records; 11 were in double figures, with 27 on 9th the peak. J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 15 17 9 14 6 24 27 27 15 0 Bird-days 0 0 90 198 164 120 57 237 226 282 15 0 Days seen 0 0 11 30 31 26 28 30 30 28 1 0 0 5 10 15 20 25 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. daily count per month Bird-day totals Five day periods Five-day totals Max count 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 0 20 40 60 80 100 J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. daily count per month Bird-day totals Five day periods Five-day totals Max count

9 8 STANSFIELD REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS. HERRING GULL Larus argentatus Gwylan y Penwaig ¨ Red-listed Common breeding resident and abundant immigrant in autumn and winter There was no movement of any note in the first part of the year and all records were considered to be local birds and their offspring. Peak counts included 665 in April, 662 in May, 610 in June, 589 in August and just 77 in September. In October there were six days when notable passage occurred and counts were into three figures including 359 on 3rd. J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 334 665 662 610 200 589 77 359 50 0 Bird-days 0 0 2201 6614 7259 5574 2391 2871 393 2220 50 0 Days seen 0 0 11 30 31 27 30 31 30 29 1 0 YELLOW - LEGGED GULL Larus michahellis Gwylan Goesfelen ¨ Amber-listed Vagrant – 32 previous records, four from 2001-10, two in 2014, 16 & 17 and 18 in 2020, seven in 2021 A juvenile was on Carreg yr Honwy on 5 August (SDS et al.) and a 2nd calendar-year bird was seen on Solfach on 26 October (EJB). LESSER BLACK - BACKED GULL Larus fuscus Gwylan Gefnddu Leiaf ¨ Amber-listed Fairly common breeding summer visitor, common on passage in late autumn and winter Birds had already returned to the colonies on the East Side by the time staff arrived. Numbers increased through March and April and by mid-April up to 303 were present, though true numbers would have been greater had the whole colony been counted at one time, as 159 pairs nested and produced a minimum of 40 young. Post-breeding season counts began to fall, with August’s counts usually under 50, though 95 were seen on 29th. Records in September were again generally low in number, with four double-figure counts up to 15. There were 24 records in October, six of which were double-figure counts, up to 81 on 13th, with 107 the peak on 19th; most of these birds were heading south along the western side of the island en route to their wintering grounds in North Africa. J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. count 0 0 83 303 255 200 80 95 19 107 0 0 Bird-days 0 0 379 1194 1848 1318 658 427 139 348 0 0 Days seen 0 0 11 30 31 26 29 31 28 24 0 0 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. daily count per month Bird-day totals Five day periods Five-day totals Max count