BOC news - Edition 9

B O C News January 2023 The newsletter of the British Bird Observatories Council

FRONT COVER Eleonora's falcon Falco eleonorae is a medium-sized falcon. It belongs to the hobby group; a rather close-knit number of similar falcons often considered a subgenus Hypotriorchis. The English name and the binomial name eleonorae commemorate Sardinian Queen Eleanor of Arborea, a national heroine, who in 1392, under the jurisdiction conferred by the Carta de Logu, became the first ruler in history to grant protection to hawk and falcon nests against illegal hunters. This stunning individual adorning the cover of this newsletter was Britain's first twitchable Eleonora's Falcon that arrived at Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory in late May. While there are currently just 10 accepted records to date, most have proved incredibly brief. Surprisingly another was seen later in the year in east Norfolk. Photo © Steve Gantlett/cleybirds.com Thanks to all the contributors and to all the photographers for allowing us to use their images.

Bird Observatories Council Recording migration since 1946 What we do [email protected] • Migration All migrants are recorded daily • Research Long term ringing projects and intensive studies are carried out on both migrant and breeding birds • Education Public events - guided walks - ringing demonstrations - internships volunteering - young birders training courses • Accommodation For birders, ringers and holiday makers at most Observatories

Page 2 Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Chairman’s Welcome Steve Stansfield Welcome to this ninth BOC Newsletter, and what another fantastic summary we have over the next 130 or so pages! Observatories have always been associated with large arrivals of birds, rarities that as a youngster one could only dream of and look at pictures in the ‘Shell Guide to British Birds’, and friendship and camaraderie that observatories bring. In this newsletter you will find all that and much more from all 20 BOC Accredited Observatories, plus a report from Lundy which is looking to be accredited in the coming years. 2022 was a good year for migrants arriving on our shores as bird and other wildlife populations across the globe are struggling with survival due to human persecution and other factors such as climate change. One of the main ‘lowlights’ of 2022 was the appearance in many of our seabirds populations of the influenza virus N5H1 (Highly Parthenogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). Many thousands of seabirds perished due to this virus, which now is spreading throughout the world and devastating some of our most beloved seabirds and wildfowl. Ringing and nest recording was suspended in seabird colonies in Wales and Scotland for much of the summer and autumn, including many Observatories such as Fair Isle Skokholm and Bardsey. Exemptions were given for some non-seabird ringing to continue. HPAI aside, there were still some fantastic records at the Observatories, with highlights including three Great Snipes trapped and ringed on Fair Isle, Tennessee Warbler on Skokholm (the first record away from Scotland), Yellow-browed Bunting and Eleanora’s Falcon at Sandwich Bay, Tennessee Warbler on Skokholm © Richard Brown White’s Thrush on North Ronaldsay, the returning Black-browed Albatross and Turkestan Shrike at Flamborough and record numbers of Pallid Swifts in the country with several seen at Observatories. 2022 was the first complete year since 2019 that all Observatories were able to operate fully with no restrictions in place due to the SARS CoV2 (Covid 19) pandemic. It was a great relief to many Observatories as much of the income we bring in is through guests staying and visiting the Observatories. It was certainly from my own personal point of view a great year to see so many friends that had not been able to visit Bardsey since late 2019. In August the first full post-pandemic MigFest was run at Spurn Bird Observatory. The BOC had a new stand specially designed and printed for the event and Chris Williams and Phill Woollen (Secretary at Hilbre Bird Observatory) manned the stall for the weekend. It was a great event with many hundreds of visitors visiting the stall to hear about the work that Observatories undertake and seeing some of the photos of the great birds that are seen at Observatories. Chris Williams and Phil Woollen at MigFest I would like to take the opportunity here to say a big thank you on behalf of the Observatories to Chris Williams, the Chairman at Hilbre Bird Observatory. Who completed his first year as Secretary of the BOC having taken over from Alison Duncan. As well as doing my primary job as Director of Operations and Observatory Warden at Bardsey BO, I have worked closely with the BOC Executive: Chris Williams (Secretary), Peter Howlett (representing Bardsey BO), Alison Duncan (Director and Warden of North Ronaldsay) and Steffan Walton (Warden of Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory) to progress various BOC items during 2021. We held a number of Zoom meetings through the year and

Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Page 3 the BOC was forced to have its AGM via zoom in February. Bird Observatories continue to progress year-on-year, and their continuation and such progress relies very much on the huge amount of volunteer hours that are freely given by members and friends of the individual observatories, as well as the large number of hours spent by volunteers to move the BOC forward. So, after I finished my 25th year on Bardsey and my 33rd year working at Observatories, I continue to feel very optimistic and positive about the Observatories’ future. The number of younger birders and naturalists that are once again visiting and staying, sometimes volunteering and working at Bird Observatories is brilliant. A selection of short reports from some of the youngsters can be found later in this newsletter. An update on the MOTUS project can also be found towards the end of this newsletter. SUMMARY OF THE 2021 BOC AGM HELD VIA ZOOM, ON SATURDAY 6 FEB 2020 The 52nd Annual General Meeting of the Bird Observatories Council on 5th February 2022. Due to the continued issues with the Covid Pandemic, we decided to have the AGM by Zoom again this year. In Total 33 members representing 19 Accredited Observatories were present, plus representatives from Lundy and Inishtrahull both of which are looking for accreditation in the future and also several staff the BTO. Steve Stansfield and Chris Williams were both reelected as Chair and Secretary respectively. Steve thanked BTO staff and Chris for work and assistance over the previous year. The minutes of the 51st meeting on Zoom on 6th February 2021 were approved by Bardsey seconded by Gibraltar Point. The attendance for Bird fair and Spurn MigFest were discussed. The planned new stand was delayed due mainly to Covid and there has also been no bird fair, which had been indefinitely cancelled. The Exec had discussed attending MigFest and soon after news came out that BF was going to take place again in some form. The Exec had proposed that BOC attend MigFest. Rob Adams had reported that it would go ahead in 2022 and had been a success in 2021 in the North field, Spurn with over 400 attendees. BOC planned to attend on the weekend of 9-11 September and stand spaces would total about £300. Bird fair, costs etc were discussed and appear to be around £1000, The Secretary said we had not yet heard anything back regarding the bursary towards cost from Zeiss as per previous year’s attendance. Nick Whitehouse reported on the MOTUS Project. The last Motus meeting was well attended in Jan 22 including RSPB & BTO, there are currently 12 stations on the map (Motus.org) including 4 at bird Observatories and good prospects for many more sites with up to 20 more stations possible in the next 18 months. However, the Western side of the country is less optimistic. See note later in this newsletter. The BOC Pin Badges were discussed. Thanks to Paul Herrieven from UK Birding Pins for his contribution to the BOC badges. BBFO set up fee of 100 was £160, second 100 £130 so total £290. Sales from 78 pins was £390 so BOC received £100. Updates were given from: Alderney: John Horton gave an update on their progress since accreditation; he reported that they are moving into the seventh year, have a new HQ with peppercorn rent but as yet no accommodation. However, there are good deals on the island and ABO receive a percentage of any bookings gained via them. Inishtrahull: Alan Lauder reported that since their attendance last year to the BOC AGM they were still looking at plans to become accredited, but that mainly due to Covid there had been some delays in progression. June -Sept had been covered in 2021, the formal lease is delayed but an annual lease was in place, renovations on accommodation had started and some grants were obtained for projects. Currently hoping to open in autumn 2022, there is a need to expand the committee and volunteer base Lundy: Stuart Cossey, the Assistant Warden at Lundy reported that Dean Jones has been replaced by previous assistant Rosie Ellis as Island Warden. Staff were available to carry out daily census. Accommodation for visitors is being looked into. Seabird census is being carried out. The island is owned by the Landmark Trust and currently ringing is carried out by Lundy Field Society. Plans were to continue with the application process to be submitted for consideration at the 2023 BOC AGM.

Page 4 Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Fair Isle: Alex Penn reported that a full program of ornithological activities was completed, including daily census and seabird monitoring in summer even though the Observatory was still being rebuilt. There has been huge issue with Bonxie mortality due to Avian influenza. In 2022. Seasonal staff have been recruited and permanent staff were due in spring 2024. The new Observatory was hoped to be complete in October 2022 and open for the following Spring with 26 bedrooms! The BOC Newsletter was discussed, and Steve Stansfield wished to step down from editing and compiling the newsletter having done a stunning job for eight years. Chris Williams thanked Steve for all his hard work producing a great newsletter. Steve Wing agreed to take on the task. Birdtrack and an update on digitising data was discussed. Bardsey and Sandwich sent in more data that had been uploaded to BirdTrack. Mike Archer reported that pre 2017 nine Observatories had all digitised and uploaded, seven not yet uploaded but were all digitised, Cape Clear, Portland and Gibraltar Point progress was ongoing. Scott Mayson from BTO congratulated Mike Archer and the teams on recent BTO jubilee medal for all their work. Alison Duncan gave the treasurer’s report and was to will send out invoices & receipts. Polo shirts are still available £25 +p&p from the Secretary Rob Adams from Spurn is on the International Bird Observatories Conference steering committee and filters information back to the Observatories. Rob reported that IBOC was planned for 17-21 Oct 2022 in Mexico Since 2013 The Young Bird Observatories Volunteer program had funded 89 people who have visited 13 Observatories. The plans for the program to continue and be administered by the BTO. Portuguese Man-o-war Just a few of the many thousands that were washed ashore along the coast of Cape Clear this year!

Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Page 5 Alderney John Horton The island’s annual bird species total this year was 183, this featured three species, Pallid Swift and Eurasian Treecreeper, new to the Birds of Alderney list which now stands at 311 species. Our seventh year of operations, the ABO have increased the birds of Alderney list by 25 species since 2016, during the previous seven years the island bird list was increased by 8 species. Despite no seabirds being ringed this year which usually accounts for around 2000 records, still, over 10,500 birds were ringed, our busiest days were 4th October (603) & 8th October (448), in excess of 100 birds were ringed on 7 separate days during the spring and on 19 days during autumn migration. Four species; Blackcap, Swallow, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler accounted for 68% of the grand total consisting of 69 species. Water Pipit and Eurasian Treecreeper were additions to the island ringing list. Notable ‘controls’ included an Iceland ringed Herring Gull and a locally ringed Robin controlled in Estonia. An extraordinary historical record was unearthed and received from the Polish ringing scheme, returned to The Channel Islands Bird Ringing Scheme by a diligent researcher checking historical records discovering an unfulfilled data request, perhaps one of Europe's oldest passerine 'Control' records? A Starling chick ringed in Poland in 1936 was recovered in Guernsey 1938! Once again, we managed 100% coverage of the daily census. It was a very good year discovering species of insects new to Alderney, Clouded Yellow Butterfly had a very good year (recorded until 13th November) as did Hummingbird Hawkmoth with 50+ recorded on several dates. Assistant warden Matt Scragg had another excellent year which included his taking the lead with the moth trapping recording just shy of 400 species and, the ABO team recorded over 1100 species of flora and Fauna on Alderney this year, again adding several more previously unrecorded species to the variety of wildlife of Alderney. Numbers of followers of ABO social media sites saw a 20% increase over the year. Continuing to improve our new HQ observatory building ‘Telegraph House’ has been a priority this year, the interior of the building has been transformed and as I write some final touches, new light fittings and a loft ladder are being installed. This year 3 pairs of Dartford Warblers occupied the Gorse that immediately surrounds the observatory building and a recently donated moth trap is also set to be an exciting addition at our new home. After Alderney States controversially closed The Nunnery, our base until 2021 there followed a period of uncertainty in terms of visiting ringers, we are delighted to report that this year we welcomed several taking up ‘accommodation deals for ABO guests’ with groups of UK based bird ringers visiting Alderney and members of the local hospitality sector working closely with us. Visiting ringers and birders produced some excellent contributions of data during some of our busiest periods. What of The ABO’s old home? Sadly, more than a year on the building remains unused and without purpose, costing not making money for the government and community. Telegraph House on the other hand is going great guns and we have a secure long term private lease with superb and supportive landlords, the building is also in the process of having the Motus tracking system installed, with funding for the system from The Guernsey social investment fund, we have also separately received funding from local business ‘Alpha Estates’ sponsoring the cost of transmitters. All being well the ABO will be focusing on researching Storm Petrels using this technology next summer. I delivered a presentation on Motus tracking at the Inter Island Wildlife conference in October, there was a lot of interest, especially from Jersey who have already taken steps towards deploying the same system. Our partnership with Naturetrek has continued to flourish this year, the combination of these trips of increased boots on the ground and a valuable source of income for the ABO staff has been a very productive, many of the guests become ABO members and there have also been some very generous donations, thank you to everyone involved. I can’t summarise the year without mentioning avian flu; The Channel Islands watched fearfully as the virus spread southwards, the Channel Islands Bird Ringing Scheme (CIBRS) made the early decision not to visit any offshore seabird colonies thus avoiding potentially spreading the disease amongst nesting birds via footwear and for public health/safety reasons. Thankfully we didn’t record any positive cases until after our breeding auks and Puffins had left the islands, sadly the Gannet colony was infected, thanks to the longevity of the annual Gannet chick ringing program in Alderney (since 1948) delivered by the CIBRS, the increase of reported dead ringed Gannets could be at least measured against previous ‘average’ year mortality rates enabling some viable estimates of the loses. As an interesting side, the ABO staff continued to assist with the first ever standardised field work being undertaken looking at the island blonde’ Hedgehog population. Led by retired UK scientist Richard Melzack, the research has extended to include tagging the mammals using our coloured bird ringing strings, spraying Hedgehogs from different locations with various coloured dyes looking at local dispersal and movements, and DNA samples obtained to analyse the genes of these thriving leucistic oddities.

Page 6 Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Colour ringed Oystercatcher © John Horton 2022 began with a locally rare Pochard on 1st January, only the 4th island record in the last 25 years. An adult Yellow legged Gull was seen on the 6th and a wintering Whimbrel on several dates into February. A Black- throated Diver was found off Chateau L’Etoc on the 22nd and a Bonxie from the Lighthouse on the 24th. A male Pintail (11th island record) was seen flying over the census area 25th, it was relocated a short while after in Longis Bay in company with Mallards but soon flew off high and south-west. A couple of continental race Coal Tits that were ringed during a locally major influx last autumn were processed in January evidencing them over-wintering. Red-rumped Swallow © Dave Spicer February began with the ABO’s highest count to date of Fulmars with 85 gathered on the breeding site cliffs. A further local high count was 83 Bloxworth Snout moth at a known site. On the 24th a Goosander (5th island record) was seen off Chateau L’Etoc and Alderneys 6th island record of Rook was at Kiln Farm the same day and present to 7th March. On the 28th February a colour ringed Oystercatcher was spotted on Fort Raz was originally ringed as a chick at GranvilleChausey France 25th June 2019. In March on the 10th a flighty and unringed female Mandarin Duck was briefly on Corbletts Quarry, we don’t have any in ornamental collections on island so this one was likely from the continental feral population. On the 20th 3 Common Cranes were spotted flying surprisingly low over the sea headed north-east and the following day a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers were seen off the west coast. A female Serin was at Whitegates on the 26th and the first Osprey of the spring was over the airfield on the 30th.Prolonged northeast winds and low temperatures certainly contributed to a slow burn start to passerine migration which eventually picked up 29th & 30th during which just over 400 birds were ringed. Excellent local records continued on April 1st with a Little Ringed Plover (4th island record) last recorded in 1995, the same day a Hoopoe was at Vallee des

Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Page 7 Trois Vaux and was still present on the 2nd. A Nightingale was singing at Mannez reserve on the 12th. 2 Honey Buzzards headed north-east the same afternoon and the first Great White Egret of the year passed over the same reserve on the 14th. On the 16th visiting Guernsey birders found a Wryneck near Fort Houme Herbe. On the 18th we discovered some shocking wildlife vandalism/theft with some 30 flowering Green-winged Orchids, a significant proportion of the total plants, dug up and removed. On 21st for the second consecutive spring we caught a Red-rumped Swallow (4th island record) at our Swallow roost site, a male (by tail length) this was the 2nd ringing record for The Channel Islands. The same bird was seen and photographed at Longis reserve from the Naturetrek Hide 22nd and it roosted again at Longis reedbed 24th. In less-than-ideal weather conditions the 24th witnessed another very closely contested ‘Alderney Bird Race’ which finished this year with a visiting Guernsey team ‘The Spice Invaders' recording the highest day total, the winning score was 74 species. 80 species were recorded on the day. Our friends from Guernsey took home the coveted ‘Wooden Puffin’ laying down the challenge for Alderney to win it back next year! Jamie Hooper, Derek Bridel, David Spicer (Team Captain) & Anthony Loaring The third ‘Bailiwick Garden bird-watch’ ran for the last week of the month with participants from all the other islands contributing towards building a picture of the status of resident breeding garden birds. A Black Kite drifted over Telegraph House on the 26th On the 29th we visited the islet of Little Burhou continuing our program of colour ringing of the small marine Cormorant colony, this year 9 chicks were processed. Thanks goes out to Dave Venn of ‘Avante Boat Trips’ for a very slick and professional landing and extraction of our ringing team. A Nightjar was reported on the 30th. May began much as April did, with a locally rare wader, this time a stunning spring plumage Kentish Plover on Platte Saline Beach on the 6th. An annual breeder in Alderney until the mid-1970’s this was the first record since 1982. Kentish Plover © John Horton A Nightjar was spotted on the 8th, and another was discovered day-roosting close to the bird observatory on the 15th. The 14th heralded the return of the female Great Bustard that migrated through the island last year, this year in fine plumage and condition this 22nd May 2020 hatch female from Salisbury plains ‘Great Bustard Group’ project was found close to the lighthouse, she spent most of the following day on the campsite before moving on, we are delighted to be able to evidence the success of this excellent re- introduction program. Great Bustard © John Horton On the 16th a Golden Oriole was reported from Essex Farm and a male Hawfinch was seen in the same valley on the 18th. On the 24th we came across one of the British Isles rarest moths, the Fiery clearwing Pyropteron chrysidiformis. On the 27th May we came across a ringed bat, a male Natterers Bat that was ringed in July 2019 in Alderney and had not been seen since. This was the very first Bat recovery for Alderney and all the more remarkable as it is the only bat ever ringed here!

Page 8 Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Fiery Clearwing © John Horton On 28th Paul Veron spotted 4 Bee-eaters at 10:15am at the community woodland, they were subsequently seen over Mannez Quarry and around the lighthouse then finally high over Telegraph House at 1220hrs. Another fly-over involved 7 Crossbills on the 31st. On the 8th of June a Common Quail was reported as calling in a field between St. Anne & the airport. The same day we found 2 Cryptoceplalus vittatus, a tiny beetle only previously recorded in 1897! Cryptocephalas vittatus © John Horton On 12th June a White Stork circled high over St. Anne before drifting off towards the French coast. The following day 8 Honey Buzzards did the very same thing along with 3 more on the 14th when a Rosecoloured Starling was found in a garden near to the airport. Before June ended, we continued our run of rare insects on the 26th finding yet another first record for the island, a parasitic wasp Icheneuman sarcitorius. Icheneuman sarcitorius © John Horton On 11th July a Zitting Cisticola was singing at Longis reserve with two further observations 26th Aug & 2nd Sep, sadly they did not breed this year. A singing male took up territory and was being monitored at an undisclosed location through the month of May but was not recorded after mid-June. Sadly, during this period the bird and its exact location by way of grid reference co-ordinates were placed on social media by someone who really should have known better; this may well have contributed to the bird moving on. Zitting Cisticola © Joachim Leibig Mid-June through July is usually an extremely busy period ringing the Gull, Gannet, Petrel and Auk colonies but alas, not this year. Time was well spent monitoring however and this included recording some 2,200 Balearic Shearwaters on the 19th off the neighbouring Island of Herm whilst leading a wildlife holiday. On the 22nd an extraordinary record of a Geranium Bronze Butterfly on Sark island (1st for The Channel Islands) came on the back of records of us seeing Swallowtail, Queen of Spain Fritillary and Large Tortoiseshell, a thrilling year for butterflies indeed.

Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Page 9 Balearic Shearwater © Alan Williams Geranium Bronze images © John Horton On 20th July we were alerted to an incident of a recently fledged Cuckoo that flew into a residential patio window but thankfully it soon fully recovered and flew off strongly. As the dry spring progressed into an even dryer summer, with the help of our work experience student Abbi Davies visiting from the UK we set up a couple of these water stations for birds to visit during the heat wave, the little solar fountains worked superbly and were a big hit attracting birds and other wildlife to the fresh water. Water feature © Matt Scragg On 9th Aug a Western Bonelli's Warbler (2nd island record) found the nets in our census area. Western Bonelli's Warbler © John Horton On the 15th a Pine Tree Lappet (3rd island record) was in the obs trap along with a Brown veined Wainscot which transpired to be yet another first record for the island and on the 16th, an Icterine Warbler (11th island record) was ringed in our census area and a Curlew Sandpiper was at the north end of Longis Bay. On the 28th a Wryneck was ringed at Mannez quarry. On the 2nd September, a Purple Heron was seen heading east as dawn broke and another Wryneck was ringed. On the 8th an Alpine Swift (6th island record) rifled over the golf course heading southwest and the following morning an elusive Red-backed Shrike was feasting on beetles near the old Kennels. 3 more Honey Buzzards passed over on the 10th as did a Great White Egret. A Rook (7th island record) was present at Kiln Farm seen on several dates between 12th Sep and 10th Oct. On the 18th a pelagic trip reported 6 Arctic Skua and 18 Little Gulls. We had our most productive September to date in terms of ringing with 2611 new birds processed.

Page 10 Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Brown veined Wainscot © John Horton Icterine Warbler © Matt Scragg Our first Yellow-browed Warbler of the year was on September 29th, then the species was recorded on 14 dates during October (3 on the 29th) with the last on 3rd November – these records involving 21 individuals in total. On the 30th September a large gathering of seabirds just offshore of Mannez lighthouse included 60 Arctic Terns and a juvenile Sabine's Gull. Moving into October the 3rd was a busy day with 603 birds ringed (462 Swallows) this total included our first ever October record of Wryneck, 7 White Wagtails and 3 Firecrests. Field observations the same day produced Long eared Owl that was also seen on the 4th. On the 5th October visiting UK ringers enjoyed an adult Yellow- legged Gull on route to their accommodation. Late afternoon a Cattle Egret was found at Kiln Farm fields, this was last seen on the 31st. On the 6th October 2 Crossbill flew over Barrackmasters Lane. We weren’t quite finished adding new insect first island records to the Alderney list of fauna, on the 27th assistant warden Matt Scragg was delighted to Wryneck © Matt Scragg discover a Purple Marbled in our moth trap. The 27th was also a good day for birds, a long run of recording Black Redstarts into double figures peaked at 32 individuals, a Great Egret flew over Braye harbour and visiting UK birders Louise Bacon and Vince Lea found a Western Bonneli’s Warbler at the campsite, and a sea-watch produced 12 Sooty Shearwaters. Late moving October migrants included a Whitethroat 17th and our latest ever record of Pied Flycatcher on the 27th. The predominant strong Southerly autumn winds from mid-October ensured that for the first time since the ABO have been monitoring there wasn’t a notable winter thrush invasion, what is usually our busiest period of the year was comparatively rather a damp squib, however, though we certainly missed out on the usual volume of migrants there were still some notable records. Alderney was not excluded from the unprecedented numbers of Pallid Swifts recorded in the UK. On 28th October a Pallid Swift (1st record for Alderney) was present over Mannez quarry and at the same site an adult male Penduline Tit and 2 Yellowbrowed Warblers were ringed. This was followed later in the day by the ringing of a 2nd Penduline Tit, a 1st winter female, the earlier male was present at Mannez until 31st Oct. On the 30th 2 Pallid Swifts (2nd & 3rd record for Alderney) performed magnificently for almost 20 minutes around Mannez Lighthouse before heading SW. Just ahead of 4pm, a local resident

Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Page 11 Pallid Swift © David Child Red-backed Shrike © Neil Pont Purple Marbled © Matt Scragg Penduline Tit © John Horton approached us to say that another bird much the same as we were watching had been present for an hour that morning. On 31st another Pallid Swift (4th record for Alderney) was on the north-east coast for just over an hour showing well over Mannez reserve, fortunately ABO committee member David Child managed to get some photos. David Child reported a Short-eared Owl at the airport 4th November, the next morning a Lesser Blackbacked Gull wearing a ring from the Iceland ringing scheme was in Braye Bay. Late moving migrants discovered via the ringing were a Willow Warbler on the 3rd and on the 6th a Reed Warbler. On the 10th a smart Water Pipit was at Saye Bay, the bird found its way into a cage trap that we have been using to trap Rock Pipits along this coastline, the individual was entirely dominant over several Rock Pipits in the vicinity, chasing off any intruder wanting to feed on the insect life amongst the detritus on the tideline. The first time this species has been ringed in Alderney, it was present until the 14th. On The 11th a Great Northern Diver dropped into Longis Bay at high tide and a Eurasian Treecreeper was ringed at Essex Farm, another 1st record for Alderney (5th for the Channel Islands), whilst Short-toed Treecreeper is a fairly common

Page 12 Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk breeder on our larger sister islands, Jersey and Guernsey, on Alderney where mature trees of any kind are a ‘mega rarity’ it is perhaps not so surprising this is the first one ever recorded here. On the 12th a female Cirl Bunting was ringed at Mannez quarry and on the 14th a male was reported from Kiln Farm. On the 16th a Grey Phalarope (5th record for Alderney and 3rd for the ABO) was at Crabby Bay. Lesser black backed Gull © John Horton Water Pipit © John Horton Sea-watches produced Sooty Shearwater 9th, 17th & 20th (3) and single Balearic Shearwaters seen on several dates to the 17th. On 21st a Goosander was offshore at the Lighthouse and the following morning local fisherman Graham Gillingham spotted 2 very smart Snow Buntings at the Harbour. 24th & 26th single Little Gulls were amongst feeding seabirds around Fort Houme Florin. Treecreeper © John Horton Grey Phalarope © John Horton

Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Page 13 Cirl Bunting © John Horton

Page 14 Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk On the 27th, a locally rare record of Great Crested Grebe was in Braye Bay and on the 28th a Purple Sandpiper at Fort Doyle. On the 30th a Great Northern Diver flew over Mannez Quarry, and 2 Swallows were over the Giffoine headland late afternoon. Into December, on 1st a Long-eared Owl was day roosting at Mannez Quarry and a Whimbrel, potentially another overwintering bird was at Braye Bay. Video footage of a Short-eared Owl was sent to us by the night duty fire service officer at the airport on the 5th. There were two Black Redstarts by Fort Doyle on the 7th. On the 11th a Merlin hunted Kiln Farm fields and here on the same day the island record total of Cattle Egrets was increased by 6 as Matt discovered 8 together, these Egrets were all present until the 16th. On the 13th another local rarity a Red Kite, just the 7th record for Alderney drifted over Barrackmasters Lane and then east towards the French coast. During a cold snap in the UK our Golden Plover numbers peaked at 200 and Lapwing at 180 on the 16th, we also saw a late flurry of winter thrushes that included a locally scarce record of Mistle Thrush 17th & 18th. A Kingfisher recorded on the 17th capped a very good year for this species, previous years have seen on average 2 or 3 individuals recorded on a total of 4 or 5 days, this year recorded on 24 days involving at least 14 individuals. The wintering Whimbrel was on the north-east coast 20th & 21st together with an unprecedented influx of Great black backed Gulls with 67 recorded on the 21st including a French colour ringed bird. An adult Little Gull the same day cemented 2022 as Alderneys best year on record for this species, this bird was drawn to the activity of around 20 Common Bottlenose Dolphin hunting offshore of the lighthouse. What have proven to be annually one of our last visitors at the very back end of the season are the Icelandic race of Redwing ‘coburni’ this year 20 were ringed during December. As the year came to a close another new species for Alderney (if accepted by our rare birds panel) was found on the 23rd Dec. A species I have been looking out for particularly as our near neighbour Guernsey has recorded several over the last two years. Caspian Gull, especially 2nd winter birds like the one I came across at Corblets Bay appear to be tough to identify as there is precious little to choose between this species and similar age Yellow legged Gull. However, a series of photographs have been analysed by individuals with relevant experience and the consensus is that the bird on the far right of the photo is indeed a Caspian Gull. Finally, special thanks to our committee that have remained steadfast through some now historically tough times and had another excellent year during 2022, with Helen McGregor at the helm, Neil Harvey and Norma Paris (who have been onboard since we launched the ABO now 7yrs ago) Hilary Partridge and Tim Earle. Cattle Egret © John Horton Caspian Gull © John Horton We were also delighted to expand our committee welcoming David Child and Petra Beck to our team this year. Plenty for Matt and me to look forward in 2023, not least the Motus system and the deployment of a recently arrived ‘highflyer’ netting system, another very generous donation. Purple Sandpiper © John Horton

Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Page 15 Bardsey Steve Stansfield I began my 25th season on Bardsey with two brand new members of staff, Ed Betteridge and Ollie King. Connor was around for the first half of the season until he headed off to start University in September, and as ever, my right-hand woman, Emma, was with me on the island, working, volunteering and supporting the Observatory every step of the way. We were also joined by Lynda and Mike, who were here to volunteer for a week getting the Obs cleaned down and ready for use, as usual they did an amazing job and are now so valuable, we find that we can’t do without them at the start of the season! Fiona Bithell then joined the team for a whole month, throwing herself wholeheartedly at the task of improving the Obs - and succeeding, Fiona worked like a trooper and has become an honorary member of staff! Andy Lawrence also joined us as a volunteer for what was a good week; Andy got stuck in helping us with lime mortar plastering, painting, staff meetings etc. The Lodge had stood up fairly well to the winter, but there was still a good amount of cleaning, decorating etc to do. (For some reason ordering supplies from the mainland seemed to have become a mammoth task, with suppliers getting things wrong all the time – something that did not happen pre-Covid! Still, we managed.) We all worked hard getting the place ready, sometimes late into the night. The Office has now been reinstated after two years of being a ‘snug’ for guests, and the Assistants are working well in there now. The library has had a makeover thanks to Fiona. The revamped library © Steve Stansfield This is conveniently the best place to get internet, which has recently been completely re-vamped and upgraded and we now get superfast speeds of up to 130mbps using a radio link beaming the signal across to the mainland! The Common room has also been given a face lift; Ed and Ollie painted the ceilings in there and the library, and I practiced my plastering and taught the gang (Emma, Fiona and Andy) about pointing, and the common room is now looking great. It was a great team effort, many thanks to all involved. Pointing the lounge wall The revamped lounge © Steve Stansfield On 15th April, Connor celebrated his 20th Birthday. We had a lovely afternoon with tea for the residents on the island and the guests at the Obs. Following several dry summers now, and really struggling for water at the Obs, I decided to buy and fit three 10K litre water tanks, that’s 30 tonnes of water! They were duly delivered and late in October they were installed in the courtyard. The team fitting the water tanks © Emma Stansfield Finally, I would like to thank everyone who has helped to get the Lodge up and running this spring, from our parents who help remotely, to the folk like Fiona, Lynda, Mike, and Andy who come to graft and get their hands dirty!! Spring Review It wasn’t a ‘classic’ spring with lots of migration over a prolonged period, but we can’t grumble at what we did get including a cracking Bluethroat, a good run of Golden Orioles and the first live record of Thrush Nightingale for the island and for Wales (the previous record in the mid-1970s was found dead at the lighthouse!)

Page 16 Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Spring Summary. Once the team were all in place, we began doing the daily census. Margaret the Cattle Egret (see last edition of the Beacon) was seen on most dates until 27th and was the highlight of early spring. By 21st March 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. Whilst on 23rd two Bramblings and three Greenfinch were seen as well as the first White Wagtail of the spring, a Golden Plover and the first Peacock butterfly. The Black Redstart count now had reached 12, the second largest count ever! Nine of which were still present the following day. Black Redstarts © Steven Stansfield The first Firecrest of the spring was seen on 26th, as was 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. Red Kite © Steven Stansfield The 28th saw a small fall of Phylloscs which started off the day, as 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 the spring’s moth trapping, being first and third records for the island respectively! Avian highlights brought on by a change in the winds led to a fall in thrushes overnight, as 173 Redwings, 13 Fieldfares, 20 Blackbirds and a Song Thrush arrived on the island. April began with very little action on the 1st as staff spent the whole morning trying to get one over on each other! The 2nd produced a good island rarity in the shape of a Pink-footed Goose, only the 9th record for the island! Also, the first Swallow of the year announced 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 the 7th, which kept most terrestrial birds out of sight. Out at sea, however, there was some noticeable movement. Over four hours of sea-watching 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 9 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 wind 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, these are only the 22nd record for the island! Strong easterly winds and overcast skies were accompanied by an arrival of migrants on 11th. A smart male Ring Ouzel was the highlight, spotted on the Mountain behind Cristin. The 12th began with heavy rain which cleared late morning; this resulted 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 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, 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 head wind during the morning. This resulted in a total of 23 Siskins, 394 Goldfinches (3rd 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 long-awaited University Week which 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 and 78 Goldfinches and 380 Linnets. The highlights of the day were a Hooded Crow on the Narrows, a Great Skua that cut across the Island, two Jackdaws seen coming in-off 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, alongside 28 Swallows, 12 Sand Martins, 10 House Martins, 21 Willow Warblers, 14 Chiffchaffs, 15 Blackcaps, 25 Wheatears and a Sedge Warbler.

Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Page 17 The highlights on 18th were a Twite and two Grasshopper Warblers with a Hooded Crow, 30 Wheatears and 16 White Wagtails the best of the 19th. The 20th saw a Great-spotted Woodpecker whilst good weather graced the island on 21st and the easterly winds brought a little new migrant arrival: the avian Grasshopper Warbler © Ed Betteridge highlight of the day came in the form of a Cuckoo that flew through the garden; the first for the year! The 22nd was the final full day of the Uni 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 10 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 54 Whimbrels, 6 Purple Sandpipers, a Merlin, two Common Sandpipers, 43 Swallows, seven White Wagtails, 22 Wheatears, and a Hooded Crow What a treat and an end to a fantastic week with a lovely bunch of students. After the students had departed and we had rapidly cleaned the Obs and welcomed the new guests for the week, we headed out on census. The continuing northeasterly winds grounded many migrating Wheatears, resulting in the highest count of the year so far with 189 (mostly Greenland Birds). Greenland Wheatear © Steven Stansfield 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, and a Grasshopper Warbler. The 26th saw a Siberian Chiffchaff at Tŷ Pellaf, with other highlights including a Stock Dove in the Wetlands, two Tree Pipits over Cristin along with another 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 record since 2017, and a Black Tern that flew past 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. Other highlights of the day were a Ring Ouzel and a fly-over Blue-headed 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 of the day 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. May began with very little of note on the first few days in the apple tree at Cristin. The second guided walk of the year was another success with the first Ruby Tiger moth of the year. 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 buzzed overhead south. A female Bullfinch from the previous week remained in the garden at Cristin. The moth trap had its most successful night of the season so far, with 25 moths of 13 species, including a smart Puss Moth (the 4th for the island), a Pebble Prominent and a Herald. Puss Moth © Steven Stansfield 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.

Page 18 Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Strong south-westerlies on 9th resulted in little movement and kept most birds hidden away. However, a Swift was seen scything its way south, a Blue-headed Wagtail flew over the Wetlands. Continuing southwesterlies accompanied a reasonable passage of Hirundines on 11th, with 169 Swallows, 4 Sand Martins, nine House Martins and 12 Swifts. A new addition to the island's year list was sighted, which came in the form of a Bar-tailed Godwit, bringing the total up to 115. The Blue-headed Wagtail was seen again at the North-west Fields, and two Hooded Crows flew across the West Coast. This was the Global Big Day so Obs staff decided to try to see how many species could be seen (alongside changeover and chough monitoring on the East Side!). A total of 51 species where 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 alongside two Sandwich Terns along the West Coast and the Garden Warbler still at Nant. A trip around the East Side of the island saw yet more activity in the seabird colonies with many Kittiwakes nest building, more 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 15th. The highlight of the day was a Hobby that flew low over the water across Henllwyn and was constantly mobbed by Oystercatchers! A good arrival of birds across the island saw a total of 91 Spotted Flycatchers recorded alongside a singing Firecrest and a Tree Pipit at Nant, a Hobby along the West Coast and a Redstart above the Abbey. The highlight of the day, however, went to a Striped Hawk-Moth found in the North End Gorse by Ollie who was able to catch it and bring it back to the Observatory in his hat! This represented the first record for the island! Other migrant Lepidoptera included the first Painted Lady, Silver Y and Diamond-Backed moths of the year. Striped Hawk-moth © Ollie king Rain delayed any birding for most of the day on 17th, whilst 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. As Ollie had just reached Nant, a Golden Oriole was seen flying south towards Cristin, which Ed then picked up as it dropped into the Withies! A Cuckoo was also found as we tried to re-find the oriole, and the Firecrest was heard singing again the plantation. Other bird highlights for the day were 25 Spotted Flycatchers, four Whimbrels, a Curlew, a Common Sandpiper. The 19th saw shifting winds and clear skies that made for a small turnover in avian life on the island. A Whinchat was seen in the Wetlands during one of the Breeding Bird Surveys in the morning, which was new for the year and brought the island's total to 117. A Reed Warbler was heard delivering its steady, rhythmic song from Cristin Withy, and a Siskin flew over Pen Cristin. The afternoon was spent working further on the Chough monitoring and the Manx Shearwater productivity projects at the North End of the island. Strong north-westerlies that calmed down during the day made for a more productive day of birding on 27th, with a mixed arrival noted. 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 18th October 1993! The 28th saw a Pink-footed Goose in Henllywn. This was only the tenth record for the island after the bird in early April this year! The 29th saw a slight change in the winds that resulted in a small arrival of migrants, 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. The 30th saw 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. June began quietly…very little of note and staff wondering if the spring’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! Then the magic of Bardsey struck all at once, resulting in a day that none of us will be forgetting anytime soon! A snifter of south-easterlies 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 out going round his lobster and crab pots. After some breakfast, Ollie headed down to the Wetlands and found a singing male Red-spotted Bluethroat at Plas Withy! Then 30 seconds later a Golden Oriole flew out from the same withy, a few metres away from the Bluethroat! I then swiftly cancelled the pre-arranged trip to the Gwylans as I knew there was more in store on the island, and Ed returned to Cristin to open the nets as the Oriole was heard singing in the garden. A

Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Page 19 Male red-spotted Bluethroat © Steven Stansfield Golden Oriole © Steven Stansfield 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 myself and John not far behind. Ed found a Turtle Dove at the Chapel and then ran to radio it to others! At Nant, Steve saw a phyllosc 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. It was radioed out and the lads came running up to get a look. Already a surreal day's birding, the climax was yet to come. I had a grey Sylvia warbler that looked Thrush Nightingale © Steven Stansfield exciting, however was not seen or heard again that day. Whilst looking around for it, I heard a deep 'dookcuuk' 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, however appeared somewhat rufous in bright sunlight. I began asking others why it wasn’t a Thrush Nightingale… trying as hard as I could to convince myself it was the commoner of the two species, but with little success! After scrutinising photos and sound recordings, the ID was nailed - it was indeed a Thrush Nightingale - the first live record for Wales!! Outside of the birding mania, it was also a decent day for non-avian species, with a male Orange Tip in the Withies, several Blue-tailed Damselflies and Diamondbacked Moths and a Thrift Clearwing. In the evening, we went to the South End and celebrated the Queens Platinum Jubilee as Trinity House had placed a special beacon to be lit - one of hundreds to be lit across the country! A great way to round off a spectacular day which few places on Earth can produce. During the next few days up to two Golden Orioles lingered on the island and on 6th Ollie found a Marsh Warbler singing at Nant, one of the final arrivals of spring. Marsh Warbler © Ollie King So, all in all not a bad spring – missing some of the Bardsey specialities, such as Subalpine Warbler, Melodious Warbler and Greenish – but hey, let’s not be greedy and save some for another day! Autumn Summary Autumn began with a good run of Terns (including Roseate, Black, Common, Arctic, Little and Sandwich) and Mediterranean Gulls in August. Several Ospreys passed through the island on their way to Africa, and record numbers of House Martins were ringed. Good numbers of Common Dolphins and Risso’s Dolphins were seen, along with two sightings of the rare Atlantic White-sided Dolphin. Late August saw arrivals of Convolvulus Hawkmoths and Emperor and Migrant Hawker Dragonflies and large numbers of butterflies passed through the island including hundreds of Red Admirals.

Page 20 Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Migrant Hawker © Ollie King The final day of August saw a Marsh Warbler trapped at Cristin, other highlights were two Tree Pipits, six Grey Wagtails, 25 White Wagtails, three Whinchats, a Reed Warbler, a Grasshopper Warbler, a Sedge Warbler, a Garden Warbler, and 37 Willow Warblers. Marsh Warbler © Ollie King Osprey © Steven Stansfield September 8th saw some good sea-passage, including a Long-tailed, two Pomarine Skuas and eight Arctic Skuas and an Osprey. An early morning seawatch in north-westerlies and light rain on 9th produced six Balearic Shearwaters, two Pomarine Skuas, seven Arctic Skuas, a Common Tern, 34 Sandwich Terns and 55 Common Scoters and two more Ospreys. The change in wind direction and the early morning rain seemingly dropped many migrants out of the sky with Flava Wagtail, 10 Grey Wagtails, 11 White Wagtails, 12 'Alba' Wagtail, 13 Tree Pipits, nine Wheatears, 6 Whinchats, 37 Robins, 21 Goldcrests, 14 Blackcaps, four Whitethroats, a Lesser Whitethroats, a Sedge Warbler, a Garden Warbler, 43 Willow Warblers, 32 Chiffchaffs, nine Spotted Flycatchers and three Pied Flycatchers. Early September also saw a good run of Pied Flycatchers including 11 on 12th, the same day a Barred Warbler was trapped at Cristin. Barred Warbler © Ollie King On 16th, 11 Pink-footed Geese flew over (only the 11th record for the island) and five Tree Sparrows were seen. Pink-footed Geese © Ollie King Another Barred Warbler was seen on 18th, whilst a number of Tree Sparrows passed through the island during the week. A Grey Wagtail bearing a colour ring on 19th was ringed a few days before on the Calf of Man Obs. A Grey Phalarope was seen on the sea on 24th. On 25th a Longeared Owl was seen, along with the first Yellow-browed Warbler of the year and a fine Clouded Yellow butterfly. The following day a smart adult Sabine’s Gull was seen along with a Long-tailed and two Great Skuas (the latter being very scarce this year due to a huge number being killed by Avian Influenza in the breeding grounds in Shetland). Another Barred Warbler was seen on 29th along with a Long-eared Owl.

Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Page 21 Red-breasted Flycatcher © Steven Stansfield

Page 22 Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Yellow-browed warbler © Ollie King Long-eared Owl © Ed Betteridge October began with the year’s first Common Rosefinch at singing Tŷ Pellaf. At sea 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, 692 Kittiwakes and 1260 Razorbills and nine Guillemots. A Sabine’s Gull was seen also on 2nd. The 3rd saw a Yellow-browed Warbler trapped and ringed at the Obs. Strong south-westerlies dominated the day on 6th and produced 12 Manx Shearwaters, 257 Gannets, two Common Scoters, a juvenile Little Gull, 987 Kittiwakes, and 1586 Razorbills. The 8th was the Global Big Day, this is where birders from all around the world go out and see what birds they can see. We ended on 59 (six fewer last year) however, this did include two Red Kites over Cristin, a female-type Redstart at Tŷ Pellaf and a Little Egret in Henllywn. Strengthening southerlies on 9th produced some moderate passage at sea with four Arctic Skuas (three of which were pale phase), 73 Common Scoters, 443 Razorbills, three Guillemots, four Manx Shearwaters, and 51 Gannets. Gull movement was good too with 599 Kittiwakes and 60 Mediterranean Gulls The 10th produced another island rarity in the form of a Cetti’s warbler on the South End. Mild southwesterlies made for a great day's birding on 11th, with plenty of passage observed both on land and at sea, as well as a small arrival of birds. Vis-mig totals today were the best to date this year, with 539 Meadow Pipits, 359 Skylarks, 10 Reed Buntings, 119 Starlings, 89 Siskins, three Lesser Redpolls, 15 Greenfinches, 147 Chaffinches, 66 Goldfinches, 103 Linnets, 102 Alba wagtail spp., 12 White Wagtails, 11 Grey Wagtails, four Golden Plovers, four Merlins, and four Grey Herons all recorded moving overhead (the majority of which flew out to sea off the South End and Pen Cristin). At sea, a record count of Mediterranean Gulls was logged as 307 were sighted in a feeding flock off the South End, mixed in with a Great Skua, 1400 Kittiwakes, and 748 Black-headed Gulls. Other species seen moving through were a Red-throated 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, alongside a Garden Warbler, a Reed Warbler, three more Grey Herons, a Little Egret, 31 Goldcrests, nine Chiffchaffs, a Blackcap, two Song Thrushes, and three Snipes. The 12th saw five Yellow-browed warblers on the island and two Whooper Swans off the west side. Two more Yellow-browed Warblers and a Firecrest arrived on 13th along with two Long-eared Owls. Yellow-browed warbler © Steven Stansfield The 14th produced two more new birds for the year, two Curlew Sandpipers and a Richard’s Pipit. Richard’s Pipit © Ed Betteridge Two Long-eared Owls were trapped on 16th, which also saw a good passage of finches including 231 Siskins, 199 Chaffinch’s and also 230 Skylarks and a Yellowhammer.

Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Page 23 Long-eared Owls © Ed Betteridge A Woodlark flew over on 18th, and six Little Egrets and a Great Northern Diver flew past. A Little Bunting was heard calling as it flew over the South End of the island in the morning. The 19th saw a massive passage of thrushes, including 2310 Redwings, 1560 Starlings and a record count of 6970 Fieldfares. The 20th saw a fine, Red-breasted Flycatcher and another Barred warbler with two more Yellow-browed warblers at Nant. Red-breasted Flycatcher © Ed Betteridge A tiny Pallas’s Warbler from Siberia was found in the back garden at Cristin on 24th, and a further Longeared Owl was trapped after dark! Pallas’s Warbler© Ed Betteridge Another Red-breasted Flycatcher was trapped at Nant on 25th, and yet another (the third in a week) was at Cristin on 27th. Red-breasted Flycatcher © Ollie King As the final nets were being taken down from the withies on 29th, a rather smart Red-flanked Bluetail (only the third for the island) was seen, and quickly trapped. This was a fantastic finish to a brilliant year on the island. Red-flanked Bluetail © Steven Stansfield Grey seal pup – one of over 60 born on the island in 2022 Thanks to all our friends, members guests and visitors to the island during the year for making it such a memorable one! University Week Over the past decade we have run a week for young birders and University Students. Following on from our

Page 24 Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk very successful University week in 2019, I applied for funding to run another one in 2020. Unfortunately, the Covid Pandemic got in the way, and we had to postpone it. However, in 2022 all restrictions around the pandemic had been lifted we were able to run the week. Adverts were placed in late 2021 on social media, and we filled the week in no time. Emma and I began planning the week, designing T-shirts and putting together the welcome packs. Welcome packs for the students We had ten students from six Universities, including two overseas students (from the USA and Poland – both studying in the UK at Sterling and Bangor). The week itself was an absolute blast! From great company, superb migration, Shearwater spectacle, and the allimportant quiz/party night. We would like to thank our generous sponsors: West Midland Bird Club British Birds Charitable Trust Welsh Ornithological Society Gareth Roberts I will now hand over to the students some of whom have written about their time on the island. Josh Bell – University of East Anglia The time I spent at Bardsey Observatory during the university week was one of the most valuable and enjoyable experiences I have had. It was great to have the opportunity to meet other students with the same interests as myself, and during the week we all spent together we became good friends. It was also great to learn from the other students about their interests, from the intricacies of bird feathers to crustaceans and butterflies and moths, and I feel I came away with more interest and knowledge in these other areas too. The week was full of great birding, from the early morning daily census to the late-night Shearwater ringing as well as lots in between, and I was able to get several lifers during the trip. One of my personal highlights was being able to see the birds up close during the mist netting and ringing sessions, where I had the opportunity to ring several birds including one of my now favourites, the Eurasian Blackcap. Another one of my highlights was getting to see Puffins for the first time. Throughout the week I saw multiple in the sea off the East side of the island, and then during the boat trip back to the mainland, Colin took us for a closer look on the East side where we got a spectacular view of one flying over the boat. Seeing such a wide variety of birds up close, from Willow Warblers to a Goldcrest, as well Goldfinches, Rock Pipits and the Manx Shearwaters was really enjoyable, and it was great to get the first-hand knowledge from the Observatory staff - Warden, Steve, as well as the assistant wardens, Ed and Ollie. It was so great to have the experience and I am very grateful for it, and I would recommend that anyone should jump at the opportunity to go to Bardsey if they can. Students birding the South End © Steven Stansfield Ewan Turner - Aberystwyth Spending a week on Bardsey Island, with a group of fellow young birders, was a fantastic experience and I feel very lucky to have been a part of it. It was the first time I had visited somewhere that felt properly wild and exposed to the elements. The absence of human noise struck me, all that could be heard was the sound of the waves and the distant calls of oystercatchers and whimbrels. The week was filled with excitement, whether it was heading out early in the morning to check the island for newly arrived migrants, taking part in ringing and breeding bird surveys, rock pooling, listening to really interesting talks from the wardens or heading out at night to help catch and ring Manx Shearwaters. It was a privilege to have these amazing seabirds in the hand whilst thousands more swirled above us, filling the night sky with their incredible calls. My favourite part of the Bardsey experience was being able to see bird migration happening first hand! Witnessing a slight change in the weather, causing a fall of migrants, was quite a spectacle: as we watched blackcaps and willow warblers arriving on the island, fresh in off the sea, and landing in the gorse and geos of the south end of the island. A Ring Ouzel dropped out of the sky to join them and a Grasshopper Warbler turned up in a geo! Birds seemed to be appearing everywhere! As we walked through the gorse it reminded me of walking through fields in early autumn. dispersing crane flies as you step, except this time the crane flies were warblers! It really showed me what a

Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Page 25 magical place Bardsey is and being able to share it with people who were equally as excited as me to see it all happening, was so much fun. I think that the young birders involved would all agree that we left the island more enriched in many ways, than when we arrived. I feel like I made some really great friends during this excellent week-long adventure, and I would thoroughly recommend it to any young birder or nature enthusiast! Students on the South End © Steven Stansfield Ring Ouzel © Steven Stansfield I would like to say a big thank you to Steve, Ollie, Ed, Emma, Connor, Colin, Fiona (and Moss!) for having us on the island, looking after us so well and teaching us all about Bardsey’s wildlife. I would like to say another big thank you to the Welsh Ornithological Society, the West Midlands Bird Club and British Birds for providing funding to make this fantastic week and experience possible. I can’t wait to return to Bardsey! Manx Shearwater tracking on Bardsey. Steve Stansfield and Dr Line Cordes The distribution and availability of food in the marine environment is highly variable over space and time. This creates significant challenges for marine top predators, including seabirds and marine mammals, as they must deploy an efficient movement strategy in their search for food, while navigating an everchanging landscape of winds, waves and ocean currents. However, oceanographic features such as tidal mixing fronts enhance productivity, which in turn attracts pelagic and demersal fish. Thus, there is a strong linkage between the dynamic physical environment and the predictability of prey assemblages. For breeding seabirds, their fine-scale movement decisions are typically constrained by the location of terrestrial colonies. This forces them to regularly navigate the variable wind and wave landscape between the terrestrial colony and the preferred offshore foraging areas, often separated by tens to hundreds of kilometres. In doing so they must constantly adapt their behaviour with consequences for route choice, energetic costs, and chick provisioning. Our model system involves tagging (GPS & accelerometer) Manx shearwaters Puffinus puffinus breeding on two colonies within the Irish Sea, which overlap in their use of a dynamic tidal mixing front known to aggregate prey but operating from opposite sides of the same windscape. Fine-scale environmental data will be extracted from across the study area, including wind and waves, while oceanographic models will be used to calculate the position and strength of the Irish Sea Front (ISF) over the course of the summer of 2022 and will continue into 2023. Changes in the availability of pelagic and demersal prey (e.g., herring, sprat, cod, whiting) was monitored using a moored echosounder over the course of the chick-rearing period, while the spatial prey field across the ISF was measured using ship-based echosounder surveys. The overarching aim of this National Environmental Research Council (NERC) funded project is to use a multidisciplinary approach to determine the association and interaction between wind, oceanographic features and prey availability, and how this influences the movement decisions and energy budget of a top marine predator, the Manx shearwater. The individual mechanistic relationship between physiology, movement and demography, will be scaled to the population level and provide some understanding of what the future energy landscape will look like for shearwaters and other members of the Procellariiformes. This aim will be realized by achieving the following objectives: Objective 1: Quantify the impact of the physical environment and distribution of prey on movement decisions and associated energetic costs of Manx shearwaters.

Page 26 Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Objective 2: Determine the environmentally driven consequences of movement decisions and energetic costs on adult fitness and chick growth. Objective 3: Predict the potential impact of the direct and indirect effects of future climate on the energetic costs of flight, foraging effort, and subsequent fitness of adults and chicks. In addressing these objectives, we aim to deliver an improved understanding of how the relationship between the physical environment and the distribution of prey influences the movement decisions and energetic costs of marine top predators, and what the implications are of continued climate change on these ecologically important species. In 2023 we deployed 64 GPS/accelerometer tags on Manx Shearwaters on Bardsey and had hoped to deploy also on the Calf of Man. These colonies were strategically selected around the Irish Sea Front Special Protection Area (SPA). The Calf of Man is located approximately 40km to the northeast of the SPA, whereas Bardsey Island is located approximately 100km to the south. Tagging took place in June, July and August during the incubation and chick-rearing period. The 64 tags were deployed in 3 batches on Bardsey Island (early June, July and -early August) in order to collect data throughout the breeding season. During capture, the birds will be sexed, weighed and the wingspan measured (to account for wing loading). The tags used in this study are TechnoSmart Axy-Trek solar-powered accelerometer tags. These weigh 10g and record a GPS location every 5 minutes, while continuously recording acceleration (50Hz), pressure (1hz) and temperature (1hz). The tags are approximately 2.5% of the weight of an average adult Manx Shearwater (~400g), which means they are well below the 5% loading threshold, and below the new recommended threshold of 3%. To save battery, a movement threshold will be set so that the tags do not attempt to make GPS fixes if the bird remains in the burrow for a few days after the tag has been attached. Tags were dorsally mounted using Tesa tape, which is standard procedure, and the bird will be returned to its burrow as quickly as possible to reduce disturbance and stress. Devices will be recovered after one or two foraging trips. A large amount of the detailed data from the tagging is still being analyzed and will be added to the data from 2023. However, we had some very successful tracks showing where the Bardsey birds went to feed. Many of them visited the ISF as expected, with foraging trips lasting up to seven days. A number of birds left the Irish sea to the north and visited the Western Isle, and some birds heading out towards the continental shelf. One bird headed out over the Rockall Basin and Darwin Mounds SPA turned east and settled for two days feeding to the south of the Faeroe Islands. It then headed south toward care Wrath, where it fed sir a day and then into the Hebridean sea. It began to move out of the Hebrides and hit poor weather and then turned around and went back north. Once the weather had settled, the bird them headed back to Bardsey very rapidly and back to its chick!

Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Page 27 Calf of Man Aron Sapsford Trail Cameras set over winter provided records of a male Teal on the Millpond for six dates between 1st – 11th January and on 5th February, whilst a Jack Snipe was present on 18th January & 7th February. Two daytrips in January provided more complete lists of the birds present, including the first evidence of potential over-wintering by both Blue Tit and Great Tit. March Original plans to start the season at the beginning of March were delayed owing to some ongoing repairs to the main Mitsubishi generator. With all the wardens having arrived on the main-Island, we set about utilising our time effectively, making further progress to the input of the historical ringing data and carrying out some much-needed repairs to the decoy Puffins. Unfortunately, the situation with the generator persisted and following the realisation that it wouldn’t be ready for several more weeks, the decision to use the ‘backup’ Lister generator was taken and the season began on 16th March. I was joined this year by new Estate Warden, Oliver O’Sullivan, Assistant Wardens’ Chloe Hurst and Eleanor Grover, and volunteers Mollie Kirk and Christa Worth. It is always a relief to see that the South Harbour jetty is still standing and that the various buildings have survived the winter storms relatively unscathed. The boat trip across yielded 61 Fulmar, 85 Guillemot and 83 Razorbill between Ghaw Yairn and Kione ny Halby. Coot © Lara Howe Opening and getting the farmhouse set up went smoothly, with all the amenities being connected without any issues, we began to look forward to another successful season; it was clear that there had already been an arrival of passage migrants and at least three Chiffchaff and 30 Goldcrest around the Observatory. The first three, Wheatear of the spring arrived on 17th and a Sand Martin flew through on 18th. Two male Blackcap were new on 20th, but most excitement was created by a Snow Bunting that was seen briefly in the Seafield and the Calf’s fourth ever Coot that was found moribund at South Harbour and later released onto the Millpond. Wardens and Puffins! © Lara Howe Greylag Goose and Grey Wagtail flying over during the early morning of 21st were the start of a series of spring records for both species, and the first four Willow Warbler were trapped at the Observatory. Having Mollie and Christa with us for the first few days helped tremendously, providing experienced hands with the many routine set-up tasks, and allowing the new wardens time to become acquainted with the place and how things run. After just five days on the Island, Oliver managed to fracture a finger and had to be taken off to get it x-rayed. Thankfully he was able to return the following day when Mike Haigh arrived to assist with the early spring period and to cover my annual leave during April. Singles of Jackdaw, a female House Sparrow and a Brambling were all new for the year on 22nd, whilst the 23rd brought a Woodcock near the Lazy Beds, a Kittiwake off the Stack and two Redwing around the Observatory, where a light passage of other birds included 15 each of Chiffchaff and Goldcrest, 20 Robin, 121 Meadow Pipit, 11 Chaffinch and singles of Brambling and Greenfinch. Two Blue Tit and a female Black Redstart were at the Observatory on 24th and continuing light easterly winds encouraged a Rook to

Page 28 Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk venture over to the island on 25th, whilst other new species included the first-ever multiple spring arrival of three Coal Tit along with a Fieldfare, four Twite at South Harbour and a Lapland Bunting found amongst a Meadow Pipit flock in the Top Withy field during the late afternoon. The Coot ‘appeared’ again on the Millpond on 26th, when Fieldfares increased to three, the female Black Redstart was still at the Observatory and two each of Lesser Redpoll and Reed Bunting were recorded. Two more Blue Tit arrived on 27th, otherwise little was new until a ‘Tristis-type’ Chiffchaff was amongst a small arrival of 10 Chiffchaff, 20 Goldcrest, 21 Redwing, 23 Wheatear and five Brambling. ‘Tristis’ Chiffchaff © Aron Sapsford Redecoration of the farmhouse was the first maintenance task for the estate team with the floors in two of the kitchens and the guest-lounge being painted, whilst Fulmar and Chough bedrooms were given a make-over, with a full re-paint and various repairs and improvements. A variety of building maintenance tasks were tackled during early April, with repairs needed to the stores at South Harbour and Cow Harbour, as well as 1968 Lighthouse and the two 1818 Lighthouses. Several of the boarded-up doors and windows on the Lower Lighthouse had been damaged during winter storms, so we set about repairing or replacing these boards and painted all of those at ground level improving the overall look of the property. Additionally, the stone pathway around the Lower Lighthouse had become overgrown so we started to cut back the turf and neaten it up. This was very much appreciated when later in the year, several groups from the Association of Lighthouse Keepers visited the Calf and toured the Lighthouses. April The continuing moderate North-east winds kept things quiet for the first few days of the month. Two Purple Sandpiper were on the Burroo on 1st, a Black-headed Gull flew through the Sound on 2nd, when the (returning?) Great Skua was seen at both Caigher and Cow Harbour. The Coot was still present on the Millpond, although quite elusive, it was seen on most dates up to the 16th, when it disappeared, and disappointingly its remains were then discovered on 21st. A Swallow on 7th was the only new summer migrant, otherwise, the bird sightings had a distinct wintery feel with a Red-throated Diver on 6th and a second Snow Bunting of the spring which was present at the Wall from 10th – 16th. From mid-month the winds were lighter and from a more productive direction and a steady stream of ‘new for year’ species occurred, with Whitethroat (16th), White Wagtail (17th), Whimbrel (19th), Sedge Warbler & Grasshopper Warbler (22nd), Cuckoo & Yellow Wagtail (23rd), Redstart & Tree Pipit (24th), and Puffin & Whinchat (25th). A good spring passage of Willow Warbler was developing and Dave Neal and Adam Homer, two visiting ringers arrived on 25th, just in time to help with the increased number of birds moving through and to see the Calf’s and Isle of Man’s second ever Dusky Warbler, trapped at the Top Withy on 26th. Dusky Warbler © Aron Sapsford The Mitsubishi generator finally arrived back on 27th April, but our optimism was short-lived and within 48

Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Page 29 hours a low-pressure alarm was detected and with oil leaking from the exhaust and excessive smoke being produced the generator was shut down and once again had to be removed from the island for further investigations. Up to now the focus had been on getting the generator rebuilt and returned to the Calf, but with the realisation that we were going to have to run on the back-up Lister generator for the foreseeable future the focus shifted to repairs required to re-instate the Crane at South Harbour. Once the Crane, which had been damaged during a storm in December 2021, was repaired and in situ it would be possible for the Polaris, which had been removed after the end of last season, to be returned to the Calf. Up to now we had been relying on the trusty Pasquali Tractor to move any equipment or supplies ‘slowly and rather bumpily’ around the islet. Phoebe with Eider © Aron Sapsford Earlier in the month, we had been joined by Phoebe Grzeskowiak, a student from Nottingham Trent University, who was undertaking a Breeding Bird Survey and mapping of Wheatear territories, as part of her degree studies. Phoebe proved to be a very valuable addition to the Calf team and after realising she had an extraordinary talent for discovering Eider nests, extended her project to include this additional data into her thesis. Owing principally to Phoebe’s efforts, a record-breaking 87 Eider nests were located, and monitored for the BTO Nest record scheme, which also resulted in an all-time high number of Eiders being ringed this year. It is pleasing to report that for the first time in seven years there was no evidence or records of live Brown Rats on the Calf; however, less positive evidence came from a camera trap set on Kitterland showing the presence of at least one individual there over-winter. Contingency measures were increased there during early May and subsequent monitoring visits showed that control measures were likely to have been successful. Alongside this encouraging news, the success of several of our ground nesting bird species suggests that our continued efforts are proving to reap reward with Eider and Wheatear breeding numbers at their all-time highest and the numbers of breeding Manx Shearwater likely to have now exceeded one thousand pairs. May The month started relatively quietly, with a Whimbrel and Turnstone at the Leodan and a female Black Redstart at the Lighthouse Fields on 1st. The 2nd was much busier, with a fall of 160 Willow Warbler and 20 Blackcap, whilst a record total of 19 Whimbrel were counted and Common Sandpiper, Swift and Merlin were all new for the year. The good spring passage of Willow Warbler continued through the first half of the month along with above average spring records of 13 Grasshopper Warbler and five Tree Pipit. An increasing Easterly wind on 9th kept things quiet, but a switch in direction to the South-west on 10th brought a few seabirds off Culbery, with a female Common Scoter and 71 Manx Shearwater flying south and an Arctic Skua heading north. Spotted Flycatcher trapped at the Observatory was new for the year and a Woodcock flushed from the Willows at the Top Withy, was only the second ever record in the month of May. A rather unseasonal Pink-footed Goose took up residence from 12th, amongst the breeding Herring Gulls on Caigher Dub, and remained until 26th; possibly the same bird was later seen at Bardsey. Western Subalpine Warbler © Aron Sapsford A Stock Dove in the Glen on 14th was new for the year as was a Western Subalpine Warbler trapped in the back garden. Warblers continued to feature with both Reed Warbler and three Garden Warbler on 15th, along with 25 Whitethroat, 20 Spotted Flycatcher and three Redstart. The 16th was quieter although a male Reed Warbler briefly sang behind the garden and 18 Spotted Flycatcher and a Whinchat were present. The third

Page 30 Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Reed Warbler of the spring was caught on 19th when the Western Subalpine Warbler reappeared, and a second Lesser Whitethroat of the year was trapped at the Withy on 23rd. There were further records of Cuckoo on 25th & 28th but otherwise things were very quiet except for a Sanderling near South Harbour on 29th which rounded off a rather disappointing end to the month. 2022 was overall a good breeding season for many bird species, with 33 species recorded as having breeding evidence during the season. After recent years of the continuing downward trend in breeding numbers of many of our seabirds, it is pleasing to report a slight increase in Shag (up 5%) and Great Black-backed Gull (up 20%) on 2021 figures. Breeding numbers of Lesser Black-backed Gull increased by 13 pairs on 2021 figures and Herring Gull numbers, although somewhat lower than those recorded in 2021, remained higher than the 2012 – 2021 average. Productivity was believed to be reasonably high for all three gull species, although the Herring Gull colonies along the south and west coast suffered significant losses during summer storms. Encouraging signs of probable breeding continue for both Puffin and Black Guillemot, however concerns over the effects of high mortality of Razorbill and Guillemots during last winter were realised with slight decreases in the breeding numbers of both populations. For the second year running, a pair of Buzzard were at Baie Fine but due to the position of the nest it was not possible to ascertain any contents of the nest. Disappointingly the regular pair of Peregrine were unsuccessful, whilst of the two pairs of Raven only the pair at Amulty were successful and breeding numbers of Chough remained stable at 9 – 10 pairs. The relatively mild winters of the past couple of years have meant high levels of adult survival and recruitment to the breeding populations of most passerines, resulting in the highest breeding pair counts for Wren (since 1982), Stonechat (since 1977) and Blackbird (since 1986), whilst record totals were achieved for Pied Wagtail (8 pairs), Robin (14 pairs) and Rock Pipit (52 pairs), although the latter may have principally been due to a greater effort of recording. Migrant species also fared well and benefitted from another warm dry summer with a record number of 64 pairs of Wheatear, and the six pairs of Swallow were the highest total for a decade. At the end of May, Phoebe left to take up her next project in Honduras and we were then joined by Emma Caulfield who was to undertake this season’s burrow surveys of our Manx Shearwater colonies. This seasons’ surveying was funded by The Seabird Group who provided a training grant that covered Emma’s travel and subsistence costs whilst on the Calf. June As can be seen in the graph, the population of Manx Shearwater on the Calf is continuing to expand and maintaining a fieldwork programme that allows a yearon-year comparison adds a substantial extra commitment to an all-ready busy programme of work, particularly at a time of year when spring migration is still underway, breeding season is in full swing and nocturnal monitoring of shearwaters and petrels further reduces the options for sleep! It is therefore crucial to have help with these time-consuming but important surveys, and we are particularly grateful to both The Seabird Group and to Emma for their valuable assistance. With the imminent onset of our guest season approaching, final preparations were being made and as we would be needing the tractor and trailer for transporting luggage etc., Oliver decided to give the tracks a once-over with the flail beforehand. Unfortunately, a slight misjudgement negotiating a gateway ended with a slow collision with a dry-stone wall, a broken fan, and a cracked radiator. Thankfully the Polaris, which had been taken off at the end of last season, was waiting to be brought out and with the crane having been re-instated a week or so earlier we soon had a working vehicle once again on the Calf. It is pleasing to report that the Calf remains a popular ‘get-a-way’ location for many Manx residents, as well as some visitors from further afield and the guest accommodation was full for much of the season. Peter Harrison © Chloe Hurst 0 1000 South Harbour Island esimate Pairs (AOB's) Manx Shearwater breeding population trend 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Page 31 A visit to the Calf by the cruise ship ‘Silver Cloud’ on 3rd June brought the seabird legend Peter Harrison, who very kindly signed the Observatory copy of his book, Seabirds: an identification guide. The following day was one of the most exciting days of the spring with a Greenish Warbler trapped at the Observatory and the Calf’s 3rd ever record of Black Kite which appeared over the Observatory before drifting off in a northerly direction. Greenish Warbler © Aron Sapsford A rather unseasonal Golden Plover was heard calling on 6th and a Scarlet Rosefinch was also heard calling during the early morning. What was presumably the same (two) Golden Plovers were in the Front Field during the morning of the 7th Seawatching from Culbery, produced the best birds on 12th, with a southerly passage of 392 Manx Shearwater and a single Storm Petrel flying north. An unexpected female Redstart was trapped on 15th and the first dispersing juvenile Grey Wagtail of the season kickstarted our new colour-ringing project. Another visitor to the Calf was Sarah Pimm, a past warden from 2005, Western Subalpine Warbler © Aron Sapsford who made a return visit to show her family where she had once lived. Light NW winds on 21st provided a productive day, with plenty of juvenile birds around including 33 Wheatear, 17 Stonechat and 54 Linnet; these were, however, eclipsed by a second Western Subalpine Warbler for the year and a juvenile or female Crossbill that landed briefly in the tractor barn Sitka before heading off west. The month ended with a rather unexpected 2nd year male Yellow Wagtail that was trapped in the Front Field Crow Trap – only the 2nd to be ringed on the Calf. Yellow Wagtail © Aron Sapsford July July began with eight Storm Petrel caught at South Harbour during the early hours of 1st, and juvenile passerines were again present in good numbers. An early morning seawatch from Culbery on 4th produced 266 Manx Shearwater and smaller numbers of auks. The first three Common Sandpiper of autumn were at South Harbour on 5th, and the first juvenile Willow Warblers of the autumn passage were trapped at the Observatory. A female Whinchat trapped at the Withy on 8th was a rather unexpected and worryingly was the only record of the autumn. Even more unexpected, was the discovery of the Calf’s 5th ever Kingfisher; found by last year’s assistant, Rob Fisher, whilst paddleboarding in the mouth of Mill Giau on 9th, it hung around long enough to allow all on the island to catch up with it. Summer 2022 saw an above average number of cetaceans seen off the Calf and the highlight of the 10th was two Minke Whale off South Harbour and three Basking Sharks recorded off the Lighthouses. Harbour Porpoise were undoubtedly the most regular cetacean with the likelihood that several resident family groups were present for much of the season. Risso’s Dolphins were seen regularly from June onwards with the first confirmed mating of the species in Manx waters being filmed to the North-west of the Calf in late June, whilst two super-pods of Common Dolphin were seen

Page 32 Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Minke Whale © Mike Haigh actively feeding during early August. Minke Whale appears to be coming a more regular visitor to Manx waters and the nine records this year is the largest number seen off the Calf for a couple of decades. Similarly, the total of 14 Basking Shark is the highest annual total since 2016. A Treecreeper trapped at the Observatory on 16th was new for the year and autumn passage of Willow Warblers became more evident, with the 19th producing the first juvenile Grasshopper Warbler of the autumn. Nine Storm Petrel were recorded overnight between 22nd/23rd and the first returning Turnstone was at Cow Harbour on 23rd, whilst an adult Common Gull there on 25th was rather less expected. Owing to the increasing Treecreeper © Chloe Hurst frequency of reports of HPAI on the Isle of Man and throughout the UK, restrictions on access to the Calf and for the monitoring of seabirds was implemented, to try and avoid spread of the disease to the islet. Thankfully the disease never arrived on the Calf and restrictions were gradually relaxed over the remainder of the season. Calm conditions on 27th brought a small arrival of warblers including 25 Willow Warbler, eight Sedge Warbler, four Blackcap and a juvenile Goldcrest. The first three, Purple Sandpiper of the autumn were seen on Chicken Rock on 28th, whilst the first Moorhen in four years appeared on the Millpond and remained until 12th August. Phytocoris longipennis © Annie Haycock Eristalis nemorum © Annie Haycock Summer is also a busy time for recording insects and efforts were well rewarded this year, with no less than 22 new species being added to the Calf list including two species of Bug and a Non-biting Midge that were also new for the Isle of Man. Unfortunately, due to lack of takers, the dry-stone walling courses planned earlier in the year did not take place. Thanks to their continuing efforts, however, David Fisher, Pat Griffiths and Ned and Gillian Bowers were able to complete several sections of wall by the Lighthouse Fields and Smithy. The Estate team repaired a section of wall on the southeast of the Lighthouse Fields by the track to south and another section near the Silo, which collapsed during a night of high winds. Both the Millpond hide and the seawatching hide at Cow Harbour were painted this season, as well as doors and windows at both stores at South and Cow Harbour. During 2021, we had been successful in a funding bid to the Curraghs Wildlife Park Conservation Fund for the purchase of a MOTUS station. Unfortunately, delays in the supply of the Sensor Station meant that we were unable to get the project operational this season, but everything is in place for early 2023. This will be the first station on the western seaboard of the British Isles and is part of a wider plan to have stations covering the whole of the Isle of Man, providing an unparalleled

Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Page 33 opportunity to study wildlife movement at a local and national level and help us understand the true importance of the Isle of Man and its position in the centre of the Irish Sea. Our initial plan is to tag Wheatear, as an extension of our colour-ringing project that has been running for eight years now. This project is providing some intriguing observations of birds moving in a northerly direction during autumn migration and MOTUS will help to shed light on how regular this is. New colour-ringing projects for Grey Wagtail and Stonechat were started, in response to our recent research strategy review, and these are already producing some interesting results. Our established Stonechat © Aron Sapsford projects for the three Larus gulls and European Shag also continue to provide useful data that helps us to understand the movements and dynamics of their populations. August A ‘super-pod’ of over 50 Common Dolphins actively feeding and breaching off the Caigher coast during the morning of 1st was an excellent start to the month, which also included an arrival of 70 Willow Warbler. A steady hirundine passage saw Swallows moving through over the next few days and the first (five) Tree Pipit of the autumn on 6th. Hirundines were again plentiful on 7th, with three Sand Martin and 214 Swallow, whilst Linnet numbers increased to 300 and were a feature of the late summer. Calm conditions on 8th brought a small arrival of migrants, with 21 Willow Warbler, three Sedge Warbler and a Grasshopper Warbler, and diurnal passage included at least eight Tree Pipit, 176 Swallow and 64 House Martin. The first Spotted Flycatcher of the autumn arrived on 9th, and a ‘fly-over’ Green Sandpiper was the highlight of 10th. Whilst most migrant numbers were fewer on 11th a season high of 35 Tree Pipit occurred with another eight on 12th, when another Grasshopper Warbler was trapped at the Observatory and the only Reed Warbler was trapped at the Withy on 14th. Lighter easterlies on 17th brought 40 Willow Warbler, five Whitethroat and 26 Tree Pipit and the Reed Warbler from 14th was re-trapped. A night-time netting session at South Harbour proved very productive with 45 Storm Petrel recorded and six Redshank seen during the couple hours pre-high tide before dawn on 18th. A Little Egret flying north over Ghaw Yairn on 21st was the first of an unprecedented four records for the season. Four Tree Sparrow made a brief appearance on 23rd and an Osprey flew south down the Glen at 1930hrs. The Osprey was again seen at South Harbour during the morning of 24th, when a small arrival of migrants included 20 Willow Warbler. The 27th saw a Pied Flycatcher © Aron Sapsford large arrival of migrants, with 96 Robin being the dominant species but also included a few warblers, 19 Tree Sparrow, 23 Grey Wagtail, 53 ‘Alba’ Wagtails, 226 Meadow Pipit and 21 Tree Pipit. Additionally, a Marsh Harrier flew north up the Glen during the morning and a Pied Flycatcher was trapped at the Observatory. A further arrival of migrants on 28th provided a busy morning with 75 more Robin, 14 Grey Wagtail, 65 ‘Alba’ Wagtails, 181 Meadow Pipit and 23 Tree Pipit, whilst a round-island boat trip during the afternoon recorded the Osprey again. Robins again dominated the 30th with a further 60 recorded and another Pied Flycatcher was trapped. The Osprey was again seen at Ghaw Yairn, and diurnal passage recorded eight House Sparrow, 24 Grey Wagtail, 119 ‘Alba’ Wagtails and 161 Meadow Pipit. The month ended with further passage of 17 Grey Wagtail, 87 ‘Alba’ Wagtail and 14 Tree Pipit, whilst

Page 34 Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk around the Observatory were 45 more Robin and 16 Goldcrest, whilst the Withy yielded two Sedge Warbler and another Grasshopper Warbler. Phoebe Owen arrived at the end of August to help with the autumn migration and stayed through to the end of September, when we were joined, again, by Mike Haigh, whilst the seal volunteers Lauren Stokes and Catrin Ferguson arrived in early September to monitor the breeding Grey Seal population, which had a productive ‘pupping’ season producing 65 young. September The annual Loaghtan sheep round up took place at the start of September. This was a bit later than normal but worked well, by not having the sheep penned in the field system during the summer months. Grazing for the sheep had been in short supply during the winter and spring, with competition from a very high population of Rabbits. The Rabbit population was hit hard by Myxomatosis through the spring, and this eased the situation for the sheep. Lambing was quite late, possibly due to the hard winter the Ewes had experienced but following the round-up 40 lambs were taken off, with 42 Ewes, three Rams and five lambs left on for the winter. A Cuckoo was near to Jane’s House on 1st September, whilst the Osprey was again seen, and 40 Manx Shearwater were present overnight at the South Harbour colony. The 2nd produced a small arrival of warblers and a steady passage of 123 ‘Alba’ Wagtail. A visit to the Withy during the late afternoon produced, with perhaps the most unexpected record of the season a Spotted Crake seen well but briefly and which remained around the Millpond and Glen area until the 16th. This was a new species for the Calf and the first modern day Manx record and the Osprey that had been present for the past 11 days, was seen for the last time as it flew down the Glen. Pembrokeshire Ringing Group © Aron Sapsford A small team from the Pembrokeshire Ringing Group arrived on 6th and included, ex-Warden Bob Haycock who was making a return to the Calf after some 45 years. A very enjoyable, and often hilarious time, with lots of ‘when I’ tales were had, and they even had several good arrivals of birds to enjoy. Passage on 7th & 8th was again dominated by Meadow Pipits and ‘Alba’ Wagtail with a number of ‘Greenland’ type Wheatear present and the largest flock, for the season, of 73 Chough was seen crossing over from the Sound. A calm start to the 9th produced a small arrival of warblers and a Pied Flycatcher. Diurnal passage included the first Skylark of the autumn and two Ringed Plover, which were new for the year. A significant arrival of 75 Robin was recorded on 10th, with a further 65 on 11th when diurnal migration included 189 Swallow and 218 Meadow Pipit. Swallows again dominated on 12th accompanied by a Hobby which was seen hunting over Caigher during the late afternoon. At least four Pied Flycatcher were present on 13th, with a further of arrival of 40 Robin and a Barred Warbler was trapped in the front hedge nets. Presumably the same Hobby was again seen on 14th (and 15th) and three Pied Flycatcher were still present. The three Pied Flycatcher and single Spotted Flycatcher remained on 15th, however a fresh arrival of 47 Robin occurred, and diurnal passage included 33 Pink-footed Geese south over the Observatory. The Spotted Crake was present for its penultimate day on the Millpond, where it was seen to interact with and chase off a Jack Snipe. Another flock, of 14, Pink-footed Geese flew north off Rarick on 16th and another ‘flock or bird’ was heard only. More ‘Pink-feet’ were heard during the morning of 17th, but the main passage was a further 60 Robin, 26 Grey Wagtail, 199 Meadow Pipit, the last three Tree Pipit of main autumn migration. A Water Rail at the Withy on 20th was new for the year, whilst Robins increased again and diurnal passage included 21 Grey Wagtail, 348 Meadow Pipit and 77 Chaffinch. A decrease in strength and switch in direction to the north-west brought an arrival of migrants on 23rd, with another ‘group’ of Pink-footed Geese heard and diurnal passage of 80 Skylark, 26 Swallow, 83 ‘Alba’ Wagtail and 312 Meadow Pipit. A strong North-west wind on 26th brought some long-awaited seawatching conditions but few birds, with five Brent Geese south off Cow Harbour being the highlight. Seawatching was again order of the day on 27th with a watch from Culbery producing a Sooty Shearwater. A decrease in wind strength on 28th gave better conditions for diurnal passage with 73 Skylark, 16 Grey Wagtail, 66 ‘Alba’ Wagtail, 438 Meadow Pipit and the first Redwing of autumn. October We had continued to have issues with the generator and following its second return, further problems were experienced. As I write this review, the Mitsubishi generator has again been taken off for further work and investigations – hopefully it will be repaired and returned to the Calf in time for the beginning of next season. Sadly, a similar situation existed for the Polaris which, after just a month, developed engine failure and we were consigned back to using the tractor which had now been fixed. Thankfully, a new engine was sourced for the Polaris and in late October James Mylchreest and John Callister were able to come out for a couple of days and fit the new engine.

Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Page 35 Ellie Ames arrived, during early October, to help with migration monitoring, but as with the last couple of autumns the tail-end of the season saw an almost constant procession of gales, as storm after storm swept in and battered the island. Continuing moderate to strong westerly winds during early October provided some seawatching conditions but diurnal passage on 2nd was of more interest. Strong to near gale force winds through much of 4th made birding hard work, but a decrease in strength just before dusk allowed just enough time for a Yellow-browed Warbler to be trapped at the Observatory. A Great Northern Diver flying south off Cow Harbour on 5th was the best bird of an otherwise quiet day, whilst the Yellow-browed Warbler was heard at the Observatory on 6th and re-trapped on 7th. Seawatching produced the main passage, but no real highlights over the next four days, although the first (six) Whooper Swan of the autumn flew South along the East coast on 8th. A decreasing North-west wind also brought a reasonable diurnal passage with 98 Skylark, 55 Swallow, 69 ‘Alba’ Wagtail, 268 Meadow Pipit and 33 Greenfinch and a Black Redstart was at the Observatory on 10th. Lighter winds on 11th brought an arrival of migrants with another flock of Pink-footed Geese and four Whooper Swan flew east over the Observatory; diurnal migrants included 165 Skylark, 39 ‘Alba’ Wagtail, 204 Meadow Pipit, 191 Chaffinch, 118 Linnet and 172 Goldfinch, whilst grounded migrants included 40 Goldcrest, 41 Song Thrush, 45 Robin, 10 Dunnock and seven Reed Bunting. The longstaying Yellow-browed Warbler was the only bird of real note on 12th, but a bird was trapped at the Withy on 13th when calm conditions brought a good diurnal passage of corvids. Gale force southerlies lashed the islet on 17th and when the wind briefly abated on 18th a rush of diurnal migrants included three Woodpigeon, 173 Jackdaw, 35 Rook, 108 Skylark, a Swallow, three House Martin, seven House Sparrow, 256 Chaffinch, 78 Greenfinch, 16 Lesser Redpoll and 13 Siskin, whilst grounded migrants included seven Blackcap, 60 Goldcrest, 47 Redwing, 30 Song Thrush, a Mistle Thrush, a Tree Sparrow, 20 Dunnock and 16 Reed Bunting. Mixed Thrushes © Aron Sapsford Despite a near gale force easterly on 19th, low cloud with mist and drizzle resulted in a spectacular arrival of thrushes with 2330 Fieldfare and 5457 Redwing seen, along with 299 Starling, 21 Blackbird, 22 Song Thrush and four Mistle Thrush. Birds were mainly concentrated in the glen fields which were ‘carpeted’ by the thrushes. Smaller numbers of thrushes were still present on 20th, with an increase to 82 Blackbirds and decreases to 235 Fieldfare and 204 Redwing, and the first Brambling of the autumn was recorded. Starling passage increased with 2720 heading west on 21st, with 74 Blackbird, 184 Fieldfare and 600 Redwing grounded along with a Willow Warbler, 31 Goldcrest, a Treecreeper, a Pied Flycatcher, and another Brambling. Thrush passage was considerably reduced on 22nd, but a Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard and seen briefly in the back garden. Elsewhere, the first Woodcock of autumn was flushed from the Caigher track, whilst seawatching from Culbery recorded 22 Common Scoter and 521 Kittiwake. A good diurnal passage on 24th included 965 Starling, 82 Skylark, 100 Chaffinch and 46 Greenfinch with grounded migrants including 35 Goldcrest, 36 Blackbird and 168 Redwing. With an increase in the strength of the South-west wind, the 25th brought fewer birds generally, although finch passage increased slightly to 222 Chaffinch, 49 Greenfinch, 39 Goldfinch and 10 Siskin. The continuing gale force South-westerly winds meant that migration was limited for the remainder of the month. November After a rather frustrating end to October, a slight decrease in the wind strength meant that November started positively with a Coal Tit and Black Redstart amongst an arrival of thrushes and diurnal passage of 137 Woodpigeon, 3414 Starling and 1347 Chaffinch. A return to gale force SW winds on 2nd limited migration once again, but a Woodcock was near the Quarry. A decrease in the wind strength on 3rd encouraged more diurnal passage with 407 Woodpigeon, 53 Skylark, two Swallow, 596 Starling, 122 Chaffinch, 41 Greenfinch, 56 Linnet, 10 Lesser Redpoll, 57 Goldfinch, 12 Siskin and five Reed Bunting. Other migrants included two Blue Tit, 30 Song Thrush, seven Dunnock, a Grey Wagtail and the latest ever Tree Pipit. Diurnal passage continued on 4th with an impressive 6068 Starling heading west, accompanied by 278 Woodpigeon. A mid-morning seawatch from Culbery produced a southerly passage of two Red-breasted Merganser, a Red-throated Diver, and 251 Kittiwake and an evening visit to Cow Harbour produced a Little Egret flying south. Inevitably the wind increased again and with lengthy periods of heavy rain on 5th & 6th few migrants were recorded. The 7th & 8th were even worse weather-wise, and we had to sit it out until the 9th when a slight reprieve brought two Woodcock, 1384 Starling and 583 Chaffinch. A change in the wind direction to moderate to strong easterlies, brought a few more thrushes on 13th whilst diurnal passage included 167 Woodpigeon, 45 Carrion Crow and 843 Starling. A Black Redstart was again seen at Cow Harbour, a female Wigeon flew through the Sound and another Little Egret was seen between Gibdale and Cow Harbour. We had planned to remain on the Island into the 3rd week of November, however given how the weather had been for the past few weeks and there was no apparent let up in the forecast, it was decided to take

Page 36 Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk the next opportunity and we left the Calf on 14th November, although a day trip on 8th December produced a list of 33 species, which included a Little Egret in South Harbour and a Black Redstart at the 1968 Lighthouse. During 2022 a total of 142 species were recorded, well Barred Warbler © Aron Sapsford above the last 10 year’s average of 134 and with the addition of one species brings the Calf list to 284. It was also a productive year for bird ringing, with the total of 8029 birds of 73 species being the 3rd highest total in the Observatories history.

Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Page 37 Cape Clear Steve Wing 2022 saw a very welcome return to normality on the island, with all Covid restrictions lifted and everything open again. We were immediately very busy with bookings, with birders keen to get back to the island and we were able to get our courses up and running again, which proved to be very popular and for the first time in three years we held our autumn Seabird and Migration course at the Observatory. It really was a great relief to see the Obs working as it was, and is, intended to be. However, just as we were thinking everything was rosy, the dreaded Avian Flu outbreak hit the country. This prompted a discussion as to what we should do, and it took very little time to decide that all seabird ringing should not take place and that any monitoring near their breeding sites should also cease. This decision was soon followed up nationally. We were fortunate to be able to carry out the whole CES season, (minus the second visit when I was in Canada!) and it was pleasing to see that the totals were fairly consistent with previous years. We had planned to spend more effort on ringing European Storm Petrels this year, but the Avian Influenza outbreak put a stop to that. I am hoping to encourage more ringers to visit in the late spring/early summer next year, 2023, so that we can explore the possibilities a little further. Cotters Garden scrub clearing © Steve Wing We spent two weekends in late winter carrying out major pruning in both of the main ringing area, Cotters Garden and the Nordy Wood. This did leave the Nordy Wood pretty exposed to the weather during the spring and very little ringing effort was made there until the undergrowth had regrown. It now requires more pruning and perhaps a little thinning of trees this winter. The season started on 23rd March and ran through until the 5thNovember, the last week spent ’closing down’ the Observatory. Overall, the year was a partial success with one new species (Citrine Wagtail) added to the Cape list and a scattering of semi-rares in October. Nordy Wood scrub clearing © Steve Wing Despite these, there were no American vagrants this year – hence the only partial success – even though we were surrounded by them to the east, west, north and south of us. There is no logical explanation for this, and we can only look forward to next year when Cape bites back! Summary Very little coverage was undertaken in the first two months of the year. There was an overwintering Blackcap in Mary Cadogan’s garden from the 1st January and a Common Buzzard on the 5th. The first Sparrowhawk of the year was seen on 18th January and 2 Bullfinch were present on22nd. And the only birds of note during February were 2 Shovelers on the Lake on the 6th and 12th and 2 Teal on 24th. March began with unusually mild and sunny weather, greeting the start of the recording season with light to moderate east to southeast winds. A few records from before the official start are included here, such as the 2 Shelduck on the Lake on the 13th which stayed there into April. Also on the Lake was the first returning Lesser Black Backed Gull. The following day, a Teal on the 14th, joined by up to 8 others during the month. The first 2 Wheatears were seen, in the Wheatear Field, on 14th along with the overwintering Common Buzzard. The first Blackcap (1) and Chiffchaff (3) arrived on the 20th and winter finches were still present with 5 Siskin on 19th, up to 15 Brambling and 20 Chaffinch on 21st. Also on that day, the first Black Redstart was seen around the village and a Golden Plover flying over West Bog. The 24th saw the first White Wagtails (3) and a month high count of 7 Wheatears. A small passage of 61 Meadow Pipits, 2 Black Redstarts and a Shoveler on the Lake brightened up the 27th, with a Collared Dove on the 29th being the last highlight of the month. April started promisingly, with easterly winds, before they moved up to the northeast and it became colder and more showery, up to the middle of the month. The

Page 38 Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk second half of the month was a little calmer and just a bit warmer! The birding month didn’t start quite as promisingly, a Sparrowhawk, 3 Snipe and one of last month’s Black Redstarts the only birds of note on the 1st. 8 Cormorants were seen from the ferry on the 3rd and the first Little Grebe, 4 Teal and the 2 Shelduck were all on the Lake and a Jack Snipe was a very welcome sight as it was flushed from Central Bog on that day. Snipe © Steve Wing A trip out to the Bill on 8th saw really good numbers of seabirds in several feeding frenzies, including 8500 Manx Shearwaters, 450 Gannets, 275 Fulmars, 414 assorted auks and a Minke Whale! Also on that day, 6 Teal, 3 Common Buzzards and 8 Grey Wagtails were recorded around the west end of the island. A good sea passage on the 10th had an average of just over 6000 Manx Shearwaters per hour, the first Bonxie of the year, 11 Common Scoter and over 2500 Auk sp heading west. On land, a male Ring Ouzel in Mary Cadogan’s garden and a flyover Tree Pipit were the highlights. The first hirundines of the season appeared on the 11th with 2 Sand Martins at the Lake, and 3 Barn Swallows and 2 House Martins over the village. This coincided with a small fall of 40 Willow Warblers and 20 Chiffchaffs. A small increase in hirundine numbers on the 12th were joined by a Hoopoe, seen flying over the Low Road. It proved to be very elusive but was seen irregularly up until the 20th, despite some extensive searching! 3 Great Northern Divers were a pleasant sight from the ferry on the 15th, which turned out to be a good day! The main highlight was a superb male Western Subalpine Warbler found in Paddy Timsey’s garden, sadly only staying for the one day, but also present were 1 Whimbrel, I Greenshank, 2 Collared Doves and the Hoopoe. By Cape’s standards, that is a very good spring days birding! The following few days were a little less frantic with the Hoopoe still giving brief views, a Golden Plover flyover and a ‘tristis’ Chiffchaff, also at Paddy Timsey’s, the main highlights up until the 26th. The first Sedge Warblers (7) were recorded on that day, along with 12 Sand Martins. A fairly late Great Northern Diver was seen on the 27th as well as a Collared Dove and a Brambling that both stayed for 3 days. The 28th had an amazing 16 Great Northern Divers seen from the ferry, a single Ring Ouzel and over 120 Swallows feeding over the Lake, 100 of which were still present the following morning. The month of May had every conceivable weather pattern possible, with winds of every strength from calm to storm and every direction. The direction swings were often 180° daily! Temperature wasn’t going to be left out of the mood swings, with some days being extremely cold and the following day, we were in Tshirt and shorts! The birds recorded during the month show the effect of the weather has on migration, with few, if any, unexpected arrivals. We started on the 1st with the first Moorhen of the year, also the first Grasshopper Warbler, 6 Blackcaps and 100 Swallows present. The 3rd saw the first Merlin of the year, a small fall of Sedge Warblers (22) and good numbers of Stonechats (26) on the 4th with a Whimbrel on the 5th. The Moorhen was still present on the 10th along with the first Spotted Flycatcher in Cotters Garden. A single Whinchat (14th), the first Common Whitethroats (10 on 15th) and a Common Sandpiper in South Harbour (16th) were the only birds of note during the middle part of the month. A good but short seawatch on the 22nd saw 4500 Manx Shearwaters pass by, with another 3800 on the 24th. Good numbers of Sedge Warblers (24) and Common Whitethroats (18) also present that day. Juvenile Common Whitethroat © Steve Wing An amazing record of 2 Tree Sparrows on the 27th was only the first time that species had been ringed on Cape – difficult to believe, as they are virtually an annual visitor. A Shoveler arrived on Lake on the 28th, staying for 3 days there until the 30th. There were a good number (35) of Common Whitethroats on the island that day, with many moving on overnight leaving 20 on the 31st. A good passage of c4500 Manx Shearwaters made a quick seawatch worthwhile. In June, the light to moderate winds remained in the west to southwest quarter for most of the month, with little rain. The last few days saw the wind direction

Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Page 39 move to the northwest and increasing to gale force on the 30th. June started as May had, quietly! The long staying Common Buzzard and Little Grebes on the Lake the only birds of note for the first three days. Then, on the 4th, 3 Collared Doves and 2 Turtle Doves appeared and were joined by 30 House Martins the following day. A Cape rarity in recent years, in the form of a Wigeon, was seen on the Lake on the 9th, while nearly 5000 Manx Shearwaters were seen passing the island. The 31 Common Whitethroats was a good count. The Manx Shearwater passage increased on the 12th, up to 8500 per hour and 15 Wheatears were seen around the western end. 2 Swifts were seen over the village on the 18th, along with 80 Swallows, the Swift count increasing to 10 the following day. A big surprise came via one of the islanders, emailing me a picture of a juvenile Long-eared Owl on the 21st. She had flushed the adult, but the juvenile remained on its perch in the Mass Track pines. Despite many further searches, neither the adult nor the juvenile were seen again. Plenty of pellets, many of them fresh, were collected and taken for analysis. Long-eared Owls have long been suspected of breeding, or at least trying to breed, on the island but this is the first proven record. The following day saw the first Garden Warbler of the year in Cotters Garden. The 25th saw another Cape rarity, a Tufted Duck on the Lake which stayed until the 30th and the first Sooty Shearwater was seen from a seawatch. The following day’s seawatch produced very few Manx Shearwaters (c400) but 2 Cory’s Shearwaters, 1 Storm Petrel and 5 Common Scoter. A scarcity in mid-summer, a single Rook was seen on that day also. The Manx Shearwater counts increased to 7000 on the 27th, with little else keeping them company, and up again to 9900 on the 28th. This time, they had 104 Cory’s Shearwaters, 12 Sooty Shearwaters, 460 Fulmars, 1380 Gannets, 3 Bonxies and 1 Arctic Skua with them. A long staying Little Egret arrived that day and remained along the north coast, near the Fish Farm until 4th July. The first week of July was dry, had light north to northwest wind or no wind at all. Then, a short period of moderate to strong southwesterlies with heavy showers from the 21st to 24th when the wind returned back into the northerly quarter again and remaining fairly dry. The month started quietly, with the first birds of note being 6 Storm Petrels and c1500 Manx Shearwaters on the 2nd. A Sooty Shearwater on the 6th brightened up a moderately quiet seawatch with hardly any shearwaters but 9 Common Scoters, 1 Bonxie, 1 Sandwich Tern and 1 ‘comic’ Tern boosted the list. The 7th saw a big increase in Manx Shearwater numbers (5400ph) and the passage of Common Scoters continued with 7, 38 on the 8th and 14 on the 9th. There then followed another quiet spell both at sea and on land with no significant numbers or of passage, until the 15th, when 35 Sooty Shearwaters were counted passing west and a Common Sandpiper was in South Harbour. The pair of Little Grebes on the Lake were showing off their two new chicks on the 19th, the first of many broods for the year (some different pairs!). 6500 Manx Shearwaters per hour were seen passing on the 20th with 3100ph and 4 Sooty Shearwaters the following day. The first Great Shearwaters (6) of the year were seen along with 12 Cory’s Shearwaters, 4000+ Manx Shearwaters, 100+ Puffins and 4 Storm Petrels on 23rd, but the 24th had a better count. There were counts of 59 Great Shearwaters, 760 Cory’s Shearwaters, 29 Sooty Shearwaters, 4500+ Manx Shearwaters, 6 Storm Petrels and the real stars, 2 Fea’s type Petrels. Bizarrely, and something that got the hearts fluttering, was a Swift, flying low over the sea with the Manx Shearwaters! As the month petered toward a quiet end, 2 Sooty Shearwaters and 5 Shelducks were seen on the 29th. One lucky observer saw a Little Shearwater fly past on the 30th and a White-tailed Eagle was seen flying around the old windmills on 31st, bringing an end to a very up and down month. The first two weeks of August, after a very foggy day on the 2nd, were glorious, no wind and sunny – and consequently, few birds. Then, from the 15th, the wind went north to northeast of varying strengths before returning to light easterlies with sunshine for the last few days. 3 Common Sandpipers in South Harbour and 3 Sandwich Terns past the Bill were reported on the 1st, a welcome break from the quiet starts. The 2nd saw 1 Sooty Shearwater past, 1 Common Sandpiper still in South Harbour, a Grasshopper Warbler around the Nordy Wood and the first flock of Linnets (71) of the autumn. Continuing on the autumnal theme, the first notable passages of hirundines occurred on the 10th, with 85 Swallows and 30 House Martins passing through. There was a high count of 18 Little Grebes on the Lake on the 11th, this number then being fairly consistent for the rest of the autumn. A Common Redshank at the Lake, briefly, and 150 Swallows were also present that day. A pelagic from Baltimore on the 13th, with a few Cape birders on board, were fortunate to see – via photographic ID later – a Scopoli’s Shearwater, 6 Great Shearwaters, 30 Cory’s Shearwaters, 30 Sooty Shearwaters, 100+ Storm Petrels and 3 Bonxies, along with many Common Dolphins. Common Dolphin © Steve Wing

Page 40 Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk The first Pied Flycatcher of the autumn was found on the 14th in Cotters Garden and stayed until 18th, but little else was present on the island. The 16th saw a small increase in Linnet numbers (100+), 8 Skylarks and the long staying Common Sandpiper in South Harbour. 2 Greenshank were at the Lake on the 17th, with a Common Sandpiper, presumably the South Harbour bird, and a single Gadwall and 3 Teal. Also on the 17th, a single Black-headed Gull was seen flying up through Olly Gully towards the Lake, but it did not stop. A Wood Warbler was found in the pines beside the Lake on the 18th, which stayed until the 21st. Linnet numbers increased to 135 and a Golden Plover flew over the Wheatear Fields. Another pelagic on the 21st saw 4 Cory’s Shearwaters, 2 Bonxies, 1 Sandwich Tern and an amazing 15 Wilson’s Petrels. 2 Common Redshank were heard and then seen on the Lake on the 22nd. A single Ringed Plover was heard calling over North Harbour and a Danish couple staying at the Obs had 8 Sabine’s Gulls, 1 Arctic Skua and 3000+ Manx Shearwaters passing Blannan on the 28th with another Great Shearwater © Steve Wing 3 Sabine’s Gulls, 1 Great Shearwater, 40 Cory’s Shearwaters,1 Sooty Shearwater, 6 Arctic Skuas and 3 Bonxies on a seawatch from Bullig on the 29th. Also, on the 29th, Meadow Pipits were starting to move with 70 recorded, the male Gadwall still at the Lake and a flyover Tree Pipit reported by a visiting German birder. A Spotted Flycatcher on the 31st was the first of the autumn. September gave us typical variable weather with the first 2 weeks having light to moderate E-SE winds with showers (apart from a southerly gale on the 4th) and from the 15th, the wind became predominantly from the northern quarter with dry weather. The 27th produced a north-westerly gale with heavy rain and the 30th had a south-westerly gale with rain. A little flurry of House Martins (25) on the 1st and 2 Whinchats on the 2nd were both good autumnal indicators. A local pelagic, i.e., staying inside of the Fastnet Lighthouse area, produced 4 Great Shearwaters, 30 Sooty Shearwaters, 1 Wilson’s Petrel, 3 Storm Petrels, I Sabine’s Gull 3 Bonxies and 10 Arctic Terns on the 3rd. Back on land on the 4th, A Whimbrel was heard calling over the village, 2 Yellow Wagtails over the Post Office and a Kingfisher in North Harbour were the highlights. The 6th saw a first for Cape! A first year Citrine Wagtail was found near the bottom of Central Bog, staying around that area until the 12th, although it was very elusive at times. An Osprey was seen being mobbed by gulls and crows, high over the Lake, also on the 6th. The 7th produced a very good seawatch with a Fea’s type Petrel, 78 Great Shearwaters, 1398 Cory’s Shearwaters, 1 Sooty Shearwater, 1256 Manx Shearwaters and 6 Arctic Skuas recorded. The Greats were well offshore and many, many more ‘dots’ were seen but not counted! Citrine Wagtail © Steve Wing

Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Page 41 On land, the 2nd Jack Snipe of the year was flushed in Central Bog. A Barn Owl was seen taking flight from outside Ciaran Danny Mikes on the evening of 9th, when 3 Yellow Wagtails and 9 White Wagtails had been seen earlier. The first Wryneck of the autumn was seen along the High Road on the 11th, along with 2 Common Redstarts, 2 Pied Flycatchers and 2 Spotted Flycatchers in Michael Vincent’s, with another Pied Flycatcher and Spotted Flycatcher in Cotter’s Garden. A short seawatch produced 15 Great Shearwaters, 350 Cory’s Shearwaters, 5 Sooty Shearwaters and an Arctic Skua. The 12th was productive on land and sea. 95 Cory’s Shearwaters, 2 Sooty Shearwaters, 2 Bonxies and a Black-headed Gull were seen during a brief seawatch, a Common Sandpiper was in South Harbour, the Citrine Wagtail and Wryneck had moved to the Lake side, a Garden Warbler was found in Cotters Garden and a Reed Warbler was located in the Nordy Wood, where it stayed until 23rd. The 13th saw 18 Cory’s Shearwaters passing, a Sanderling, a Cape rarity, on the beach in South Harbour, the male Gadwall back at the Lake, a Whinchat at Paddy Timsey’s and a Pied Flycatcher still in Cotter’s Garden. A ’leucistic’ Robin was seen along the Low Road on 14th, staying until the end of the recording season. It has a white tail, some white primaries and tertials. Head on, it looks like a ‘normal’ Robin! Good numbers of Stonechats (42) were recorded on the 15th as well as a Garden Warbler found at the end of the Low Road. The 16th saw the Wryneck moving down into Olly Gully and a single Yellow Wagtail flyover. 2 Whinchats and a Shoveler at the Lake were joined on the 17th by the first of the winter finches, 2 Siskins and a Lesser Redpoll, a good sign of the coming winter! The following day saw 20 Blackcaps, 10 Chiffchaffs, 30 Goldcrests and another Siskin and 3 Mediterranean Gulls off the north end of the island. However, the stars of the 18th were the seabirds seen from our first trip out to a spot, roughly 12 miles southeast of Cape. There we saw many 100’s of Great and Sooty Shearwaters, resting in several large rafts and actually calling to each other! Sedge Warbler © Steve Wing A Common Redstart, 8 Common Whitethroats, 2 Garden Warblers and 70 Goldfinches were here on the 20th. The following day, a short seawatch produced 25 Great Shearwaters and 150 Cory’s Shearwaters. A new Pied Flycatcher was found in Cotters Garden on the 22nd, and a late Sedge Warbler was in the Nordy Wood on the 24th and 25th, along with 3 Rooks near the Post Office. The 2 Pink-footed Geese that were found in fields along the Low Road were only the second Cape record, and they stayed until 16th October. The month drew to a close with 2 Common Moorhens around the Bogs, a Bar-tailed Godwit flyover, a single Mediterranean Gull and the first Brambling of the autumn. A very variable week started October, with mainly WNW winds, ranging from calm to Gale Force 8 and with rainy and sunny days. The rest of the month generally breezy from every quarter with heavy showers and sunny periods. Pink-footed Goose © Steve Wing There was a marked increase in Robin numbers over the first few days and a fall of Goldcrests (51) on the 1st. A seawatch from the Beehive on the 3rd produced 1 Red-throated Diver, 161 Cory’s Shearwaters, 81 Sooty Shearwaters, 2 Pomarine Skuas, 3 Bonxies, 9 Arctic Skuas, 1 Common Gull, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 800 Guillemots and 300 Puffins. There were now 7 Teal on the Lake and 4 Turnstone near the Fish Farm. 2 Sooty Shearwaters, 3 Bonxies and 4 Arctic Skuas were seen passing on the 4th, and the first Yellow-browed Warblers (3) of the season were recorded. 1 Great Shearwater and 22 Sooty Shearwaters were seen on the 6th and a Dotterel was found on the Wheatear Field, staying there until the following day, when a Longtailed Skua and 27 Sooty Shearwaters were also seen. 12 Sooty Shearwaters were seen on the 8th as well as a good passage of Skylark (60), Sand Martins (30), House Martins (25) and Rooks (30). Also present were a Ring Ouzel, 1 Crossbill over the High Road, 15 Lesser Redpolls and an increase in Greenfinch numbers. The first Firecrest, Bullfinch (2) and Lesser Whitethroats (3) of the autumn were seen on the 9th, with the Firecrest being joined by an incredible 11 more on the 10th! Also that day, 31 Skylarks were in, or on, the Wheatear Field, the first Mistle Thrush of the year, 4 Lesser

Page 42 Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Dotterel © Tom Shevlin Whitethroats, a Whinchat behind the Observatory and good numbers of Blackcaps (38) and Chiffchaff (40). On the 11th, over 2760 Auk spp, 15 Sooty Shearwaters, 8 Black-headed Gulls and 3 Common Scoters passed the southern end, with a Common Redstart at Michael Vincent’s, 4 Firecrests and a single Long-tailed Tit. A large flock of Snipe (26) flew over Central Bog on the 12th with the last Wheatears (2) of the year. The 13th saw the last records of the year for Common Scoter (16) and House Martin (2) as well as a Barn Owl in trees in Pat Con’s driveway, a Little Egret near the Fish Farm, a Common Sandpiper at the Lake and still 4 Yellow-browed Warblers. Firecrest © Tom Shevlin Barn Owl © Steve Wing Bird of the day for the 14th was a Radde’s Warbler found just below the Post Office drive. This bird stayed in much the same area, and indeed, the same three willows, for most of its’ stay until the 23rd. Also here on the 14th were a Greenshank in North Harbour, 5 Lesser Whitethroats, 3 Yellow-browed Warblers and a Quail flushed from the road back from looking at the Radde’s Warbler! Radde’s Warbler © Tom Shevlin A Red-throated Diver, 35 Sooty Shearwaters and 5 Arctic Skuas were seen offshore on the 15th as well as the last Sand Martins (2) of the year. The following day, a very tame Snow Bunting was found near Mary Mac’s at the Lake, which stayed in that area until the 21st. 2 Golden Plover were found near the Beehive on the 17th,

Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Page 43 Snow Bunting © Steve Wing remaining there for 10 days and were joined on the island on the 18th by 2 Black Redstarts and 6 Redwings. A good fall on the 19th saw 14 Dunlin fly through, 110 Skylarks around the Wheatear Fields and constantly calling overhead, 5 Black Redstarts, 60 Redwings, 51 Blackcaps, 4 Spotted Flycatchers, over 400 Chaffinches, 200+ Siskins, 2 Lesser Whitethroats and a Reed Warbler in Mary Cadogan’s Garden that stayed until 30th. The influx continued into the 20th with a Ringed Plover calling at the Lake, 2 Ring Ouzels on the Lighthouse Road, 800+ Fieldfares, 80 Redwings, 500+ Chaffinches and 150 Siskins. Something else had to be here with all those thrushes and finches. And there was! On the 21st in the potato patch holding most of the Chaffinches, a Rustic Bunting was found along with 200 Goldfinches. Fieldfare numbers had increased to over 900, 27 Skylarks, 5 Yellow-browed Warblers and a ‘tristis’ Chiffchaff were also present. On the 22nd, a Little Bunting was found associating with a small group (6) of Chaffinches at Mary Mac’s and the Rustic Bunting was still in the potato patch on the Lighthouse Road. The Little Bunting remained there until the 25th. The only Hen Harrier, a Ringtail, of the year was seen over West Bog on 23rd which also saw the last records for Swallow (2) and Common Redstart (1). Fieldfare numbers increased again to over 1000 and there were over 50 Blackcaps, but Redwing (10) and Chaffinch (300) were well down. A very late Willow Warbler was seen around the Waist on 26th, staying there until the 28th. Yellow-browed Warbler© Steve Wing The next little influx occurred on the 27th with 2 Great Northern Divers and 2 Mediterranean Gulls off the east end, 2 Turnstone at the Fish farm, 3 Mistle Thrushes at the east end, 32 Chiffchaffs dotted around the island, a Barn Owl outside Ciaran Danny Mike’s Bar - again! – and a first year Red-breasted Flycatcher at Mary Mac’s, the only record of the year. 8 Turnstone were on the beach at the Fish Farm on the 28th and 3 ‘coburnii’ Redwing were photographed near Paddy Timsey’s. A very elusive Dusky Warbler was found in the Youth Hostel Garden on the 29th but gave everyone, other than the finder, the run around! 5 Black Redstarts were also present, mainly close to the village area and a Yellow-browed Warbler near the Post Office. The last day of census, the 30th, saw a 2nd winter Glaucous Gull, feeding with other gulls, crows and ravens, near the Post Office, a new Snow Bunting near the crossroads, 3 Black Redstarts, 3 Yellow-browed Warblers, 2 late Spotted Flycatchers, 1 Garden Warbler, 6 Blackcaps, 11 Chiffchaffs, 4 Fieldfares and 40 Chaffinches. There were two tantalising glimpses of what was probably the Dusky Warbler, one early AM in the Youth Hostel Garden again and then in Brid’s Garden mid-afternoon. And to finish off the recording year, what could have been the same Radde’s Warbler from the 23rd was seen, very briefly but well, on the 4th November in the hedge between the Campsite and Brid’s Garden. Lepidoptera Throughout the season, 19 species of Butterfly were recorded, with 2 Clouded Yellows being the only real highlight this year, numbers of the more frequent species were fairly consistent with previous years. Good numbers of the common daytime flying moth species, such as Silver Y, Humming-bird Hawk-moth, Cinnabar, 6-spot Burnet were recorded again this year, although little consistent moth trapping is carried out, visiting birders used a variety of sites around the island to set up their own traps. Here are a few examples of their catches: Bordered Grey, Dark Sword-grass © James McNally Honeysuckle Moth © James McNally

Page 44 Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk The iconic Fastnet Lighthouse © Steve Wing

Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Page 45 Spectacle © James McNally Six-striped Rustic © James McNally Other Wildlife Several Blue Emperor dragonflies were recorded throughout the summer with one ovipositing along the shores of the lake. Both Common and Migrant Hawker dragonflies were seen, almost daily between midAugust and the end of October. Also seen in good numbers during the late summer were Common Darters, mainly along the drainage channel in Central Bog and West Bog. Blue Emperor © Steve Wing There were numerous records of Basking Sharks between 29th March and 3rd August, with up to three seen on several occasions. Many more were recorded from the island ferry, on days when the journey to and from Baltimore went south of Sherkin Island. Common Lizards were seen throughout the recording season with a high count of 13 on 26th July, although we know there are many, many more! Common Darter © Steve Wing Basking Sharks in South Harbour © Steve Wing The same can be applied to records of Ocean Sunfish and Minke Whales. Only 4 records of Ocean Sunfish were made from the island, all in August and September, while many more were seen from the ferry. Minke Whales were recorded from 8th April, right through until 17th October, mainly of single individuals but two were seen on 29th April and 23rd June. Minke Whale off The Bill © Steve Wing Fin Whales were seen off the south coast on 4 dates, two in May, one in September and an amazing count of “at least” 8 on 14th October, by far the highest daily count for over 20 years, if not ever! There was just one record of Humpback Whale, on 3rd April. A sad sight greeted islanders and birders as they passed the beach in South Harbour on 30th October. A dead Long-finned Pilot Whale had been washed ashore overnight and was stranded at the top of the beach. The head was intact (although badly decomposed), but the rest of its body had either been eaten or washed clean, leaving only the vertebrae.

Page 46 Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk In memoriam: Robert Gillmor (1936-2022) Birders who have stayed at the Obs will be familiar with the evocative Golden Oriole drawing (pictured opposite) by Robert Gillmor which hangs in the library where the Daily Log is called. Not all will be aware, however, that Robert, who died in May aged 85, had a long association with Cape Clear Bird Observatory. Robert Gillmor was one of Britain’s most popular and highly regarded wildlife artists and illustrators. He drew the original RSPB Avocet logo, and his vivid illustrations graced the covers of the Collins New Naturalist book series. At the end of 1959, Robert joined the committee set up to run the newly-established Cape Clear Bird Observatory. He provided illustrations for the observatory’s annual reports for many years, and the sale of prints of a Kittiwake picture he specially produced went towards providing a salary for the observatory’s first paid warden, Tom Green, who together with his wife Stephanie spent almost a year on the island. Robert also prepared a stunning set of pen-and-ink drawings for the ground-breaking The Natural History of Cape Clear Island, edited by JTR Sharrock and published in 1973. Robert lived in Cley in North Norfolk from 1998 on, and both he and Tom Green were members of Cley Bird Club. Following Robert’s passing last May, Tom wrote a tribute to him on the club’s website, the following extract from which described his involvement in Cape Clear Bird Observatory: “Perhaps less well-known will be the overall ornithological and conservation impact Robert has had beyond the UK. One significant example was in Ireland in the 1960s during the period of rapid growth in the study and enjoyment of birds. There he played a major role in the founding of Cape Clear Bird Observatory. “Having been a teacher and mentor to the first group of boys from Leighton Park School who helped set up the observatory, he generously provided all the artwork for the observatory’s promotional material, bulletins and annual reports for more than a decade. These ranged from line drawings to examples of his developing skill with linocuts, produced on his wonderful 1860 Albion upright flatbed platen press. These were much admired, and, with his chairmanship of the observatory committee, he played a major part in setting the tone and high standard which underpinned the work of the observatory. Such direct or subliminal influence will be recognised by all who have had contact with Robert across numerous organisations. “He remembered his visits to Cape Clear in the 1960s with great affection and, as in so many other books, the images of the birds and the island provided a visual feast throughout the early T&AD Poyser classic The Natural History of Cape Clear Island, and later in the retrospective book Echoes from Cape Clear.” This line drawing by Robert Gillmor of a Golden Oriole above the Waist on Cape Clear Island will be familiar to generations of birdwatchers who have stayed in the Obs, where it has graced the library wall since the 1960s (Steve Wing) Cover of July 1963 issue of Cape Clear Bird Observatory Bulletin with line drawing of Wheatear by Robert Gillmor.

Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Page 47 Copeland Richard Donaghey The 2022 season at the Copeland Bird Observatory began with single day visits in January and early March to undertake some essential maintenance around the Observatory buildings and to continue the revamp of one of the island’s Heligoland traps. These visits got the 2022 bird list off and running and included a Stonechat and a ringtail Hen harrier. The first residential manning of the year began with a three night trip from Thursday, 17th March. Conditions were cold with strong SE winds for most of the weekend. Nevertheless, 38 new birds were ringed, including five Chiffchaffs, a Woodpigeon, ten Goldcrests, six Goldfinches and, among the crows in the Crow Trap, a Rook – an infrequently handled species on CBO. This was only the 33rd to be ringed here. It was also a decent raptor trip with Red kite, Merlin, Sparrowhawk and Buzzard. The Red kite was the fourth record for the Observatory, following birds in 1992, a pair in 1995 and one in 2017. April manning was better with 18 days covered by the volunteers. The weather was often wet and windy throughout the month, resulting in smaller numbers of migrants passing through. Despite having a team on the island, a Ring ouzel went undetected on the 22nd April but stopped for a photograph in front of one of the trail cameras. The best bird of the month was a Tree Sparrow – this was the first record since 2012. This species has seen a huge decline and last bred on the island in 1956. Other birds of note included Cuckoo, Hen harrier, Merlin, Kestrel and up to six Brent geese (light-bellied) over a seven day period. The best day for ringing was on the 14th when 49 birds were ringed, including a single Woodpigeon and a Magpie, five Goldfinches and 34 Willow warblers. Lots more tasks were completed including painting the buildings, repairs to the toilets and further work revamping the Heligoland trap. May’s weather was a little more benevolent and virtually the whole month was manned. Much of the cover involved members of the Oxford Navigation Group (OxNav) who were engaged in their Manx shearwater satellite-tracking programme and a large group of Oxford students were engaged in a week-long residential field-study course. On Saturday 14th, the annual gull census was completed on CBO while a second group spent the day on Mew ringing/retrapping Eiders (16 and 33 respectively). May was a decent month for the bird list with 82 species recorded. The good raptor year continued with another Red kite on the 7th May, the fifth island record, followed up with a Marsh harrier on the 14th. Oxford students on their field trip © CBO The Marsh harrier was the Observatory’s seventh record, the last one was sighted in 2017. Diver numbers were decent throughout the month and included just the second record of a Black-throated diver for the Observatory – two recorded on the 14th May. The first record was on the 07th October 2011. Eider © CBO Other scarce birds included singles of both Bar-tailed and Black-tailed godwit, a late Redwing, two further Cuckoos, two Whinchats and a Collared dove. The passerine highlight was a Yellow wagtail on the 29th. There are less than 20 records of the species at the Observatory and just two records in the past 20 years – 2003 and 2013. It was a particularly good month for more common species such as Spotted flycatcher, Wheatear (mostly Greenland), Whitethroat and Sedge warbler. The ringing totals included 18 Spotted flycatchers, 19 Wheatears, 18 Sedge warblers, 13 Whitethroats and a Whinchat. A Minke whale and Otter were nice sightings amongst the regular marine mammals. Concerns about the impact of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreak on seabird

Page 48 Bird Observatories Council – January 2023 - www.birdobscouncil.org.uk Whinchat © CBO populations surfaced initially at the end of May. Scotland was very badly affected, though N. Ireland seemed to have been spared the worst. However, the presence of the virus was confirmed here around the 12th June. As of the 22nd June, BTO restrictions meant that seabird ringing was no longer permitted. A week later the Department of Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs (DAERA) strengthened HPAI restrictions by suspending all ringing and nest recording in seabird colonies, effective immediately – and that extended to any ringing in seabird colonies, so the decision was taken to close down all operations on the island until further notice. This had a particularly big hit on our Manx shearwater ringing, reducing our catch of c2,184 shearwaters in 2021, including 1,998 pulli, to just 114 adults in 2022. It also meant a third year of delays for getting our Black guillemot colour ringing project up and running, following two years of Covid restrictions. The Observatory remained closed until restrictions were lifted on 1st September. Poor weather in early September meant that manning did not begin again until the 11th and just six days were covered in the month. As such, it was a quiet month for birds, for what is usually the best month, with the highlights being singles of Balearic shearwater and Sabine’s gull. Oddly, five Woodpigeons were trapped in mist nets over four days of ringing. October manning started off well with a weeklong trip at the start of the month and another five day trip midmonth. Poor weather at the end of the month saw two trips cancelled, with no coverage from the 19th. The rarest bird of the month was a Yellow-browed warbler, the 14th record for the Observatory and 12th to be ringed. October was the second best month for species with 74 and scarcities included 12 Whooper Swans, Merlin, Little Egret and a very late Willow warbler on the 18th October. Ringing wasn’t overly productive but included the Yellow-browed warbler, two Water rails, two Rock pipits, Hooded crows, Magpies, one Stonechat and three more Woodpigeons. It was a good year for Grey seal pups with 42 counted on the 14th October, with more likely to be born in the following weeks. It was a particularly good month for Harbour porpoises and Bottlenose dolphins around the island, with some very large pods and good numbers of calves noted. Some important work was carried out on the island, including habitat management, repairs to the Crow Trap, shoreline clean-ups, etc. The season normally ends on October 31st, but it was extended for a further four days in 2022. The weather was poor and just 25 birds were ringed, and 46 species recorded. The bird list for the year ended on 110, which is pretty decent considering c11 weeks were lost during the season. The total number of species ringed was 38. Fingers crossed for minimal impacts from HPAI in 2023 and roll on an unfettered season at the Copeland Bird Observatory.