Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory report 2012

An excellent day to start Radde’s Warbler © 2012 Steve Stansfield
the third week of October began
with calm winds and saw a good
scattering of scarcities on the
island, as well as a slightly rarer
addition to the year list. A smart
Radde's Warbler was trapped by
Jo Jones and Ian Wright in the
afternoon in the New Plantation.
This is only the fifth record for
the island, following the last
records of two in 2006.

Elsewhere the year's first Richard's Pipit was seen on the South End, a Yellow-browed
Warbler in Tŷ Pellaf Withy, four Ring Ouzels on the Mountain, three Lapland Buntings and a
Snow Bunting overhead and a Mistle Thrush at Nant. Common migrants were seen in
reasonable numbers during the day too, with 23 Blackbirds, 20 Song Thrushes, eight
Redwings, seven Blackcaps, seven Chiffchaffs and 83 Goldcrests seen in the island's gardens
and withies. Overhead, visible migration numbers amounted to 16 Skylarks, 137 Chaffinches,
a Brambling, 17 Greenfinches, 40 Goldfinches, two Lesser Redpolls and a Reed Bunting.
Disappointingly on 15th, despite the clear skies and light winds, it was a fairly quiet day. A Jack
Snipe was seen in the Tŷ Pellaf wetlands in the morning, a Lapwing flew over the Narrows, a
male Ring Ouzel was seen on the Mountainside, 20 House Martins and 40 Swallows flew
overhead, and a Coal Tit was seen on Pen Cristin. A Great Skua, three Arctic Skuas and three
Mediterranean Gulls flew past at sea. The 16th was a day of very strong winds from the west
and saw a small passage of birds out to sea, although nothing rare or scarce passed by. The
totals of the more noteworthy species included a Red-throated Diver, five Grey Plovers, three
Arctic Skuas, three Great Skuas, 13 Mediterranean Gulls, three Little Gulls and an Arctic
Tern. With the wind finally dropping on 19th, there was a good passage of finches overhead
during the morning, and a few more arrivals inland. A Marsh Harrier flew south-east over Tŷ
Pellaf in the morning, and a Firecrest was trapped and ringed in Cristin garden. Overhead
passage in the morning included 35 Skylarks, 75 Swallows, a House Martin, 81 Meadow
Pipits, a Grey Wagtail, 340 Chaffinches, eight Bramblings, 217 Greenfinches, 15 Siskins, 131
Goldfinches and a Lesser Redpoll. Other notable sightings inland included a probable
Scandinavian Rock Pipit, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Redstart, a Coal Tit and a Snow
Bunting. On the non-passerine front, two Red-throated Divers, a Great Skua, five
Mediterranean Gulls and a Little Gull flew past at sea. A Golden Plover was seen around the
Narrows and two Water Rails were seen in the withies. The 20th was largely uneventful, with
a Yellow-browed Warbler and Firecrest at Nant, and a Reed Bunting on the Narrows.

The last week of October began on a fantastic day with light easterly winds and clear
blue skies and saw a good passage of birds overhead, plus some noteworthy species. A Hen
Harrier, Red Kite, Long-eared Owl, Richard's Pipit, Woodlark, Yellow-browed Warbler and
Snow Bunting, as well as three Firecrests, 15 Long-tailed Tits and two Great Spotted
Woodpeckers made up the scarce birds. Overhead passage was dominated by finches,
although a good number of other species also flew over: 230 Skylarks, 18 Swallows, 260
Jackdaws, 525 Starlings, 308 Chaffinches, 15 Bramblings, 148 Greenfinches, seven Lesser
Redpolls and a Crossbill. An increase in thrush numbers saw three Fieldfares, 42 Blackbirds,
26 Song Thrushes, nine Redwings and a Mistle Thrush, whilst nine Great Tits had also arrived.
The 22nd was a much duller day weather-wise and failed to produce anywhere near the
number of birds seen on 21st, although a few notable species were seen. The first Long-tailed

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012 45

Duck of the year was seen off the West Side in the morning, along with two Mediterranean
Gulls. Three Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a Mistle Thrush, a Reed Warbler and 33 Goldcrests
were seen in the island's gardens, whilst 40 Swallows, 126 Chaffinches, five Bramblings, 24
Greenfinches, two Lesser Redpolls and a Snow Bunting were present overhead and in the
withies. The 23rd was a fantastic day with low cloud cover and almost no wind and an
excellent variety of species (totalling 80) recorded during a long day in the field. The day
started off when a pipit with a very short buzzy call was flushed from Cristin garden, and was
seen twice more in the space of two hours over the Observatory. Unfortunately the bird never
showed itself on the ground but was probably an Olive-backed Pipit. The second rarest bird of
the day was a Little Bunting seen in the withies mid-morning, although the bird only showed
twice. A Lesser Whitethroat probably of the Siberian race S.c.blythii was trapped in the
afternoon, having been seen in Cristin Withy in the morning. The other noteworthy species
seen during the day included a Long-eared Owl at Cristin, a Short-eared Owl, a Richard's
Pipit, five Black Redstarts, a Redstart, two Ring Ouzels, five Yellow-browed Warblers, a
Firecrest, a Snow Bunting and a Lapland Bunting. Good numbers of thrushes saw 86
Blackbirds, 33 Fieldfares, 43 Song Thrushes, 258 Redwings and a Mistle Thrush scattered
around, whilst singles of Spotted Flycatcher, Woodcock and Great Northern Diver were also
recorded. The highlights of another good day on 24th with moderate easterly winds included
a Long-eared Owl, two Short-eared Owls, a Wryneck, three Richard's Pipits and a Snow
Bunting. Common passerine migrants recorded throughout the day both overhead and on
land amounted to 25 Skylarks, 103 Meadow Pipits, a Wheatear, 101 Blackbirds, 16
Fieldfares, 63 Song Thrushes, 116 Redwings, two Mistle Thrushes, a Lesser Whitethroat,
eight Blackcaps, ten Chiffchaffs, 41 Goldcrests, 385 Jackdaws, 257 Chaffinches, nine
Bramblings and three Reed Buntings. A Jack Snipe and two Woodcocks were flushed from
the Mountain, whilst 14 Mediterranean Gulls passed by at sea. The 25th’s most noteworthy
sightings included a Short-eared Owl on the Mountain, five Ring Ouzels in the gardens, three
Mistle Thrushes in the withies, a Yellow-browed Warbler in Carreg reed bed, seven Coal Tits
at Nant and a Snow Bunting on the Mountain. The 26th was a comparatively quiet day and
saw a small passage of thrushes. Flocks of Fieldfares passed overhead during the day,
amounting to 240 birds, whilst 84 Blackbirds, 28 Song Thrushes, 64 Redwings and two Mistle
Thrushes were also present. 238 Chaffinches flew north-east over the island during the day,
along with 11 Bramblings, two Lesser Redpolls and four Reed Buntings. A Barn Owl was seen
inside one of the Lighthouse outhouses in the afternoon. The first Little Grebe of the year,
and only the seventeenth record for the island, was seen on Pwll Cain midday on 27th, where
it spent the rest of the afternoon feeding around the edges of the pond. Two Whooper Swans
flying east in the morning were also the first of the year, although there was nothing else to
report. The 29th saw an improvement in the weather and a slight increase in the number of
birds around, with the most noteworthy sightings of the day being nine White-fronted Geese
over Nant, four Eiders off the west side and a Siberian Chiffchaff in Plas Withy. Other new
arrivals included a Ringed Plover, a Woodcock, a Great Skua, a Grey Wagtail, 13 Fieldfares,
20 Redwings, 126 Chaffinches and 16 Bramblings. Another breezy day on 30th saw very little
new on the island, with the highlights of the day being an Eider, a Woodcock, a Mistle Thrush,
the tristis Chiffchaff, six Bramblings and three Reed Buntings.

Late Autumn migration and winter movements

November

The fourth Red-breasted Merganser of the year was seen over the Narrows in the
morning on 1st, whilst an Eider, four Mediterranean Gulls, a Short-eared Owl a Snow Bunting

46 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012

and a Little Grebe were present elsewhere. The 2nd saw a small movement of gulls off the 47
coast in the morning, including a Little Gull, a Mediterranean Gull and over 120 Black-headed
Gulls. A small number of passerines had arrived and passed overhead in the morning of 3rd,
consisting of nine Skylarks, a Grey Wagtail, two Fieldfares, three Song Thrushes, a Brambling,
26 Siskins and a Reed Bunting. A Great Skua flew past at sea. Another relatively quiet day on
4th did, however, see a good passage of at least 300 Chaffinches along the Mountainside in
flocks of up to 50 birds in the morning; three Bramblings, 13 Greenfinches and 18 Siskins also
flew overhead. A Grey Phalarope was seen off the Narrows in the morning, whilst a
Mediterranean Gull and a Mistle Thrush were present. The highlights of a slightly more
productive day's birding on the 5th included three Long-tailed Ducks off the South End, two
Short-eared Owls on the South End, a Snow Bunting over Cristin and a Coal Tit over Pen
Cristin. Passerine migrants flying overhead in the morning comprised 57 Skylarks, 78 Meadow
Pipits, 1200 Starlings, 571 Chaffinches, 28 Bramblings, 28 Greenfinches, 19 Siskins, 13
Goldfinches and three Reed Buntings. A good count of 171 Blackbirds was the highest of the
year so far, whilst other thrushes included 19 Fieldfares, 44 Song Thrushes, ten Redwings and
four Mistle Thrushes. The most noteworthy sighting on 7th was a flock of seven Whooper
Swans that flew south over the South End. A late Manx Shearwater flew past out to sea, and
a Woodcock was seen near Tŷ Pellaf.

The 8th saw a Long-eared Owl around Cristin garden midday and two Twites flying
south over Tŷ Pellaf in the afternoon. Another very quiet day on 10th did, however, see a very
small passage of finches and Skylarks overhead in the morning. This passage included 18
Skylarks, 78 Chaffinches, six Greenfinches and four Goldfinches. A Woodcock was seen in the
Plantation, and raptors for the day comprised a Sparrowhawk, two Buzzards, two Kestrels, a
Merlin and three Peregrines. The 11th was a clear and calm day, with a slight increase in the
number of thrushes around, resulting in 46 Blackbirds, seven Fieldfares, 12 Song Thrushes,
seven Redwings and a Mistle Thrush. Six Blackcaps had also arrived, whilst a Brambling
joined the finches in the gardens. A Lapwing, a Ringed Plover and a Snipe were seen around
the Narrows, whilst two Red-throated Divers flew past at sea. The 12th was a much quieter
day owing to the miserable weather persisting for the whole morning; a female Brambling
was seen in Tŷ Pellaf garden, three Crossbills, a Siskin and a Lesser Redpoll flew overhead,
and a Dunlin and a Knot were in Solfach. In the evening a Barn Owl was seen hunting over the
lowlands and a Long-eared Owl hunted around Tŷ Nesaf. Two Chiffchaffs in Tŷ Capel garden
were virtually the only new arrivals of 13th.

The 14th was a more productive day, starting off with the year's fourth Glaucous Gull
which flew west out of Solfach in the morning. Three Mediterranean Gulls were seen in
Solfach in the morning, whilst a passage of finches overhead included 100 Chaffinches, six
Greenfinches, seven Siskins, 14 Goldfinches and two Lesser Redpolls. The 15th was a much
better day bird-wise, with clear skies and calm winds seeing some reasonable numbers of
thrushes on the island. 92 Blackbirds, nine Fieldfares, 38 Song Thrushes, 100 Redwings and a
Mistle Thrush were counted during the day, whilst overhead passage included 34 Skylarks,
1870 Starlings, 112 Chaffinches, seven Bramblings, 33 Siskins, four Lesser Redpolls and a
Reed Bunting. 22 Lapwings were seen around the Narrows, five Woodcocks were recorded
inland and two Little Gulls flew by at sea. Although still calm and clear, 16th was a slightly
quieter day; fewer thrushes included a flock of 11 Fieldfares and a Mistle Thrush at Tŷ Pellaf,
a Short-eared Owl was seen in the wetlands and a Chiffchaff was present at Nant. Two
Woodcocks were caught at the Lighthouse overnight on 17th, although the weather which
produced these failed to ground any other migrants. A Hooded Crow was amongst a large
flock of 60 Carrion Crows and four Rooks at the North End of the island in the morning. 26
Blackbirds, a Fieldfare, eight Song Thrushes, 17 Redwings, two Bramblings and two

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012

Chiffchaffs were present in the island's gardens, whilst a Lapwing flew around the Narrows.
The highlights of 18th included a ringtail Hen Harrier which flew along the summit ridge mid-
morning, a Short-eared Owl in the wetlands and a Grey Heron flying south out to sea. A
Common Tern in Solfach midday was perhaps the most unusual sighting of 20th, being 20
days later than the latest ever record on the island. A Whimbrel and four Snipe were also
seen around the Narrows, although nothing was seen inland.

The 21st was a calmer and clearer day, the highlight of which was a Lapland Bunting
over Cristin Withy mid-morning. An Icelandic Redwing was trapped at Cristin, a Brambling
also flew overhead, and a Ringed Plover was around the Narrows with a good count of 34
Purple Sandpipers. An utterly miserable day with torrential rain and gale-force winds on 22nd
unsurprisingly saw very little around. A juvenile Little Gull in Solfach in the afternoon was the
highlight of the day. A Snow Bunting and a tristis Chiffchaff were the only notable sightings of
23rd. The 24th was a more productive day, with the Snow Bunting reappearing, two tristis
Chiffchaffs present, and a Mistle Thrush, Fieldfare, three Bramblings and 2000 Starlings flying
overhead. Nine Mediterranean Gulls and three Common Scoters flew past at sea. The most
noteworthy sightings of 25th included two Water Rails, a Golden Plover, two Whimbrels, six
Song Thrushes and an abietinus Chiffchaff. There was almost nothing to report on 26th, in
the gale-force northerly winds and heavy persistent rain. A beautiful calm day on 29th saw a
large improvement bird-wise after the days of wet and windy weather. A Little Egret flying
south over the Narrows mid-morning was the scarcest sighting of the day, although two Teals,
two Short-eared Owls and an abietinus Chiffchaff were also recorded. Three Bramblings flew
overhead along with three Fieldfares, whilst 34 Blackbirds, 18 Song Thrushes and five
Redwings were present elsewhere. Three Merlins were seen chasing the same unfortunate
Linnet in Solfach in the morning, and a Buzzard was also seen here. A Snow Bunting at the
Nouth End of the island was the highlight of another bright and calm day on 30th.

December

The 1st and 2nd were very quiet, the only noteworthy species being on 2nd with two
Water Rails in Cristin Withy and a Chiffchaff at Tŷ Pellaf. Even less was seen on 3rd, with two
Song Thrushes joining the thrushes at Tŷ Pellaf. Apart from a Snow Bunting and two Merlins,
there was nothing of note to report on 4th. The 5th was a much better day, seeing a flock of
six Long-tailed Tits arriving on the island, and settling at Nant in the afternoon. A Firecrest
was also observed in this flock later on. Two Fieldfares, a Siskin and eight Goldecrests were
also recorded. The 6th was a quieter day, with the highlights including a Short-eared Owl
above Tŷ Pellaf.

Gale-force winds from the north made it difficult to walk anywhere on 7th, and most
birds kept their heads down. The result was a very poor selection: a Whmbrel was present in
Henllwyn and six Black-headed Gulls fed in Solfach, where a Buzzard was also present. A good
day on 8th saw the Firecrest remaining in the Nant area, an abietinus Chiffchaff in the
withies, and two Fieldfares and eight Song Thrushes scattered around the lowlands. Although
the wind had picked up on 9th, a gull flock comprised of 180 Black-headed Gulls and 350
Kittiwakes off the South End saw 12 Mediterranean Gulls and three Little Gulls joining them.
The 10th was a decent day bird-wise, the highlights of which was a Snow Bunting over the
West Side, a Long-eared Owl near Tŷ Pellaf and a Firecrest at Nant. Thrush numbers were on
the increase, with 24 Blackbirds, two Fieldfares, 18 Song Thrushes, a Redwing and a Mistle
Thrush recorded. The 11th was similar weather-wise, although there were not as many birds
around. Two Teals were seen in Henllwyn, a Common Scoter flew past at sea, three Snipe
were flushed from the wetlands and the Redwing count increased to 14. Singles of Jack Snipe

48 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012

and Snipe in the wetlands on 12th were the highlights of a very quiet day. The 13th was
brighter, although there was still very little around. Two Teals joined the Mallards in Solfach
early on, where a flock of 180 Black-headed Gulls were feeding. Inland, a Fieldfare, 17 Song
Thrushes and six Goldcrests were recorded.

The 14th was a very windy and wet day. At high tide, 17 Lapwings, two Mediterranean
Gulls, a Snipe and a Jack Snipe were all seen around the Narrows. The only noteworthy
sightings of a calmer day on 15th were two Mediterranean Gulls and a Woodcock. Two very
quiet days on the island saw strong winds and occasional rain keeping many birds sheltering.
A gull flock feeding in Solfach on both days comprised 350 Herring, one Lesser Black-backed,
80 Black-headed and six Common Gulls. Although 18th started off as a dull, quiet day, at
midday, a flock of 16 Waxwings dropped into the Plantation. This flock remained very mobile
around the Nant area for the early afternoon, before a Peregrine scattered the unfortunate
visitors and they promptly flew off south. This is the largest flock of Waxwings to have been
recorded on the island, and is only the fourth record for the island. In other news, the
Firecrest was relocated around the Nant area after a week of absence, where a Chiffchaff was
also seen. A Mediterranean Gull flew past at sea. Two utterly miserable days saw very little to
report on the island, the most noteworthy sightings being a Bar-tailed Godwit and Jack Snipe
on 19th, and a Firecrest and Fieldfare on 20th.

A calm Firecrest © 2012 Ben Porter
day with brief

sunny intervals

on 21st saw the

male Firecrest

remaining in the

Plantation with

seven

Goldcrests, and

a Snipe in the

wetlands. The

22nd was a

miserable day,

although a nice

surprise was a

Long-eared Owl

which was seen

at Cristin midday. The 23rd was a windy but clear day, and saw a little movement out to sea.

Singles of Great Northern and Red-throated Diver flew south, whilst two Whimbrels and four

Purple Sandpipers were present around the Narrows. A Kestrel made a brief visit in the

afternoon. The 24th was a very miserable day, with nothing whatsoever to report. The most

noteworthy sightings of 25th were two Red-throated Divers off the North End and a probable

Long-eared Owl in the Plantation. Very miserable weather on 26th saw very little around; the

Firecrest was present in Nant Withy with a few Goldcrests. The 27th was another quiet day,

with singles of Snipe and Woodcock present inland, a Buzzard over the Mountain and the

Firecrest in the Plantation with seven Goldcrests. Apart from the appearance of two

Shelducks in Henllwyn, nothing at all was seen on 28th. Literally the only sightings of any note

on 29th were two Shelducks in Henllwyn, two Whimbrels, a Sparrowhawk and six Goldcrests.

The 30th was another windy day, with a passage of over 400 Kittiwakes off the West Side, as

well as a Great Northern Diver over the Narrows.

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012 49

Citrine Wagtail © 2012 Steve StansfieldSystematic List

Steven Stansfield

1 Introduction

This year 187 species of birds were recorded during the season, one more than last
year. Undoubtedly the avian highlight of the year was the discovery of the long-awaited
Citrine Wagtail near the boathouse in October, which was the first for the island.

Other highlights included the ninth and tenth records of both Gadwall and Long-tailed
Duck, the second record of Black Kite, and another fantastic season for skuas, with 11 Long-
tailed and 36 Pomarines. The ninth Iceland Gull for the island was recorded in February and
record numbers of Guillemots passed the island in January. The island’s second record of Bee-
eater became a tasty snack for the Peregrine chicks in May, and the third Red-rumped
Swallow for the island added to the Mediterranean feel of spring. A stunning male Romanian
Wagtail M. f. dombrowskii was found in early June and would be the first of this hybrid form if
accepted as such. Spring saw record numbers of both Wheatears and Blackcaps passing
through the island, with the number of individuals being far greater than ever recorded
before. A ‘Siberian’ Lesser Whitethroat S. c. blythii was trapped in October and will be the
first of this form for the island if accepted. A stunning Radde’s Warbler trapped at Nant
became the fifth record for the island, and two Greenish Warblers in June were the ninth and
tenth records of this species. A Woodchat Shrike also added to the distinct Mediterranean
influence of spring, as did three Common Rosefinches. Two Little Buntings in September and
October rounded off a good year for scarce birds.

Coverage this year was again complete, with birds being recorded every day of the
year, thanks to there being a resident birder on the island for the winter. For selected species,
the maximum daily counts and bird-day totals per month are shown in a table. There are also
charts within the text for some species showing bird-day totals during six five-day periods in
each month (solid and open columns), as well as the maximum count each month (solid line
with open circle).

50 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012

1.1 Rare birds and decisions from rarities committees

Up to 1998, rarities on which a records committee has made a decision were noted in
the introduction to this list. It was decided in 1998 that the format used in the annual report
of the British Birds Rarities Committee (BBRC) in British Birds would be adopted, and,
therefore, the accepted/not proven records would appear in the systematic list of the year in
which the decision was made. Records awaiting decisions will, therefore, appear in the list of
the year in which they were recorded, and then again when accepted/not accepted, under a
sub-heading of the year of the record. If a species is not recorded during the year of the report
and a record from a previous year is accepted or deemed not proven, then the species’ name
will appear in parentheses to avoid confusion. Decisions on all species dealt with by BBRC will
also appear in British Birds and all species dealt with by the Welsh Records Panel (WRP) will
appear in Welsh Birds should the record be accepted.

1.2 Species that require documentation by the Welsh Records Panel

Bean Goose, Brent Goose of the race nigricans, American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked
Duck, Ferruginous Duck, Surf Scoter, White-billed Diver, Cory’s Shearwater, Great Shearwater, Wilson’s
Petrel, Night Heron, Cattle Egret, Great White Egret, Purple Heron, White Stork, Black Kite, White-
tailed Eagle, Golden Eagle, Montagu’s Harrier, Rough-legged Buzzard, Red-footed Falcon, Spotted
Crake, Corn Crake, Stone Curlew, Kentish Plover, Temminck’s Stint, White-rumped Sandpiper, Pectoral
Sandpiper, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Red-necked Phalarope, White-winged Black Tern, Alpine Swift,
Bee-eater, Short-toed Lark, Wood Lark, Shore Lark, Red-rumped Swallow, Tawny Pipit, Red-throated
Pipit, Yellow Wagtail (races of, other than flava and flavissima), Nightingale, Bluethroat, Aquatic
Warbler, Marsh Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Melodious Warbler, Barred Warbler, Subalpine Warbler,
Greenish Warbler, Radde’s Warbler, Dusky Warbler, Chiffchaff of the race tristis, Pallas’s Warbler, Red-
breasted Flycatcher, Bearded Tit, Red-backed Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Rose-coloured Starling, Serin,
Common Redpoll, Arctic Redpoll, Common Rosefinch, Bullfinch of the race pyrrhula, Cirl Bunting,
Ortolan Bunting, Rustic Bunting, Little Bunting and Corn Bunting.

Also, any species not on the BBRC or the WRP lists that is recorded for the first time on
the island will need to be fully documented and supported by a description for circulation
around the WRP. A complete list of species requiring descriptions for consideration by the
BORP can be found at the Observatory and is available upon request. Records that require
consideration by BORP will not be included in the report until a description is submitted for
consideration by the panel. Any record in this report of a rare species for the island has been
accepted by the BORP.

There were a small number of records during the year that were considered not
acceptable by the relevant bodies. Many of the records are not accepted because the relevant
panels were not convinced, on the evidence before them, that the identification was fully
established. Only in a very few cases are the panels satisfied that a mistake had been made.

1.3 Species status and categories

The precise meanings follow the Birds of Bardsey (Roberts 1985)1 with the numbers of
individuals recorded as ‘vagrant’ and ‘rare’ changed due to the time lapse since the book was
written. The status of some species has changed since the book was published and has been
changed here accordingly. The following categories are used for the species:

1 Roberts, P.J. (1985) The birds of Bardsey. BBFO

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012 51

Status Definition
Vagrant 20 records or fewer
Rare 21 to 50 records
Scarce one to five birds or records on average per annum
Uncommon six to 50 birds recorded on average per annum
Fairly common 51 to 250 birds recorded on average per annum
Common 251 to 1000 birds recorded on average per annum
Abundant 1001 to 2500 birds recorded on average per annum
Very abundant in excess of 2500 birds recorded on average per annum

1.4 Species names and taxonomic changes

Last year we reverted to using the names in the systematic list that are widely used in
common-day English. The Welsh names and format follow those in Birds in Wales2, and for

species which have not been recorded in Wales before, names follow those on the ‘Avionary’
website3.

1.5 Systematic species list

Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus Alarch y Gogledd

Rare, 39 previous records

Two flew north on 27 October (RDB), with seven flying south over the Narrows on 7

November (BJP).

White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons Gŵydd Dalcen-wen

Scarce, 80 previous records

On 29 October, nine birds, probably of the Greenland race Anser albifrons flavirostris, flew

west over Nant (BJP et al.).

Greylag Goose Anser anser Gŵydd Wyllt

Rare, 48 previous records

Three were seen over the South End on 27 March, with two over the Mountain on 13 April. In

June six flew over the Narrows early in the morning. One flew south along the island on 8

October.

Grey Goose sp. Anser sp. Gŵydd sp.
One was seen on 8 October.

Canada Goose Branta canadensis Gŵydd Canada
Rare, 31 previous records, however, seven records were in 2006 alone
One was seen flying over the Narrows on 13 April (RJP et al.).

Brent Goose Branta bernicla Gŵydd Ddu

Rare, 38 previous records

A single bird of the dark-bellied Russian breeding race B. b. bernicla was seen on Pwll Cain

from 28 April to 1 May (VF et al.).

A pale-bellied bird of the Greenland/Svalbard breeding race B. b. hrota was seen off the
western side of the island on 19 September, with another on 4 October (GE).

2Lovegrove, R., Williams, G., & Williams, I. (1994) Birds in Wales , Poyser.
3http://www.avionary.info

52 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012

Shelduck Tadorna tadorna Hwyaden yr Eithin

Rare breeder, scarce to uncommon on passage

Three birds were present 180 45

from 6 January to the 160 40
month’s end, when they

were joined by a further 140 35
Bird-day totals
two. Up to seven were seen 120 Max. daily count per month30
on most dates in February, 100 25
with up to 11 present in

March. Numbers increased 80 20

in April as many ducklings 60 15
began to appear, though 40 10
many were taken by gulls

and Grey Seals. Numbers 20 5

peaked in May at 39. At 00
least 13 young fledged. The Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
final record of spring was a
juvenile on 27 July. Five day periods

Bird-days ―o— Max count

In August a juvenile was seen flying past the northern end of the island on 28th. Two were
seen in Henllwyn on 27 October, with one on 29th. Two appeared in December and were
present from 28th to the year’s end.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 5 7 11 15 39 31 27 1 0 2 0 2

Bird-days 76 130 175 283 422 640 411 1 0 3 0 8

Days recorded 26 27 31 30 31 28 27 1 0 2 0 4

Wigeon Anas penelope Chwiwell
Uncommon but regular on passage in small numbers during autumn
One was present from 13 to 16 February, with a male in Solfach on 13 March.

Two were present on 23 September, with four the following day and five on 27th. A drake was
in Solfach on 8 October. On 10th, 33 birds were counted in flocks of 15, eight and ten. The
following day a further 13 flew south.

Gadwall Anas strepera Hwyaden Lwyd

Vagrant, eight or nine previous records (see footnote in 2008 BBFO report, p22)

On 14 April a pair were seen in Henllwyn in the afternoon (BJP et al.). In May another two

birds flew past the South End of the island on 3rd (BJP).

Teal Anas crecca Corhwyaden

Uncommon but regular on passage, and winter visitor in small numbers

A female was in Solfach on 14 January, with six on 18th and seven on 31st. There were 12

records in February; seven were seen on 2nd, then up to four on nine dates and nine on 26th.

Two were seen on 2 March, and another on 15th.

One on 4 July was unseasonable. Eight were seen on 19 August. There were six records in
September; a single, three records of two birds, five on 3rd and eight on 24th. October saw a
pair on 11th, with two birds on 17th. A pair were in Solfach on 29 November, with a female
the following day. Two were seen on 11 and 13 December.

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012 53

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 792000188222

Bird-days 14 35 3 0 0 0 1 8 20 4 3 4

Days recorded 3 12 2 0 0 0 1 1 6 2 2 2

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Hwyaden Wyllt

Scarce breeder, fairly common in autumn and winter

Up to 15 birds were present 200 40

between the start of the year Bird-day totals 180 35
and the end of March. Max. daily count per month16030
Numbers increased in April 140 25
as ducklings began to 120
appear, though very few

were thought to have 100 20

fledged. 80 15

Up to 14 were seen in 60 10
August, with numbers 40 5
increasing to 30 in 20

September. October saw 00
daily counts of up to 32 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

birds, with up to 36 present Five day periods
in November. December saw
Bird-days ―o— Max count

24 records, with a peak of 29

on 12th.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 15 15 8 16 11 11 7 14 30 32 36 29

Bird-days 373 204 145 206 185 117 22 190 471 837 731 506

Days recorded 27 25 31 30 31 25 12 28 29 31 30 24

Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula Hwyaden Gopog
Rare, 25 previous records
A male was in Solfach on 24 March. In May a pair flew north on 19th (BJP).

In September one was in Henllwyn on 25th (SVH, BJP), with another on 26th (SDS et al.)

Eider Somateria mollissima Hwyaden Fwythblu
Scarce, 52 previous records
On 29 October three, Eider © 2012 Ben Porter
two males and a female,
flew south in the
morning. In the
afternoon a 1st winter
male was found in
Solfach and remained
there until 10 November.
Also on 10 November a
male flew south in the
morning.

54 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012

Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis Hwyaden Gynffon-hir

Vagrant, eight previous records

One flew south on 22 October (SDS, BJP), with three doing the same on 5 November (RDB).

Common Scoter Melanitta nigra Môr-hwyaden Ddu

Fairly common to common 60
50
There were six records of up 160 40
30
to six birds in January, with 140 20
eight records of up to 20 10

birds in February. March 120
Bird-day totals
saw six records of up to 11 Max. daily count per month100
birds. Up to 22 were

counted on eight dates in 80

April. May saw just two 60
records of ten on 9th and 20

on 17th. Birds were seen on 40
five dates in June, with 55 20
on 13th the maximum.

There were six records in 00
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

July; 46 flying through the Five day periods

Sound on 8th was the peak. Bird-days ―o— Max count

Birds were seen on 15 dates

in August, with peaks of 35 on 4th and 56 on 9th. September saw birds recorded on 22 dates,

with 21 on 21st, 47 on 22nd and 52 on 23rd the only counts over 20. There were just seven

dates in October when scoter were not seen, all were between 20th and 26th and on 31st.

There were six counts over 20, including 33 on 7th, 39 on 14th and a peak of 50 on 19th.

Seventeen on 7th was the month’s maximum in November from just ten records. Singles on

11 and 12 December were the only records in the month.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 6 20 11 22 20 55 46 56 52 50 17 1

Bird-days 20 41 33 71 30 79 99 182 272 361 44 2

Days recorded 6 8 6 8 2 5 6 15 22 24 10 2

Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca Môr-Hwyaden y Gogledd

Vagrant, 16 previous records

One was seen flying through the Sound on 1 October (CJP, MGC, SVH).

Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator Hwyaden Frongoch
Scarce
A male flew over the Narrows on 17 March (BJP).

A female/immature was seen on 26 September (BH). In October six flew past the South End
on 10th (SVH). A female flew over the Narrows on 1 November (BJP).

Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata Trochydd Gyddfgoch

Uncommon but regular offshore in spring and late autumn/winter

In January there were five records, three were singles, with three on 7th and then 12 off the

North End of the island between 1030 and 1100 hrs on 9th. There were 12 records of one to

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012 55

three birds in February and 16 14
five singles in March. On 18
April eight were seen from the 14 12
North Hide. There were two
further singles in the month, 12
and four on 29th. 10

The first record of autumn was 10
eight birds on 18 September. 8
There was a single on 20th and
another on 27th. There were 8
six records in October; four 6
were singles, with two on two
dates. November saw a single 6
on 10th and two the following
day. One was seen on 23 4
December, with two on 25th. 4

22
Bird-day totals
Max. daily count per month

00
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Five day periods

Bird-days ―o— Max count

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 12 3 1 8 0 0 0 0 8 2 2 2

Bird-days 18 14 5 14 0 0 0 0 10 8 3 3

Days recorded 5 12 5 4 0 0 0 0 3 6 2 2

Black-throated Diver Gavia arctica Trochydd Gyddfddu

Scarce, c56 previous records

Two flew north along the West Side of the island on 15 September (SDS), with another off the

South End on 21st (SVH).

Great Northern Diver Gavia immer Trochydd Mawr

Scarce, with c166 previous records, but becoming commoner since 2005

In January two were seen on 5th and 8th, with six in one hour off the North End on 7th. One

was seen in February and one in March, then two were seen on 18 April. A rather unseasonal

bird was seen passing the North Hide on 3 June, with a very late individual off the South End

of the island on 17 July.

The first record of the autumn was a single off Solfach on 21 September, with probably the
same bird off the West Side of the island the following day. One was seen on 23 October.
None was seen in November, though singles were seen on 23 and 30 December.

Diver sp. Gavia sp. Trochydd sp.

Divers seen too distantly, or not well enough to specifically identify, were seen on 18 April

(five birds), with a single on 11 September and another on 14th.

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis Gwyach Fach
Vagrant, 15 previous records of 18 individuals.
One was discovered on Pwll Cain on 27 Little Grebe © 2012 Ben Porter
October where it remained until 2
November. Rather surprisingly, on 30
October it was joined by a second bird for
just the morning (SVH et al.).

56 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012

Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis Aderyn-Drycin y Graig

Fairly common breeder, common to abundant on passage in autumn

In January there were records of up to 45 birds on 16 dates, with up to 32 on 12 dates in

February and 41 on 20 dates in March, though most of these records were single-figure

counts. By April there were daily records as birds returned to the breeding ledges. There were

no notable movements in spring, until 40 were counted on 22 June. Numbers in July and

August were generally low, with 61 on 27 August the peak.

There were records on 26 dates in September; numbers were generally low, with just three
counts over 50 and a peak of 62 on 10th. Numbers in October plummeted as usual, with
records on just six dates to 17th and a peak of eight on 3rd. There were just three records in
November; one on 17th, two birds the following day and another on 28th. There were five
records in December; two singles early in the month, two on 9th, 26 on 23rd and six on 25th.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 45 32 41 45 17 40 6 61 62 8 2 26

Bird-days 170 96 82 258 109 222 73 344 399 17 4 36

Days recorded 16 12 20 30 28 25 25 29 26 6 3 5

Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus Aderyn-Drycin Du

Scarce to uncommon migrant in autumn

Two were seen on 14 September (GS). On 16th ten were counted, with six the following day

and one on 18th. There were then singles on 24th and 25th, with another on 30th. One on 3

October was the final record of the year.

Large Shearwater sp. Calonectris/Puffinus sp. Aderyn-Drycin

A large shearwater, probably a Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris diomedea, flew south along the

west side of the island on 16 September (SDS). This record has not been submitted to WRP.

Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus Aderyn-Drycin Manaw

Very abundant breeding summer visitor and on passage in summer and autumn

The first record of the year 14000 10000

was three birds at night on 12000 9000
13 March; there were then 10000 8000
a further seven records of 7000
up to six birds in the month. Bird-day totals
Max. daily count per month
There were then almost 8000 6000
daily records in April, with a 6000 5000
peak of 820 on 17th. May 4000
saw larger numbers being

recorded, with counts of 4000 3000
3550 on 13th and 1178 on 2000 2000
30th. There were several 1000
large counts in June, with

9000 the peak on 8th. Fewer 00
were counted in July, with Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

only two counts of over Five day periods
1000: 1940 on 15th and
Bird-days ―o— Max count

1800 on 23rd. There were

just four counts of over 1000 on August, with 2130 on 30th the peak.

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012 57

There were daily records in September, with just seven counts of 300 or more and a peak of
710 on 17th. October saw just ten records with 15 on 3rd the only double-figure count. There
were two singles in November, on 4th and 7th.

Max. count Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov
Bird-days 6 820 3550 9000 1940 2130 710 15 1
Days recorded 19 3699 12,188 29,416 10,330 13,718 4589 55 2
8 25 28 30 28 31 30 10 2

Balearic Shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus Aderyn-Drycin Môr y Canoldir

Scarce to uncommon passage migrant in autumn – however, globally endangered

One on 20 August was the first record of the year (SDS). One was seen on 12 September, with

six on 16th and another on 17th. One was seen on 24th, with two the next day. There were

two records in October, two were recorded on 1st and another on 3rd.

Storm Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus Pedryn Drycin

Uncommon breeder, fairly commonly attracted to lures, but scarcely seen otherwise

In June two were seen off the South End on 9th. One was trapped and ringed on 12th and a

further four were seen from the South End on 16th. There were no autumn records.

Leach's Petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa Pedryn Gynffon-fforchog

Scarce to uncommon migrant in autumn

Two on 16 September were the start of a reasonable run of records. There were four on 17th

and then 14 on 18th. Six passed the island on 19th, two on 20th (including one trapped at the

Lighthouse overnight) and one on 21st which was caught by a passing Pomarine Skua! One

found dead at the Lighthouse on 30th, had been dead for a few days and presumably blew off

the roof of the tower. The only record in October was two birds off the North End on 3rd.

Gannet Morus bassanus Hugan

Common on passage in spring and autumn

Up to seven were counted 1400 600

on seven dates in January, 1200 500
with up to five in February.

March saw 23 records of up Bird-day totals1000 400
to nine birds, with numbers Max. daily count per month

increasing in April to 100 by 800
18th. There were daily
300

counts in May, with 69 on 600

11th the peak count. There 400 200
were again daily counts in

June, with 116 birds on 16th 200 100
and 22nd the maximum.

Numbers in July fluctuated 00
strongly; birds were seen on Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

all but one day (18th), the Five day periods

peak count of 120 came on Bird-days ―o— Max count

19th, the day after none

was recorded! Numbers in the first half of August were generally low, though 175 were

counted on 9th and 123 the following day. During the final week of the month there were

almost daily counts of over 100, with 442 on 30th the peak.

58 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012

September saw daily records and some sustained heavy passage in mid-month. There were
eight counts greater than 150, with three counts of over 300 on 11th 487 were counted. 480
were seen on 14th and 340 were seen on 17th. Fewer were seen in October, with records on
just 25 dates and a peak of 168 on 17th. The only other count of three figures was 145 on 2nd.
There were just 14 records in November, all in the first three weeks of the month, with a peak
of just 15 on 2nd. There were four records in December, with five on 25th the peak.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 7 5 9 100 69 116 120 442 487 168 16 5

Bird-days 17 19 54 436 518 1277 876 1939 3439 1106 46 10

Days recorded 7 7 23 29 31 30 30 31 30 25 14 4

Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo Mulfran

Fairly common on passage, one pair nested in 2004

No significant movements were noted in spring. Only single-figure or low double-figure counts

were noted during the summer months, though 32 were counted on 9 August. There were no

notable records in the latter half of the year.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 11 4 6 16 10 10 15 32 11 9 7 6

Bird-days 130 57 73 190 117 131 114 118 70 100 66 43

Days recorded 31 26 31 30 31 30 30 23 24 31 28 24

Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis Mulfran Werdd
Common breeding resident
As with Cormorant, no Shag © 2012 Ben Porter
notable movements were
recorded during the
spring, though numbers
did increase as breeding
birds returned to the
island for the summer.
Counts of 125 in mid-June
referred to breeding birds
and about 70 youngsters.

Numbers fell in August as
juveniles and adults both
dispersed and the peak
count was just 35.
September saw a peak of
just 39 and, with the
exception of 54, including 32
passing the North Hide on 16 October, the only other count of note was 32 on 4th. There
were just three records of ten or more in November, with five the peak count in December.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 22 26 23 45 48 125 137 35 39 54 12 5

Bird-days 327 358 400 481 487 637 1167 424 511 512 174 87

Days recorded 31 28 31 29 31 30 31 30 30 31 30 27

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012 59

Little Egret Egretta garzetta Crëyr Bach

Rare, 35 previous records

Two flew north along the West Coast on 29 July (RJP), with another single on 4 August (BJP).

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Crëyr Glas

Fairly common, regular passage in small numbers

A single over Pen Cristin on 1 February was the first record of the year. One flew high over the

Observatory on 28 April. One was present on Pwll Cain from 17 to 21 May, with another over

the Narrows on 31st. There were eight records in June, all were singles except two on 6th, and

then three singles in July.

There were seven records of one or two birds in August. There were singles on 1 and 2
September with six, including five flying north, on 3rd, a single on 4th and two on 5th. Another
single was seen on 8th with the last record of the month on 12th. There were nine records in
October, all were singles except two on 8th. The only record in November was a single off the
west side on 18th, then one on 13 December.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 010112126211

Bird-days 0 1 0 1 5 8 3 9 13 10 1 1

Days recorded 0 1 0 1 5 7 3 7 7 9 1 1

Red Kite Milvus milvus Barcud Coch
Vagrant, 16 previous records (one in 1969, 15 since 1987)
One was seen circling the Red Kite © 2012 Steve Stansfield
Mountain and then on Pen
Cristin on 2 June (BJP et al.).
The bird appeared to be
carrying and eating the
remains of a Manx
Shearwater.

In October one was seen
circling the North End of
the island in the afternoon
of 21st (BJP et al.).

Black Kite Milvus migrans Barcud Du

Vagrant; one previous record

In May one was seen low over the island at 0600 hrs on 26th, before heading off north

towards the mainland (MGC, SVH, SDS). The bird had quite probably arrived on the island the

previous night and was leaving its roost site. This is the second record for Bardsey, the first

being on 26 October 2009. This record has been accepted by WRP.

Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus Bod y Gwerni
Rare, 35 previous records (21 since 1998)
An adult male was seen over the Mountain on 18 May (BJP).

A ‘cream-crown’ was seen over Plas on 31 July (BJP), with another heading south out to sea on
19 October (SVH et al.).

60 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012

Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus Bod Tinwen
Scarce migrant, occasional winter visitor
Two ‘ringtails’ were seen over the Mountain on 20 April (MIE, RDB, BJP et al.).

In October a ‘ringtail’ flew south on 21st (SVH et al. ), with another on 18 November (BJP).

Hen Harrier © 2012 Ben Porter

Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus Gwalch Glas
Occasional breeder, fairly common on passage
One bird was seen on 13 dates in January, and 12
dates in February, with two seen on 26 February. Up
to three birds were seen almost daily in March, with
one or two seen on 22 dates in April. There were just
eight records in May, with two on 2nd. None was
seen in June.

Autumn passage began early this year, with singles on

six dates in July. There were near daily records from 4 Sparrowhawk © 2012 Steve Stansfield
August to the month’s end of up to three birds. As in

August, there were almost 14 3.5
daily records of one or two

birds on most dates in 12 3

September, although many Max. daily count per month

individuals were involved. 10 2.5

Birds continued to pass Bird-day totals 8 2
through in October, but no

more than three were seen 6 1.5
on any one date. Numbers

fell in November, with birds 4 1
seen on only 24 dates in the

month and on only five dates 2 0.5

were two birds seen, the rest

were all singles. There were 00
12 singles in December, with Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
two on 8th.
Five day periods

Bird-days ―o— Max count

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012 61

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 123220132322

Bird-days 13 14 39 28 9 0 6 38 34 46 29 14

Days recorded 13 13 28 22 8 0 6 26 26 28 24 13

Buzzard Buteo buteo Bwncath

Fairly common visitor, numbers increasing recently 20
18
One bird was seen on six 25 16
14
dates from 9 to 18 January. 12
10
There were three singles in 20 8
February. March saw 13 6
Bird-day totals 4
records, 11 were singles and Max. daily count per month

there were two on two 15

dates. There were eight

singles in April, with three on 10
1st and 6th and two on 14th.

There were nine singles in

May, and one on 13 June. 5

2

Both July and August saw 00
just three singles each, and Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
one on 2 September was the
only record in the first half of Five day periods

Bird-days ―o— Max count

the month. From 19th,

however, there were seven records, including five on 21st and four the following day. There

were 19 records in October, most records were of one to four birds but a single flock of 19

birds drifted south over the Observatory on 7th. This is the second highest count for the island

following a flock of 21 in October 2009. There were 28 records of up to three birds in

November, with 14 records of one or two birds in December.

400 25

350
20

300

250
15

200
10

150

100
5

50

00
Annual bird-day totals
Maximum annual count

1953
1955
1957
1959
1961
1963
1965
1967
1969
1971
1973
1975
1977
1979
1981
1983
1985
1987
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011

Bird-days Maximum Count

Max. count Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Bird-days 1 1 2 3 1 1 1 1 5 19 3 2
6 3 15 16 9 1 3 3 17 50 46 16
Days recorded 6 3 13 11 9 1 3 3 8 19 28 14

62 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012

Kestrel Falco tinnunculus Cudyll Coch

Fairly common passage migrant, has bred (last bred in 1970)

There were seven records of single birds in January and two in February. March saw singles on

three dates, with two on 24th. Four singles were seen in April, and seven in May, though three

were seen on 2 May. June saw single birds on six dates.

July saw the start of autumn passage as the first immature birds were seen. There were
singles on seven dates and two on 25th. There were nine records in August of one or two
birds. September saw this continue, with birds seen on six of the first eight days of the month.
There were then no records from 9th to 16th. From 17th one or two birds were seen daily to
the month’s end. Passage in October was much the same as the rest of the autumn, with one
or two birds seen almost daily, the exact number of individuals being very difficult to
ascertain. One bird was seen daily in November to 18th, with two on 15th. There were two
singles in December.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 112131222221

Bird-days 7 2 5 4 10 6 9 13 25 39 19 2

Days recorded 7 2 4 4 8 6 8 9 20 27 18 2

Hobby Falco subbuteo Hebog yr Ehedydd

Scarce passage migrant

One was seen hawking insects over Nant on 14 August (SVH et al.). In September an adult was

seen briefly on 20th (RDB et al.), with a juvenile hawking insects at Tŷ Pellaf on 3 October

(BJP).

Merlin Falco columbarius Cudyll Bach
Fairly common on passage, occasionally over-winters
A single bird was seen on the Narrows
on 6 January. In February one bird
arrived on 26th and was present to
the month’s end. There were 24
records in March, with two birds seen
on 16th. Two birds were seen on four
dates in April, with a further 16
records of singles during the month.

The first record of autumn was on 11

September. From 19th there were

seven records, with two present on

26th. October saw almost daily

records with one to four birds seen Merlin © 2012 Steve Stansfield
regularly and numbers increasing to

five by 10th. One or two birds were

seen on most dates in November, with three on 29th. December saw singles on 1st and 3rd

with two on 4th.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 112200002532

Bird-days 1 4 25 20 0 0 0 0 9 56 40 4

Days recorded 1 4 24 16 0 0 0 0 8 26 27 3

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012 63

Peregrine Falco peregrinus Hebog Tramor

Rare but regular breeder, rare passage migrant

There were regular records of Peregrine Falcons during the spring, though there were no

records of any obvious immigrants and all records referred to the island’s breeding birds.

Water Rail Rallus aquaticus Rhegen y Dŵr

Uncommon but regular on passage, numbers can vary from scarce to fairly common

One in Tŷ Pellaf Withy on 18 January was the first of the year and the only record until August.

On 19 August one was heard calling from Tŷ Pellaf Withy. There was another on 21st and two
heard on 23rd. There were 11 records in September of one or two birds, with almost daily
records in October of up to four birds. One to three birds were recorded on 16 dates in
November and then on three dates in December.

Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Iâr Ddŵr

Uncommon breeder, occasional passage migrant

Birds were present throughout the year and no signs of immigration were noted in the spring

or autumn. The island’s breeding population had dramatically fallen, with depredation by

Buzzards appearing to be the reason for the decline in number of breeding adults. There was

not one double-figure count all year.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 222463348641

Bird-days 3 7 13 61 91 44 54 49 160 110 46 1

Days recorded 2 5 10 29 31 29 30 31 30 30 24 1

Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus Pioden y Môr

Common breeder, passage migrant and winter visitor

Up to 117 birds were seen almost daily in both January and February, with up to 124 in March

and 157 in April. Numbers fell in May as birds began to disperse from the Narrows to the

breeding grounds. June’s peak was just 84 birds. In July a complete census of the island’s

breeding birds saw 269 birds along the shoreline, including 72 fledglings.

Numbers in August peaked at 66 on 4th, but were fairly stable at around the 40 mark for most
of the month. Up to 48 birds were seen daily in September, 51 in October and 57 in November
and 74 in December.

Max. count Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Bird-days 117 117 124 157 80 84 269 66 48 51 57 74
Days recorded 2138 2014 2045 2308 1844 1653 2201 1131 849 903 1089 983
30 28 31 30 31 30 31 31 30 31 30 27

Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula Cwtiad Torchog

Fairly common passage migrant that has bred, last in 2003

One bird appeared on Solfach for two days on 22 January, then three on 31st. February saw

birds on 22 dates, with up to seven seen late on in the month. Up to five were seen daily in

March, with up to eight in April. Several birds seen in late April were of the small dark

northern race C. h. psammadroma. Up to nine birds were present in May, and one pair laid a

clutch of four eggs near Solfach. Early June saw a small movement of northern birds, with 18

counted on Solfach on 3rd. Late June and early July saw just the breeding birds and their

young present.

64 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012

From late July the breeding 60 20
birds were augmented by 50 18
migrants, and numbers 16
began to rise in August with
Max. daily count per month
up to 11 birds present on Bird-day totals 40 14
Solfach on 8th. On 31st at 30 12
least three birds of the 20 10
small dark northern race 8
C. h. psammadroma were 6
present on Solfach. The

following day (1 September) 10 4
at least five of the 2
seven birds present were
considered to be northern 00
birds. Thereafter one to Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
three were present on a
further 15 dates, including a Five day periods

Bird-days ―o— Max count

northern bird that was trapped and ringed on 10th. The only record in October was a single

bird on 29th, with further singles on 11 and 21 November.

Ringed Plover © 2012 Steve Stansfield

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 3 7 5 8 9 18 7 11 7 1 1 0

Bird-days 5 59 74 80 106 93 86 130 33 1 2 0

Days recorded 3 22 30 29 31 23 31 29 16 1 2 0

Dotterel Charadrius morinellus Hutan y Mynydd

Rare, 23 previous records of 32 birds (seven in spring, 16 in autumn), the last was in May 2008

Two juvenile birds were discovered on the Mountain on 19 August (RJP et al.). They were not

present in the afternoon nor on 20th. On 21st two birds were seen flying in from the sea at

the North End of the island and remained on the South End until late evening. Two birds were

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012 65

also reported from the Coastguard lookout at Uwchmynydd on the nearby mainland on 23rd
and were probably the same birds. This could go some way to explaining the disappearance of
the birds on 20th and their reappearance from the north on 21st.

Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria Cwtiad Aur

Uncommon but regular passage migrant in spring and autumn

Two were seen over the North End on 5 January, with another on 18th. In March there were

four records of up to five birds in the first two weeks of the month. April began with a single

on 1st and two the next day, then ended with two on 30th. Two were seen on 9 June.

One on 31 July was the first of autumn passage. Two were seen on 15 August, with four on
19th and five on 28th. There were three singles in September, with seven on 18th. October
saw seven records of one or two birds and also 20 on 3rd. The only record in November was a
single on 25th.

Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola Cwtiad Llwyd

Scarce

One bird was present from 10 to 13 February, with another on 14 and 15 March.

In October five flew past the North End on 16th.

Lapwing Vanellus vanellus Cornchwiglen

Former breeder (last bred in 1997), now uncommon passage migrant in spring and autumn

A single bird was seen on 17 and 18 January. Three were seen on 8 February, with 28 on 10th

and 15 on 12th. There were two singles in March, one in both April and May, with another on

14 and 15 June.

The first record of autumn were singles on 9 and 21 July. A single was on the Narrows on 9
and 10 October. There was a single on 15th, with ten present on 16th and 17th, three on 18th
and 19th and two for the following two days. There were singles on 11, 16 and 17 November,
with 22 on 15th. One was seen on 1 December, with a further 17 on 14th.

Knot Calidris canutus Pibydd yr Aber
Uncommon to fairly common passage migrant and occasional winter visitor
Six on 1 February were Knot © 2012 Steve Stansfield
the first of the year.
There were then one or
two birds on a further
seven dates in the
month. Four were seen
on 6 March, with a single
on 22nd. One was seen
on 9 May, with two on
26th. A fine summer-
plumaged adult was in
Solfach from 20 to 23
July.

August saw two birds arrive on
15th, followed by four singles and then 24 on 29th and 35 on 30th. There were four singles in
September, with one on 12 November.

66 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012

Sanderling Calidris alba Pibydd y Tywod

Uncommon passage migrant

Three were on the Narrows on 1 to 4 April, with one in Henllwyn on 6th. One was seen on

Solfach on 3 and 4 May, with four on 5th and two on 22nd. In June there were nine records of

up to five birds in the first two weeks of the month, and another single on 27th.

Sanderling © 2012 Steve Stansfield

July saw three appear on Solfach on 13th. There were then a further five records of up to nine
in the month. There were daily records from 15 to 26 August of one to five birds. The number
of individuals was difficult to ascertain, but there was thought to be a daily turnover of birds.
September saw three singles and three on 12th.

Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima Pibydd Du

Fairly common to common migrant and winter visitor

Only small numbers were 60 40
seen in January, with five

the peak count. February Bird-day totals 50 35 Max. daily count per month
saw numbers reach 29, with 40 30
birds recorded on ten dates. 25
There were just five records

in March, with 23 on 30th 30 20
the most seen. Of the ten

records in April, all bar 28 on 20 15
1st were in single figures. 10 10
Two on 20 May were the 5
only records in the month

and the last of spring. 0 0

July saw the first arrivals of Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
wintering birds, with a single
on Solfach on 16th; there Five day periods

Bird-days ―o— Max count

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012 67

were then a further four records of up to five birds in the month. There were 13 records in
August of up to 24 birds. There were just 12 records of up to six birds in September, with ten
records of up to 11 in October. November saw 23 records with up to 34 counted on 21st.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 5 29 23 28 2 0 5 24 6 11 34 13

Bird-days 37 156 74 56 2 0 13 67 27 38 165 64

Days recorded 13 10 5 10 1 0 5 13 12 10 23 11

Dunlin Calidris alpina Pibydd y Mawn

Fairly common to common passage migrant

The first record of the year was 13 birds that arrived on Solfach on 1 February. A further five

had joined them by 3rd, the

4th and 5th saw 13 again,

with none seen on 6th and

just one on 7th. There were

then one or two birds daily

to 13th, with two further

records late in the month.

March saw birds present on

six dates, with four on 15th

the peak. There were five

records in April, two on 25th Dunlin © 2012 Steve Stansfield

and five the following day,

Four were seen on 27th and

28th, with eight on 30th. In

May there were 23 records;

numbers grew rapidly from

four on the first day of the

month to 40 by 5th.

Numbers then fell, but there

were several arrivals

throughout the month and a

total of 247 bird-days was Bird-day totals 120 80 Max. daily count per month
recorded. There were 19 100 70
records in June, and with the 60
exception of 24 and 32 on 80 50
2nd and 3rd respectively, all 60 40
other counts were of 15
birds or fewer.

There were almost daily 30
records in July of up to nine 40
birds, though many more
individuals than this passed 20
through the island. Numbers 20
in August peaked at 27, but
again, many more passed 10
through as there appeared
to be a constant turnover of 00
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Five day periods

Bird-days ―o— Max count

68 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012

individuals. September saw 11 records and, with the exception of 67 birds that passed the
island at sea on 11th, all were of one to four birds. The only record in October was a single on
1st. November saw singles on six dates, including one attracted to the Lighthouse on 16th,
and then 14 on the Narrows on 19th.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 0 18 4 8 40 32 9 27 67 1 14 0

Bird-days 0 81 11 23 247 137 78 134 83 1 20 0

Days recorded 0 14 6 5 23 19 26 25 11 1 7 0

Ruff Philomachus pugnax Pibydd Torchog

Scarce

One flew over the southern part of the island on 18 August (BJP). One was seen in Henllwyn

on 25 September (BJP).

Jack Snipe Limnocryptes minimus Gïach Fach
Uncommon passage migrant and rare over-winterer, probably overlooked
One was in the wetlands on 13 January, with two on 20 February (BJP).

In October one was flushed from the gorse above Tŷ Capel on 2nd. Another was flushed from
the side of the Mountain on 7th, with one in the North-West Fields on 21st and another on
the Mountain on 24th. An unusual set of records away from the lowlands, however, with the
lower part of the island being so wet it could go part way to explaining the reason for these
records. In December there were three singles in the lowland areas of the island in mid-
month.

Snipe Gallinago gallinago Gïach Gyffredin

Fairly common passage migrant in both spring and autumn and common winter visitor

Two were seen on 1 and 28 40 14

January, with a further ten 35 12
singles between these

sightings. There were 14 Bird-day totals30 10
records of one or two in Max. daily count per month258
February, with three on 20
10th. Just seven records

were logged in March, six of 15 6
which were singles, with two 10 4
on 15th. April saw seven 2
singles, with five singles in 5
the first 11 days of May.

There was then none until 00
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

24 July, when the first single Five day periods

of autumn was recorded. Bird-days ―o— Max count

Two more were seen in the

month. August was 12 records; most were of one or two birds, though four were counted on

4th and 24th, with six on 18th. There were 21 records in September, mostly of one to four

birds, though six were counted on 19th and seven on 23rd. October saw 26 records, with most

being of one to four individuals. However, seven were counted on 17th, including a flock of six

that arrived from the west during the day. Ten were counted on 22nd, with 13 the following

day and seven on 14th. In November there were 20 records of mostly one or two birds, with

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012 69

four counted on three dates. There were 12 records in December, most were single, but three
were counted on 11th.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 2 3 2 1 1 0 1 6 7 13 4 3

Bird-days 14 21 8 7 5 0 3 24 56 86 36 15

Days recorded 12 15 7 7 5 0 3 12 21 26 20 12

Woodcock Scolopax rusticola Cyffylog

Uncommon to fairly common migrant

One was seen on the Mountain on 14 January, with possibly the same bird also seen on 16th

and 17th. One was found dead at Nant on 18th. Another was seen on the Mountain on 30th.

In March there were singles on three dates to 14th, with three on 15th and another fatally

attracted to the Lighthouse on 17th.

One on the South End on 11 October was the first record of the autumn period. There were
then four further singles in the month, as well as two on 23rd and three on 24th. November
saw one or two birds present on 12 dates, with three on 16th and five on 15th. One was seen
on 15 December, with another on 27th.

Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa Rhostog Gynffonddu

Scarce, an average of four birds per annum

One flew over the middle of the island on 28 April, with one over the Narrows on 11 May. In

July a single bird of the race L. l. islandica was seen on 2nd, with four on 3rd and one on 5th.

In August one was seen on 4th, with a flock of 36 flying south on 16th and then two on 18th

and 19th.

Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica Rhostog Gynffonfrith

Fairly common migrant

One was seen off the West Side of the island on 7 January. Two were seen on 2 February, with

three the following day. One to three birds were then seen almost daily to 14th, with another

on 18th. In April a summer-plumaged bird was seen on 23rd, and a non-summer-plumaged

bird on 25th. One was seen on 27 and 28 May.

Bar-tailed Godwits © 2012 Steve Stansfield

70 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012

In July one was seen on 6th. In August 35 flew south along the west coast on 31st. Two arrived
on Solfach on 13 September and remained to October. They were joined by another bird on
21st, with five present on 22nd and then six on 30th. Four of the six were seen at the start of
October, but only three were left by 6th and all had departed by 12th. One on 19 December
was the final record of the year.

Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus Coegylfinir

Fairly common to common passage migrant, with two or three presumed resident birds

Three birds again wintered 350 90
on the island and were seen 300 80
frequently until the first

summer migrants were Bird-day totals 250 70 Max. daily count per month
recorded on 15 April, when 200 60
five were seen. Thereafter 50
numbers increased rapidly

during the month and 150 40
peaked at 68 on 26th. May 100 30
began with 56 birds present

on 1st, then 82 were 20

counted on 2nd and 3rd. 50 10
Numbers then fell fairly
rapidly (almost halving 00
overnight to 42) and Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
continued to do so, with just
single figures remaining Five day periods

Bird-days ―o— Max count

from 19th onwards. There were 15 records in June of up to four birds, and up to nine birds on

24 dates in July.

Whimbrel © 2012 Steve Stansfield

There were daily records in August but, with the exception of ten on 1st and 15 on 2nd, all
counts were in single figures. Thereafter, with the exception of five on 23 September, one to
three birds were present on the island on most dates to the year’s end.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 3 3 2 68 82 4 9 15 5 3 3 2

Bird-days 39 36 28 425 621 24 67 95 44 40 33 28

Days recorded 22 24 23 25 26 15 24 31 26 24 22 19

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012 71

Curlew Numenius arquata Gylfinir

Abundant migrant and non-breeding resident, formerly bred (last in 1967)

The wintering flock peaked Bird-day totals400 120
at 66 and began to Max. daily count per month350100
disperse in mid-February. 300 80
By the end of the first 250
week in March very few
birds were left, with just

ten or fewer recorded then 200 60
until the first returning

(presumed failed breeders) 150 40
began to arrive in late June 100 20
with 23 seen on 27th.
50

July began with 31 birds 00
counted, and numbers Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
increased to 57 during the
month. Up to 70 were Five day periods
seen in August, with up to
Bird-days ―o— Max count

78 in September. In October 60 to 70 were seen on most days, however, 102 were counted

together on 17th. November’s peak was 63, with 58 seen in December.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 66 58 36 5 4 23 57 70 78 102 63 58

Bird-days 1557 1036 290 56 47 128 922 1063 1145 1477 1169 884

Days recorded 31 29 31 23 24 26 31 30 30 31 29 23

Redshank Tringa totanus Pibydd Coesgoch

Fairly common migrant and winter visitor 30
25
The wintering population 120 20
15
never exceeded 26 birds this 10

year, even though there were 100

daily counts in January, Bird-day totals
Max. daily count per month
February and March. In April 80
numbers began to dwindle,

with only one bird present 60
from 23rd onwards. The final

record of spring was of two 40
on 1 May.

The first returning birds were 20 5

early in 2012, with singles on 00
17 and 22 June, and then four Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
on 26th and two the next
day. Numbers rose slowly in Five day periods

Bird-days ―o— Max count

July, with daily records of one

to eight birds. August saw numbers increase to 17, with a peak of 21 in September, 22 in

October and 26 in November, but just 24 in December.

72 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 26 23 22 12 2 4 8 17 21 22 26 24

Bird-days 500 360 358 135 2 8 105 144 211 386 465 390

Days recorded 31 28 30 29 1 4 28 30 28 31 30 28

Greenshank Tringa nebularia Pibydd Coeswerdd

Scarce to uncommon on passage

In June one was recorded on 19th and 20th, with one on 8 July and another on 20th. August

saw five records; singles on 19th and 21st, two on 24th and 27th and three on 29th.

Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus Pibydd Gwyrdd

Scarce – an average of 2.5 bird-days per annum 1953-2011

One was heard calling from the West Side on 18 August (SDS, CJS), with two seen the

following day.

Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos Pibydd y Dorlan

Common passage migrant

One on 11 April was only three days later than the earliest ever recorded on the island (on 8

April 1982). One on 17th was a more normal arrival date, with this bird remaining to 21st. On

24th five were recorded, with four on 25th and nine on 26th. Two were seen on 27th, three

the following day and six on 30th. There were daily records of one to four birds in the first

week of May, with two singles in the second week, and two on 19th.

Autumn passage began on 2 July; there were then daily counts of up to seven to 14th.
Thereafter records became slightly more sporadic, with nine counts of up to six to the
month’s end. There were 12 counts of one to four birds in August, with one bird seen on four
dates to 7 September.

Turnstone Arenaria interpres Cwtiad y Traeth

Common to abundant migrant and winter visitor, occasionally summers 120
100
Up to 36 were counted in 450 80
60
January, with 26 the peak 400 40
count in both February and 350
March. There were only 11 Bird-day totals
Max. daily count per month
records in April of up to 15 300

birds, and 14 records of up 250
to 17 birds in May. There

were one to three birds in 200

June to 21st. 150

One bird was seen on five 100 20
dates in the first two weeks 50

of July. From 16th autumn 00
passage began with almost Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

daily counts of up to 23 birds Five day periods

to the month’s end. There Bird-days ―o— Max count

were daily records in August,

with up to 69 birds recorded. Up to 78 birds were seen in September, with up to 80 regularly

counted in October. The peak counts for October, however, included 94 on 19th and a

minimum of 100 on 17th. Following 87 and 79 on 1 and 2 November, numbers fell and

remained fewer than 60 for the rest of the year.

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012 73

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 36 26 26 15 17 3 23 69 78 100 87 57

Bird-days 569 368 257 48 76 11 145 977 1327 1412 997 636

Days recorded 28 27 21 11 14 6 18 31 30 31 30 26

Grey Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius Llydandroed Llwyd

Rare, 47 previous records involving 61 individuals

One flew south along the West Side of the island on 30 August (SVH, SDS). One was seen

briefly on 4 November (RDB).

Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus Sgiwen Frech

Scarce in autumn, but a vagrant in spring (only ten records), with 155 records of 306 birds in total

Following last autumn’s mass movement, which accounted for almost a third of all BBFO’s

records, it was not therefore surprising to see a scattering of spring records as birds returned

to the breeding grounds. Two pale morph adults were seen on 12 May from the South End,

with another the next day. A pale adult, Max. count May Jun Aug Sep Oct
probably a male, was present on the Bird-days
North End of the island before relocating Days recorded 2 1 4 62
to Solfach later in the day on 14 June. It 3 2 4 25 2
or another was seen on 16th. 2 2 1 11 1

The first records in autumn were four birds that were part of the first real skua movement of
the season on 30 August. September saw an adult on 3rd, with two on 11th and another on
12th. Two more (including one dark morph adult) were seen on 14th, and another was seen
on 15th. Six birds were counted on 16th, with two on 17th. A juvenile was seen on 21st, with a
dark and a pale adult on 24th. Six, mostly immatures, were seen on 26th, with a pale adult on
29th. The only record in October was of two adults on 2nd.

Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus Sgiwen y Gogledd

Uncommon to fairly common 70 35
on passage in autumn, scarce
30
in spring (73 records) 60

Bird-day totals
Max. daily count per month
50 25

40 20

30 15

20 10

10 5

A dark 00
adult was seen Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
on 27 April, with
another on 12 May. In Five day periods
July another dark adult was
seen on 14th. Bird-days ―o— Max count

Three along the West Side of the island on 4 August were the first of autumn. Further singles
were seen on 9th, 11th, 25th and 28th, with two on 12th and 27th. The first real movement of
the autumn was on 30 August when 30 were counted. There were 19 records in September,

74 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012

most being eight birds or fewer; however 25 were counted on 11th, 17 on 16th, 12 on 17th,
25 on 18th and 11 on 25th. There were six records of one to three birds in October.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 30 25 3 0 0

Bird-days 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 41 137 10 0 0

Days recorded 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 8 19 6 0 0

Long-tailed Skua Stercorarius longicaudus Sgiwen Lostfain

Rare, 39 previous records of 64 individuals, 51 individuals since 1996 and 16 in 2011 alone

Another fantastic year for this diminutive skua with 11 individuals recorded. An immature bird

flew south on 14 September (SDS, IHW), with another on 16th (CJP, BJP). On 18th two

immatures were seen (BJP, GE et al.). On 25th a further two immatures were seen (SVH et al.),

with a very pale juvenile the following day (SDS). On 1 October four immature birds were

counted (SDS et al.).

Great Skua Stercorarius skua Sgiwen Fawr

Uncommon but regular on passage in autumn, rare in spring 30
25
One past the North End on 60 20

18 April was the first of the

year. One flew west off the 50

South End on 12 May, with Bird-day totals
Max. daily count per month
another heading south on 1 40
June.

30 15
10
Singles were noted on 15, 5
0
22, 25, 26 and 29 August, 20
with three on 28th and

seven on 30th. There were 10
records on 18 dates in

September; most were up to 0
five birds, though 16 were Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
counted on 14th, 27 on 16th
and 12 the following day. Up Five day periods

Bird-days ―o— Max count

to five birds were counted

on 12 dates in October, with three singles seen in November to 14th.

Max. count Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Bird-days 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 7 27 5 1 0
Days recorded 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 15 91 26 3 0
0 0 0 1 1 1 0 7 18 12 3 0

Skua sp. Stercorarius sp. Sgiwen sp.

One bird seen too distantly and briefly to be identified to species was recorded on 24 April.

Another bird thought to be a Pomarine Skua, but the observers could not be 100% certain,

was seen on 26th.

In August a small, probably Long-tailed Skua, was seen on 28th, with another bird thought to
be a Pomarine on 30th. In September there were unidentified skuas seen on 11 dates, with up
to three on 10th. Most were considered to be Pomarine Skuas, but were often too distant to
eliminate Arctic Skua. There were a further three records in October.

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012 75

Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus Gwylan Môr y Canoldir

Uncommon on passage in

autumn and winter, with 35 14

numbers increasing

An adult was off the North 30 12

End on 7 and 12 January. In Bird-day totals25 10
March a first-winter was Max. daily count per month

seen in Henllwyn on 16th, 20 8
with an adult off the South

End on 17th. A first-winter 15 6

was on the Narrows on 11

and 13 April. A first-summer 10 4

bird was on Solfach on 22 5 2
May. None was seen in

June. 0 0

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

July saw an adult and a first- Five day periods
summer in Solfach on 4th,
Bird-days ―o— Max count

with two adults there the

following day, and all three birds present on 7th. The next record was a juvenile on 24 August,

with two on the Narrows on 29th and an adult off the North End on 30th. There were six

records of one to four birds in late September and then almost daily records in October. Most

counts were fewer than ten; however, 11 were seen on 14th and 13 on 16th and 24th. Up to

nine birds were seen on 12 dates in November. In December there were two singles, two on

14th and 15th and 12 on 9th.

Mediterranean Gull © 2012 Ben Porter

Max. count Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Bird-days 1 0 1 1 1 0 3 2 4 13 9 12
Days recorded 2 0 2 2 1 0 7 4 10 100 40 18
2 0 2 2 1 0 3 3 6 24 12 5

Little Gull Hydrocoloeus minutus Gwylan Fechan
Scarce, becoming uncommon in recent years, but rare in spring
A first-summer bird was in Henllwyn on 29 April.

76 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012

The first record of the autumn was a single flock of 22 birds (21 adults and a juvenile) on 19
August. An adult on 30th was the only other record in the month. An adult was seen on 5
September, with a first-winter on 18th and two adults on 27th. Singles were seen on 1, 2 and
4 October, with 11 on 9th. There were then three 1st winters on 16th and singles on 17th and
19th. There were three singles in November, with two on 15th. Three on 9 December was the
only record in the month and the final record of the year.

Sabine's Gull Xema sabini Gwylan Sabine

Scarce in autumn, 90 previous records of 130 individuals, one vagrant in spring

A juvenile was seen off the North End of the island on 11 September (SDS), with another on 16th

(SVH).

Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus Gwylan Penddu

Scarce in spring, abundant to very abundant in autumn and winter

There were 18 records in January of up to 63 birds. Just nine records occurred in February,

with seven being the peak count. Six singles were seen in March, with two on 2nd. April saw

two singles, two records of two and two records of three birds and 11 on 1st. May saw singles

on five dates, with six and eight on 4th and 15th and 22 on 6th. There were three singles in

June, five on two dates and 19 on 21st.

July saw birds recorded on 21 dates, most were of ten birds or fewer, but there were five

other double-figure counts of up to 47. There were 14 records in August, again most were in

small numbers, though there were four counts of between 13 and 49 during the second week

of the month. Four on 12 September was the only record in the first 18 days of the month.

Thereafter there were daily records of up to 70 to the month’s end. October began with 169

on 1st, then up to 52 seen 4500 4000
during the first week. On

8th 221 were counted, but 4000 3500

numbers fell again to as few 3500 3000
as ten during the next few Bird-day totals
Max. daily count per month
days. On 14th a large arrival 3000 2500
occurred, with 1100 birds 2500 2000
counted. The following day 2000 1500
3400 birds were counted 1500
along the West Side and off

the South End of the island. 1000 1000
Thereafter numbers fell, 500 500
with no more than 550 seen

on any date to the month’s 0 0

end. There were 28 records Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

in November, with 374 on Five day periods
1st the highest count.
Bird-days ―o— Max count

December saw records on

24 dates, with a peak of 180 on three dates in mid-month.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 63 7 2 11 22 19 47 49 70 3400 374 180

Bird-days 361 18 8 23 41 32 188 136 337 7681 2019 1178

Days recorded 18 9 7 7 8 6 21 14 13 30 28 24

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012 77

Common Gull Larus canus Gwylan y Gweunydd

Rare in spring, generally uncommon to fairly common in autumn and early winter

There were 13 records in January of up to 18 birds, with 15 records in February of up to just

five birds. One to four birds were counted on eight dates in March, with four records of up to

three in April.

Two were seen on 24 and 26 July, with one on 27th. A juvenile was seen on 24 and 30 August.
From 10 September records became more frequent, with up to five birds seen on 14 dates in
the month. There were almost daily counts in October, usually 20 birds or fewer however, 56
were counted on 9th and 40 on 10th, with 31 and 32 on 17th and 18th respectively. There
were 23 records in November, with a peak of 17 on 3rd. Most other records were of single-
figure counts. There were 14 records in December, with nine being the peak.

Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus Gwylan Gefnddu Leiaf

Common breeding summer visitor, common on passage in late autumn and winter

Small numbers were present in January and February, with up to 13 birds seen on 24 and 16

dates respectively. Numbers 350 200
began to increase in March 300 180
(up to 56 by 18th) as the birds 160
returned from their southern

wintering areas. By late May Bird-day totals250 140
counts of up to 178 were Max. daily count per month200120
being made as birds loafed in 150 100
the freshly-ploughed arable 80
fields.

Breeding birds were present 100 60
throughout the summer, and
after the youngsters had 40
fledged numbers fell and there 50
were no notable movements
in autumn. Up to five birds 20
were seen in December on 14
dates. 00
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Five day periods

Bird-days ―o— Max count

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 12 13 56 61 178 152 53 76 23 52 11 5

Bird-days 61 59 210 584 787 1008 749 826 139 258 65 33

Days recorded 24 16 30 29 31 30 30 30 26 24 18 14

Herring Gull Larus argentatus Gwylan y Penwaig

Abundant breeding resident and abundant immigrant in autumn and winter

During the early part of the winter moderate-sized counts were made when the wind was

strong and birds congregated in Solfach. Up to 700 were seen in January. A minimum of 270

were counted on 22 February. The only notable counts in March were 480 on 7th and 500 on

18th. By April the breeding birds had returned to their colonies and were present on the east

side of the island for the duration of the summer.

By August counts rarely reached three figures, though 171 was the month’s peak. September
saw no counts greater than 63, however, from mid-October numbers began to rise as
northern birds began to arrive in the area. 106 were counted on 15th, with 339 birds in

78 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012

Solfach on 16th, 405 the next day and 586 on 18th. Numbers then fell to low double figures by
27th; however, 176 were seen on 28th, 183 the day after and 467 on 31st. There were five
three-figure counts in November, with 139 on 1st the peak. December saw six three-figure
counts during strong winds, with 300 on 14th the peak.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 700 270 500 555 340 348 259 171 63 586 139 300

Bird-days 3651 1851 2845 4552 3955 4979 3098 1650 640 3167 1662 1787

Days recorded 30 28 31 30 31 30 30 31 30 30 28 25

Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus Gwylan y Gogledd

Vagrant, 20 previous records (nine since 2000), last in 2011

A third-winter bird was seen over the Narrows on 6 January (BJP). In March a first-winter was

seen heading north on 14th (BJP); and in April a first-winter bird was seen over most of the

island on 14th, 15th and 17th (SVH). A first-winter bird was in Solfach on 14 November (BJP)

Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides Gwylan yr Arctig

Vagrant, eight previous records - last in 2009

A first-winter was seen off the South End on 5 February (BJP) as part of a major influx of this

Arctic gull into the UK. Hundreds were seen in Orkney and Shetland and many more in Ireland.

Iceland Gull © 2012 Ben Porter

Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus Gwylan Gefnddu Fwyaf

Rare breeder, uncommon to fairly common resident and on passage

Small numbers of birds were noted daily, though the only notable counts were 22 on 18

March and 19 on 7 and 22 April.

Birds were seen daily in the latter part of the year and counts were general low (15 or fewer
on most dates), though 19 were seen on 12 August and 26 September, and 26 on 1 October.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 13 11 22 19 14 14 7 19 19 26 16 9

Bird-days 175 147 219 213 122 124 110 215 243 280 159 98

Days recorded 31 28 31 30 31 29 29 31 30 31 28 21

Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla Gwylan Goesddu

Common breeder, very abundant on passage and in winter

Up to 305 were counted in January (on 5th), though 72 was the peak count in February. Very

few were seen in March, though 100 on 12th was the peak. As birds returned to the ledges in

April numbers increased, with up to 245 counted. Up to 320 were seen in May and just 125 in

June. As the breeding birds left the colonies numbers generally fell, though 200 non-breeders

were present on Carreg yr Honwy on 20 July.

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012 79

August saw a number of birds beginning to pass the island out at sea, and almost 4000 bird-

days were recorded. Peak counts were 377 on 13th and 430 on 30th. September saw large

movements, with up to 800 birds seen regularly and 1440 on 11th and 2000 on 26th the

peaks. October began with 1425 on 1st, and then daily counts of up to 900 to 13th when 1250

were seen. 1500 were 4500
counted on 15th, with 2000 12000

the next day, 1230 on 17th, 10000 4000
1500 on 18th and 4150 on 8000 3500
19th. Surprisingly none was Bird-day totals 3000
seen on 20th. Thereafter Max. daily count per month

there were just eight records 6000 2500
of up to 236 to the month’s 2000
end. There were records on

26 dates in November, with 4000 1500

most counts being in double 2000 1000
figures; however, there 500
were six counts of 120 or

more, including peaks of 650 0 0

on 2nd and 420 on 5th. Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

December saw 18 records, Five day periods
with 860 on 26th the peak
Bird-days ―o— Max count

count.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 305 72 100 245 320 125 200 430 2000 4150 650 860

Bird-days 1163 221 301 1202 1066 671 733 3925 11,187 17,739 3436 2805

Days recorded 23 17 22 27 29 25 20 29 29 27 26 18

Black Tern Chlidonias niger Corswennol Ddu
Scarce migrant, usually in autumn
Eight were seen on 11 September (SVH et al.).

Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis Morwennol Bigddu

Fairly common to common summer migrant 350
300
Two on 7 April were the first 350 250
returning migrants of the 200

year. There were six other 300
records in April, with seven
Bird-day totals
on 29th the peak count. 250 Max. daily count per month

There were just four records 200
of up to four birds in May.

150 150

In July, three on 7th were 100 100
the first returning birds of
autumn. Six further records 50 50
were noted in the month,
with five on 31st the peak. 00
In August there were nine Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
counts of seven or fewer,
plus 45 birds on 20th and Five day periods

Bird-days ―o— Max count

80 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012

then 319 on 30th. Fewer were seen in September, with 13 records, though numbers never
reached more than 69 on 11th. Two singles were recorded in October, on 1st and 4th.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 0 0 0 7 4 0 5 319 69 1 0 0

Bird-days 0 0 0 18 9 0 14 393 276 2 0 0

Days recorded 0 0 0 7 4 0 7 11 13 2 0 0

Common Tern Sterna hirundo Morwennol Gyffredin
Scarce to uncommon migrant
Two on 14 May were the only spring birds.

One was seen on 7 July. In August May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov
there were five records of up to five
birds. Seven were seen on 1 Max. count 2 0 1 5 110 0 1
September, with 110 on 3rd and 43 on
4th. Two on 11th was the only other Bird-days 2 0 1 11 164 0 1

Days recorded 1 0 1 5 4 0 1

record. In November, a juvenile bird was seen in Solfach on 20th.

Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea Morwennol y Gogledd
Scarce to uncommon migrant
Two were seen on 25 May, with another on 16 June.

Two were seen on 26 August, with another May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct
two on 30th. In September 38 were seen on
11th, four on 18th and then singles on a Max. count 2 1 0 2 38 3
further five days in the month. In October
three were seen on 2nd, with another on Bird-days 2 1 0 4 47 4
16th.
Days recorded 1 1 0 2 7 2

‘Commic’ Tern Sterna hirundo/paradisaea Morwennol Gyffredin/y Gogledd

Terns seen too distantly or too briefly to be Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct
identified to species were recorded on 3 June;
another was seen on 14 August, with three the Max. count 103 2 2
following day one on 16th and three on 30th. One
was seen on 12 September, with two on 18th and Bird-days 108 4 4

Days recorded 1 0 4 3 3

another on 26th. Two were seen on 2 October, with one the next day and another on 21st.

Guillemot Uria aalge Gwylog

Abundant breeding summer visitor, common on passage in autumn

January saw two unprecedented movements of this species, with 2500 counted passing the

North Hide on 11th and 2612 the following day. These are the largest counts for Guillemot

outside the breeding season. Away from these massive movements, there were 520 on 13th

and 380 on 14th. February saw several good movements (although not as large as those in

January), with 560 on 11th and 700 on 19th. In March 200 birds were noted in the colonies on

three dates with regular counts of bird in April and to the end of the breeding season.

Two off the North End on 30 August was the first sign of autumnal movement. There were 13
records in both September and October, all were small numbers except 26 on 11th and 25 on
14 September, and 15 on 9 October. One on 3 November was the only record in the month.

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012 81

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 2612 700 200 280 345 630 95 2 26 15 1 0

Bird-days 7310 2152 612 795 1088 2533 292 2 78 71 1 0

Days recorded 18 7 4 19 28 25 10 1 13 13 1 0

Razorbill Alca torda Llurs

Very abundant breeding summer visitor, very abundant on passage in autumn

Up to 500 were counted off the North End of the island in January (on 7th), with 107 on 5

February the peak for the second month of the year. Up to 370 were counted ashore on the

East Side in March, with numbers increasing to 500 in April and then 1200 by mid-June.

Numbers fell rapidly as the breeding season progressed and the male birds took their

youngsters out to sea. By 19 July none was left in the colonies.

The first record following

the breeding season was

of two birds on 19 August.

There were then a further Razorbill © 2012 Steve Stansfield

six records of up to seven

birds in the month.

September saw almost

daily counts, with

numbers increasing

towards the month’s end.

There were regular counts

of 250 to 300 from 14th,

with peaks of 1500 on

22nd and 775 on 30th.

Early October showed a

similar pattern of movements, with counts up to almost 600 on most dates and peaks of 900

on 2nd, 1900 on 4th and 750 on 6th. There were just seven records in November; 365 were

counted on 2nd, 106 on 3rd and 300 on 25th, the rest of the counts were fewer than 100.

There were just six records in December, with 1500 on 3rd the peak.

Max. count Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Bird-days 500 107 370 500 550 1200 241 7 1500 1900 365 1500
Days recorded 1340 365 914 1913 2830 5688 778 16 5239 7044 997 2660
16 9 5 23 30 28 17 7 26 25 7 6

Auk sp. Uria aalge/Alca torda Gwylog/Llurs

Auks, seen either too briefly or too distantly to be specifically identified, were seen on many

dates, usually during large movements of Razorbills when some observers did not specifically

identify auks. Most were probably Razorbills.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Max. count 0 128 0 500 170 0 0 15 1096 600 310 0

Bird-days 0 128 0 878 926 0 0 31 1960 2209 1456 0

Days recorded 0 1 0 6 12 0 0 6 13 13 12 0

Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle Gwylog Ddu

Scarce, 54 previous records

Two flew through the Sound on 11 September (SDS), with one off the South End on 21st (DW).

82 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012

Puffin Fratercula arctica Pâl

Fairly common breeder, uncommon on passage in spring and autumn

Up to eight birds were seen on 15 dates in April, with up to 28 on 16 dates in May. There were

almost daily records in June as the breeding colony at the north-east corner of the island

continues to expand, and up 250 160

to 146 birds were recorded 200 140
on 16th. Up to 57 were seen 120
in July, but numbers fell Max. daily count per month

rapidly from the end of the Bird-day totals 150 100
third week.

Just two records were noted 80
in August; two were seen on 100 60
1st and six on 30th.
September saw three on 40
1st, one on 9th, five on 50
10th, seven on 11th and a
single on 17th. Singles were 20
then seen on 1 and 13
October. 00
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Five day periods

Bird-days ―o— Max count

Puffin © 2012 Steve Stansfield

Rock Dove Columba livia Colomen Ddôf

Common

No genuine Rock Doves were recorded this year; all the birds seen were thought to be

directionally challenged ‘Racing Pigeons’. Largest numbers were seen at Bank Holidays.

Max. count Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Bird-days 0 0 0 1 6 26 2 4 12 1 0 1
Days recorded 0 0 0 3 26 161 4 7 18 3 0 1
0 0 0 3 12 16 3 3 3 3 0 1

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012 83

Stock Dove Columba oenas Colomen Wyllt

Scarce, c96 previous records

One was seen at Nant on 15 January. In March one was at Plas on 23rd and another on the

South End on 27th. Two seen on 1 April was the 100th record for the island.

Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus Ysguthan

Common migrant and uncommon breeding summer visitor 40
35
The first returning birds 160 30
25
after the winter arrived in 140 20
late January, with two on 15
10
30th. Up to ten were seen in 120 5
Bird-day totals
February and up to 19 in Max. daily count per month100
March. 22 was the peak

count on several dates in 80

mid-late April, with up to 30 60
seen in May. Numbers in

June and July fell slightly 40
with peaks of 24 and 20 20
respectively.

August saw new birds 00
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

arriving onto the island, Five day periods

with counts of up to 31; up Bird-days ―o— Max count

to 38 were seen in

September with no more than 34 in October. November saw 25 counts of up to 11 birds, with

two singles and a three in December.

Max. count Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Bird-days 2 10 19 22 30 24 20 31 38 34 11 3
Days recorded 6 86 258 378 475 323 325 491 692 402 90 5
4 21 31 30 31 30 30 31 30 30 25 3

Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto Turtur Dorchog

Fairly common to common migrant

There were six records in 80 18

March (five singles and two 70 16
on 24th), with 11 records of 60 14
up to three birds in April. In Bird-day totals
Max. daily count per month
May up to six birds were 50 12
seen on most dates, though 40 10
15 were counted on 26th 30 8
and 28th, and a peak of 17 20 6
on 27th. One to nine birds 4
were seen on most dates in

June, with 11 on 2nd and 10 2
13th. There were just four
singles in both July and 00
August. Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Five day periods

Bird-days ―o— Max count

There were seven records

in September, with three on 22nd and 25th being the month’s maximum counts.

84 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012

Max. count Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Bird-days 0 0 2 3 17 11 1 1 3 0 0 0
Days recorded 0 0 7 19 139 104 4 4 12 0 0 0
0 0 6 11 29 25 4 4 7 0 0 0

Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur Turtur

Uncommon passage migrant, almost becoming scarce

A single bird flew into Plas Withy on 4 May (SDS). On 14th two birds were present at Nant

(SVH et al.) and remained there until 23rd.

Cuckoo Cuculus canorus Cog

Uncommon, occasional breeder

A single bird at Nant on 22 April was the first record of the year. From 25th April to 4 May

there were almost daily records of one to three birds. Between 5 and 15 May none was seen,

A single was seen on 15th, with three on 19th, singles on 20th and 24th and two on 27th.

There were five singles in June. In July a juvenile was seen from 28th to 1 August.

Cuckoo © 2012 Ben Porter

Barn Owl Tyto alba Tylluan Wen

Scarce, c56 previous records

One was found late in the evening roosting in the willow behind the Warden’s house on 9

September (MGC et al.). There were singles in October on 7th, 12th, 18th and 26th. One was

found dead on 8 November, with one near Carreg Bach on 12th.

Little Owl Athene noctua Tylluan Fach

Scarce breeder

Although four pairs spent the year on the island, records were very thin on the ground (see

table below).

Max. count Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Bird-days 12 22 3 23 21 410
Days recorded 5 11 16 10 26 29 23 14 2 16 1 0
5 10 13 9 18 23 17 11 2 9 1 0

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012 85

Long-eared Owl Asio otus Tylluan Gorniog

Scarce, formerly bred from 1998 to 2006

One was seen in the withies on 21 October, with another bird trapped and ringed at Cristin on

23rd. On 24th one was seen in the withies and another was in the Plantation on 26th. One

was present at Cristin on 8 and 9 November, with one hunting at Tŷ Bach on 12th. One was

picked up having broken its wing near the Lime Kiln on 10 December, but unfortunately it had

to be euthanized. Another was seen on 22 December. An ‘eared’ owl being flushed from the

Plantation on 25th and 26th was probably this species.

Long-eared Owl © 2012 Steve Stansfield

Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus Tylluan Glustiog

Scarce

One was seen above Tŷ Pellaf on 15 January, with presumably the same bird on the Mountain

on 16th. Two were flushed from the wetlands on 30 April and were seen there again on 1

May. There were a further five singles in May, with another two birds on 19th.

One was seen on the West Coast on 7 August. Six singles were recorded in September, on 9th,
13th, 16th, 17th, 19th and 24th. The only records in October came in a six-day period from
22nd to 27th inclusive, with daily totals of 2, 1, 3, 2, 5 and 2 respectively. In November there
were seven records; singles were seen on 1st, 6th, 14th, 16th and 18th, with two birds on 5th
and 29th. One was seen at Tŷ Pellaf on 6 December.

Swift Apus apus Gwennol Ddu

Common, occasionally abundant

Three on 26 April were the first of the year (DL et al.). Three more were seen on 28th, with

two on 29th and five on 30th. There were 15 records in May; most were of eight or fewer,

with 23 seen on 11th and 28 on 26th. There were 11 records in June, again most were single-

figure counts, but 31 passed through on 2nd and 25 were counted on 20th.

86 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012

Autumn passage began with 16 on 5 July. There were a further ten records in the month, four
of which were double-figure counts, including 25 on 24th and 27 on 25th. There were just
nine records in August, with 13 on 10th the only double-figure count.

Bee-eater Merops apiaster Gwybedog y Gwenyn

Vagrant, one previous accepted record on 23 July 1984

One was found at Nant on 30 May (CJP et al.). The bird was seen flying round the North End

and spent some time sitting in trees at Tŷ Capel and near the Plantation. However, it was seen

to fly north-east over the Mountain and then heard calling frantically and heading west

followed by a female Peregrine. The Bee-eater was seen to drop to the ground and the

Peregrine followed. The Peregrine flew off carrying a bird and the Bee-eater was never seen

again. It is assumed that the Peregrine chicks had a ‘Mediterranean-style’ breakfast!

Wryneck Jynx torquilla Pengam

Scarce to uncommon migrant

A single bird was flushed from behind Carreg Bach on 14 August (SDS, MGC) and only seen

very briefly, with another typically brief record on 24 October above Nant (SVH).

Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major Cnocell Fraith Fwyaf
Rare, 40 records including 15 in 2008
There were a minimum of eight Great Spotted Woodpecker © 2012 Steve Stansfield
individuals recorded this year. A
juvenile bird was seen briefly at Nant
then at Cristin on 12 July. Another
youngster was seen in Tŷ Pellaf Withy
on 6 August, and at Tŷ Bach on 9th. In
late September birds were seen daily
from 25th, though only one bird was
recorded on any day. A female was
present on most dates, but a young
male was trapped at Cristin on 29th.
There were no records on the first
three days of October, though a single
was recorded on 4th and 5th. On 6th
two were seen (one of which was
trapped at Cristin). From 7th at least
three birds were present on the island
but extremely mobile, and not all of
them were seen every day, with
counts of zero to three being logged
depending on the weather. The final
record of the month was on 27th.

Woodlark Lullula arborea Ehedydd y Coed

Vagrant, 15 previous records of 20 birds

One was found on an area of broken ground near the Chapel on 8 April (SVH et al.). It spent

some time in the field where the last individuals were seen. This is the first since the record of

five birds together in December 2010.

In October one flew north over Cristin calling on 21st (SDS, BJP).

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012 87

Skylark Alauda arvensis Ehedydd

Common passage migrant, mainly in autumn – bred historically and then from 2003 to 2011

There were no records in 350 250
January, but a single bird

was seen from 18 to 20 300
February, and another on
200

26th. Up to eight birds were 250Bird-day totals
Max. daily count per month
seen in March, with up to 200 150
six present in April. Four

birds were present in May 150 100
and breeding birds were

then present for the whole 100 50
of the summer months. 50

The remains of the breeding 00
birds masked any small Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
movements in the early part
of the autumn, and the first Five day periods
real signs of movement
Bird-days ―o— Max count

were not seen until early

October. On 4th 21 were counted, with 37 on 6th and 44 the following day. There were then

regular counts of up to 35 birds to 15th, though none was seen from 16th to 18th. The 19th

saw 35 birds again, with 33 the following day and then 230 on 21st. Just eight were counted

on 22nd, with two on 23rd. Thereafter daily counts of up to 25 were recorded. November saw

13 scattered records, most were in single figures, though five records were of ten or more,

including 57 on 5th, 28 on 10th and 34 on 15th.

Max. count Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Bird-days 0 1 8 6 4 3 3 2 6 230 57 0
Days recorded 0 4 93 82 76 51 34 16 41 609 167 0
0 4 28 28 31 29 26 14 18 24 13 0

Sand Martin Riparia riparia Gwennol y Glennydd

Common to abundant summer migrant

Seven over Pwll Cain on 13 80 40
March were the first of the

year. Two were present the 70 35

following day, but then 60 30
none was seen until a single Bird-day totals
Max. daily count per month
bird was seen on 27th. Nine 50 25

were counted on 28th, with 40 20
two the next day. Three

were seen on 1 April, but 30 15

then none again until 12th 20 10
when three were seen.

There were then a further 10 5
11 records during the

month of up to ten birds on 0 0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
21st. In May there were
Five day periods
almost daily records of up to
Bird-days ―o— Max count
34 birds. There were daily

88 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012

records in the first week of June with up to five birds present. Six birds were seen on 10th,
with another on 17th.

There were just two records in July, with two on 7th and another on 21st. There were 12
records in August, 23 on 19th being the peak count. September saw eight records; 12 on 2nd
was the only double-figure count. The only records in October were on 1st (two), 4th and 8th
(five).

Max. count Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Bird-days 0 0 9 10 34 6 2 23 12 5 0 0
Days recorded 0 0 21 44 277 25 3 61 28 12 0 0
0 0 5 13 27 9 2 12 8 3 0 0

Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica Gwennol Dingoch

Vagrant; two previous records

One, rather rapidly, made its way north along the main track, circled the Plantation and

headed north off the island on 2 May (SVH et al.). This is only the third record for the island,

following singles on 3 May 1980 and 22 April 2004. This record has been accepted by the

WRP.

Swallow Hirundo rustica Gwennol

Very abundant summer migrant that breeds in small numbers

One on the Narrows on 15 7000 6000

March was the first record 6000 5000
of the year. Two were seen

on 28th, with four the Bird-day totals5000 4000
following day and another Max. daily count per month

on 30th. There were 26 4000

records in April, with 128 on 3000
21st the maximum count.
3000

There were several other 2000 2000
counts of 50 or more,

including 89 on 17th and 63 1000 1000

on 30th. May saw daily

records, with many counts 00
of 300 or more, including Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
757 on 2nd, 715 on 6th and
435 on 17th, a total of 5881 Five day periods

Bird-days ―o— Max count

bird-days was recorded. Birds were recorded on every day in June with the only notable

passage in the first ten days, with peak counts of 121 on 1st and 182 on 6th.

The only birds recorded in July were considered to be local breeders, but numbers in mid-
August began to rise, with up to 190 on 10th and 200 on 11th. There were a further four
counts of over 100 in the month. September began with counts fewer than 90 on the first two
days of the month, followed by 285 on 3rd. On 4th a fantastic passage took place with over
5250 birds moving through the island: 120 left Carreg reed-bed at dawn and headed off north,
2600 flew over the Narrows before 0830 hrs, and between 0800 hrs and noon a further 2475
had passed over Cristin. The following day just 80 birds were counted, mostly island residents.
The only other counts of note were 245 on 15th and 152 on 22nd, with most other counts
being fewer than 100. There were just 18 counts on the first 22 days of October, with 84 on
6th and 79 on 8th the only movements of note.

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012 89

Max. count Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Bird-days 0 0 4 128 757 182 74 200 5250 84 0 0
Days recorded 0 0 8 755 5881 1409 958 2008 7251 581 0 0
0 0 4 26 31 30 31 31 30 18 0 0

House Martin Delichon urbicum Gwennol y Bondo

Common to abundant summer migrant that occasionally breeds in small numbers

The first record of the year 200 100

was six over the Narrows on 180 90

7 April. There were a further 160Bird-day totals 80
16 records in the month, 140 Max. daily count per month70
mostly of nine birds or 120 60
fewer, but 20 were counted

on 30th. May saw near-daily 100 50

records with four counts of 80 40

30 or more, including 94 on 60 30
5th. Up to 40 were seen in 40 20
the first half of June, but 20 10
from 15th onwards only

counts of 11 or fewer were 00
noted; these were the Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
breeding/prospecting birds
at the southern end of the Five day periods

Bird-days ―o— Max count

island. Up to 14 were counted in July, with between ten and 14 seen daily from 22nd to 27th;

all other records were single-figure counts.

Some passage was noted in August, with almost daily counts being made. Up to 42 were seen
on 11th. There were 25 records in September; 23 on 4th, 28 on 6th, 33 on 9th and 27 on 16th
were the only notable counts. October saw nine counts in the first 19 days of the month, with
25 on 4th the peak and only double-figure count.

Max. count Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Bird-days 0 0 0 20 94 40 14 42 33 25 0 0
Days recorded 0 0 0 59 516 311 178 288 185 58 0 0
0 0 0 17 29 29 28 30 25 9 0 0

Richard’s Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae Corhedydd Richard

Scarce, c61 previous records of c86 individuals

Following the poor showing of the last two years, this year returned to more normal levels

with five records of seven birds. One was flushed from the South End of the island on 14

October (SDS, SCR), one flew over Tŷ Bach on 20th (GE), one flew along the West Coast on

21st (RDB, GE), one flew off the South End and headed north on 23rd (SVH, SDS, BJP et al.),

and three were seen heading north on 24th (SDS, BJP).

Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis Corhedydd y Coed

Fairly common passage migrant

The first record of the year was an early individual on 30 March (SDS). Another bird was seen

on 7 April, but the main passage occurred from 21st when one to five birds were recorded on

a daily basis. Up to seven were counted daily in the first week of May, with a further five

singles in the month.

90 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012

In August singles were recorded on 6th, 15th and 19th. September saw one on 4th, with two
on 13th and 27th.

Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis Corhedydd y Waun

Abundant to very abundant passage migrant and common breeder

Up to 46 birds were counted during January and the first half of February. Passage birds were

noted from late February, with up to 58 seen in the final week of the month. Numbers

increased in March, and by the middle of the second week of the month counts were reaching

three figures, with 461 on 13th, 714 on 14th and 632 on 15th. There were further smaller

three-figure counts during the month, with a total of 5703 bird-days recorded. Numbers

generally fell in April, with 214 on 2nd the peak count, and just five counts of 100 or more.

May, June and July just saw the island’s breeding birds present along with their offspring.

Numbers began to rise a 2500 800
little in August as autumn

passage got underway, with 2000 700
several counts of 60 or more 600
and a peak of 84 on 19th. Bird-day totals
Max. daily count per month
September saw numbers 1500 500
increase as the month 1000 400
progressed; there were daily 300
counts of 80-150, with peaks

of 190 on 15th, 248 on 21st, 200
333 on 23rd and 358 on
500

27th. October saw six three- 100

figure counts, with peaks of 00
232 on 4th and 222 on 6th. Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Numbers plummeted in
November and, with the Five day periods
exception of 78 on 5th, and
Bird-days ―o— Max count

37 on 15th, all counts were fewer than 25. There were just 19 records in December, all in

single figures.

Max. count Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Bird-days 46 58 714 214 95 75 59 84 358 232 78 8
Days recorded 188 574 5703 2365 1512 1029 1278 1535 2897 2196 398 69
29 26 31 30 31 30 31 31 30 31 30 19

Rock Pipit Anthus petrosus Corhedydd y Graig

Fairly common breeding resident and probably uncommon immigrant/migrant

Up to 29 birds spent the winter on the island. There were no real signs of immigration in the

spring, but numbers rose in the summer with the emergence of youngsters from nests.

There were no real signs of arrivals in autumn and numbers never rose above 53. However, a
bird thought to be of the Scandinavian race A. p. littoralis were seen on the West Coast on 19
October.

Max. count Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Bird-days 29 25 21 30 36 47 43 35 53 39 44 27
Days recorded 745 478 423 446 523 488 857 739 876 675 463 409
31 27 31 30 31 29 31 31 30 31 29 28

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012 91

Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola Siglen Sitraidd

Vagrant, no previous records

A fantastic first-winter bird was discovered at the Boathouse on 10 October (DWu et al.). This

is a long-predicted new species for the island and well overdue. The bird was also present on

11th. A full account of the bird’s discovery can be found on page 136. This record awaits

acceptance from BBRC.

Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava flavissima Siglen Felen

Scarce to uncommon passage migrant

‘British’ Yellow Wagtails were seen in May from 1st to 6th (male), with another male on 11th

and another on 30th to 2 June.

In September there was a single on 23rd.

‘Blue-headed Wagtail’ M. f. flava. Siglen Benlas
A female was seen on 5 June.

‘Romanian Wagtail’ M. f. dombrowskii Siglen Benlas

A stunning individual thought to belong to this form, which is a hybrid between the nominate

Blue-headed Wagtail M. f. flava and Black-headed Wagtail M. f. feldegg was seen on the

Narrows on 11 June (RDB, GE, SDS). See full report on page 137 about the detail of this bird.

‘flava’ wagtail Motacilla flava ssp.
‘flava’ wagtails, usually flying over or only heard calling, or immature birds in autumn that
were not assigned to any specific race, were recorded as ‘flava’ wagtail ssp. M. flava ssp.

Single birds were seen on four dates in late May and on 9 September.

Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea Siglen Lwyd

Fairly common to common passage migrant

One flying over the Plantation on 13 March was the only record in the month and the first of

the year.

Two on 19 August was the first record of autumn passage. Another was seen in Solfach on
30th. In September, there were almost daily counts; most were in single figures, though 19
were counted on 3rd, 20 on 13th and 15 on 15th. There were 14 records in October, mainly in
the first half of the month, with nine on 3rd the peak count. November saw just two singles,
on 3rd and 10th.

Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba yarrellii Siglen Fraith
Common to abundant passage
migrant that breeds in small Pied Wagtail © 2012 Steve Stansfield
numbers, rare in winter
A single bird over-wintered on the
island and was seen almost daily
through January and the first half
of February. The island’s breeding
birds began to re-appear in late
February with up to five birds
present on 29th. Numbers in
March began to increase rapidly as

92 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012

birds passed through in the second week of March, with peaks of 88 and 71 on 14th and 15th.
Numbers fell thereafter, leaving just the island’s breeding birds until autumn passage began in
late August.

A sudden rise in numbers 250 100
from four on 25 August to
55 the following day was 90
the first sign of passage in
autumn. Numbers then 200 80
fluctuated as waves of birds
appeared and disappeared 70 Max. daily count per month
through September, with as
many as 61 birds seen on Bird-day totals 150 60
19th, but none recorded on
24th. Numbers generally 50
dwindled as October
progressed, from a peak of 100 40
46 on 2nd to just one bird
on the month’s final day. 30
One to four birds were seen
on most dates in 50 20
November, with one or two
on most dates in December. 10

00
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Five day periods

Bird-days ―o— Max count

Max. count Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Bird-days 1 5 88 45 23 19 30 55 61 46 4 2
Days recorded 30 46 664 693 442 344 538 772 769 329 57 29
30 27 31 30 31 30 31 31 29 31 28 26

White Wagtail Motacilla alba alba Siglen Fraith

Common passage migrant 80 40
One on Solfach on 20 March

was the first record of the 70 35

year. Thereafter there were 60 30 Max. daily count per month
one to five birds seen daily

to the month’s end. April Bird-day totals 50 25
began with up to four birds

daily to 11th, then on 12th 40 20

16 were counted, with 26 30 15
the following day. Passage

was then light thereafter, 20 10

with single figure counts 10 5
until late in the month when

27 were counted on 27th. 00
Early May saw the heaviest Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

passage of spring, with near- Five day periods
daily double-figure counts of
Bird-days ―o— Max count

up to 27 birds. From 12th

just small numbers were seen and only one single bird in the last week of the month.

Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Report 2012 93

The first returning bird was one on Solfach on 25 and 26 August. Six were present on the last
day of the month, with up to eight present in the first week of September. Numbers increased
as the month progressed and peaked at 35 on 21st. Numbers fell rapidly and by early October
there were just six on 2nd and four on 4th. The final record of the year was three birds on
19th.

Max. count Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Bird-days 0 0 5 27 27 0 0 6 35 6 0 0
Days recorded 0 0 30 205 184 0 0 8 150 13 0 0
0 0 13 28 20 0 0 3 23 3 0 0

‘alba’ wagtail Motacilla alba ssp.

‘alba’ wagtails, usually flying over or only heard calling and not assigned to any specific race,
were recorded in both spring and autumn when both Pied and White Wagtails were being
recorded. In addition, many immature birds in autumn cannot be sub-specifically identified
and are, therefore, assigned to this category. The table below shows data for all ‘alba’ wagtails
combined.

Max. count Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Bird-days 1 5 88 63 41 19 30 56 102 13 4 2
Days recorded
30 46 702 934 647 344 538 791 1320 57 57 29
30 27 31 30 31 30 31 31 30 10 28 26

800 110

100
700

90
600 80

500 70

60
400

50

300 40

200 30
20

100
10

00
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Pied White 'alba' Max. daily count
Bird-day totals
Max. daily count per month

Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus Cynffon Sidan

Vagrant, three previous records, all singles, in 1996, 2004 and 2010

Another major influx into the UK saw thousands of birds crossing the North Sea from late

October. After many weeks of birds filtering through the country, 16 were found at Nant on

18 December (BJP, EJS, SDS).

94 Adroddiad Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli 2012