Bardsey Beacon 169 - September 2021

Bardsey Beacon

Golau Enlli

Issue 169 - Autumn 2021 The newsletter of the Bardsey Bird
and Field Observatory

Sef cylchlythyr i aelodau
Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli

Photo: Bob Normand

Spring 2021 was another strange one…

Director of Operations review Getting the rooms ready

We began the season operating the Lodge as a single letting
unit again. Emma and Sam, along with new recruits Stuart
and Megan, got the south side put back together and the staff
continued to use the North side of the Obs to live in.
When we arrived back on the island the walls in both quad
rooms (north and South) were extremely wet. The roof had
been leaking over the winter. Fortunately, BITL (the Island
Trust) had managed to secure a grant to have some reme-
dial repairs done. A company from North Wales (The original
roofing company) came along and did a sterling job and
fixed the roof. The walls began to dry out and eventually
we are able to paint them and get the Lodge looking smart
again.

Repairing the Obs roof We could now take guests

By early June it became evident that we were going to be
able to run as a hostel for the latter part of the year. We had
to create a plan for getting the Lodge back together, and
also for migrating the staff from the North side into their ac-
commodation at the LSA hut by the lighthouse and behind
the ringing hut.
As the north side of the Lodge had been used as staff ac-
commodation for almost two years there was a lot of work
involved moving the Assistants into their own accommoda-
tion and then getting the rooms ready for guests. I did lots of
scraping of walls and ceilings to get all the old paint off them,

The Bardsey Beacon is the newsletter of the Friends of Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory.
All pictures by Steve Stansfield unless otherwise stated
Registered Charity No. 249790.

The Observatory is a member of the Bird Observatories Council.

and then spent many many hours carefully painting them. Breeding birds
Once the rooms were all painted it was time to clean and
dress them. Curtain poles had to be fixed, window hinges Breeding birds had a good time.
replaced, lots of cleaning, but eventually Emma and I had Many years ago now, we raised some money to buy some
the rooms looking like they should for guests. artificial House Martin nests. We placed two on the LSA hut
So by early August we were up and running as a hostel (as there are usually House Martins nesting on the light-
again, and it was really really good to see so many of our house), and we put another in the porch at Cristin. Well,
friends, being able to mix inside with them again after what this year the ones at the Obs had some interest from a pair
had been a truly bizarre 18 months or so… of martins in May, and a few weeks later there were four
eggs laid!
Spring Migration

Migration in spring was rather poor. There were very few
days with good numbers of migrants and not many unusual
bits and pieces. Up to five Black Redstarts were seen add-
ing a splash of colour to spring.

House Martin chicks!

Black Redstart We have watched all summer as, at first, the adults incu-
bated the eggs, and eventually when they hatched, they fed
The best birds of spring were a rather fine Woodchat Shrike their tiny chicks. On 22 August they fledged. All four have
that spent a few days eating bees along the fence line below survived and were flying round the Obs at dusk. A great suc-
the schoolhouse. cess story.
Seabirds did well too. There were 21 pairs of Fulmar on the
East Side, five above the 2020 total and 14.9% above the
ten-year average (18.27 ± s.d. 5.46). 13 chicks were seen
giving a productivity of 0.58. A pair of Storm Petrels again
nested in an artificial nest box and a chick was seen on 10th
August. Seven Cormorant nests were counted on Ynys
Gwylan Fawr, the first time that they have bred on the larger
island since 2013.

Woodchat ©Steve Hughes Kittiwakes

Rosy Starling Bardsey held 59 Pairs of shags, the third highest count
There was a Rosy Starling in June which was found as it sat since1953. There were a further 39 pairs on Ynys Gwylan
briefly on the chimneys at Carreg, and was later relocated in Fawr with a further six seen across on Ynys Gwylan Bach.
the lowlands near the lime kiln. There were then another two There were 68 pairs of Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 69 AON
a couple of weeks later, these were found at Nant and were were counted and a minimum of 37 juveniles fledged. A
eventually seen in the Obs garden. This is the first time more total of 337 Herring Gulls nested on Bardsey held 337
than one bird has ever been seen on the island at once. AON, 11.5% below the ten-year mean (380.80 ± s.d. 35.6).
On Ynys Gwylan Fawr 57 Pairs were counted. Two pairs of
Great Black-backed Gulls were on Bardsey. There were 83
adults with 28 juveniles on Ynys Gwylan Fawr and nine
AONs on Ynys Gwylan Bach.
From the 181 nests of Kittiwake, 268 young were counted
including a few fledged juveniles and chicks. The best for

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some time.
There were almost 1,500 Guillemots on ledges. Whilst Ra-
zorbill numbers during flush counts saw 1,220 individuals. A
minimum of 79 young were counted at Seal Cave, a sample
plot productivity of 0.75 chicks per pair.

Clouded Magpie

last one some 30 years ago!! You can imagine my excite-
ment when I saw the first one of them, having been looking
for them in the withies for the last 24 summers! I was like
a kid on Christmas Day!! This black and yellow moth, with

Ringed Plover chick Black Arches

Puffin population on Bardsey continued to increase. Flush translucent wings is a master of what is known as Batesian
counts were completed in May and June with a maximum of mimicry. 
378 individuals counted. In July there were at least 400 We have had a rather delicate moth, Brussels Lace which
adults ashore or on the sea suggesting that there are at was new for the island, trapped by Rob Bithell at Hendy, and
least 200 pairs. There were 349 AOBs counted on Ynys then two more a month later at Cristin. Black Arches was
Gwylan Fawr with a flush count of 578 individuals. Breeding another quite stunning addition to the island’s list this year
land birds did well, highlights included Peregrines that as was the beautiful Clouded Magpie.
fledged two young. For the first time an many years we had We also had Dark Spinach which was new, Small Rivulet
a pair of Ringed Plovers nest on the Narrows. They laid four was the fourth for the island Elderberry Pearl was 5th record.
eggs and managed to fledge two chicks. Shaded-broad Bar was new. There was the second island
Wheatears and Stonechats had a good season, with some record for both Blood-vein and also Small Blood-vein.
Stonechat pairs having three broods. Robins nested at It’s been a great year for new and scarce moths all in all,
Cristin and Nant, Great Tits nested for a second consecutive and some of them have been very attractive too. 
year. Goldcrest also nested again in the plantation. With the
numbers of young Meadow Pipits and Wrens on the island Goodbye to the Generator – hello
in mid-August, it looks like they had a good season. Black- 24/7 power!
birds were quite successful with at least 15 young trapped
at Cristin alone! The big news of the year has been the installation of our
One thing that appears not to have had a good time is Little new Solar energy system. It has been a long time in the
Owl. There have been very few sightings all year and very making, and most of our members are unaware of the whole
few have been heard calling. story.
About 4 years ago, our Vice President Geoff Gibbs and his
Moths wife Kate asked if BBFO were going to go the way of BITL
and remove the gas-powered fridges and install electric
Away from birds, we have had some outstanding moths in- ones that could be run from batteries. Cost of the installation
cluding a few new species for the island and a few that have was the major issue, however Geoff said that he would do-
only been seen on a handful of occasions. nate a sizeable sum to get new fridges and batteries. Shortly
after, Ann Cleeves (author of the TV shows Vera and Shet-
Lunar Hornet land) visited with her late husband Tim. After a great week
One of the best ones has to be the Lunar Hornet Moth that I on the island Ann and Tim also donated a large sum towards
found in Cristin Withy.  a project that I thought would be useful for the Obs.
This is a medium sized moth but looks almost identical to I decided to add this together with the other donation and
a Hornet - so much so that even though I know it was a use it as a basis for raising more funds so we could install
moth, my survival instinct would not let me touch it!! There a solar energy system. Initially we were looking for about
are two previous records of this fantastic moth for Enlli, the

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Phil, Emma and Connor with the solar panels We waited until Tuesday, when Chris returned along with
Mark Crane (a solar specialist) to go through everything and
£15,000 which we did eventually manage to raise. There then eventually switch on the controllers one at a time. We
were many many donors, all of whom deserve special had power coming from the panels to the combiner boxes,
thanks. then down the cables to the solar room, and when we turned
We know that the project was not going to be sorted and on the big switches things began to beep buzz and whirred
finalised overnight, so we decided to buy the fridges and into action!!! We had power!! Then the big test - was it run-
install them on our existing battery set up that used the gen- ning round the buildings? Yes!! The lights were on.
erator to charge them in the evening. This meant we were It was such a relief, it had been a hell of a job project-
already cutting our gas consumption substantially, even managing the whole thing from coming up with the concept,
though the generator usage was slightly higher at times. designing it, planning everything, getting consent from the
The next phase was ordering all the solar parts. Colin and I Trust, raising the funds ordering the parts and putting it all
put a plan together as to what we would need, though this together.
had to change as the type of inverter we were getting was So for two weeks now (late August) we have not had to run
really top of the range and very hi-spec. We began order- the generator at all. The batteries last through the night and
ing drums of cable, inverters and some very swish looking are charged by 1pm.
lithium-ion batteries. They look more like a computer termi-
nal than batteries! We have power!
These were all ordered in February 2020 and were delivered
in April, however because of the Covid pandemic we were Chris clearly delighted with the switch on!
unable to get the installation sorted in 2020. Mark Carter and We are still getting used to what we can and can’t do, but
Connor did manage to get the groundworks done and the we know if the sun is shining, we canuse the electric kettle
frames installed in the garden to the east of the Heligoland rather than the gas one! This alone is going to make a huge
trap. difference to the gas bill and also be much better for the
So, in spring this year when restrictions began to be lifted environment.
I approached Chris Williams, the chairman of Hilbre Bird So there we go… thanks to Chris and Phil for their part in all
Observatory who is a qualified electrician, if he would come this, to all who helped and all who donated.
and help with the installation of the electrical side of the pro- The next part of the plan is to add a further 12 Panels and
ject. Chris jumped at the chance and also brought along Phil then add immersion heaters into the hot water tanks so that
Woollen, Hilbre’s Secretary, to help too. we can reduce our use of oil for getting hot water.
It was one heck of a week, starting at 7am and working
through to 7pm most days and even 9pm on Thursday even-
ing.
As to be expected, we hit snag after snag, and we could
not just pop down to Screwfix or B&Q to get the parts we
needed. It was a bit of a marathon.
So by Saturday afternoon when Chris and Phil left (they
were still waiting for parts to arrive on Saturday morning!!),
almost everything was installed. We now just needed to
switch on!

Bardsey!

Phil Woollen

When Chris Williams told me that he was going to Bardsey ings but I’d never been to Bardsey before! Steve had prom-
for a week to install their new solar energy system I casually ised us a night ringing Storm Petrels and Manx Shearwaters
mentioned that if he needed a hand I’d go with him. He took if we had time and if the weather was good. Sold!
me up on the offer and so on a Sunday afternoon we found We were met from the boat by Connor who helped us load
ourselves on the boat from Porth Meudwy for the short trip all the tools Chris had brought with him for the installation
across the sound to Bardsey. I knew Steve Stansfield and work and our rucksacks. Walking back to the Obs with
his wife, Emma, from Bird Observatory Council (BOC) meet- Steve and Emma we chatted and caught up on news as
Covid had

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prevented us attending the annual BOC meeting in February on to work in the field of conservation or research.
this year. After a couple of hours ringing Storm Petrels we turned
What a fabulous setting for a bird Observatory! After being our attention to catching Manx Shearwaters. Basically this
shown to our rooms and being introduced to Louis, Megan involves walking up to them and picking them up off the
and Stewart, we went with Steve to take a look at the equip- ground!
ment we’d come to install and the installation site. Gulp!  Manx Shearwaters are another pelagic species with an
True to his word Steve organised a couple of nights Storm amazing lifestyle and life span. The oldest recorded Manx
Petrel ringing at the north end of the island with the bonus of Shearwater was ringed on Bardsey in 1957 and re-trapped
Manx Shearwaters thrown in. I’d ringed Storm Petrels before in 2008 with almost 51 years between the two dates. Given
but never Manx Shearwaters so I was pretty keen, even that Manx Shearwaters don't breed until they’re 4 years old
after 12 hours working on the solar installation each day.  this makes this particular one around 54 years old! Given
Storm Petrel are amazing little birds. They spend most of that they migrate to the southern hemisphere, after breeding,
their time at sea and are highly pelagic. They only come and don’t come ashore, the amount of airmiles they must
ashore to breed and nest in loose colonies – I’ve had experi- rack up in a lifetime will rival even the most battle-hardened
ence ringing them on Eilean Nan Ron. Non-breeders wander American Airlines flight attendant (that’s another story!).
around our coastlines exploring breeding sites and readily Manx Shearwaters tarsi are very flat and require the re-
shaping and fitting of a standard Fc ring to an elliptical
Solar field after installation of one of the 24 solar shape. Steve is an expert on this, having ringed thousands
panels! of Manx Shearwaters during his long career on Bardsey. I
found it difficult, being left handed, as the rings need to be
Completed field - now the wiring! closed with the right hand to ensure they’re closed in such a
come to a sound recording of their calls, so the standard way that the numbers are the right way up and that they’re
practice is to set up a mist net on a suitable headland or cliff not partially obscured. Over the years Steve has developed
top, at night, and set up a sound system broadcasting their a technique using a special pair of pliers and not the usual
calls. Consequently we didn’t get to bed until 2-3 am ! ringing pliers. In his words, “you’re engineering a ring to fit
Just the experience of being out at night on an island with no the bird”.
streetlights or light pollution and experiencing the majesty of It was gone 2am before we started our return walk back
the Milkyway way was fabulous. Throw in shooting stars and to the Obs but there was one more surprise in store for us
Storm petrels and it was truly magical. when Steve pointed out a Manx Shearwater that had made
We caught a few Storm Petrels which were duly ringed and its nest in a drain and was calling as we walked past. An
processed in front of an appreciative audience of families amazing sound and one we got used to hearing every even-
staying at the Observatory and the visiting grandchildren of ing as the shearwaters came ashore after spending the day
island residents. A big part of a bird observatory's work is foraging for food for their youngsters.
education and Steve & Emma do this in spades. A few years
ago they instigated a “young birders week” and I know quite Wrong parts!
a few youngsters who attended these and have now gone
Despite the late nights we were up early cracking on with
the installation. Despite set backs with missing parts we
completed the installation by the end of the week. Island life
is difficult and any missing parts had to be ordered by Steve
and sent on the boat the next day. Sometimes the wrong
parts arrived or they didn’t arrive at all! We’d originally hoped
we’d finish by Friday but we ended up staying an extra day.
Unfortunately the commissioning engineer couldn’t come
on the designated day so the system couldn’t be started al-
though Chris was confident it would work as we were getting
voltage back at the inverters that were taking their feed from
the solar field.
By Friday afternoon we were 99% finished but still wait-
ing for some parts to arrive on Saturday morning. With the
weather closing in we were unsure if we’d be able to get off
Saturday and having run out of clean clothes we put a wash
on expecting to have to stay until Monday or Tuesday.
Steve had another treat in store for us and suggested we
spend a couple of hours ringing Manx Shearwater chicks.
These are impossibly cute and fluffy and in keeping with
their parents’ amazing lifestyle they have a pretty unconven-
tional upbringing before fledging.
Once they’ve reached a certain age the parents desert them
and they remain in their burrows until they’ve lost sufficient
weight to be able to fly. They then fly off to the southern
oceans and return to breed at 4 years old. Catching them
involves sticking your arm down a burrow until you can feel
one and then trying to manoeuvre it out.

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A great experience, and as Saturday dawned it became ap- Phil keeping and eye on
parent we would get off on the afternoon boat so were franti- Chris’s cooking - dinner
cally finishing off the installation work with parts that had
arrived on the morning boat and packing our bags - including fit for kings
bags of wet laundry! 
Plans were made to commission the installation on Tuesday
and I’d hoped to go back with Chris and the commission-
ing engineer but unfortunately there was no room on the
boat! The plant is now fully commissioned and Bardsey
Bird Observatory is now fully self sufficient in electricity and
shouldn’t need to resort to using the diesel generator except
in emergencies. 
It was a great experience. I learned a lot more about solar
installations than I did before we started, visited an island I’d
never been to before, got to ring Manxies and Storm Pet-
rels & got fed by Chris who did most of the cooking. It was
great to meet up with Emma and Steve again who made
us welcome in their home and supplied us with freshly

dressed crabs! I’ll
certainly be back
again - even if it’s
just to get more
practice closing
Manxie rings with
my right hand!  

Manx Shearwater Tracking with Bangor Uni
and National Geographic

As well as our normal Manx Shearwater studies (population We downloaded the data, most of which will be very care-
census, productivity monitoring and ringing) that we under- fully examined by scientists at Bangor University, but from a
take each year as part of our Section 16 Agreement with BBFO perspective we have found that, as with the studies
the Welsh Countryside Agency, Natural Resources Wales, Ben Porter and I did for Ben’s degree project, almost all of
this year we have been working with Dr Line Cordes from the Bardsey birds head north to the waters around the Isle
Bangor University on a very exciting project funded by the of Man and into Liverpool Bay area. Each dot on the map
National Geographic Society, to look at various parts of the overleaf represents where one bird was, many of them using
shearwaters’ movements and energy usage in the North the same areas of water so it is quite congested! However,
Irish Sea.  individual tracks can be seen for some and each dot is five
During May, Stuart located several nests burrows of the minutes away from the next dot. Amazing really that we can
birds, and under a special licence from the BTO, we at- discover this. The colours indicate speed of flight, red being
tached some quite sophisticated GPS tracking tags to the stop/very slow (sitting on the sea drifting/feeding), amber
birds. These tags recorded the birds’ locations every five medium and green fast.
minutes and also logged things such as flapping rate, using A full paper is in our annual Report, Bardsey’s Wildlife, and
the inbuilt accelerometer, and how deep the birds dive using will also be published by Line and her team in various scien-
a pressure sensor.   tific journals. Thanks to Line and Bangor Uni for inviting us to
We deployed 18 tags and have managed to retrieve all bar join in with this exciting project and to National Geographic
one of them, which was good as each one cost £600!! for funding it.

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Manxie with GPS tag

My first visit to Bardsey

Annie Leach

When a friend asked me if I’d like to go to Bardsey to hope- Rosy starlings!
fully see some Manx Shearwaters, a) I didn’t know where
Bardsey was and b) I’d never heard of a Manx Shearwater! at all.
What incredible experiences and people I would have On the way back, more awe and wonder as Steve shone his
missed out on if I had said, “No” to her kind invitation. head torch and I saw my first Manx Shearwater, and then
So Anjie, Jenni and I arrived at Cafn after an exciting and another, and another and... They were flying in with that dis-
somewhat splashy crossing with Colin. Our stay at the Ob- tinctive cry looking like small white ghosts and Steve talked
servatory began with a really warm welcome by Steve and us through why they come in at night and of the very deep
Emma, who had even put our names with the word ‘Wel- burrows they make with incredibly sharp claws.
come’ on the fridge in magnetic letters. On another evening, after watching the film about the island
This was the start of the magic of staying at Cristin. Be- in the shop (In masks, socially distanced... that was a bizarre
cause of Covid the house had been divided to make a semi- experience), we went out with other people and that time
detached dwelling with us in one part and the volunteers Steve and Emma ringed some Manxies and showed us their
and assistant warden in the other. We were invited to watch legs which are like lolly pop sticks and which make them so
the ringing and recording of birds caught in the Heligoland. efficient in the water.
“Like a huge raspberry cage” I wrote in my diary, having Our days passed too quickly - with binoculars at the ready
never seen one before. watching shore birds such as plovers and rock pipits; walk-
I couldn’t believe it. What an experience to watch the gentle ing amongst drifts of thrift up to and beyond a square light-
handling and detailed recording of these small birds, (A house; sitting on the side of a cliff watching baby gulls take
Stonechat, Wren, Chiffchaff, Dunnock, Redpoll) and this was tentative steps away from their mothers; avoiding the many
before breakfast! On day one!!! holes, (Manx burrows). We’d been told ”Bardsey Island is
After breakfast came another invitation to watch the identi-
fication of moths that had been caught in something called
a moth trap. What a wow. I had no idea there was such
a diversity of this small insect. Fabric designers would be
truly inspired at the fantastic range of patterns and colours;-
Brown Rustic, White Ermine, Brown Silver-lines, Green
Carpet, Small Square-spot.
These two experiences were just the start of an incredible
week.
One night, we were invited to join Steve as they lay under
the stars waiting for the arrival of Storm Petrels. It turned
out that we were a week too early in the season, but it was
magic, listening to the recording of Storm Petrels as we lay
there waiting under a sky full of stars with no light pollution

bbfo.org.uk Page 7

like a swiss cheese with over 30,000 breeding pairs of Manx a Rosy Starling had been spotted in a garden near the
Shearwaters”. Watching seals ‘bottle’ (noses in the air.) church and we had gone with Steve that afternoon to see if
brought on feelings of calm and peace despite the ever pres- we could get a sighting, but had come back quite despond-
ence of the cries and sights of Oystercatchers. ent with only having seen a pair of magpies. Then one of
When I got home, I learned that my daughters had been the volunteers ran up to us in great excitement as we were
worried about me. My youngest had read up on the houses having a pre-supper glass of wine, “You’ve got two Rosy
not having showers, hot water, radio, TV or flush toilets! And Starlings in the tree by your back window!”. What a wow.
when I told them of the companionship of slugs and spiders Usually as soon as I get binoculars out it’s a signal for birds
when one went to the loo at night with a head torch and how to fly off, but this pair allowed us all to look at them for the
I’d taken my turn to empty the bucket they were amazed to next 10 minutes unconcerned at all the excitement they were
hear that I want to go back. causing. I couldn’t believe what was happening. It was as if
But they did understand why once they’d heard about my I’d paid for an exclusive bird watching experience!!
fabulous experiences such as the nights under the stars and And who wouldn’t want to go back to somewhere where,
the serenity brought about by the lack of tv, radio, phone and looking out to sea, as the sun was setting... We ate fresh
the incredible sense of being privileged to see the monitor- lobster which had been delivered on a quad bike by Gareth
ing of birds at such close quarters especially of the Manx who caught them and Meriel had cooked them!
Shearwaters. I can’t wait to book to go again.
We couldn’t have had a better ending. Two days previously

Rare Bird Alert Young Ornithologist Scholarship

Hannah Coburn

In late 2019 Rare Bird Alert announced that applications
were open for their inaugural RBA Young Ornithologists Fel-
lowships. Through the fellowships, RBA wanted to promote
a love of birds, wildlife and conservation to young people, by
providing them with skills, equipment, friendships, trips, sup-
port and opportunities, and to encourage them to share that
love with their peers.
By developing leadership, promoting compassion, teaching
practical skills, sharing knowledge and providing support
through equipment, opportunities and trips, RBA are working
to develop the young bird conservationists of tomorrow, by
joining with selected Observatories and support the young
birders on their journeys.
Each of the four Fellowship awardees received a package
of experiences and equipment worth over £1,600, these
included:
A week in a renowned UK bird observatory
Swarovski 8x30 binoculars
Rare Bird Alert subscription
Birding and natural history books from WildSounds.
Having been awarded the Fellowship I chose to visit Bard-
sey Bird Observatory in North Wales.

I arrived at Bardsey on a calm Saturday in late August. It flies on the mountain and a Redstart in the Obs garden. In
was my first time on the island. Before I’d even unpacked the afternoon I joined Steve and Louis on Solfach to ring
my bags, I was welcomed into the ringing hut and ringed my Rock Pipits, capturing them with a portable heligoland trap.
first bird of the week, a Blackcap. I spent the rest of the day Monday morning was windy and the sea was full of life, so I
familiarising myself with the island and its wildlife. As spent some time seawatching with Steve. I saw hundreds of
darkness fell I loved the chuckling call of Manx shearwa-ters Manx shearwaters soar up the west coast, as well as other
passing by my bedroom window as they returned to their
burrows on the island. The following day I ventured up
Mynydd Enlli, enjoying excellent views of chough, a species
I had only seen once before. I also saw a nice mix of butter-

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seabirds including an Arctic Skua and some Common Sco- emerging, but still had lots of fluffy down feathers. Carefully
ters. In the afternoon the wind dropped, and I saw my first extracting them from their deep burrows was a challenge!
Risso’s dolphins! Once it was dark, we set off for the north On Wednesday, I did some more ringing at the Obs with
end to catch storm petrels with Steve and Louis. We caught Steve and we caught a Grasshopper Warbler, giving me the
one, which I had the honour of ringing. chance to see one in the hand, a species I’d only ever heard
I also had my first chance to ring Manx shearwaters - at before. In the evening, Steve organised a BBQ for every-
night, adults sit on the ground near their burrows so they are one staying at the Lodge. One of the aspects of the week
easy to catch. Due to their unusually flat legs, they require particularly enjoyed was all the people I had the pleasure of
special types of rings. This evening was one of the highlights meeting. The people I shared the Lodge with really made my
of my trip - handling birds that I would otherwise only see week!
from afar was an exciting experience. In my last few days I spent more time ringing with Steve
The following morning, I joined Steve and Louis again, and Louis, and caught a few different species including my
this time ringing in the Obs garden. We had lots of Willow first Meadow Pipit. I also spent time enjoying being on such
Warblers passing through and I ringed my first Linnet. I then a stunning, peaceful island. I had an incredible week and I
joined an outing to ring and monitor Manx Shearwater chicks can’t wait to return to Bardsey. Thank you so much to the
with Steve, Emma and Stuart and some of the guests. The Obs staff for welcoming and hosting me, and to RBA for be-
Shearwaters were almost fully grown with adult feathers ing so generous and funding my trip!

BBFO Autumn Internship

Louis Driver

Arriving on Bardsey at the end of July, I was ecstatic Manxie chick
to begin my long-awaited internship at the Bird Ob-
servatory, which would last five weeks until the start der, which Stuart kindly showed me on the cliffs around Pen
of September. My main aim was to improve my bird Cristin.
ringing skills and progress towards my ‘C’ permit.
While this was achieved during my stay, some of the Birding
most valuable lessons and experiences were totally
unexpected! Of course, birds were a major focus during my internship,
Island life and, for the most part, if I wasn’t ringing, I would be out
The thought of spending a month living on an iso- birding and taking part in the daily census of the island.
lated rock in the Irish Sea had been slightly daunting Though migration was slow for the first couple of weeks
– island life appeared a challenge; tinned food, com- of my stay, warblers, flycatchers and other early migrants
posting toilets, and no showers; far removed from began to move in larger numbers during the second half.
the comforts of home. However, on Bardsey I found With them, scarcer migrants were found; these included a
an incredible community of residents who made me handful of Wrynecks and Melodious Warblers, both of which
feel more comfortable than I could have ever imag- were species I had not seen before. However, the spectacle
ined. Some of the most memorable moments of my of migration was more impressive to me – seeing Nant alive
time on Enlli are of afternoons swimming with the children, with Willow Warblers and Spotted Flycatchers, thinking of
evenings at the farm sipping hot chocolate, and late nights the incredible journeys they are on, never gets old!
chatting over delicious shared meals! As well as passerine migrants, waders, raptors and seabirds
were also on the move. Over the sea, Great, Arctic and
Pan-species recording

Another slightly unexpected highlight of my internship was
learning about other, non-birding aspects of wildlife record-
ing. It is impossible not to mention cetaceans – regularly
seeing both Common and Risso’s Dolphins was really
special, Risso’s being a species I have only ever seen on
Bardsey. The Grey Seals also made great company while
swimming in Cafn and off the West Coast, and it was won-
derful to see the first pup of the season towards the end of
my stay.
Stuart’s daily ‘Moth Mornings’ were also a great opportunity
to see new species, and many scarcities for the island were
recorded while I was there, such as Brussels Lace, Chinese
Character and Treble Bar. However, the rarest species I had
the pleasure of recording on Bardsey was Rock-sea Laven-

bbfo.org.uk Page 9

Pomarine Skuas were seen, as well as thousands of Kitti- who then carefully places a hand-net over the bird. Although
wakes which built up in a large flock during the final week of this was not hugely successful, with three Dunlin and one
my stay. Buzzards, Kestrels, Sparrowhawks, a Red Kite and Ringed Plover being caught over three attempts, this was
two Ospreys made up the migrant raptors I saw throughout my first time dazzling – and the birds caught were amazing
my month on Enlli. The wader roost near Solfach changed to see in the hand.
daily, with many species moving through from the high Arc- Infuriatingly, the busiest days of ringing occurred at the start
tic, including Knot, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel and others. of September, as I was preparing to leave the island. In fact,
My birding highlight came in the form of a Wood Sandpiper during my final three full days on Bardsey, I processed 195
heading south over the Lighthouse on a stunning early Au- birds, almost a third of the total in my five week stay! This was
gust evening, a scarce bird on Bardsey with fewer than 30 achieved due to significant Willow Warbler passage, as well
records since 1953. as an incredible catch of House Martins on 1st September.
I was opening nets at the obs on this day when I noticed a
Ringing small group of around 20 House Martins around the obs. We
had had some success catching House Martins using tape
I will finish by sharing my incredible experiences from five lures during August, and so I put on a tape and headed back
weeks of ringing on Bardsey. Although the majority of birds to the obs to wait.
ringed were caught in the nets set in the obs garden, I Within a few minutes, there were hundreds of Martins
experienced a huge range of ringing during my internship; around the catching area – the nets were checked shortly af-
night-time ringing of Storm Petrels and Manx Shearwaters, ter, and 41 were caught! In the next hour, a total of 66 House
dazzling waders (even using thermal imaging cameras), Martins were ringed. This was hugely impressive, as, from
spring-trapping Wheatears and Rock Pipits, and more! 1953 up until 2020, only 38 House Martins had been ringed
Despite the first two weeks of my stay lacking slightly in on Enlli. One bird had already been ringed elsewhere in the
migrants, this was when we had the most success catching UK, which will provide the first ever hint to where House
Storm Petrels, with up to 16 being caught in a single ses- Martins passing through Bardsey come from.
sion. Manx Shearwaters were also ashore in large numbers Other birds caught in my last few days on the island included
around this time as it was around the new moon period. two Tree Pipits, a Goldcrest, dozens of Willow Warblers and
Hundreds scattered the walls at the North End at night, several Pied and Spotted Flycatchers. It was a shame to
which was quite a sight! Some Willow Warblers were also leave as passage was beginning to pick up; however, I am
moving through, and with them a Wood Warbler was caught, sure I will be back to experience even more migration magic!
the first ringed on the island since 2018.
In the second half of August, migration stepped up and both Louis in the foreground extracting a Storm Petrel
the number of birds caught, as well as diversity, increased.
Whitethroats and Sedge Warblers became more regu-
lar, and the first Grasshopper Warbler of the autumn was
ringed. Garden Warblers began moving through, and in early
September some very fat individuals were caught – weigh-
ing up to 1.5x their normal mass! Flycatchers began moving
through, adding further variety to our catches; the first Spot-
ted being caught on 19th, with Pied arriving slightly later on
23rd. A White Wagtail in the nets at the obs on 24th was a
pleasant surprise – as was a Sparrowhawk on 31st.
As wader numbers built up, we were able to attempt to catch
them on Solfach at night using a technique known as ‘daz-
zling’; a light is used to disguise the approach of the catcher,

Obituary Rotherham. His family moved to Staffordshire when he was
Bevan Craddock 1934 - 2021 aged 17 and it was no time at all before he found his way to
Belvide Reservoir, which became his favourite birding loca-
Bevan was born in Rotherham in February 1934, the eld- tion for many years, where he would meet up with Charlie
est child of Herbert and Iris. He received his education at Brown, Gordon Ireson, Mike Warren and others, a group
Spurley Hey Secondary Modern School and the Rotherham that became known as “the lek” who were to be his regular
College of Technology and Art where amongst other things birding companions for several years and remained friends
he learned touch typing. In the belief that they wouldn’t get throughout his life. He spent a lot of time birdwatching at
anywhere in life with a Yorkshire accent, his father sent him Belvide and Chillington and there were visits further afield, to
and his sister Ruth to elocution lessons. Bevan being Bevan the Farne Islands and Bass Rock, the Dee Estuary, various
became a member of the Yorkshire Dialect Society. parts of Wales and elsewhere. In 1956 he made his first
Bevan began his interest in birds in his native Yorkshire overseas trip to see birds when he went for three weeks to
where his local patch was Whiston Meadows on the edge of Arctic Norway.

Page 10 bbfo.org.uk

He joined the West Midland Bird Club in 1955 and two This photo shows Bevan receiving the Conservation Founda-
years later he was a founding member of the Club’s Staf- tion – Runner-up award in 1982 in the Ecology Category for his
ford Branch. He was active in Stafford Branch for more than work at Doxey Marshes, Staffordshire from Virginia McKenna
40 years and a member of the branch committee for much and Bill Travers.
of that time. He was one of the founders of the Bird Club’s
reserve at his beloved Belvide Reservoir and sat on the to me of his dedication to his work, how much he enjoyed
reserve management committee for 20 years. going and meeting people and helping to solve their prob-
There wasn’t quite as much birdwatching after Diane Tobin lems in whatever way he could. He helped set up numerous
came to work at Staffordshire Farmers. I’m told that during voluntary car schemes and local minibus services, he set up
their courting days Diane and Bevan used to meet in Wol- the Staffordshire Village Shops Association, he helped set
verhampton and that Diane was often late and kept him wait- up rural business units in the Staffordshire Moorlands and
ing. They would go to the cinema or to what was referred much more. One achievement he was particularly proud of
to at that time as a ‘milk bar’ where Bevan’s drink of choice was an affordable housing development, again in the Moor-
was Horlicks. Years later I believe he complained to Horlicks lands, which was opened by the Princess Royal and resulted
that their drink didn’t taste the same as it did in the old days. in the formation of the Peak District Rural Housing Associa-
Bevan and Diane were married in 1962. tion of which he remained a board member long after he
retired. He was a member of Penkridge Parish Council, he
Tour leader was a Town Crier, he kept bees, he had an allotment grow-
ing vegetables, he was a campaigner and fund raiser, he
For almost 20 years he was a tour leader for Ornitholidays, researched his family tree and much more. His days always
the first company arranging overseas tours for birdwatchers. seemed to have more hours in them than mine have ever
He took groups to France, Spain, Austria, Greece and Yugo- done! He will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him.
slavia. He and Diane, also travelled abroad independently Bevan loved innovations. As well as all these things I’ve
visiting the USA, Canada, South Africa and Hong Kong as mentioned I will remember Bevan as one of the first peo-
well as trips to Europe. Wherever he went he was interested ple I knew who used the internet and contacted people by
to see birds and any other wildlife he could find. email. This led to him setting up a community website for
For several years in the 1970s he ran an evening class on Penkridge which he himself maintained for many years. He
birds in Wolverhampton with Dave Smallshire. From mem- encouraged several other community websites and set up
bers of that class the Staffordshire Conservation Services one for Chasewater Wildlife Group. I remember him having
was formed, a group of volunteers who carried out conser- what was probably the first mobile phone I ever saw, the size
vation tasks and management work at various locations but and weight of a couple of house bricks. For a short while
particularly Belvide and Chillington. he had a CB radio and had conversations with truck drivers
passing by on the M6. He also had a bat detector.
Bardsey
Campaigner
One of the family holidays in the 70s had included a short
visit to the island of Bardsey off the coast of North Wales. Through all the years we knew him he was a campaigner
Bevan’s second visit there was a two-week stay with Diane, and stood up for what he believed in. In recent years there
Helen and Adam and a group of his conservation corps has been the rail hub and Penkridge Library campaigns
when they carried out a variety of management tasks and but there have been many battles over the years and his
repair work. Bob & Jean Bellamy, Bevan & Denise Healey, name was very familiar to a succession of MPs and you will
Geoff Stokes and Bob & Alicia Normand were all on that trip,
which led to Bevan being involved with Bardsey Bird Obser-
vatory for more than 20 years making countless visits to the
island. He joined the Observatory Council, had a spell as its
Chairman and was eventually made a Vice-President. He
most certainly steered the Obs through some difficult times.
He made a cine film about the island which he showed to WI
groups and the like. On one occasion he had an accident
while on the island which resulted in him being taken off by
helicopter to a hospital on the mainland. Luckily it wasn’t too
serious and I remember him joking about the fact that the
helicopter had a woman driver.

Community development

From 1973 to 1995, Bevan was employed as a Rural Field
Officer by the Rural Community Council of Staffordshire. It
was a job he seemed ideally suited for. It was community
development work that took him to every corner of the coun-
ty helping local people to help themselves. It was a period
when bus services were being cancelled, village shops were
struggling, post offices were being closed and housing costs
were spiraling. People who worked with him have spoken

bbfo.org.uk Page 11

find him mentioned in Hansard. He was also a fund raiser, seems to us an apt description. He was certainly one of the
sometimes for unlikely causes such as a bird survey in Sibe- world’s good guys, someone who helped so many people in
ria undertaken by students from Tomsk. different ways and made their lives better. He was always
He was a member of Penkridge Parish Council for many good company, could always raise a smile, he was informa-
years and was involved in so many things in Penkridge, tive and often entertaining. We proud to say that he was our
including the voluntary car scheme and the local history friend for 50 years and he will be greatly missed. Bev was
society. He was Town Crier for Penkridge for more than 30 such a ‘big’ character and many of his friends on Bardsey
years, turning out in full regalia for official occasions as well have little idea just how much he was loved and achieved in
as some promotional events. He kept bees and was instru- a very full life.
mental in starting Alicia Normand in a successful career in
beekeeping. He researched his family tree. After he retired Peter Dedicoat. With some small assistance from
he bought an electronic keyboard and had lessons. He and Bob and Alicia Normand.
Diane went to lip-reading classes.
He has been referred to as a community champion and that

Booking News Age Accommodation Boat
50
Alicia Normand 25+ 220 50
50
Due to the Covid-19 restrictions many of the cancelled 17-24 205 50
weeks from 2020 that were transferred to this year were
once again cancelled and a fair number were moved for- 4 – 17 140
ward to 2022. Consequently next year is already looking
quite busy so if you have a favourite week in mind please Under 4 FREE
let me know as soon as possible. There is a booking form
and a list of vacancies up on the website (bbfo.org.uk) so If you wish to book a week please contact me before send-
you can see what is available but if you want to contact me ing a booking form and deposit of £50 per person so I can
directly by email, please do so. confirm availability. Payment by bank transfer is preferable
Costs are a little higher this year for the accommodation but but cheques are acceptable as well. Full details are on the
Colin has kept cost for the boat fare. Don’t forget that the booking form.
boat cost also includes the conveyance of your luggage to
and from the Observatory to Cwrt. From the middle of August we were able to open the
Observatory again as a hostel. Let’s hope that will continue
The prices for 2022 are as follows: for the foreseeable future.
Finally, many thanks to all those who donated their deposits
last year and also to those who have rebooked.

Contact Information: www.bbfo.org.uk • Membership Officer Jill Lawrence
• Chair Dianne Charles 14 Jack Haye Lane, Light Oaks, Stoke on Trent, ST2 7NG.
2 Regent Close, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B5 7PL. [email protected] 01782 253502
[email protected] 01212 490490

• Hon. Secretary Andrew Lawrence • Newsletter Manager Alison Hill
14 Jack Haye Lane, Light Oaks, Stoke on Trent, ST2 7NG. 57 Exeter Road, London E17 7QZ,
[email protected] 01782 253502. [email protected] 07963 522637
020 8520 8985
• Director of Finance Dianne Charles
2 Regent Close, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B5 7PL. • Director of Operations Steve Stansfield
[email protected] 01212 490490 BBFO, Cristin, Bardsey Island, Aberdaron Gwynedd, LL53
8DE. [email protected] 07855 264151 (mobile) or
• Bookings Administrator Alicia Normand 07726 160123 (Bardsey office)
46 Maudlin Drive, Teignmouth, Devon, TQ14 8SB.
[email protected] 01626 773908 • Boatman Colin Evans 07971 769895

bbfo.org.uk