Bardsey's Wildlife 2019

SYSTEMATIC LIST

20

Daily count of birds 15

10

5

0
J FM A M J J A S O N D

G L A U C O U S G U L L Larus hyperboreus Gwylan y Gogledd

¨ Amber listed Rare, 34 previous records (23 since 2000 and four in both 2012 and 2014)

A first-year bird was on the West Coast on 24 October (LMH).

H E R R I N G G U L L Larus argentatus Gwylan y Penwaig

¨ Red listed Common breeding resident and abundant immigrant in autumn and winter

There was little movement of any note in the first part of the year.

Augusts saw numbers begin to increase with just short of 400 on 8th, many of which were catching flying
ants. On 23rd 600 were seen on the West Coast, with 400 the following day and 705 on 25th. The only
three-figure counts in September were 143 on 18th and 197 on 19th. There were only four movements in
October: from 14th to 17th when 156, 155, 380 and 150 were seen on consecutive days.

J FMAM J J A S ON D
0
Max. count 0 240 339 388 558 445 310 705 197 380 0 0
0
Bird-days 0 240 1277 2528 5255 3512 1818 4091 661 1414 0

Days seen 0 1 15 29 31 26 28 31 28 25 0

2000 800 Max. daily count per month

Bird-day totals 1500 600

1000 400

500 200

0 0
J F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

L E S S E R B L A C K - B A C K E D G U L L Larus fuscus Gwylan Gefnddu Leiaf

¨ Amber listed Fairly common breeding summer visitor, common on passage in late autumn and winter

Birds had already returned to the colonies on the East Side of the island by 25 February when the first
count of the year was made and 22 were present. Numbers increased through March and April and by
early May up to 200 were present on the East Side.

Post-breeding season counts began to fall, with July’s counts usually under 55, though 193 were seen on
21st and included 63 young. Numbers in August were generally low, though 118 and 120 were counted
on 4th and 8th respectively. Records in September were again generally low in number, with up to 13

63: 66-129 93

STANSFIELD

the peak count. There were just 15 records in October, most of which were of 12 or fewer, however there
were three notable movements mid-month with 279 on 14th, 16 on 15th and then 432 on 16th, most of
these birds were heading south along the western side of the island en route to their wintering grounds
in north Africa.

Max. count J FMAM J J A SO N D
Bird-days 0 22 64 31 200 278 193 120 13 432 0 0
0 22 183 183 1266 874 768 822 72 840 0 0
Days seen 0 1 12 23 30 26 28 29 16 15 0 0

S A N D W I C H T E R N Thalasseus sandvicensis Morwennol Bigddu

¨ Amber listed Fairly common to common summer migrant

The first of the year was on 14 April when three were seen off the West Coast. There were a further four
records to the month’s end of up to four birds. The only record in May was three on 9th, with June
producing three records of up to four birds in the first six days.

July saw the first returning birds in the last few days of the month, with one on 28th and five on 31st. There
were 21 records in August, most were of 30 or fewer and regularly in single figures. However there were
two main movements, with 177 on 15th and 102 on 19th. September saw fewer records, most of which
were of 20 or fewer, but 37 were counted on 28th and the year’s peak count of 214 was recorded on
5th. There were five records in October of up to 11 birds on 8th, with three on 12th the last record of the
year.

J F MAM J J A S OND

Max. count 0 0 0 4 3 4 5 177 214 11 0 0

Bird-days 0 0 0 11 3 7 6 440 333 22 0 0

Days seen 0 0 0 5 1 3 2 21 9 5 0 0

L I T T L E T E R N Sterna albifrons Morwennol Fechan

¨ Amber listed Scarce migrant

A single flew south along the West Coast on 15 August (SDS) with another the following day.

R O S E A T E T E R N Sterna dougallii Morwennol Wridog

¨ Red listed Rare, 23 previous records, last in 2018

A juvenile was seen off the West Coast on the morning of 19 August (SDS).

C O M M O N T E R N Sterna hirundo Morwennol Gyffredin

¨ Amber listed Scarce to uncommon migrant

The first of the year was a single on 31 July. August saw three on 9th and another on 17th. A very poor
showing.

A R C T I C T E R N Sterna paradisaea Morwennol y Gogledd

¨ Amber listed Scarce to uncommon migrant

Two were seen off the North End of the island on 26 April. The next record was a single on 7 June, and
then none until autumn passage began in the second week of August.

August produced 12 records from 11th, when six were seen and then almost daily records between 13th
and 23rd, most counts were in double figures up to 87 with peaks of 263 on 17th and 147 on 20th. There
were just four records in September, with 19 on 4th and 35 the following day being the only double-figure
counts. There were four records in October; three were singles with three on 6th, the last record of the
year was one on 11th.

94 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.

SYSTEMATIC LIST

J F MAM J J A S ON D

Max. count 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 263 35 3 0 0

Bird-days 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 596 63 6 0 0

Days seen 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 12 4 4 0 0

‘ C O M M I C ’ T E R N Sterna hirundo/paradisaea Morwennol Gyffredin/y Gogledd

Terns seen too distantly or too briefly to be identified to species were recorded on 27 April (two), 13 May
(two), 10 August (12), 18 August (two) and 29 August (one).

B L A C K T E R N Chlidonias niger Corswennol Ddu

Scarce migrant, usually in autumn

The first record of the year was two birds which flew south on the West Coast on 10 August (SDS). Another
was seen flying south along the West Coast on 25th (SDS), and a further two along the West Coast on
28th (SDS et al.).

G R E A T S K U A Stercorarius skua Sgiwen Fawr

¨ Amber listed Uncommon but regular on passage in autumn, rare in spring

The first record of the year was one off the South End on 25 April; two were seen on 27th, one off the
North End and one off the South End.

The first returning bird in autumn was seen on 10 August; there were then daily records from 15th to 23rd,
usually between one and six birds, although eight were seen on 20th. There were eight records in
September, six of which were in single figures; peak movements were noted on 4th with 21 seen and 28th
when 24 were seen. There were just nine records in October of one to three birds, with the last single on
16th.

Great Skua © George Dunbar

P O M A R I N E S K U A Stercorarius pomarinus Sgiwen Frech

Scarce in autumn, but rare in spring (only 27 records), with 280 records of 545 birds in total

This year there were 16 records, with 36 individuals recorded. There were just two records in spring; three
were seen on 26 April from the South End, with four there the following day.

63: 66-129 95

STANSFIELD

There were two records in August, one was seen on 23rd and another on 28th. September saw records
on six dates; two were singles, there were two on 5th and 6th, four on 27th, and seven on 4th. There were
six records in October, four were singles, two were seen on 6th, with four on 10th.

A R C T I C S K U A Stercorarius parasiticus Sgiwen y Gogledd

¨ Red listed Uncommon to fairly common on passage in autumn, scarce in spring (107 records)

There were five records in spring, all in April; three singles were seen from 23rd to 25th, with four on 26th
and seven on 27th.

August saw 13 records; five being singles, with two on four dates, three on two dates, six on 15th and
seven on 23rd. There were ten records in September; eight were single-figure counts up to nine, with 24
on 4th and 28th. October produced two singles, with two on 4th, 6th and 8th.

J F MAM J J A S OND
Max. count 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 7 24 2 0 0

Bird-days 0 0 0 14 0 0 0 32 75 8 0 0
Days seen 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 13 10 5 0 0

40 30
30Bird-day totals
20 Max. daily count per month25
10
20
0
J 15

10

5

0

F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

L O N G - T A I L E D S K U A Stercorarius longicaudus Sgiwen Lostfain

Scarce, 64 previous records of 105 individuals, 96 individuals since 1996

Three juveniles were seen on 28 September, with another on 29th and one on 10 October (SDS et al.).

S K U A S P . Stercorarius sp. Sgiwen sp.

Skuas seen either too distantly or briefly to be positively identified were seen on several dates during the
year. Two seen on 27 April were probably Pomarines, as were singles on 12 and 13 May. In September a
presumed Pomarine was seen on 17th.

C O M M O N G U I L L E M O T Uria aalge Gwylog

¨ Amber listed Abundant breeding summer visitor, common on passage in autumn

On 25 February there were 650 on ledges on the East Side of the island. On 1 March a large passage of
at least 2500 birds was noted. From late March to early July birds were recorded frequently as numbers
rose to a summertime peak of 1000. This is an artificially low peak as this would probably be only a
proportion of the birds ashore logged on any given date. The number of breeding adults for the whole
of the East Side was 1413 when all the colonies were totalled up, but these were never all counted on a
single day.

There were no movements of note in the latter half of the year.

96 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.

SYSTEMATIC LIST

Common Guillemot © Steven Stansfield

3000

2500

Daily count of birds 2000

1500

1000

500

0

J FM AM J J A S O ND

J F MAM J J A S OND

Max. 0 650 2500 300 700 500 1000 14 45 20 0 0
Birdc-doaunyst 0 650 2630 851 4274 3072 2646 22 74 22 0 0

Days seen 0 1 10 12 28 13 5 4 10 3 0 0

R A Z O R B I L L Alca torda Llurs

¨ Amber listed Common to abundant breeding summer visitor, very abundant on passage in autumn

The first birds were noted back in the colonies by 25 February when 745 were counted. There were no
movements of note in spring. As numbers rose during the summer, counts in the East Side colonies reached 1800
in June and 2500 in July, though as soon as the chicks fledged numbers plummeted and August’s peak was just
60.

Passage in autumn was generally weak this year, with just 11 records in September, and only three counts of
over 150; however this did include the year’s peak count of 2760 on 28th. There were 19 records in October,
nine of which were three-figure counts with a peak of 831 on 10th.

JFM A M J J A S O N D
0 0
Max. count 0 745 500 1412 1060 1800 2500 60 2760 831 0 0
0 0
Bird-days 0 745 739 2037 6795 5928 4399 211 3380 4029

Days seen 0 1 11 15 28 13 5 12 11 19

63: 66-129 97

STANSFIELD

5000 3000
4000 2500
3000 2000
2000 1500
1000 1000
500
0 0
OND
Bird-day totals
Max. daily count per month

J F MAM J J A S

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

A U K S P . 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; most were therefore probably Razorbills.

Max. count J FMAMJ J ASO N D
Bird-days 0 0 69 2021 200 16 0 0 472 80 0 0
0 0 150 2846 366 16 0 0 850 80 0 0
Days seen 0 03 4 31 0 0 11 1 0 0

B L A C K G U I L L E M O T Cepphus grylle Gwylog Ddu

¨ Amber listed Scarce, 92 previous records

The first of the year was a single in Bae Nant on 28 April (STP).

The only record in autumn was one off the West Side on 2 October (SDS).

P U F F I N Fratercula arctica Pâl

¨ Red listed Uncommon breeder, uncommon on passage in spring and autumn

The first returning birds were noted offshore in late March, with 23 on 26th. April produced 16 records,
usually up to 16 birds, however 71 were counted on 26th. In May numbers around the north-eastern
corner of the island were regular, with a peak of 165 on 25th. June saw more along the East Side as the
colony continued to swell, with 15 records and a peak of 178 on 14th. Birds were seen on nine dates in
July, with a peak of 185 on 2nd, with smaller numbers to the month’s end. Numbers fell rapidly once the
young had fledged and there was then just one record in August.

September saw some storm-blown birds in the middle of the month, with four records of one to four birds
between 9th and 14th.

J F MAM J J A S ON D
0 0
Max. count 0 0 23 71 165 178 185 1 4 0 0 0
Bird-days 0 0
0 23 173 512 538 520 1 11 0 0
Days seen
0 1 16 27 15 9 1 4 0 0

R E D - T H R O A T E D D I V E R Gavia stellata Trochydd Gyddfgoch

Uncommon but regular offshore in spring and late autumn/winter

A single off the South End on 25 February was the first of the year. Eleven birds passed the island on 1st
March, with two seen on 23rd. One was seen on 25 April.

Rather surprisingly there were no records in autumn at all.

98 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.

SYSTEMATIC LIST

G R E A T N O R T H E R N D I V E R Gavia immer Trochydd Mawr

¨ Amber listed Scarce, but becoming more common, annual since 2006

One flew past the North End on 26 April the only record of the spring.

Autumn was marginally better with singles on 17 September, 1, 11 and 16 October.

D I V E R S P . Gavia sp. Trochydd sp.

A diver seen too distantly to specifically identify was seen on 23 March.

S T O R M P E T R E L Hydrobates pelagicus Pedryn Drycin

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

One was seen off the South End on 27 April (LMH, EB). June saw birds trapped at Nant Valley on 14th
(seven) and 29th (23). July produced 21 trapped on 1st and eight on 2nd. On 24 August 12 were trapped
at Nant, and a further two were caught on 27th.

L E A C H ’ S P E T R E L Oceanodroma leucorhoa Pedryn Gynffon-fforchog

¨ Amber listed Scarce to uncommon passage migrant in autumn

Three flew south along the West Side of the island on 4 September (GD et al.), with another the following
day. On 17th one flew south with another on 28th.

F U L M A R Fulmarus glacialis Aderyn-drycin y Graig

¨ Amber listed Uncommon breeder, common to abundant on passage in autumn

There were two records of birds on the ledges of the eastern side of the island before the staff returned
this year, 11 were counted in February and then 22 on 1 March and then from 18th there were seven
records of up to 18 . April saw records on 16 dates with most counts being of 11 or fewer, however, strong
winds pushed 36 close to the island on 21st and then storm Hannah forced 72 close inshore on 26th and
then 82 the following day. May produced 26 records with all but two in single figures. June saw birds
recorded on 19 dates, with up to 31 counted along the East Side on 26th. July only saw nine records,
with 20 on 3rd the peak count.

Autumn passage began in late July and continued into August, with 22 records in the month and a peak
of 55 on 17th. With the exception of 86 and 40 on 4 and 5 September, the remaining counts were all of
13 or fewer, mostly in single figures. There were just four records in October of one to three birds to 13th.

J F MAM J J A S OND
0
Max. count 0 11 22 82 19 31 20 55 86 3 0 0
Bird-days 0
11 56 264 157 99 63 291 190 7 0 0
Days seen
1 8 16 26 19 9 22 16 4 0 0

200 100
Bird-day totals
Max. daily count per month15080

60

100

40

50 20

0 F 0
J MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

63: 66-129 99

STANSFIELD

F E A ’ S P E T R E L Pteradroma feae

Vagrant, two previous records in 1994 and 2013

One was found flying close inshore along the West Side of the island on 20 August (SDS et al.). The bird was
watched from 0825hrs to 0834hrs as it made its way slowly south. This record was accepted as Fea’s-type
Petrel by BBRC. Although Fea’s Petrel is the most common and widespread of the Fea’s/Zino’s/Desertas
group, identification is almost impossible in the field without excellent photographs and BBRC/BOURC
are unlikely to accept any record to species without DNA, but will accept as a Fea’s-type Petrel.

C O R Y ’ S S H E A R W A T E R Calonectris diomedea Aderyn-Drycin Cory

Vagrant, three previous accepted records, August 1980, October 1991 and August 2017

One was seen heading south along the West Coast on 1 August (PRM). If accepted by WBRC, this record
will only be the second since 1991, though there have been six records which WBRC felt were insufficiently
documented in that time.

S O O T Y S H E A R W A T E R Puffinus griseus Aderyn-drycin Du

Scarce to uncommon migrant in autumn

The first record of the year was one heading south on 17 August (PRM, SDS et al.). Another flew south on
19th and then there was none until a single was seen on 27 September. Another flew south on 16
October. A poor showing.

G R E A T S H E A R W A T E R Puffinus gravis Aderyn-drycin Mawr

Vagrant, ten previous records – singles in 1963, 1986, 2000, 2004, 2011, 2016, 2017 and six individuals in 2018

One flew south along the West Coast on 19 August (SDS). This record has been accepted by WBRC.

M A N X S H E A R W A T E R Puffinus puffinus Aderyn-drycin Manaw

¨ Amber listed Very abundant breeding summer visitor and on passage in summer and autumn

The first birds ashore were on 20 March. Thereafter there were regular counts of up to 17 to the month’s
end. Birds were recorded through the spring and summer with peak counts of 6904 and 7124 on 26 and
27 April during storm Hannah. Numbers in June reached 1400 or thereabouts on two dates, with July’s
peak of 7066 on 27th.

August saw larger numbers recorded, with eight counts in four figures up to 6000 and a peak of 11,786
on 10th.

Manx Shearwaters © Lewis Hooper

100 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.

SYSTEMATIC LIST

The only notable movement in September was 2502 on 4th, with just seven records in October, the last
being on 24th. A rather late bird was heard ashore in the night at Tŷ Bach on 16 November.

J FM A M J J A S O ND

Max. count 0 0 17 7124 1059 1442 7066 11,786 2502 12 1 0

Bird-days 0 0 31 16,149 5224 4069 12,218 41,025 3747 22 1 0

Days seen 0 0 7 18 14 10 11 22 18 7 1 0

B A L E A R I C S H E A R W A T E R Puffinus mauretanicus Aderyn-drycin Môr y Canoldir

¨ Red listed Scarce to uncommon passage migrant in autumn - however, Globally Endangered

The first of the year was one off the West Coast on 6 August. This was followed by three on 10th. One
flew past the North Hide on 27 September and was the last of a poor showing.

G A N N E T Morus bassanus Hugan

¨ Amber listed Common on passage in spring and autumn

March saw nine single-figure records. There were 19 records in April and, with the exception of 112 on
26th and 119 the next day, all other records were of 30 or fewer. There were almost daily records in May,
with counts of up to 83 on 30th. June saw counts on 23 dates, and with the exception of 133 on 3rd all
other counts were of 50 or fewer. There were just 16 records in July with 66 on 28th the peak count.
August saw records on 26 dates, nine of which were in three figures, including four over 250 and a peak
of 378 on 19th. There were 28 records in September, most were double-figure counts, with 123 on 1st, 341
on 5th and 101 on 29th, though the month’s peaks were 1027 on 4th and 1002 on 28th. October saw 20
records of up to 319 birds.

JF M A M J J A S O N D
Max. count 0 0 8 119 83 133 66 378 1027 319 0 0
0
Bird-days 0 0 21 437 565 415 270 2649 2888 1030 0 0
Days seen 0 0 9 19 30 23 16 26 28 20 0

Annual bird-day totals16000 2500
195314000 2000
195812000 1500
196310000 1000
1968 500
19738000 0
19786000
19834000
19882000
1993
19980
2003
2008
2013
2018

Year's daily maxima

Bird-day totals Yearly maxima

S H A G Phalacrocorax aristotelis Mulfran Werdd

¨ Red listed Uncommon breeding resident

As with Cormorant there were no notable movements recorded during the year, though numbers did
increase as breeding birds returned to the island for the summer. Numbers peaked in late July when the
breeding birds and their young were present on the East Side, with up to 121 on 28th. There were no
notable movements in autumn and numbers fell towards the year’s end.

Max. count J F MAM J J A S O N D
Bird-days 0 17 21 31 43 68 121 57 31 13 0 0
0 17 113 291 383 260 726 506 394 171 0 0
Days seen 0 1 15 29 31 22 29 30 29 26 0 0

63: 66-129 101

STANSFIELD

C O R M O R A N T Phalacrocorax carbo Mulfran

Fairly common on passage, one pair nested in 2004

No significant movements were noted, with up to 19 seen daily on Carreg yr Honwy.

J F MAM J J A S OND
0
Max. count 0 4 9 10 13 19 7 16 9 11 1 0
Bird-days 0
4 57 120 134 68 77 116 84 83 2 0
Days seen
1 15 27 29 19 25 22 28 20 2 0

G R E Y H E R O N Ardea cinerea Crëyr Glas

Fairly common, regular passage migrant in small numbers

There were singles on one date in late February, and then on six dates in March, with two on 26th. April
saw five singles, with May producing daily records, with two on 26th. In June there were 21 records, most
were singles, though two were seen on four dates and three on 23rd.

July saw 22 records, again most were singles, though two were seen on three dates and then four were
counted on 26th. One to three birds were seen on most dates in the first three weeks of August, with four
to six seen from 25th to 28th. September saw one or two on most dates, with three on 18th and 22nd and
then five on 21st. There were near daily counts in October of singles, with three records of two and then
three on 2nd.

20 7
Bird-day totals15
Max. daily count per month106

5 5
0
4
J
3

2

1

0
F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

Max. count J F MAM J J A S OND
Bird-days 0 1 2 1 2 3 4 6 5 3 10
0 1 8 5 32 27 28 48 39 28 1 0
Days seen 0 1 7 5 31 21 22 26 28 23 1 0

G R E A T W H I T E E G R E T Egretta alba Crëyr Mawr Gwyn

Vagrant, six previous records of seven birds; 1990, 2006, 2015, two records in 2017 and two birds together in 2018

In September one flew south along the West Side of the island on 30th (SDS) with a smaller egret. In
October three flew north together over Cristin on 30th (GD et al.). These are the seventh and eighth
records for the island.

L I T T L E E G R E T Egretta garzetta Crëyr Bach

Scarce, 78 previous records, 75 of which have been since 2004 when they became annual

There were six records this year. One was seen in Henllwyn on 30 March, with singles on 8 and 9 April.

August produced singles on the Narrows on 8th and 25th; one was on the West Coast on 14 October.

102 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.

SYSTEMATIC LIST

E G R E T S P . Egretta sp

A small egret flew south with a Great White Egret on 30 September but was not seen well enough to
eliminate Cattle Egret.

O S P R E Y Pandion haliaetus Gwalch y Pysgod

¨ Amber listed Scarce passage migrant, c62 records

In April one flew east over the Narrows on 26th (TCa).

August saw one head south along the Mountain on 12th (SDS).

Osprey © Steven Stansfield

S P A R R O W H A W K Accipiter nisus Gwalch Glas

Occasional breeder, fairly common on passage

March saw singles on six dates, with 12 singles seen in April and two on 22nd. Two were recorded on 1
May, followed by six singles in the month. June saw just one single on 5th, with one on 29 July the only
record in that month.

August saw 16 records, 13 were singles with two on three dates. From 8 September there were 16 records
in the month, seven of which were of two birds. October began with two on the first five dates in the
month, with three on 6th. There were a total of 24 records; over half were of two birds, with three on three
dates.

12 4
10Bird-day totals
Max. daily count per month3
8
6 2
4
2 1
0
0
J
F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

63: 66-129 103

STANSFIELD

J F MAM J J A S OND
Max. count 0 0 1 2 2 1 1 2 2 3 0 0

Bird-days 0 0 6 13 8 1 1 19 23 40 0 0
Days seen 0 0 6 12 7 1 1 16 16 24 0 0

G O S H A W K Accipiter gentilis Gwyddwalch

¨ Red listed Vagrant, last in 2014 after being annual from 1999 to 2006.

One was seen over the Mountain on 8 September (MH et al.).

M A R S H H A R R I E R Circus aeruginosus Bod y Gwerni

¨ Amber listed Rare, 48 previous records (34 since 1998, averaging 1.61 per annum)

A ‘cream-crown’ flew over the Narrows and off over Pen Cristin on 24 April (LMH et al.). In June another

‘cream-crown’ was seen on 20th (MS et al.). A juvenile was seen over the Mountain on 1 September

(LMH, GD et al.).

H E N H A R R I E R Circus cyaneus Bod Tinwen

¨ Red listed Scarce migrant, occasional winter visitor

In September a ringtail was seen on 7th (JP et al.).

R E D K I T E Milvus milvus Barcud Coch

Rare, 24 previous records - one in 1969, rest since 1987

The first record of the year was three birds heading east over the Mountain on 2 May. September saw
one over Pen Cristin on 7th, with two seen on 21 October and another on 28th.

Red Kite © George Dunbar

B U Z Z A R D Buteo buteo Bwncath

Fairly common visitor, numbers increasing recently

One was seen on 1 March and was followed by ten further records in the month; ten were singles, with
two on 26th. April saw 24 records, most were of two birds, with singles on ten dates. There were 25 records
in May, nine of which were of two birds, with four on 1st and the rest singles. June produced just seven
singles and two on 8th. There were 11 singles in July and 15 in August.

104 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.

SYSTEMATIC LIST

September saw 14 singles, two on two dates and nine on 13th. Of the 17 records in October 13 were
singles, and four were of two birds.

12 10
10Bird-day totals
Max. daily count per month8
8
6 6
4
2 4
0
2
J
0
F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

J F MAM J J A S OND
0
Max. count 0 02242119200
Bird-days 0
0 12 39 37 9 11 15 27 21 0 0
Days seen
0 11 24 25 8 11 15 17 17 0 0
400
Annual bird-day totals350 25
1953300 20
1958250 15
1963200 10
1968150 5
1973100 0
1978
198350
19880
1993
1998
2003
2008
2013
2018

Year's daily maxima

Bird-day totals Yearly maxima

B A R N O W L Tyto alba Tylluan Wen

Scarce, c80 previous records

The first record was a single freshly fallen feather in the Plantation on 21 September. October saw four
records including two on 13th. These birds are under-recorded and one may have spent the past few
winters on the island as a bird was trapped and found to be the same bird that was ringed in 2015!

L I T T L E O W L Athene noctua Tylluan Fach

Scarce breeder

Four pairs spent the year on the island, one more than last year. Birds were regularly seen and showed
well at various sites, especially at Carreg Bach and Nant.

J F MAM J J A S OND
0
Max. count 0 14423123300
Bird-days 0
1 20 31 28 11 7 11 16 13 0 0
Days seen
1 11 21 20 8 7 9 11 9 0 0

S H O R T - E A R E D O W L Asio flammeus Tylluan Glustiog

¨ Amber listed Scarce

The first record of the year was one on the South End on 19 March (STP); a single was seen over the
Narrows on 19 April, followed by another on 21st.

63: 66-129 105

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There were just two records in autumn, one on 19 September and another on 1 October.

K I N G F I S H E R Alcedo athis Glas y Dorlan

Vagrant 22 previous records - last in 2018, with three in 2015

One was seen on the West Coast on 26 March (STP). It was then seen again on Solfach on 30th (MGC).
This is the 23rd record for the island.

2 0 1 8 One was seen on the northwest side of the South End near Solfach on 17 October and was

omitted from the Systematic list in Bardsey’s Wildlife No. 62.

WRYNECK Jynx torquilla Pengam

Scarce to uncommon migrant

One was seen on 26th August (DG, AJS, SDS) and two on 20th September (SDS, GD), and another in the
Green Lane on 29th (GD). Finally one was seen at Carreg on 14 October (SDS).

G R E A T S P O T T E D W O O D P E C K E R Dendrocopos major Cnocell Fraith Fwyaf

Scarce, 87 records including 15 in 2008

The only record during the year was one at Cristin from 23 to 27 April (SDS et al.). A very poor showing.

K E S T R E L Falco tinnunculus Cudyll Coch

Fairly common passage migrant; last bred in 1970

March saw just two singles, on 1st and 28th. There were ten records in April, eight were singles, with two
on both 19th and 21st. Two were seen on 3 May, along with singles on a further six dates. Two singles
were recorded in June.

Autumn passage began in July; there were eight records in the month, with up to three by 29th. August
saw two birds recorded on ten dates, with singles on a further nine dates. There were singles on 13 dates
in September, and six dates in October.

10 4
Bird-day totals
Max. daily count per month
83

6
2

4

21

00

J F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

J F MAM J J A S OND
Max. count 0 0 1 2 2 1 3 2 1 1 0 0

Bird-days 0 0 2 12 8 2 11 29 13 6 0 0
Days seen 0 0 2 10 7 2 8 19 13 6 0 0

M E R L I N Falco columbarius Cudyll Bach

Fairly common on passage, occasionally over-winters

March saw singles on ten dates from 18th, with two on the final day of the month. There were singles on
17 dates in April, and the last of spring was one on 9 May.

106 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.

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Merlin © Steven Stansfield

There were only three singles in September from 10th, October however, produced 20 records, seven of
which were of two birds, the rest were singles.

10 2.5
Bird-day totals
Max. daily count per month
82

6 1.5

41

2 0.5

0 0
J F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

J F MAM J J A S OND
Max. count 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 0

Bird-days 0 0 12 17 1 0 0 0 3 27 0 0
Days seen 0 0 11 17 1 0 0 0 3 20 0 0

H O B B Y Falco subbuteo Hebog yr Ehedydd

Scarce passage migrant, with one or two records most years in recent times

One flew north along the side of the Mountain on 25 August (SDS).

P E R E G R I N E Falco peregrinus Hebog Tramor

Rare but regular breeder, rare passage migrant

Two adults and an immature bird were present on the island for much of the spring. A nest was located
on 10 May with a female incubating. Due to the location of the nest the contents were not recorded.
On 1 July two juveniles were seen flying over the Mountain opposite the nest site.

Autumn saw the two juveniles and the regular adults on the island, but there were no obvious signs of
immigration.

63: 66-129 107

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Golden Oriole © Lewis Hooper

G O L D E N O R I O L E Oriolus oriolus Euryn

Scarce, 59 previous records

An immature male was discovered singing at Nant on 2 June (EB et al.). This record was accepted by
WBRC.

M A G P I E Pica pica Pioden

Scarce breeding resident

Birds were present throughout the year, and there were possibly some signs of immigration in October,

when peak counts reached 40.

140 50
120Bird-day totals
100 Max. daily count per month40

80 30
60
40 20
20
10
0
J 0

F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

J FMAMJ JA S O ND

Max. count 0 13 14 29 19 18 16 33 31 40 0 0

Bird-days 0 13 96 300 322 242 267 534 473 518 0 0

Days seen 0 1 14 28 28 26 28 30 28 26 0 0

C H O U G H Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax Brân Goesgoch

Scarce breeder, fairly common immigrant from local populations

As well as the island’s breeding birds, immigrants from the mainland were recorded throughout the year.
Many were colour-ringed from various sites around North and mid-Wales.

108 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.

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Chough © Steven Stansfield

Max. count J FM AMJ JA S O N D
Bird-days 0 9 19 22 18 18 22 28 23 25 7 0
0 9 156 285 282 209 307 347 359 332 9 0
Days seen 0 1 14 28 30 24 29 31 30 28 2 0

J A C K D A W Corvus monedula Jac-y-do

Common passage migrant, but extinct as a breeding species since 2005

Small numbers were recorded during spring with four records in March and three in April. March’s peak
count was eight, with a peak of nine in April. May produced five records with just a single bird seen in
June.

Autumn passage began on 2 October, with nine records during the month; three were single-figure
counts with 44 present on 15th. There were then five three-figure counts to the month’s end: 184 were
seen on 20th with 603 there the following day, 340 were present on 28th with 200 on 29th and the month’s
peak of 611 on 30th. November’s only record was 13 on 2nd.

J FM A MJ J A S O ND

Max. count 0 0 8 9 3100 0 611 13 0

Bird-days 0 0 17 11 10 1 0 0 0 1990 13 0

Days seen 0 0 4 3 5 1 0 0 0 9 10

R O O K Corvus frugilegus Ydfran

Uncommon to fairly common passage migrant

One was seen on 26 March. There were nine records in April from 17th with a peak of seven on 17th. May
saw singles on three dates.

October produced seven records, four of which were in single figures, with 54 seen on 15th, 45 on 21st
and 25 on 28th. The only record in November was two on 2nd.

J FMAMJ JA S O ND

Max. count 0 0 1 7 1 0 0 0 0 54 2 0

Bird-days 0 0 1 25 3 0 00 0 141 2 0

Days seen 0 0 1 9 3 0 0 0 0 7 1 0

63: 66-135 109

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C A R R I O N C R O W Corvus corone Brân Dyddyn

Scarce breeder, common passage migrant

There were no obvious movements of note in spring, though a few birds may have passed through the
island in late March.

Numbers were steady through most of the spring and early autumn, the only movements of note being
in mid-October with peaks of 54 on 15th, with 67 on 20th and 49 the following day.

80

70

Daily count of birds 60

50

40

30

20

10

0

J FM AM J J A S O ND

J FMAMJ JA S ON D
0 0
Max. count 0 12 30 23 21 14 15 22 23 67 5 0
Bird-days 0 0
12 217 387 295 101 171 351 348 417 10
Days seen
1 14 30 30 20 25 29 28 24 2

H O O D E D C r o w Corvus cornix Brân Lwyd

Uncommon, formerly scarce

One was seen on the South End on 23 March followed by four singles in late April from 19th. There were
four records in May; two were singles with two on both 3rd and 15th. One on 6 June was quite a late
individual.

One was present in September from 18th to 20th, with the final record of the year being a single on 20
October

R A V E N Corvus corax Cigfran

Fairly common passage migrant, one to two pairs breed most years, but four in 2007

The only passage of note in spring was five on 23 March with 12 the following day. Throughout the summer
two were seen frequently with occasional records of up to six birds.

Seven were seen on 9 September, and the year’s peak of 11 was recorded on 12 October.

14

12

Daily count of birds 10

8

6

4

2

0

J FM AM J J A S O ND

110 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.

SYSTEMATIC LIST

J FM A MJ J A S O ND

Max. count 0 4 12 6 6566 7 11 3 0

Bird-days 0 4 47 64 74 48 55 89 98 82 5 0

Days seen 0 1 13 28 28 19 19 30 30 25 2 0

C O A L T I T Periparus ater Titw Penddu

Uncommon migrant, rare in spring

One was seen briefly at Tŷ Nesaf on 13 May. The following day two birds were present and were identified
as the nominate continental race P. a. ater (MGC et al.). If accepted by WBRC these will represent the
first accepted and fully documented records for Wales.

October saw a good run of records, which began with a fall of at least 47 birds on 6th. There were then
16 more records of up to ten birds in the month.

B L U E T I T Cyanistes caeruleus Titw Tomos Las

Uncommon passage migrant, occasionally overwinters, breeds occasionally

A single at Nant on 26 and 27 March was the only record of spring.

One at Cristin on 21 August was the only record in autumn.

G R E A T T I T Parus major Titw Mawr

Uncommon migrant, occasionally over-winters, bred from 1984 to 1986 and in 2012-2014

There were nine records in April from 18th of one or two birds. One seen at Cristin on 26 June was the
final record of the year.

W O O D L A R K Lullula arborea Ehedydd y Coed

Vagrant, 19 previous records

One was seen flying south over the South End on 15 October (SDS) with another over Tŷ Pellaf the
following day (SDS). Another bird was seen over Nant on 21st (LMH).

S K Y L A R K Alauda arvensis Ehedydd

¨ Red listed Common passage migrant, mainly in autumn; bred historically and has bred annually since 2003

Three were seen on 25 February. March saw three singles from 24th, with four singles being seen in April,
two singles in May, and two on 12th. June produced one on 19th and then singles on 26th to 28th.

Skylark © Steven Stansfield

63: 66-135 111

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The first record of autumn was one on 26 August. There were 12 records in September from 8th; four were
single-figure counts, with seven double-figure counts of up to 67, and then 102 on 30th. October
produced 24 records; 11 were double-figure counts, with peaks of 145 on 14th and 788 the following day
– this is the largest autumn migration count since 1986.

J F MAM J J A S ON D
Max. count 0 3 1 1 2 1 0 1 102 788 2 0

Bird-days 0 3 3 4 4 4 0 1 300 1361 2 0
Days seen 0 1 3 4 3 4 0 1 12 24 1 0

S A N D M A R T I N Riparia riparia Gwennol y Glennydd

Common to abundant summer migrant

The first of the year on 23 March was 14 days earlier than in 2018. Four were seen on 23rd, and then a
further six records to the month’s end. There were none in the first six days of April, but then 20 records to
the month’s end, with heaviest passage from 17th to 23rd with daily double-figure counts of up to 32.
There were 13 records in May, with 22 on 1st the only double-figure count. The final record of spring was
on 19th.

Autumn passage began with two birds on 14 July. There were then a further four records to the month’s
end, with 15 on 29th the peak. August saw six counts of up to eight birds and then the year’s peak count
of 44 on 25th. Up to four birds were seen on eight dates in September, with just two records in October:
two on 6th and finally five on 8th.

50

Daily count of birds 40

30

20

10

0

J FM AM J J A S O ND

Max. count J F MAM J J A S OND
Bird-days 0 0 7 32 22 0 15 44 4 5 0 0
0 0 29 226 60 0 29 62 18 7 0 0
Days seen 0 0 7 20 13 0 5 7 8 2 0 0

S W A L L O W Hirundo rustica Gwennol

Very abundant summer migrant that breeds in small numbers

The first of the year were two on 26 March. There were then three further records in the month. April saw
spring passage get underway properly from mid-month, with regular counts of up to 67. Passage was
heaviest in the first two weeks of May with seven counts into three figures, with a peak of 579 on 1st. From
14th, numbers were generally lower, with 44 the peak. June saw near daily records, and with the
exception of 45 on 1st, most records were of 30 or fewer.

Late July saw the beginnings of autumn passage with numbers starting to increase and peaking at 71
on 29th. Numbers in the first three weeks of August were fairly steady, usually between high teens and
low 70s. There was a notable movement on 25th and 26th when 194 and 208 were recorded respectively.
There were daily records during the first three weeks of September; all but three were double or three-

112 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.

SYSTEMATIC LIST

figure counts with peaks of 140, 187 and 155 on 8th, 9th and 12th respectively. None was seen on 23rd
to 24th however 546 were seen on 25th with just one the following day, again zero on 27th and 28th, two
on 29th and then 858 on 30th. October began with 170 on 1st with numbers falling thereafter; there were
then just 12 records to the month’s end, ten of which were single-figure counts and the last on 22nd.

1000 1000
800Bird-day totals
600 Max. daily count per month800
400
200 600
0
400

200

J 0
F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

J FM A M J JA S OND
0
Max. count 0 0 2 67 579 45 71 208 858 170 0 0
Bird-days 0
0 7 389 2444 402 558 1319 2390 230 0 0
Days seen
0 4 26 31 27 28 31 25 13 0 0

H O U S E M A R T I N Delichon urbicum Gwennol y Bondo

¨ Amber listed Common to abundant summer migrant, occasionally breeds in small numbers

The first record of the year and only record in March was one on 25th. April saw singles on two dates in
the first half of the month, then daily records from 16th to 24th and a further three records to the month’s
end. There were daily records in May with 54 on 1st and 65 on 12th. June produced records on 25 dates,
with a peak of 44 on 5th.

House Martin © Steven Stansfield

Records in July were made up from the island’s breeding birds in the first three weeks of the month, with
passage birds being recorded towards the month’s end when up to 17 were recorded. Numbers in
August were generally up to mid-20s, although on 25th 148 were counted. There were 21 records in

63: 66-135 113

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September with only five counts greater than ten; these included 90 on 13th and 138 on 25th. There were
just five records in October, with ten on 7th the final record of the year.

R E D - R U M P E D S W A L L O W Cecropis daurica Gwennol Dingoch

Vagrant – three previous records, all in spring, in 1980, 2004 and 2012

A Red-rumped Swallow, probably a moulting adult, was seen over Pen Cristin on 25 September (SDS).
This bird was then seen in Aberdaron, along the coastal path about an hour later. This record was
accepted by WBRC.

L O N G - T A I L E D T I T Aegithalos caudatus Titw Cynffon-hir

Scarce to uncommon migrant

There were only two records this year: ten were seen at Nant on 20 October (SDS et al.), with two at the
Observatory on 28th (LMH).

W O O D W A R B L E R Phylloscopus sibilatrix Telor y Coed

¨ Red listed Scarce to uncommon passage migrant

Two were seen on 25 April, one in the withies and another at Nant (STP, LMH), with another bird seen
again at Nant on 29th (LMH).

Wood Warbler © Lewis Hooper

Y E L L O W - B R O W E D W A R B L E R Phylloscopus inornatus Telor Aelfelyn

Scarce, but becoming commoner with a minimum of 60 individuals in 2016

The first of the autumn was one on 30 September in Cristin Withy (SDS), another was seen at Tŷ Pellaf
shortly after. Two were seen on 1 October, with singles on 5th, 13th, 14th and 20th, and then three came
into roost in the garden at Cristin on 22nd.

W I L L O W W A R B L E R Phylloscopus trochilus Telor yr Helyg

¨ Amber listed Very abundant passage migrant that occasionally breeds

A single at Nant on 27 March was the forerunner of quite a poor spring passage that only saw counts
reach three figures on three dates: in April 140 were seen on 18th, with 106 on 20th, all other counts were
of 64 or fewer, whilst in May 163 were counted on 1st, and thereafter numbers fell and all other counts

114 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.

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were fewer than 35, with just single figures recorded in the latter half of the month. Of the 24 records in
June there were two counts of four, the rest were one to three birds.

Autumn passage began in late July when the first sulphur yellow juveniles began to arrive on the island
on 21st. Numbers increased and up to 31 were seen by 27th. August saw records on 29 dates; most were
87 or fewer, though the peak was 160 on 25th. September saw just 17 records in the first three weeks of
the month, with 35 on 6th the peak count. The only record in October was a bird of the northern race P.
t. acredula in Plas Withy on 13th.

500 200 Max. daily count per month
400
Bird-day totals 300 150
200
100 100

0 50
J
0
F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

J FMAMJ J A S O ND
0 00
Max. count 0 0 36 140 163 4 31 160 35 1 00
Bird-days 0 00
0 56 910 513 51 133 488 193 1
Days seen
0 5 27 31 24 17 29 17 1

C H I F F C H A F F Phylloscopus collybita Siff-saff

Abundant passage migrant; scarce breeder

Four were present on 25 February at Nant, with one bird having a distinct pollen horn on its forehead,

suggesting it had spent the winter, or at least some part of its migration, feeding on nectar, which

indicated it had been overseas for the winter. When staff arrived on the island on 18 March there were

two birds at Cristin. Numbers increased to 66 by 23rd, though fell thereafter, with 35 still present on 24th.

There were daily records in April, most were low numbers; 40 counted on 2nd and 33 on 9th were the

best counts. May saw only one notable movement: on 1st when 47 were seen. The remaining counts

were fewer than 20 and in the latter part of the month were made up mostly of breeding birds. June saw

one to four birds on 23 dates with up to nine birds counted in July, including locally bred youngsters.

August saw only 18 records, very few of which were thought to be migrants.

Autumn passage was noticeable in September, with records on 29 dates, 11 of which were double-figure
counts, and increasing to 50 on 25th and 51 on 30th. October’s peak was 41 on 1st, with 40 on 4th, and
then only two double-figure counts to the end of the season.

150 70 Max. daily count per month

100 60

Bird-day totals 50 50

0 40
J
30

20

10

0
F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

63: 66-135 115

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J FMAMJ J AS O N D
0 2 0
Max. count 0 4 66 40 47 4 9 8 51 41 3 0
Bird-days 0 2 0
4 220 420 275 55 88 53 341 216
Days seen
1 14 30 31 23 22 18 29 27

G R E E N I S H W A R B L E R Phylloscopus trochiloides Telor y Coed

Vagrant, 18 previous records, four were recorded in 2017 and 2018 saw three recorded

A male was heard singing in the garden at Cristin on 6 June, and again briefly on 7th (SDS, EB et al.). It
was trapped and ringed on 6th. This record was accepted by WBRC.

S E D G E W A R B L E R Acrocephalus schoenobaenus Telor yr Hesg

Scarce but regular breeder since 2008, common to abundant passage migrant

Five on 18 April were the first of the year. These were followed by almost daily records of up to seven
birds to the month’s end. May saw daily counts with 14 into double figures and peaks of 17 on both 1st
and 11th. There were 18 records in June, of up to six birds, with this peak including three juveniles on 25th.

There were seven records in the first two weeks of July which related to local breeders. There were then
none until three were recorded on 26th when autumn passage began, and counts increased to nine by
30th. August produced 13 records, three of which were double-figure counts including 18 on 1st and 15
on 2nd. There were three singles in September on 6th, 10th and finally on 13th.

70 20
Bird-day totals60
Max. daily count per month5015
40
30 10
20
10 5

0 0
J F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

Max. count J FMAMJ JA S O ND
Bird-days 0 0 0 7 17 6 9 18 1 0 00
0 0 0 38 276 37 44 78 3 0 00
Days seen 0 0 0 11 31 18 13 13 3 0 00

R E E D W A R B L E R Acrocephalus scirpaceus Telor y Cyrs

Scarce to uncommon passage migrant

One was seen in the Wetlands on 19 April. There were singles on six dates in May and another on 1 June.

September produced the only records of the autumn with singles on 2nd, 8th, 10th, and 13th.

G R A S S H O P P E R W A R B L E R Locustella naevia Troellwr Bach

¨ Red listed Common passage migrant, bred once in 1989

The first record of the year was one singing below the Observatory on 8 April. The next record was not
until 18th when three were seen; four were present the following day and then one to three birds on a
further seven dates to the month’s end. There were three records in May, all singles, on 1st, 11th and 13th.

One trapped at the Observatory on 1 August was the first returning bird; there was another single on 25th
which was the only other record in autumn, a poor showing.

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B L A C K C A P Sylvia atricapilla Telor Penddu

Common passage migrant, has bred on three occasions - in 2003, 2005 and 2012

The first record of the year was a male at the Observatory on 23 March; this was followed by five on 29th

and two on 30th. There were 26 records in April mostly from 8th onwards, with double-figure counts on

16 dates, many were over 20 with peaks of 44 and 37 on 18th and 19th respectively. May saw daily

records, with 39 on 1st the peak count; there were a further five double-figure counts during the month,

though none were greater than 16. There were 19 records in June, most were of one to three birds, with

five on 23rd which included three young. July and August saw six and three records respectively and

were probably the island’s breeding birds. September produced 25 records, all but two were single-

figure counts under eight, 14 were seen on 8th followed by ten on 10th. There were 21 records in October,

and, with the exception of 20 on 13th, all of the counts were four or fewer. There were two seen on the

first two days of November and were the last of the year.

50

Daily count of birds 40

30

20

10

0
J FM A M J J A S O N D

J FM A MJ J A S O ND
Max. count 0 0 5 44 39 5 2 1 14 20 2 0

Bird-days 0 0 8 382 186 31 8 3 100 70 4 0
Days seen 0 0 3 26 31 19 6 3 25 21 2 0

G A R D E N W A R B L E R Sylvia borin Telor yr Ardd

Uncommon passage migrant, formerly fairly common passage migrant

The first of spring was at Cristin on 29 April to 1 May. There were a further 11 records in May mostly of one

or two birds, though four were seen on 11th with the final records of spring on 20th.

August saw singles on three dates from 8th. There were ten records in September up to 24th, all of which
were singles.

L E S S E R W H I T E T H R O A T Sylvia curruca Llwydfron Fach

Scarce to uncommon migrant

The first record of the year was one at the North End of the island on 23 April, followed by 11 records in

May, most of which were one or two birds, though four were seen on 10th and three on 18th. One was

present on 7 June at Nant and was the last record of spring.

A rather unseasonal record involved a bird in Plas Withy on 5 July and then at Nant the following day.
One was seen on 15 August, followed in September by singles on 20th, 23rd, 25th and 30th.

W E S T E R N O R P H E A N W A R B L E R Sylvia hortensis Telor Orffeaidd y Gorllewin

Vagrant, no previous records

A first-summer male was trapped and ringed at Cristin on 19 May (STP, LMH). This represents the first record

for Bardsey, the second for Wales and the sixth for Britain. A full write up can be found on page 226. This

record was accepted by BBRC.

63: 66-135 117

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W H I T E T H R O A T Sylvia communis Llwydfron

Formerly abundant to very abundant, now a common migrant; becoming a fairly regular scarce breeder

The first record of the year was of two birds at Cristin on 17 April, followed by almost daily records of one
to three birds to the month’s end. There were daily records in May, usually up to nine birds, but 24 were
seen on 1st and 13 on both 2nd and 11th. One or two birds were seen in June on a total of 19 dates, with
three on two dates.

Any early arrivals in July and early August were masked by the island’s six breeding pairs. The first signs of
migrants were when numbers rose to 18 on 25th August. September saw 16 records, mostly of singles but
two were seen on two dates and the month’s peak of three on 8th. The only record in October was a
single at Cristin on 6th.

60 30
50Bird-day totals
40 Max. daily count per month25
30
20 20
10
15
0
J 10

5

0

F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

J FMAMJ JA S O ND

Max. count 0 0 0 3 24 3 8 18 3 1 0 0

Bird-days 0 0 0 21 186 30 78 65 20 1 0 0

Days seen 0 0 0 12 31 19 22 22 16 1 0 0

F I R E C R E S T Regulus ignicapilla Dryw Penfflamgoch

Uncommon to fairly common passage migrant

The first record of the year was a male singing at the Observatory on 5 May; this was followed by singles
on 18th at Nant and 19th at Cristin.

The first records in autumn came in late September with five singles recorded from 20th and a peak of
three on 25th. October produced three on 3rd, two on 5th and then three singles to 23rd. The final record
of the year was one at Nant on 2 November.

G O L D C R E S T Regulus regulus Dryw Eurben

Very abundant passage migrant; bred in 1998 and 2007 and attempted in 2014

A single was seen at the Plantation on 25 February. From mid-March when Observatory staff returned
there were frequent records throughout spring, March’s peak being 21 on 25th. April saw records on 27th
of up to six birds, with 24 records in May of one to four birds. There were four records in June including
two adults with two young at Nant on 11th. July saw two pairs and up to four young in the Plantation.

Autumn passage began in mid-August, with the only movement of note being 24 on 25th. September
saw records on 29 dates in the month, with most counts being in double figures and peaks of 92 on 8th
and then 135 on 25th. There were daily records in October, with numbers falling towards the month’s end
and a peak of 82 on 5th.

118 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.

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Goldcrest © Lewis Hooper

300 150
250Bird-day totals
200 Max. daily count per month100
150
100 50

50 0
0 F MAM J J A S OND
J

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

J FM AMJ JA S O N D
0 0
Max. count 0 1 21 6 4 4 6 24 135 82 6 0
Bird-days 0 0
1 80 71 45 7 39 90 763 681 8
Days seen
1 13 27 24 4 12 19 29 30 2

W R E N Troglodytes troglodytes Dryw

Common breeding resident, uncommon migrant

Present throughout the year, with the peak counts coming as usual in spring, when 74 were recorded on
14 May; these were all resident birds counted as part of the breeding birds census. There were few signs
of movements this year. This diminutive songster is very hard to census due to its secretive and skulking
behaviour; however, as daily counts are undertaken along the census routes, it is clear when immigrants
arrive from the mainland.

Max. count J F M A M J J A S ON D
Bird-days 0 27 34 40 74 44 58 59 48 69 10 0
0 27 270 463 1073 500 771 869 664 775 14 0
Days seen 0 1 14 28 31 30 30 30 30 31 2 0

63: 66-135 119

STANSFIELD

80

70

Daily count of birds 60

50

40

30

20

10

0

J FM AM J J A S O ND

T R E E C R E E P E R Certhia familiaris Dringwr Bach

Scarce passage migrant

One was at Nant on 20 October.

S T A R L I N G Sturnus vulgaris Drudwen

¨ Red listed Very abundant passage migrant, formerly bred, but not since 1997

In February 35 were seen on 25th. There were four records of up to five birds in March. April saw singles
on four dates mid-month, with two singles in May. June saw three records; two were seen on two dates
and 47 on 30th.

September saw just two singles on 21st and 22nd. October saw 21 records of which eight were three-
figure counts, including a peak of 633 on 28th.

R I N G O U Z E L Turdus torquatus Mwyalchen y Mynydd

¨ Red listed Uncommon passage migrant

The first record of the year was two on the Mountain on 9 April; there were then singles on 16th and 17th
with two on 18th.

The first record of the autumn was one on 20 September. October saw singles on five dates, with three
on 14th and two the following day.

B L A C K B I R D Turdus merula Mwyalchen

Fairly common to common passage migrant, scarce/uncommon breeder

Many, if not all of the records in the first part of the year were considered to be of the island’s
strengthening breeding population of 14 pairs and any minor immigration was masked by the presence
of these birds.

The first notable movements came in the third week in October, when counts increased from single
figures to the mid-teens on 19th and 20th, and then more than doubled to 47 on 21st. Numbers then fell
until the next arrival of 55 on 29th, with just 29 present the following day.

J FMAMJ JA S O ND
0
Max. count 0 2 7 12 15 11 18 17 24 55 16 0
Bird-days 0
2 33 147 299 156 178 265 254 334 30 0
Days seen
1 12 30 31 26 24 29 28 30 2 0

120 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.

SYSTEMATIC LIST

140 60
120Bird-day totals
100 Max. daily count per month50

80 40
60
40 30
20
20
0
J 10

0
F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

F I E L D F A R E Turdus pilaris Socan Eira

¨ Red listed Formerly a common migrant, mainly in autumn, but has been scarce and less frequent since 2006

One seen at Nant on 19 March was the only record of spring.

The first returning birds in autumn were 14 on 20 October. The following day the largest arrival of the year
took place when a minimum of 319 were counted, mostly flying high over the Observatory. The following
day only eight were seen, and then none until 26 on 28th, with 13 the following day. The final record of
the year was 19 on 1 November. A very poor showing.

R E D W I N G Turdus iliacus Coch Dan-aden

¨ Red listed Formerly a very abundant passage migrant, now becoming less numerous; a few birds have wintered

March produced six on 19th and two on 20th, all being recorded after dark. There were four singles in

April on 6th, 8th, 14th and 17th.

The first of autumn were on 4 October when five were heard calling over the Observatory after dark.
There were then a further 18 records during the month, mostly counts of 43 or fewer; however, from 19th
to 21st more were noted with 89 on 19th, 158 on 20th and 244 on 21st. November produced three on 1st
and eight on 2nd.

J FM A MJ J A S O ND

Max. count 0 0 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 244 8 0

Bird-days 0 0 8 4 0000 0 691 11 0

Days seen 0 0 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 18 2 0

S O N G T H R U S H Turdus philomelos Bronfraith

¨ Red listed Common to abundant passage migrant, occasionally winters, last bred in 1961

One was seen on 25 February, with one to two birds seen on three dates in March and on five dates in
April.

There were four records in July; three singles and two on 28th. August produced just three singles, and
September saw six singles, with two on 13th and four on 30th. There were 23 records in October, most of
which were single-figure counts, though there were ten on 14th and 15 the next day, 17 on 20th and 23
on 21st.

J FM A MJ J A S O ND
Max. count 0 1 2 2 0 0 2 1 4 23 3 0

Bird-days 0 1 5 7 0 0 5 3 12 128 5 0
Days seen 0 1 3 5 0 0 4 3 8 23 2 0

63: 66-135 121

STANSFIELD

M I S T L E T H R U S H Turdus viscivorus Brych y Coed

¨ Red listed Uncommon passage migrant

The only records of the year were in October with five seen on 20th, two the following day and finally
one on 29th.

S P O T T E D F L Y C A T C H E R Muscicapa striata Gwybedog Mannog

¨ Red listed Common to abundant passage migrant

The first record of the year was two birds at Nant on 1 May, the next record being on 8th when three
were present; thereafter there were daily records to the month-end with peak passage between 17th
and 24th when daily double-figure counts were recorded and a peak of 37 on 20th. Passage continued
into June to 29th, with 15 records during the month; all were single figures, except 12 on 1st and 25 on
2nd.

The first returning bird of autumn was one on 25 July; there were then three on 8 August and one present
from 16 to 22 August. From 23rd there were daily counts of up to 11 birds (on 25th) to the month’s end.
There were 13 records in September between 4th and 22nd; most being one to three birds, six were seen
on 7th and five the following day.

120 40
Bird-day totals
Max. daily count per month
100
30

80

60 20

40 10

20 0

0 F MAM J J A S OND
J

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

J FMAMJ JA S O ND

Max. count 0 0 0 0 37 25 1 11 6 0 0 0

Bird-days 0 0 0 0 237 80 1 33 30 0 0 0

Days seen 0 0 0 0 25 15 1 14 13 0 0 0

R O B I N Erithacus rubecula Robin Goch

Scarce breeding resident, common passage migrant in autumn

Three were seen in late February. Up to three were present from 18 March to the month’s end. There
were just seven records in April, six being singles, with two on 9th. May’s only record was one on 11th,
with one in June on 7th.

Autumn passage began on 2 August when two birds were seen; there were then a further four records
in the first three weeks of the month. From 22nd onwards there were daily counts to the month’s end with
a peak of 11 on 25th. September saw daily records; single-figure counts were made during the first week,
with up to 25 in the second week of the month. The third week saw the strongest passage with double-
figure counts each day to 21st and peaks of 32 on 17th. On 22nd and 23rd there were fewer than ten,
though another arrival on 24th saw numbers reach 17 with 42 the following day. Again, numbers fell to
low single figures until the final day of the month when 43 were counted. October began with the year’s
largest count of 53 on 1st. Numbers fell thereafter and mid-teens to mid-twenties were seen until an arrival
of 34 was noted on 19th. By the month’s end just low single figures were recorded.

122 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.

SYSTEMATIC LIST

150 60
Bird-day totals
100 Max. daily count per month50

50 40

0 30
J
20

10

0
F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

J F MAM J J A S OND
Max. count 0 3 3 2 1 1 0 11 43 53 6 0

Bird-days 0 3 21 8 1 1 0 51 436 508 12 0
Days seen 0 1 11 7 1 1 0 15 30 30 2 0

P I E D F L Y C A T C H E R Ficedula hypoleuca Gwybedog Brith

¨ Red listed Now uncommon, but was a fairly common passage migrant a few years ago

April produced a first-summer male at Tŷ Nesaf on 17th, then one was trapped at Cristin on 19th; a very
poor showing in spring.

The first of autumn was one on 30 July. August produced two on 8th and 24th, with seven on 25th and
one on 26th. A single was present on 21 and 22 September with the final record of the year another
single on 30th.

R E D - B R E A S T E D F L Y C A T C H E R Ficedula parva Gwybedog Brongoch

Scarce, 86 previous records

A rather splendid adult male was present in the Plantation at Nant on 2 November (LMH et al.). This
record was accepted by WBRC.

B L A C K R E D S T A R T Phoenicurus ochruros Tingoch Du

¨ Red listed Uncommon passage migrant

The only records during the year were in March, with a female at the North End of the island on 23rd and
possibly the same bird on the West Coast the following day with another female at Tŷ Pellaf on 29th.

R E D S T A R T Phoenicurus phoenicurus Tingoch

¨ Amber listed Formerly uncommon passage migrant, now becoming scarce

A male on 15 April was the first record of the year, followed by singles on 17th, 18th and 19th, with the
final record of the month on 23rd. There were three records in May on 15th, 17th and 28th.

One on 3 July was either a very late spring migrant or a very early autumn migrant and was the final
record of the year. A poor showing as this species continues its decline.

W H I N C H A T Saxicola rubetra Crec yr Eithin

¨ Red listed Uncommon passage migrant

One was seen in the Wetlands on 1 May; another was seen near the Lime Kiln on 9th, with two on 11th,
13th and 14th around the Wetlands and Nant.

The first record in autumn was seven on 25 August; one was on the South End and six were near the
Schoolhouse. One was at Tŷ Pellaf the following day. September produced records on six dates; five
were singles and two were in the Lowlands on 11th. The final record of the year near Solfach was on 21st.

63: 66-135 123

STANSFIELD

S T O N E C H A T Saxicola torquatus Clochdar y Cerrig

Uncommon breeder and migrant

A day-trip to the island on 25 February recorded 15 birds, showing that many arrived early this year. The
island’s ten nesting pairs and their offspring masked any signs of any passage in spring.

There was a notable arrival in August, when numbers increased from 13 on 26th to 32 the following day.
Again, arrivals were noted in September with a sudden increase in numbers, with 25 counted on 20th up
from six the previous day, an increase from nine to 23 on 25th, and then another increase from seven to
32 October began with 23 on 1st, then numbers decreased with records becoming sporadic later in the
month.

120 35 Max. daily count per month
100
30
80
Bird-day totals 60 25
40
20 20

0 15
J
10

5

0
F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

J FMAMJ JA S O ND

Max. count 0 15 8 8 17 16 15 32 32 23 1 0

Bird-days 0 15 41 91 248 122 172 330 347 246 1 0

Days seen 0 1 13 24 31 26 26 31 30 24 1 0

W H E A T E A R Oenanthe oenanthe Tinwen y Garn

Common passage migrant, uncommon breeder, population recovering after severe decline

The first of the year were two birds on the South End on 19 March. There were then daily records to the
month’s end of up to 24 birds. Passage in April was slow, with no major arrivals and the month’s peak
count was only 71 on 18th. May saw virtually no passage, with the month’s peak count of 36 coming on
1st. Thereafter the only other arrival was noted on 13th when 34 were counted. Counts in June, July and
early August comprised the island’s 23 breeding birds and their offspring.

Mid-to late August saw some arrivals of returning migrants, with counts of up to 43 by 14th and 31 on
26th. September saw records on all but two dates, with counts of up to 34 in the middle of the month.
October produced five records, 17 on 2nd was the peak and a single on 19th was the last of the year.

250 80 Max. daily count per month
200
Bird-day totals 150 60
100
40
50
0 20
J
0
F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

124 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.

SYSTEMATIC LIST

J FM A MJ J A S O ND

Max. count 0 0 24 71 36 24 40 43 34 17 0 0

Bird-days 0 0 88 510 406 164 392 409 266 26 0 0

Days seen 0 0 13 30 31 22 31 31 27 5 00

I S A B E L L I N E W H E A T E A R Oenanthe isabellina Tinwen Isabella

Vagrant – two previous records in 1997 and 2002

A rather showy individual was found on the South End of the island on 10 September (MH et al.). The bird
quickly disappeared but was later found on the Narrows where it remained faithful until it was last seen
on 16th. A full write up can be found on page 235.

Isabelline Wheatear © Jeff Wragg

H O U S E S P A R R O W Passer domesticus Aderyn y Tô

Rare, formerly bred, but not since 1970, last record in 2015

A male was seen at Cristin on 6 and 7 May and then trapped and ringed on 9th (MIE et al.).

In October two females were seen at Carreg Bach on 15 October (LMH).

D U N N O C K Prunella modularis Llwyd y Gwrych

¨ Amber listed Uncommon breeding resident, uncommon migrant

From 19 March, when staff returned to the island, there were daily counts of up to seven to the month’s
end when many males were in song. April’s peak count was 14 on 18th. The number of breeding males
were once again low in number but up by one compared to last year (see breeding report on page
140), though up to 11 were seen in May.

The only signs of any arrivals in autumn were on 1 October when numbers reached 20, then on 16th with
23 and then on 21st when 30 were counted.

Max. count J FM A M J J A S ON D
Bird-days 0 4 7 14 11 5 8 5 11 30 3 0
0 4 34 78 152 56 55 52 141 237 5 0
Days seen 0 1 13 24 31 23 21 22 29 31 2 0

63: 66-135 125

STANSFIELD

70 35
60Bird-day totals
50 Max. daily count per month30
40
30 25
20
10 20

0 15
J
10

5

0
F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

Y E L L O W W A G T A I L Motacilla flava flavissima Siglen Felen

¨ Red listed Scarce to uncommon passage migrant

‘British’ Yellow Wagtails were recorded on five dates in April from 21st; four were singles and there were
three on 21st. May saw singles on 6th and 15th.

September saw records on 24th and 27th.

Yellow Wagtail © Lewis Hooper

‘ F L A V A ’ W A G T A I L Motacilla flava spp.

‘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 spp. M. flava spp.

In September singles were seen on 19th and 25th. Siglen Lwyd

G R E Y W A G T A I L Motacilla cinerea
¨ Red listed Fairly common to common passage migrant

There were just two records in spring: singles were seen on 19 and 30 March.

The first of autumn were in late August, when singles were seen on 26th and 31st. There were records on
19 dates in September, with six counts into double-figures, including the peak of 29 on 18th. There were

126 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.

SYSTEMATIC LIST

13 records in October, with six on 1st the peak and the last being two on 24th. The only record in
November was one on 2nd.

70 35 Max. daily count per month
60
50 30
40
Bird-day totals 30 25
20
10 20

0 15
J
10

5

0
F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

J F MAM J J A S OND

Max. count 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 29 6 1 0

Bird-days 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 133 32 1 0

Days seen 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 19 13 1 0

P I E D W A G T A I L Motacilla alba yarrellii Siglen Fraith

Common to abundant passage migrant that breeds in small numbers, rare in winter

Five were seen on 25 February. Single-figure counts were recorded on most dates in April; double-figure
counts were seen on six dates, with main arrivals being 32 on 16th and 22 on 19th. Most counts in May
and through to late July came from the island’s six breeding pairs.

There was one visible arrival of Pied Wagtails in August when numbers jumped to 26 on 11th, though the
arrival of many immature birds including White Wagtails made identification tricky and many were
recorded simply as ‘alba’ Wagtails (cf. below).

100 35 Max. daily count per month
80
60 30
40
Bird-day totals 20 25
0
J 20

15

10

5

0
F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

J F MAM J J A S OND
0
Days seen 1 11 30 31 25 30 29 11 15 2 0

W H I T E W A G T A I L Motacilla alba alba Siglen Wen

Common passage migrant

The first of the spring were three on the Narrows on 24 March, then a further three singles to the month’s
end. April saw 21 records though passage was never heavy, with just three double-figure counts of 18
on both 17th and 20th the month’s peak. May saw just ten records of up to eight birds in the first 15 days
of the month. The only record in June was one on 1st.

63: 66-135 127

STANSFIELD

White Wagtail © Steven Stansfield

The first signs of autumn passage were in early August. There were ten records in the month with numbers

increasing to the month’s end with up to 46 on 25th. There were 26 records in September, with 74 on 1st

the peak count in the first half of the month. There were a further 17 double-figure counts, with 49 on 5th,

61 on 14th and the month’s peak of 80 on 18th being the best. October began with 19 on 1st, followed

by four to 11 birds on four dates to 7th, and then three records of one or two birds to 24th.
90

80

Daily count of birds 70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

J FM AM J J A S O ND

Days seen J FM A MJ J A S OND
0 0 4 21 10 1 0 10 26 8 0 0

‘ A L B A ’ W A G T A I L Motacilla alba spp. Siglen Wen / Fraith

‘alba’ wagtails, usually flying over or only heard calling and therefore 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 also assigned to
this category. The graph and table below show data for all ‘alba’ wagtails.

Max. count J FM A M J J A S ON D
Bird-days 0 5 21 41 27 9 18 152 83 25 3 0
0 5 118 451 393 104 314 597 624 130 4 0
Days seen 0 1 12 30 31 26 31 31 28 17 2 0

128 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.

SYSTEMATIC LIST

800 160

Bird-day totals
Max. daily count per month
600 120

400 80

200 40

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

Pied White 'alba' Max. daily count

Maximum daily counts of each form of ‘alba’ wagtail

J FM A M J J A S OND
0
Pied 0 5 21 32 16 9 18 26 12 12 3 0
White 0
'alba' 0 3 18 8 1 0 46 80 19 0 0

0 4 23 16 0 0 99 4 7 0 0

Bird-day totals for each form of ‘alba’ wagtail

J FM A M J J A S OND
0
Pied 0 5 103 268 236 103 314 328 46 59 4 0
White 0
'alba' 0 6 136 41 1 0 139 572 53 0 0

0 9 47 21 0 0 130 6 18 0 0

R I C H A R D ’ S P I P I T Anthus richardi Corhedydd Richard

Scarce, c78 previous records of c106 individuals

Two were seen flying south over the South End on 15 October (SDS), with another the following day over
the Observatory (GD).

2016 - One was seen on Pen Cristin on 11 May (MGC et al.) (cf. Blyth’s Pipit below).

B L Y T H ' S P I P I T Anthus godlewskii Corhedydd Blyth

2016 - The bird initially identified as this species on 11 May 2016 and subsequently accepted as such by

BBRC has undergone a review and has been deemed unacceptable and is now considered to be a
small Richard’s Pipit.

M E A D O W P I P I T Anthus pratensis Corhedydd y Waun

¨ Amber listed Abundant to very abundant passage migrant and fairly common breeder

In February 48 were present on 25th. There were daily counts from 18 March when staff returned to the
island; peak counts during the month were 170 on 23rd, 155 on 27th and 121 on 28th; all other counts
were of 81 or fewer. There were daily counts in April, usually between 30 and 70, though 87 were seen
on 6th, 86 on 8th, 96 were seen on both 16th and 17th and the month’s peak of 128 was on 18th.
Thereafter there were generally fewer with a peak of 55 on 28th. Numbers during the summer were
much reduced than the previous few years as the breeding population continued to fall and was the
lowest since 2007 at just 46 pairs.

There were daily records from July to 2 November, the main arrivals being in mid-September and
October. The first real signs of passage in autumn were on 29 July when 92 were counted. The next
movement was on 12 August with 124 seen, followed by 196 on 25 August. On 14 September 272 were
counted and these were followed by three-figure counts from 16th to 21st inclusive and then 448 on 25th

63: 66-135 129

STANSFIELD

and peaking at 496 on 30th. October saw just three three-figure counts beginning with 225 on 1st, 138
were seen on 14th and 495 the following day; the remainder of counts during the month were of 87 or
fewer, with numbers falling dramatically from 16th onwards.

600

500

Daily count of birds 400

300

200

100

0

J FM AM J J A S O ND

Max. count J F MAM J J A S ON D
Bird-days 0 48 170 128 55 37 92 196 496 495 0 0
0 48 896 1438 884 382 733 1414 3575 1746 0 0
Days seen 0 1 14 30 31 30 31 31 30 30 0 0

T R E E P I P I T Anthus trivialis Corhedydd y Coed

¨ Red listed Fairly common passage migrant

April produced records on seven dates from 19th; four were singles, three on 23rd, four on 24th and five
on 29th. There were five singles in May with the last on 16th the final record of spring.

One was seen on 30 July. August produced nine records mostly of one or two birds with four on 24th and
then 30 on 25th. This is the largest count since August 1990 and equals the largest ever spring count from
May 1980.

B U F F - B E L L I E D P I P I T Anthus rubescens Corhedydd Melynllwyd

Vagrant – no previous records in Wales

One was found on the West Coast near Ogof Trwyn yr Hwch Bach on 29 September (STP, LMH, SDS et
al.). This record represents the first for both Wales and the island and is a long-awaited addition to the
island’s avifauna. A full description can be found on page 238. The record was accepted by BBRC.

Buff-bellied Pipit © Lewis Hooper

130 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.

SYSTEMATIC LIST

R O C K P I P I T Anthus petrosus Corhedydd y Graig

Uncommon breeding resident and probably uncommon immigrant/migrant

Up to 29 were seen in February, and 37 in March. April produced a peak of just 18 with May’s peak being
just 14 and June’s 27, although 42 pairs nested on the island.

In May a bird showing characteristics of the Scandinavian race A. p. littoralis was seen in Solfach on 5th.

As youngsters began to appear in July numbers peaked at 50, with August and September’s maxima
being 56 and 50 respectively. October’s peak count was higher, with 56 seen on 3rd..

J F MAM J J A S ON D
0 0
Max. count 0 29 37 18 14 27 50 56 50 56 0 0
Bird-days 0 0
29 160 256 240 152 557 708 586 523 0
Days seen F D
60 1 15 30 31 23 31 31 29 25 0

Daily count of birds 50

40 M AM J J A S O N

30

20

10

0
J

C H A F F I N C H Fringilla coelebs Ji-binc

Scarce breeder, very abundant migrant and some over-winter

There were no obvious movements in spring and all records were considered to have been from the
three breeding pairs and their subsequent offspring.

September saw the first few small arrivals with up to 29 seen on 20th. The main arrivals in autumn were in
October when there were almost daily counts, most were in double figures; there were three-figure
counts of 144 on 15th, 215 on 21st and 194 on 28th, with the year’s peak being 1484 on 20th.

2000 2000 Max. daily count per month

Bird-day totals 1500 1500

1000 1000

500 500

0 0
J F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

J FM A MJ JA S ON D
0 0
Max. count 0 1 11 10 5 5 7 13 29 1484 45 0
Bird-days 0 0
1 33 100 105 50 66 121 210 2631 77
Days seen
1 9 25 31 22 16 24 25 28 2

63: 66-135 131

STANSFIELD

B R A M B L I N G Fringilla montifringilla Pinc y Mynydd

Uncommon to common passage migrant

The only records this year were in autumn; the first two were singles on 14 and 15 October; 20 were seen
on 20th with 28 the following day and just one on 22nd. On 28th 13 were seen with two on 29th and finally
three were seen on both 1 and 2 November.

B U L L F I N C H Pyrrhula pyrrhula Coch y Berllan
¨ Amber listed Scarce

In May a pair were at Nant on 4th (LMH), the only record of the year.

C O M M O N R O S E F I N C H Carpodacus erythrinus Llinos Gogh

Scarce, there have been about 79 previous records, last in June 2015

A female/second-year male was at Nant on 22 May (TW). Another was seen, again at Nant, on 1 June
(TW, STP). Both of these records were accepted by WBRC.

G R E E N F I N C H Chloris chloris Llinos Werdd

Common to abundant passage migrant, most numerous in autumn

April saw one on 21st and 23rd, with another single on 25 May.

The only passage in autumn was during October with seven records; most were one to three birds with
22 on 20th and nine the following day.

T W I T E Linaria flavirostris Llinos y Mynydd

¨ Red listed Scarce

A flock of eight birds flew over the Lowlands on 19 October and was the only record of the year (GD).

L I N N E T Linaria cannabina Llinos

¨ Red listed Uncommon breeder, abundant to very abundant migrant

Two were seen on 25 February, followed in March by daily records from 22nd to the month’s end with a
peak of 29 on 28th. April saw almost daily counts, though very few were notable; 108 on 18th was the
peak with all other counts fewer than 77. The island’s breeding population made up all the records from
May to late August.

Linnet © Steven Stansfield

132 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.

SYSTEMATIC LIST

Numbers increased from the end of the first week in August with a rise from 33 on 6th to 129 the following
day. There were four three-figure counts in the second week, with 242 on 12th the peak. Between 15th
and 21st there were five three-figure counts, with 239 on 21st the highest count that week; thereafter
there were three-figure counts on all but one day to the month-end with up to 225 on 28th. There were
daily counts in September; the peak between 1st and 7th was 170 on 7th, 178 on 14th was the peak
during the second week and then 173 on 16th the peak during the third week. From 21st to the month’s
end there were just three counts into three figures, with 160 being the greatest on 25th. There were just
21 records in October, with 115 on 1st and 97 on 11th the peak counts, and then from 16th to the month’s
end seven records of up to eight birds.

JFM AM J J A S O ND

Max. count 0 2 29 108 62 36 92 242 178 115 5 0

Bird-days 0 2 81 894 884 368 1042 3583 3116 576 5 0

Days seen 0 1 9 28 31 24 29 31 30 21 1 0

1000 300 Max. daily count per month
800
600 250
400
Bird-day totals 200 200
0
150

100

50

J 0
F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

L E S S E R R E D P O L L Carduelis cabaret Llinos Bengoch Leiaf

¨ Red listed Fairly common to common passage migrant, bred in 2002-2003, 2005-2007, 2010 & 2012

March saw three records; two were seen on 23rd with singles on 26th and 30th. A single was seen on 1
April, then none until 17th when seven were recorded; from 19th to 24th there were daily records with 26
on 21st and 37 on 23rd the peak counts, then ten on 29th and eight the following day. There were 21
records in May, all in single figures with a peak of eight on 18th. June saw five records in the first week of
the month with up to three birds seen; no more were then seen until 21st when two were recorded with
three on 23rd.

The first records in autumn were in early July with one on 5th to 7th and a further single on 8th. The only
record in September was one on 18th; there were just five records in November with nine on 21st the only
count greater than four.

100 40 Max. daily count per month
80
Bird-day totals 60 30
40
20 20
0
J 10

0
F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

63: 66-135 133

STANSFIELD

J FMA M J J A S O N D
Max. count 0 0 1 37 8 3 2 0 0 9 0 0

Bird-days 0 0 3 111 74 16 3 0 0 18 0 0
Days seen 0 0 3 9 20 7 2 0 0 5 0 0

C R O S S B I L L Loxia curvirostra Gylfin Groes

Rare to uncommon, occasionally occurs in good numbers during irruption years

One was seen over Cristin on 1 May.

One was seen heading south over the Withies on 2 August. In October there were singles at Tŷ Pellaf on
12th, Cristin on 13th and Nant on 15th.

G O L D F I N C H Carduelis carduelis Nico

Common migrant, though scarce in spring; bred in 1901, 1905, 2002, 2004-05, 2007-08 and 2011-14

There were seven records in mid-to late March, with up to 20 on 29th. There was only one seen in the first
week in April. From 8th there were near daily records, with up to 15 in the second week, 27 on 22nd, 28
on 24th and 30 on 29th. May saw almost daily counts; 37 were seen on 1st and 32 on 3rd, with all other
records of 15 or fewer. June produced only 15 records and, with the exception of ten on 5th, all were in
single figures. One pair appeared in the Observatory garden with young in early June having nested
nearby. The only record in July was two on 13th.

August saw one on 1st and then two were seen on four dates between 17th and 23rd. From 13
September to 25th there were 11 records, all being single-figure counts, except 23 on 20th. There were
24 records during October, 11 of which were double-figure counts up to 64 and then the year’s peak of
124 on 20th. There were two records in November of five and six birds on 1st and 2nd.

250 140
200Bird-day totals
150 Max. daily count per month120
100
100
50
0 80
J
60

40

20

0
F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

J FM AMJ JA S OND

Max. count 0 0 20 30 37 10 2 2 23 124 6 0

Bird-days 0 0 50 247 284 61 2 9 54 464 11 0

Days seen 0 0 7 23 29 15 1 5 11 24 2 0

S I S K I N Carduelis spinus Pila Gwyrdd

Uncommon to common passage migrant

There were six records in March, five being of one to four birds with 11 on 30th. April began with four on
1st then none until daily records began from 8th to 26th, all being in single figures, except ten on 21st and
13 on 23rd. There were 18 records in May; most were of one or two birds with three on 1st and five on 9th.
June saw six records of one to three birds to 26th.

134 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.

SYSTEMATIC LIST

The first birds in autumn were seen from mid-September; there were five records from 17th to the month’s
end, four of which were one to three birds, with 13 on 30th. October saw the heaviest passage of the
year with 20 records, seven of which were double-figure counts, including 42 on both 21st and 28th and
peaks of 142 on 15th and 189 on 20th. Seven were seen on 1 November with three the following day.

J FM AMJ J A S O N D

Max. count 0 0 11 13 5 3 0 0 13 189 7 0

Bird-days 0 0 21 73 32 13 0 0 20 541 10 0

Days seen 0 0 6 21 18 6 0 0 5 20 2 0

250 200
200Bird-day totals
150 Max. daily count per month150
100
100
50
0 50
J
0
F MAM J J A S OND

Five day periods

Bird-days Max count

L A P L A N D B U N T I N G Calcarius lapponicus Bras y Gogledd

¨ Amber listed Scarce to uncommon passage migrant, mainly in autumn

One was seen on the South End on 8 September; two flew south over the Narrows on 18th, with another
on 20th, and then four were seen on 30th. October produced four on both 2nd and 14th, with singles on
10th, 12th, 24th and 27th.

S N O W B U N T I N G Plectrophenax nivalis Bras yr Eira

¨ Amber listed `Uncommon passage migrant

The only record of the year was a single on 12 October (RMN).

Y E L L O W H A M M E R Emberiza citrinella Melyn yr Eithin

¨ Red listed Scarce, regularly bred to 1970 and then a single pair in 1988

One flew south over the Lowlands on 30 March, with the only other record of the year coming in
September when one flew over Cristin on 28th.

R E E D B U N T I N G Emberiza schoeniclus Bras y Cyrs

¨ Amber listed Uncommon, regular passage in small numbers, last bred in 1977

In March singles were seen on 23rd and 24th, and one was seen on 20 April.

One on the Mountain on 29 July was rather unseasonable, followed by another early record on 23
August. There were singles on 17 and 19 September, with October producing nine records; most were of
one or two birds, with three on 15th and four on 20th.

63: 66-135 135

STANSFIELD

ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES 1 INTRODUCTION
The first and last dates of migrants during 2019
Samuel Prettyman The following two tables set out the arrival and departure
dates of Bardsey’s most commonly occurring summer
and winter migrants, including both this year’s earliest
and latest records, as well as the extralimital dates prior
to 2018.

This year, no extralimital date records were broken; a
Common Rosefinch was one day later than the previous
earliest.

Merlin REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.

© Lewis Hooper

136

SYSTEMATIC LIST

63: 66-135 137

STANSFIELD

2 RESULTS

Table 1. The arrival and departure dates of migrant birds on Bardsey

Summer migrants Arrival date Departure date Earliest arrival Latest departure
2019 2019 Pre-2019 Pre-2019
Species
05 May 09 September 13 April 1995 28 October 1976
Swift 29 May 30 July 17 April 2009 05 October 1981
Cuckoo 14 May 20 May 17 April 2014 25 October 1988 & 1991
Turtle Dove No Sightings No Sightings 24 April 1963 21 October 1980
Curlew Sandpiper No Sightings No Sightings 11 May 1984 29 October 1980
Little Stint 16 April 04 October 21 March 1994 27 October 2003
Common Sandpiper No Sightings 03 August 27 March 2017 24 October 2000
Green Sandpiper 15 April No Sightings 20 March 1960 20 October 1990
Greenshank 14 April 12 October 13 March 2017 08 November 2013
Sandwich Tern 15 August 16 August 01 April 2016 16 October 1970 & 1977
Little Tern 31 July 17 August 14 April 1981 20 November 2012
Common Tern 26 April 11 October 17 April 2013 05 December 2009
Arctic Tern 10 August 28 August 01 August 2014 29 October 1984 & 2004
Black Tern 25 April 16 October 27 March 1966 19 December 2014
Great Skua 26 April 16 October 22 April 1967 01 December 2011
Pomarine Skua 23 April 10 October 03 March 2011 15 November 2015
Arctic Skua 26 March 14 September 14 February 2014 02 November 1989 & 1991
Puffin 27 April 27 August 01 April 2015 26 November 1959
Storm Petrel 17 August 16 October 15 March 1980 10 December 2014
Sooty Shearwater 20 March 16 November 01 March 2005 20 December 2014
Manx Shearwater 06 Aug 27 September 14 April 2017 05 January 1996
Balearic Shearwater 26 April 12 August 22 March 2001 24 October 1990
Osprey 26 August 14 October 07 April 2015 13 November 2007
Wryneck No Sightings 25 August 21 April 2002 29 October 2014
Hobby 02 June no sightings 11 April 1981 19 September 1961
Golden Oriole 07 April 08 October 07 March 2002 24 October 1968 & 1990
Sand Martin 26 March 22 October 12 March 1954 & 1993 13 December 2013
Swallow 25 March 07 October 07 March 1992 09 November 1983 & 1994
House Martin 25 April 29 April 15 April 2013 28 September 1999
Wood Warbler 27 March 13 October 18 March 2009 19 November 2016
Willow Warbler 18 March 02 November 15 February 2002 20 December 2004
Chiffchaff 18 April 13 September 01 April 2014 11 October 1959
Sedge Warbler 19 April 13 September 13 April 2015 31 October 1976
Reed Warbler No Sightings No Sightings 24 May 1998 07 October 1970
Melodious Warbler No Sightings No Sightings 20 May 2009 07 October 1980
Icterine Warbler 08 April 25 August 01 April 1999 24 October 2001
Grasshopper Warbler 23 March 02 November 21 January 1997 25 December 2014
Blackcap 29 April 24 September 25 March 1960 21 November 1979
Garden Warbler 23 April 30 September 16 April 2004 18 November 2019
Lesser Whitethroat 17 April 06 October 26 March 1954 05 November 2014
Whitethroat No Sightings no sightings 18 April 2009 31 October 2002
Subalpine Warbler 09 April 29 October 15 March 1993 21 November 2010
Ring Ouzel 01 May 22 September 19 April 2015 26 October 1984
Spotted Flycatcher No Sightings 02 November 18 May 1994 05 November 2011
Red-breasted Flycatcher 17 April 30 September 07 April 1985 18 October 2006
Pied Flycatcher 23 March 29 March 16 Feb 2001 & 2003 31 December 2009
Black Redstart 15 April 03 July 26 March 2005 02 November 1953
Redstart 01 May 21 September 26 March 1954 14 November 1989
Whinchat 19 March 19 October 06 March 1977 11 November 1989
Wheatear 21 April 25 September 05 April 1980 24 October 1962
flava' Wagtail 19 April 21 September 29 March 1968 06 November 2011
Tree Pipit 22 May 01 June 21 May 1979 11 December 2010
Common Rosefinch

Swallow REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS.
© Steven Stansfield

138

SYSTEMATIC LIST

Autumn/winter migrants

Species Departure date Arrival date Latest departure Earliest arrival
2019 2019 Pre 2019 Pre 2019

Whooper Swan No Sightings No Sightings 06 March 1987 02 October 2019
Wigeon No Sightings 21 September 19 May 1999 01 July 2011
Eider No Sightings 14 October 09 June 1989 12 August 1998
Water Rail 21 March 27 October 04 June 1996 09 July 2014
Purple Sandpiper 09 May 24 July 18 June 1955 03 July 1975
Jack Snipe 19 April 12 October 22 May 1989 22 August 1993
Woodcock 18 March 16 October 14 June 2013 23 September 1963
Sabine's Gull 02 October 04 September 11 May 2004 16 August 1970
Red-throated Diver 25 April No Sightings 20 June 1994 01 August 1998
Black-throated Diver No Sightings No Sightings 22 May 2011 13 September 2014
Great Northern Diver No Sightings 17 September 16 June 1958 17 July 2012
Hen Harrier No Sightings 07 September 05 June 1986 25 July 2008
Merlin 09 May 10 September 27 May 1979 06 July 1991
Yellow-browed Warbler No Sightings 30 September 19 November 2008 17 September 1988
Barred Warbler No Sightings No Sightings 31 October 2014 19 August 1999
Fieldfare 19 March 20 October 23 May 2015 10 August 1983
Redwing 17 April 04 October 25 May 1991 05 September 1995
Richard's Pipit No Sightings 15 October 14 November 2013 22 August 1955
Brambling No Sightings 14 October 15 May 1985 27 September 2012
Lapland Bunting No Sightings 08 September 01 June 1957 28 August 2010
No Sightings
Snow Bunting 12 October 22 June 1970 04 September 2002

63: 66-135 139

Chiffchaff and chicks BREEDING BIRDS PRETTYMAN AND STANSFIELD

© Lewis Hooper A summary of the breeding season on Bardsey
and Ynysoedd Gwylan in 2019
140
Sam Prettyman and Steven Stansfield

REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS

BREEDING BIRDS

63: 140-163 141

PRETTYMAN AND STANSFIELD

1 INTRODUCTION

Roberts (1985), Jones (1988), Leitch (1992), Loxton and Jones (1995) and Eagle (2012) have produced
summaries of the breeding birds on Bardsey and, in addition, there have been shorter summaries of the
previous year’s nesting season in the systematic list of the Observatory’s annual reports. Since 1998,
however, a more comprehensive report has been produced and published in the BBFO Annual Report.
The aim is to have a quick reference to the breeding data from year to year, with number of pairs nesting,
productivity figures (where available and relevant) and notes on successes or failures compared with
previous years. Data on the breeding birds have now been collected in the same systematic way since
1998. This report aims to compare the data for 2019 with that collected in the previous nine years.
Additional to the techniques used since 1998, the breeding landbirds were monitored using the four-visit
Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) method used since 2009. These data from the landbird survey help the
assessment of the impact of the land management on non-seabird species and inform conservation
management reviews.

The seabird data, as well as being used by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to assess the island’s seabird
populations and health, are fed into the Seabird Monitoring Programme (SMP). SMP is an ongoing
annual monitoring programme, established in 1986, of 26 species of seabird that regularly breed in Britain
and Ireland. It aims to ensure that sample data on breeding numbers and breeding success of seabirds
are collected, both regionally and nationally, to enable their conservation status to be assessed. The
SMP is led and co-ordinated by JNCC in partnership with others, including NRW. In November 2009 all
Partners signed a Statement of Intent that established the way forward for future data sharing and
collaborative working.

2 METHODS

The Observatory was funded through the NRW management agreement to monitor the breeding
landbirds and seabird sites as part of the NNR. As in previous years, the monitoring and mapping of
seabirds followed the methods set out by Walsh et al. (1995) in the Seabird Monitoring Handbook. Mostly
land-based counts were undertaken, but a boat trip on 15 June allowed sets of photographs to be taken
of the larger cliff-nesting seabird colonies, with the number of birds counted on a computer monitor at
a later date.

As has been the case since 1998, the non-seabird species had their territories (usually singing males)
mapped or, where nests and/or young were located, these were marked on maps which are kept at
the Observatory. The maps were compiled by BBFO staff from data collected during their daily census
of the island, along with specific routes covered to map species such as Oystercatcher, Rock Pipit,
Meadow Pipit, Wren and Linnet.

Additionally, four BBS visits covering the whole island (spread over several mornings) were made during
18-21 April, 11-14 May, 1-4 June and 22-25 June. The data generated from this exercise will be helpful
when comparing Bardsey with other sites. A full explanation of the methods employed for each species
is given in the BBFO Report for 2009 (Brown and Stansfield, 2010).

3 RESULTS

The following systematic list summarises the nesting season for each species during 2019. The number of
nesting pairs and productivity figures from 2019 are compared with data from 2010 to 2018. The
number of nesting pairs and productivity estimates from 2010 to 2018 are shown in table format where
sufficient data are available.

142 REP. BARDSEY BIRD FLD OBS