Dean Jones, the warden, reports that the period started off very promising with a lovely diversity of long
distant migrants arriving on the island throughout the morning of the
7th. Unfortunately this buzz of passage did not continue over the next
few days and the birds that
were already here quickly moved off before the wind picked up and the
rains arrived. There was however a few super birds to continue the
excitement of spring.
Highlights from the period include:
May 7th
- Whimbrel: 4
- Kestrel: 1 hovering over SW field in the afternoon.
- Hirundines: 26 Sand Martin, 120+ Swallow and 7 House Martin.
- Swift: 5 over the south end of the island in the afternoon.
- Chiffchaff: 10 including a number of singing individuals in Millcombe and St Helen’s Copse.
- Willow Warbler: 7
- Blackcap: 7
- Garden Warbler: 1
- Whitethroat: 4 in the Millcombe/St John’s area.
- Sedge Warbler: 9 in the Millcombe/St John’s area.
- Whinchat: 1 female perched on a fence post at the top of Millcombe.
- Finches: 20 Linnet, 8 Goldfinch, 1 female Chaffinch and a lone male Lesser Redpoll singing his heart out on Government House roof.
May 8th
- Whimbrel: 2
- Dunlin: 2
- Collared Dove: 1
- Swift: 3
- Hirundines: 8 Sand Martin, 66 Swallow and 2 House Martin.
- Phylloscs: 8 Chiffchaff and 3 Willow Warbler.
- Blackcap: 7
- Sedge Warbler: 1
- Yellow Wagtail: A beautiful female was found feeding with the ponies in Barton’s Field, the first of the year.
- White Wagtail: 1 female in Barton’s Field.
- Finches: 37
Linnet, 1 Lesser Redpoll, 3 Chaffinch, 20 Goldfinch, the female
Bullfinch again and a stunning male Hawfinch was seen on the Laundry
Garden wall in the afternoon (Z Barton).
May 9th (Someone has turned off the migrant tap)
- Whimbrel: 1
- Dunlin: 1
- Collared Dove: 1
- Hirundines: 1 Sand Martin, 15 Swallow and 3 House Martin.
- Phylloscs: 3 Chiffchaff and 1 Willow Warbler.
- Blackcap: 1
- Finches:
30 Linnet, 14 Goldfinch and the male Hawfinch again, this time from the
top of Millcombe in the early morning and subsequently on Sue
Waterfield’s feeders on a number of occasions up until the late
afternoon.
May 10th (Another very quiet day)
- Whimbrel: 3
- Manx Shearwater: 23 past Rat Island in 5 minutes.
- Collared Dove: 1
- Hirundines: 3 Sand Martin, 44 Swallow and 3 House Martin.
- Chiffchaff: 2
- Willow Warbler: 1
- Blackcap: 2
- Sedge Warbler: 1
- Yellow Wagtail: 1 male & 1 female, both in Barton’s Field.
- Linnet: 35
- Goldfinch: 20
May 11th. Don’t the birds know that it is World Migratory Bird Day this weekend?
- Collared Dove: 1
- Chiffchaff: 2
- Willow Warbler: 1
- Blackcap: 1 female
- Spotted Flycatcher: 2 in the Sycamores near Bramble Villas.
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| Hawfinch © Dean Jones |
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| Yellow Wagtail © Dean Jones |
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| Yellow Wagtail © Dean Jones |
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