20th to 22nd Apr – Yellow-browed and Eastern Subalpine Warblers

Lundy Warden Dean Woodfin Jones rounds up all the news from three eventful days on the island:

Saturday 20th April

A beautiful sunny, warm day brought with it the first full ship of the season as well as a superb array of migrant birds. Highlights include the female Sparrowhawk, 12 Woodpigeon, only 4 Swallow, 20 Willow Warbler, 15 Chiffchaff, 7 Sedge Warbler, a reeling Grasshopper Warbler in Millcombe, 300+ Blackcap (though this is probably a gross underestimate), 2 Whitethroats, 2 Pied Flycatcher, the first Spotted Flycatcher of the year, a Grey Wagtail in the Devil's Kitchen, 1 White Wagtail in Barton Field, the first Yellow Wagtail of the year at Pondsbury, a Tree Pipit over Millcombe, 5 Chaffinch, 10 Goldfinch and a single Lesser Redpoll over the Village in the evening. The bird of the day, however, came in the form of a Yellow-browed Warbler which was found by Andy Trout in the Sycamores at the top of Millcombe in the mid-afternoon. This is the first spring record for this hardy little Siberian warbler on Lundy, a superb find!

Sunday 21st April

Another sunny and very warm day saw another arrival of migrants including a Merlin, the female Sparrowhawk again, 19 Swallow, a single House Martin, 60 Willow Warbler, 15 Chiffchaff, 5 Sedge Warbler, 6 Grasshopper Warbler, 150 Blackcap, 4 Whitethroat and 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Black Redstart, a female Common Redstart, 4 Pied Wagtails, 1 White Wagtail again in Barton Field, along with a stonking male Yellow Wagtail, 4 Chaffinch, 10 Goldfinch, a single male Greenfinch, 1 Siskin, 3 Lesser Redpoll, 22 Linnet and a female Brambling feeding with the Chaffinch in Barton Field.

Ringing totals = 138 birds: 79 Blackcap, 31 Willow Warbler, 9 Chiffchaff, 5 Sedge Warbler, 3 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 House Sparrow, 1 Wren, 4 Goldfinch and 1 Greenfinch. 

Monday 22nd April

Slightly cooler day today compared to the weekend due to the strong easterly winds, though all in all, still very sunny and pleasant. The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the presence of an Eastern Subalpine Warbler which turned up in a shelf of a mist-net in Millcombe and was subsequently ringed by David Kightley. The bird turned out to be a second calendar-year male and was in good health and carrying a small amount of fat. This is the 19th record of Subalpine Warbler for the island.

Other birds of note included the female Sparrowhawk hunting Woodpigeon in Quarter Wall Copse, a male Kestrel, a Dunlin on South West Point, a Collared Dove in the Village, the first Cuckoo of the year, only 8 Swallow, 1 House Martin, 22 Willow Warbler, 9 Chiffchaff, the first Garden Warbler of the year, 53 Blackcap, 5 Whitethroat, 2 Yellow Wagtail, a Tree Pipit over Millcombe in the early morning, a female Stonechat at Quarter Wall, 3 Chaffinch, 14 Goldfinch, a Siskin, 2 Lesser Redpoll, 51 Linnet and the female Brambling.

Ringing totals = 54 birds: 30 Blackcap, 1 Garden Warbler, 10 Willow Warbler, 5 Chiffchaff, 2 Goldfinch, 2 Meadow Pipit and singles of Goldcrest, Woodpigeon, Whitethroat and of course the Eastern Subalpine Warbler.

Unsurprisingly with all this sunny weather we have also had some nice diurnal Lepidoptera sightings this weekend, with Peacock butterflies, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Green-veined White, Small White, Orange-tip, Painted Lady, Silver Y and Emperor Moth all on the wing.

Report composed from sightings from Chris & Mandy Dee, Rob Duncan, David Kightley, Neil & Andy Trout and Dean Woodfin Jones.

1st calendar-year male Eastern Subalpine Warbler, Millcombe, 22 Apr 2019 © Dean Jones

Female Brambling, Millcombe, 22 Apr 2019 © Dean Jones

Male Orange-tip on Bluebell, Millcombe, 22 Apr 2019 © Dean Jones