18th to 24th Nov

Monday 18th to Sunday 24th November

A round-up of the last week's sightings from Lundy Warden Dean Woodfin Jones:

Wet and windy has been the theme of the week with strong southerly and easterly winds for the most part, accompanied by frequent showers, mist and/or prolonged heavy downpours. There have been one or two really nice periods between the squalls, however, that have allowed for some decent birding, a trickle of migrants and the appearance of some scarce and rather surprising Lundy birds.

The most unexpected bird from this period came in the form of a very late Barn Swallow, a bird which was seen whizzing through the Village, dodging unfurled mist-nets, by Sparrow Researchers Lucy Winder and Jamie Dunning during the late morning of the 24th.

Snow Buntings have also been recorded throughout this period – all single birds apart from a very obliging pair on High Street track on the 24th.

Snow Buntings, High Street track 24 Nov © Dean Jones

Snow Bunting bathing in puddle on High Street track © Dean Jones

Snow Buntings, High Street track 24 Nov © Dean Jones

Chaffinches are still pushing through too in lulls in the wind – mostly in small numbers. There was, however, a decent late-autumn passage of 184 birds heading south on the morning of the 24th.

This week has also seen a number of late Manx Shearwater with three recorded on the 19th, one on the 20th and four on the 24th, all from the east coast of the island.

The last of these dates also saw a mass feeding frenzy of seabirds offshore from the Landing Bay in the first few hours of daylight – here a spectacular 327 Gannet were seen dive-bombing multiple shoals of bait-fish accompanied by three Shags, 626 Kittiwake, three Black-headed Gull, two Common Gull, two Mediterranean Gull, eight Great Black-backed Gull, 224 Herring Gull, four Lesser Black-backed Gull, two Great Skua and 186 auks.

Other notable sea-bird sightings from the period include addirtional Common Gulls (two on the 19th, six on the 20th, two on the 23rd), Mediterranean Gulls (two on the 19th and 24th, one on the 20th and 23rd) and a Great Skua on the 19th.

Further observations of note included: two Teal on the 21st and 3 on the 24th, two Water Rail on the 18th and singles on the 19th, 21st and 24th, 44 Fulmar on ledges in Jenny’s Cove on the 24th, a Sparrowhawk near St Helen’s Copse on the 24th, singles of Woodcock near Tibbetts on the 19th and one in Jenny’s Cove on the 24th (flushed from behind the Cheeses), two Snipe on the 24th, a Woodpigeon in Millcombe on the 19th, a male Kestrel on three dates, a Merlin hunting Chaffinch over High Street Field on the 20th, two Skylark on the 18th, 2 Chiffchaff on the 24th, a male Blackcap on the 19th and 24th, a Firecrest on the 20th, up to seven Goldcrest each day, a small scattering of Blackbird (max 15 on the 24th, Fieldfare (max 3 on the 22nd) and Redwing (max 27 on the 22nd), a single Mistle Thrush on the 22nd, Stonechat (max 4 on the 24th), up to three Meadow Pipit on some days, a lady Brambling at Sue’s feeder since the 22nd, a Greenfinch on the 20th, a Linnet on the 24th and up to four Goldfinch daily.