A New Decade of Lundy Birding – December 23rd 2019 to January 14th 2020

Calm before the storm: Storm Brendan picking up pace, 13th Jan © Dean Jones

Happy New Year Lundy Bird Blog readers!

Highlights from the past three weeks include the re-appearance of the first winter Iceland Gull on December 26th, spotted by Philip Lymbery next to Ackland's Moor Marsh. Another first winter bird (perhaps the same bird again), was also seen flying past the North Lighthouse on the December 31st.

Red-throated Divers have now turned up along the east coast albeit in much smaller numbers than the past two winters with singles on the 5th, 6th, two birds on the 10th and three on the 8th.

One of the most surprising observations of this period had to be the continued presence of a Manx Shearwater offshore on the east coast in December. Here a bird, probably the same seen on December 22nd was observed foraging between the swell on both December 29th and again on the December 31st (Dean Jones & Philip Lymbery).

Good numbers of Gannet, Guillemot and Razorbill have also been seen offshore throughout, as has a Cormorant on January 2nd, a Great Northern Diver most days in its favoured spot NE of Rat Island, singles of Harbour Porpoise on days and a delightful pod of ten Common Dolphin on the 10th – which included a small calf. Kittiwakes too have been present in decent numbers pretty much every day (max 518 on Jan 13th) feeding on the odd floating morsel and chasing small shoals of bait fish accompanied by good numbers of Great Black-backed Gulls, up to four Common Gulls and six Mediterranean Gulls on days.

Great Northern Diver in Landing Bay, 29th Dec © Dean Jones

Other sightings of note include a count of 19 Teal on Ponsbury on December 26th, up to two Water Rail which have been hiding out in Smelly Gully and the stream next to Millcombe, a Golden Plover on December 31st, 17 Snipe on the 26th, two Woodpigeon most days, up to five Skylark feeding together in Tillage Field, a Chiffchaff on the January 10th (collybita), up to two Goldcrest, one of which was in full song in upper Millcombe on January 3rd, a Black Redstart on the Camping Field gate on January 10th, up to two Stonechat most days, a Pied Wagtail on January 5th, small numbers of Blackbird (12), Song Thrush (3), Goldfinch (3) and Chaffinch (6) along with singles of Redwing on a number of days within the period.

Report composed of sightings from Rosie Ellis, Dean Jones and Philip Lymbery.