8th & 9th Sep – Superb visual migration

September 8th

A truly beautiful day of clear skies, warm temperatures and a slight northerly breeze, perfect conditions for some superb visual migration throughout the day, particularly with regard to passage Swallow, Sand Martin and Meadow Pipits which arrived here in their hundreds.

Sightings of note included, 2 Sparrowhawk together in Millcombe, a flyover Ringed Plover, a Dunlin over the Village in the evening, 9 Woodpigeon, 2 Swift, a Kestrel, 4 Skylark, 408 Sand Martin, 1,195 Swallow, 26 House Martin, 20 Willow Warbler, 10 Chiffchaff, a single Sedge Warbler in Millcombe, 30 Blackcap, a Garden Warbler, 5 Whitethroat, 18 Goldcrest, 3 Spotted Flycatcher, 5 Robin, a Pied Flycatcher, 2 flyover Grey Wagtail, a Pied Wagtail and 12 unraced alba wagtails, 350 Meadow Pipit, a Tree Pipit over the Camping Field in the morning, 3 Chaffinch, 24 Goldfinch and 122 Linnet.

Non-avian sightings included a Migrant Hawker dragonfly outside the General Stores and a small number of By-the-wind Sailors (see photo below) washed up next to Rat Island.

September 9th

Torrential rain in the morning up until around 11:00 but brightening up thereafter with strong northerly winds.

Sightings of note included a Turnstone flying low over Quarter Wall in the morning, a flyover Ringed Plover, 9 Woodpigeon, a Kestrel, just 2 Skylark, 250 Sand Martin, 500 Swallow, 30 House Martin, 10 Willow Warbler, 10 Chiffchaff, 15 Blackcap, 6 Whitethroat, 22 Goldcrest, 3 Spotted Flycatcher, 6 Robin, a single Whinchat, 36 Wheatear, a flyover Grey Wagtail, 3 unraced flyover alba wagtails, 70 Meadow Pipit, 16 Chaffinch, 20 Goldfinch and 114 Linnet.

Report composed of sightings from AJ Bellamy, Dean Jones, Peter Slader and Nik Ward.

Above and below: Hirundines in Lighthouse Field, 8 Sep © Dean Jones

By-the-wind Sailor, off Rat Island, 8th Sep © Dean Jones

7th Sep – No show from the Black-headed Bunting

Thanks to Ivan Lakin for sending in notes on his day-trip to the island yesterday:

Only three birders made it across today to day-trip Lundy and not see the bunting. That was expected (given that it had been seen on Thursday, though not on Friday), but a Green Sandpiper was an unexpected bonus – Lundy  tick for me. Had it calling as it flew along East Side, then it was heard and seen independently by the other two observers on top. One saw it head towards Pondsbury. Other sightings included quite a few Chiffchaff and Willow Warblers, a few Goldcrest and three Woodpigeon.

Oldenburg very quiet outbound, but much better returning with 5 Bonxie, 1 dark Arctic Skua, 7 Manx Shearwater, auks etc, though all well outside the Lundy recording area.

31st Aug to 2nd Sep – Wind, gloom, sun and... Black-headed Bunting!

August 31st

A windy and gloomy day overall and rather quiet bird wise with very few new arrivals to the island. A brief seawatch from The Ugly produced 633 Manx Shearwater, 21 Gannet, 6 Guillemot and 2 Razorbill in an hour. The stunning male Black-headed Bunting appeared again on the track bordering Tibbetts in the late afternoon.

Other than these, birds of note included a Grey Heron sheltering off Lamentor in the early afternoon as well as small numbers of Goldcrest, Swallow, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff scattered throughout Millcombe and the east sidelands.

September 1st

Another blustery day but with a bit more northerly element than yesterday which encouraged a small movement of Goldcrest (19) and Blackcap (12) to the island overnight.

Other sightings of note included a Sparrowhawk in Quarter wall copse, a Merlin hunting Blackbirds near Tibbetts, the Grey Heron in Quarry Pond, singles of Guillemot and Razorbill off the North End, a Whimbrel – which perched upon the Beer Garden wall in the late morning – 8 Swallow, 15 Willow Warbler, 5 Chiffchaff, a Reed Warbler below St Helen’s Copse (photo below), 48 Meadow Pipit and 6 flyover unidentified alba wagtails.

Grey Heron, Quarry Pond, 1st Sep © Dean Jones

Reed Warbler, below St Helen's Copse, 1st Sep © Dean Jones

September 2nd

A beautifully sunny yet breezy day with some nice migrant birds again. Firstly the long-staying Black-headed Bunting turned up in its favoured foraging spot next to Tillage Field again in the late afternoon.

Goldcrest numbers continued to grow with at least 31 birds scattered across the island – most of which were found in Millcombe and along the east sidelands. Additionally the first Lesser Whitethroat of the autumn was found in the gnarled elder at the top of Smelly Gully in the early morning.

Other sightings of note included a flyover Golden Plover, 27 Swallow, 22 Sand Martin, 10 Blackcap, 10 Willow Warbler, 8 Chiffchaff, a Sedge Warbler, 3 Spotted Flycatchers, 3 alba  wagtails, 23 Meadow Pipits and a flyover Tree Pipit.

Report compiled by Dean Woodfin Jones.

STOP PRESS

Below is a Tweet from Antony Bellamy showing the latest photos of the Black-headed Bunting, taken yesterday, Thursday 5th Sep.

27th to 30th August – Black-headed Bunting reappears!

August 27th

A very noticeable clear-out of migrants from the day before, which gave the island a rather quiet feel. Despite this there were still some great birds present on the island, including the first Merlin and Common Redstart of the autumn.

Other sightings of note on this lovely yet breezy day include: a Teal, 2 southbound Cormorant, the Grey Heron, a Kestrel, just 5 Willow Warbler, 3 Chiffchaff, singles of Sedge Warbler and Blackcap, 2 Garden Warbler, 3 Goldcrest, 4 fly-over Tree Pipit, just 1 Pied Flycatcher, 3 Spotted Flycatcher, a single Grey Wagtail, 2 Pied Wagtails (plus 5 fly-over alba types), 184 Meadow Pipit, 2 Chaffinch, 15 Goldfinch and 28 Linnet.

A reasonably settled and dry evening allowed for another Storm Petrel ringing session on the North End too. Here the team managed to catch a total of 39 petrels, 15 of which were either a re-traps or controls.

August 28th

A driech aul day with thick mist and downpours for much of the morning up until 14:00 at least. Sightings of note include the Grey Heron, 7 Woodpigeon, a fly-over Ringed Plover, 2 Willow Warbler, singles of Blackcap, Whitethroat, Pied Flycatcher and Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Goldcrest, a single Pied Wagtail, a fly-over Tree Pipit, 65 Meadow Pipits, 2 Chaffinch, 23 Goldfinch and 120 Linnet.

August 29th
A very windy day throughout, though a pleasantly warm dry day. Birds of note include a Ringed Plover over the church in the afternoon, a Water Rail calling outside Paradise Row, single Swift, 2 Sand Martin, a House Martin, 7 Spotted Flycatcher, 7 Willow Warbler, 2 Chiffchaff, 3 Blackcap and a single Goldcrest.

August 30th

With the winds picking up again overnight, all attention in the morning was focused out at sea. Here a super 2,538 Manx Shearwater were recorded passing Rat Island within 2 hours of observations, along with small numbers of Gannet (63), Razorbill (2), Guillemot (1) and Fulmar (2). The highlight from the morning sea-watch however came in the form of a stunning Sooty Shearwater which passed Rat Island within a flock of Manx at 08:21.

The undisputed bird of the day though had to be the reappearance of the male Black-headed Bunting, this time feeding along the track bordering Brick and Tillage Fields. Found at around 13:35, the bird stuck around for a least an hour and a half, allowing some superb close-up views before disappearing into Tillage Field and out of sight.

Other sightings of note include a fly-over Ringed Plover, the Grey Heron again munching on diving beetles in Quarter Wall Pond, a single male Blackcap, 4 Willow Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Whitethroat, 3 Goldcrest and a lone Stonechat on the Terrace.

The Black-headed Bunting reappeared close to Brick & Tillage Fields, 30 Aug © Dean Jones

Report composed of observations from Zoë Barton, Dean Jones, Patrick Keith, Rebecca Taylor, Richard Taylor and Tony Taylor.

26th August – Black-headed Bunting headlines another superb day of migration

August 26th

Lundy Warden Dean Woodfin Jones sums up a truly spectacular day of early-autumn birding:

Another beautiful summer’s day with next to no wind in the morning, cloudless skies, pleasant temperatures and a fantastic number and diversity of common migrants, mixed in with some truly magnificent rarities.

The day started off well with a very busy morning manning mist-nets, as a superb movement of Willow Warblers made their way through the Valley from about 06:30 to 10:00. Here an estimated 250 birds were thought to have been dotted across the island throughout the day; they were literally everywhere you looked! Within this flurry of Willow Warbler, the Icterine Warbler that has been on the island since the 23rd finally ended up in the shelf of a mist-net in Millcombe Valley in the early morning – the 19th Icterine Warbler to be ringed on the island.

Icterine Warbler, Millcombe, 26 August © Dean Jones

Then, post late-breakfast, I was making my way to pick up and empty the moth trap when I noticed an odd bird perched upon the roof of Paradise Row at around 11:45... As soon as I put my binoculars up, my eyes were graced with a superb male Black-headed Bunting!! This then led to a very quick and panicked rush home to grab my camera (luckily I only live two doors down from where the bird was perched), and managed to fire off a few quick record shots before the bird disappeared off the roof and down towards the allotments outside Paradise Row. Fortunately, Zoë Barton and I were able to relocate the bird perched on one the end of a raised bed full of Red Onions where it allowed for some smashing close up views before flying off to a nearby dry-stone wall to get a bit of shut eye – obviously knackered from its long journey. Whilst the bird was resting I managed to herd most of the birders on the island up to the allotments where they all managed some decent but somewhat brief views of the bird before it disappeared down towards Millcombe at around 13:00. By this time the bird was looking much more alert and well rested so fingers crossed he’ll manage to find his way to his wintering grounds in western/central India. This is the fourth record of this stunning bunting for Lundy, with the last bird being seen 22 years ago on the 15th July 1997. A very exciting bird to top off what was a truly superb day of Lundy birding!

The male Black-headed Bunting perched on the roof of Paradise Row, 26 August © Dean Jones

The bird stayed in the same general area for over an hour, enabling others to see it © Grant Sherman

The bunting spent time foraging in the allotments outside Paradise Row © Dean Jones

But that wasn’t all... Later on in the afternoon Nicola Saunders (a previous Lundy Warden) managed to find another Wryneck in Jenny’s Cove and between all the birders on the island we managed to find the first Whinchat (a total of six birds in various locations), Collared Dove (one ‘singing’ in Millcombe), Grey Wagtail (a single fly-over) and White Wagtails (five in Tent Field) of the autumn.
It was also a great day for wader passage with singles of fly-over Golden Plover, Ringed Plover and Whimbrel, 9 fly-over Curlew (a flock of 7 over the Old Light in the morning followed by another 2), at least two fly-over Greenshank, a Redshank calling from the Landing Bay and a fly-over Black-tailed Godwit.

Other observations of note includes: 9 Mallard, a lone Grey Heron, 3 southbound Cormorant, 2 Sparrowhawk, a Guillemot in the Landing Bay, 11 Sand Martin, 40 Swallow, 4 Chiffchaff, 7 Sedge Warbler, 1 Reed Warbler trapped and ringed in Millcombe, 8 Blackcap, 1 Garden Warbler, 14 Whitethroat, 4 Goldcrest, 12 Spotted Flycatcher, 70 Wheatear, 10 Pied Flycatcher, 5 Pied Wagtails and 2 Tree Pipit.

Report composed of observations from Zoë Barton, Dean Jones, Patrick Keith, Nicola Saunders, Rebecca Taylor, Richard Taylor, Tony Taylor and Martin Thorne.

24th & 25th August – A feast of migrants, common and not-so-common...

24th August

A very warm and sunny day throughout with a stiff SE wind belting in during the morning and afternoon which switched westerly by the evening. Migration has continued to pick up with the first fly-over Yellow Wagtail of the autumn, 5 fly-over Cormorant, 2 Tree Pipit in Millcombe, an increase to 55 Meadow Pipit along the East Side and South End, 2 Swift, 23 Swallow, 3 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap, 5 Goldcrest, 3 Spotted Flycatcher and 4 Pied Flycatcher  – including one inside the office perched on the rafters! Visiting ringers ringed two Manx Shearwater chicks from the nestboxes installed at the Old Light colony, and caught an interesting Goldfinch, which was in moult and so probably had summered on Lundy, but had been ringed elsewhere (details to follow later).

One of the Pied Flycatchers, near the top of the 'Steps of Doom', 24 August © Dean Jones

25th August

A spectacular day of beautiful calm weather, species diversity and Lundy rarities.

Highlights included the re-appearance of the Icterine Warbler (last seen on 23rd August) in various parts of Millcombe between 07:00 and 13:20. Additionally, whilst ringing passerines in lower Millcombe, Richard Taylor found a very showy Common Nightingale at the top of Smelly Gully in the late morning, a bird which provided some beautifully clear and prolonged views as it flitted up from the gully to forage on the ground near Millcombe Pond. Then, whilst waiting for the Nightingale to reveal itself again for another view, a Wryneck (perhaps the same bird seen on the 23rd), flew out from Smelly Gully and up to the rocks just behind the Walled Gardens where it hopped around for five minutes or so before disappearing back into the gully. Three super Lundy birds in the span of a few hours!

The unusually showy Nightingale in Millcombe, 25 August © Dean Jones

The Wryneck, competing with the Nightingale for the Warden's attention, Millcombe, 25 August © Dean Jones

Other birds of note included the first Reed Warbler and Garden Warbler of the autumn, a female Teal on Brick Field Pond, 7 Grey Heron (including a flock of six birds and a lone bird in Brick Field), 6 fly-by Cormorant, a fly-over Ringed Plover, a flock of 12 Curlew, a lone Whimbrel calling from the Landing Bay, a Dunlin, 1 Swift, 1 Sand Martin, 60 Swallow, 1 House Martin, a nice arrival of 31 Willow Warbler, 6 Chiffchaff, a single Sedge Warbler, 3 Blackcap, 3 Whitethroat, 7 Goldcrest, 5 Spotted Flycatcher, a lone Stonechat, 11 Pied Flycatcher, a fly-over Yellow Wagtail, 8 Pied Wagtails (as well as 15 unraced flyover alba types) and 4 Tree Pipit.

Juvenile Grey Heron, Brick Field, one of seven recorded on 25 August © Dean Jones

Report composed of observations from Dean Jones, Patrick Keith, Rebecca Taylor, Richard Taylor, Tony Taylor and Martin Thorne.

Stop press...

As users of Twitter and BirdGuides etc. may already be aware, Lundy's Bank Holiday Purple Patch continued on Monday 26th with the trapping of the Icterine Warbler and the sighting of a male Black-headed Bunting on the roof of Paradise Row! Full details to follow in the next blog update! At the time of posting, there had been no further sightings of the bunting since around 13.00hrs on Monday, when it flew towards Millcombe.

21st to 23rd August – Icterine Warbler & Wryneck seen, Storm Petrels ringed – updated

August 21st & 22nd

The stiff westerly winds raged on! Not much to report from either date, other than a small scattering of Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Goldcrest from the Millcombe area, a fly-by Storm Petrel seen from MS Oldenburg on the 22nd (about 30 minutes from Lundy) and an admirable catch of 26 Manx Shearwater on the evening of the 22nd (22 chicks ringed, and 4 adult re-trapped).

August 23rd

The burly westerlies and periodic showers finally gave way to a slight easterly breeze and some beautiful sunshine and warm temperatures.  This much-awaited change in conditions allowed for some great visible migration throughout the day, which included an increase in passage Swallow (66), the first Pied Flycatcher of the autumn (5 in Millcombe and along the Terrace) and two magnificent Devon rarities.

One of five Pied Flycatchers present in Millcombe and along the Terrace on 23 August © Dean Jones

The first of these star birds came in the form of an Icterine Warbler, which was seen at around 13:30 foraging within and upon the scrub at the top of Millcombe, bordering St Helen's/Barton Field. From here, the bird allowed for some smashing but brief views before disappearing for most of the afternoon. Then, at around 17:00, it was relocated slightly south of its original location, flitting through the willows just below Government House.

The Icterine Warbler in the willow plantation just below Government House on 23 August © Dean Jones

Shortly after the initial sighting of the Icterine Warbler, news arrived of a Wryneck just outside Bramble Villas, where it was watched foraging for a meal for 10 minutes or so at around 14.40 before flying up into Millcombe Wood and out of sight.

Other birds of note on this exciting day included: the long-staying Grey Heron, a Water Rail outside Paradise Row, a fly-over Golden Plover, a Whimbrel calling from the Landing Bay, 3 Swift, lone Sand Martin and House Martin, 3 Blackcap, 4 Whitethroat, 5 Willow Warbler, 5 Goldcrest and 8 Chaffinch.

The perfect evening conditions also allowed for a Storm Petrel ringing session at North End. Here, 30 new birds were caught and ringed as well as 9 retrapped or controlled birds* – a superb end to a fantastic day of birds!

Finally, the first Migrant Hawker dragonfly of the autumn was seen quartering around Millcombe in the beautiful afternoon sunshine.

Report composed of observations from Dean Jones, Patrick Keith, Rebecca Taylor, Richard Taylor, Tony Taylor and Martin Thorne.

*Update

Tony Taylor adds that seven of the nine Storm Petrels that were already wearing rings had been ringed on Lundy in  2017 and 2018. The other two birds were controls (i.e. they had been ringed elsewhere); details to be confirmed in due course.