30th April – Plenty of migrants and a Dunlin

Tim Jones and Tim Davis report a good day's birding, with plenty of migrants, especially in Millcombe.

The Red-necked Grebe was still present and there was a single Sparrowhawk and 2 Kestrel. A Dunlin was on Quarterwall Pond, four first-summer Black-headed Gulls were in the Landing Bay and a Cuckoo was on the Terraces. Hirundine passage comprised 40 Swallow, a House Martin and 9 Sand Martin. Elsewhere there was a Black Redstart, 4 Redstart, a Fieldfare, 3 Sedge Warbler, 20 Blackcap, 6 Garden Warbler (including a singing male in Millcombe), 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 6 Whitethroat, a Wood Warbler, 10 Chiffchaff, 25 Willow Warbler, a Goldcrest and a Jackdaw. With weather retricting mist-netting to a couple of hours, Rob Duncan ringed a further 39 birds, including 4 Redstart and 5 Garden Warblers.

29th April – Brent Goose and Yellowhammer feature

With a lot of birders on the island this week coverage was good. Tim Jones reports the following on behalf of himself, Tim Davis, Chris and Carol Baillie, Rob Duncan, Neil Trout, Martin Thorne, the warden Dean Jones and others.

The Red-necked Grebe was still present in the Landing Bay, along with a Dark-bellied Brent Goose, and a male Yellowhammer was at Quarter Wall. Also reported were 5 Teal, 1 (or maybe 2) Buzzard, a male Kestrel, a Sparrowhawk, 1 Cuckoo, 1 Whimbrel, 1 Jackdaw, 1 Garden Warbler, 3 Pied Flycatchers and 1 Lesser Redpoll. There was a steady passage of Swallows, conservatively estimated at 500, plus 4 House Martins and a Sand Martin. Ringing was slower than recent days, with around 30 birds ringed.

28th April – Osprey among a modest movement of migrants

Lighter headwinds seem to have favoured a little more movement today, with Martin Thorne's sighting of an Osprey being mobbed by gulls off South West Point at around 1pm the undoubted highlight. Martin also reports half-a-dozen or so Whimbrels along the East Side and the Red-necked Grebe still in the Landing Bay. Rob Duncan ringed a further 60 birds, including 25 Willow Warblers, 12 Blackcaps, 7 Sedge Warblers, 6 Chiffchaffs, 4 Whitethroats, a Lesser Whitethroat and a Grasshopper Warbler, plus a Goldfinch and a Linnet. With the wind backing SE overnight and into the weekend, after several days of chilly northerlies, will there be a surge of migration?

27th April – A bit more on the move

With lighter winds, Rob managed to ring a further 57 new birds, including both Lesser Whitethroat and Grasshopper Warbler. A few Swallows were also on the move.

26th April – Fair variety but low numbers

This evening's bulletin from Rob confirms that it was "hard work today in a fresh north-easterly", but that he managed to find a sheltered mist-net site below Government House, which caught 12 new birds, including two Grasshopper Warblers, a Whitethroat and a Sedge Warbler. Elsewhere, there were three Whimbrels at Benjamin's Chair, a Dunlin at the Rocket Pole, plus 10 Wheatears in the same general area, a Merlin along the East Side, and a Fieldfare in Millcombe, while hirundines comprised a few Swallows and a couple of House Martins.

25th April – Northerly blast stops play

The wind was still light enough for Rob to open a few nets in Millcombe first thing, which revealed a small overnight arrival of migrants, with Willow Warblers again making up the bulk of the 39 new birds ringed before the wind picked up suddenly, heralding a northerly squall, so that the nets were closed again at 08.30. Among the other species ringed were a few Blackcaps and Sedge Warblers (but no Chiffchaffs) and a female Pied Flycatcher. A retrap Reed Warbler had gained weight since it was last handled. The only hirundines seen on 25th, as of early afternoon, were 2 House Martins – not entirely surprising given the blast of Arctic air across the country, though it did stay largely dry, the island escaping most of the blustery showers streaming south. This evening the inshore waters forecast is "north veering northeast, 5 to 7, backing north 4 or 5; showers" so another quiet day for migration is on the cards for Wednesday.

Additional news for Monday (24th) concerns a late continental Robin among the birds ringed, while a very grey Song Thrush was singing in Millcombe first thing.

24th April – Getting on for 200 birds ringed; first Spotted Flycatchers & Lesser Whitethroat

During a further excellent day for ringing, Rob Duncan ringed 178 new birds (bringing the total to just over 700 since 19 April!), including: 88 Willow Warblers, 24 Blackcaps, 16 Chiffchaffs, 14 Sedge Warblers, 8 Whitethroats, 2 Grasshopper Warblers and one each of Firecrest, Lesser Whitethroat (first of the year), Spotted Flycatcher (also a first for the year) and male Pied Flycatcher. A male Ring Ouzel would also have featured in the ringing totals had it not managed to find its way out of a mist net... Hirundine passage was down in comparison with Sunday, but other migrants included a Reed Warbler, two more Spotted Flycatchers, 10 Wheatears, and a Yellow Wagtail, the latter flying over Millcombe.