7th September 2026

 Weather:  SW force 3/4

An afternoon visit discovered that there were now 11 pale-bellied Brent, and increase on the 9 that arrived yesterday. 

 Among the 300 or so Black-headed Gulls on the shore was a Mediterranean Gull in adult winter plumage.

A nice sighting were 1,200 Black-tailed Godwits flying from Salisbury bank towards  the Wirral shore

 

 

Bar-tailed Godwits were also recorded (45 today), also 35 Redshank, 50 Curlew and 20 Ringed Plover.

Twenty Common Scoter and 4 Shelduck were noted and just 9 Little Egrets, also Grey Heron and Kestrel. On the island were a Robin, a Blackbird, 2 Pied Wagtails, a Meadow Pipit and 6 Rock Pipits, this one feeding on the shore.

 A Wheatear that is here is the same as that seen for several days around the buildings.

 Butterflies are still about in numbers, particularly Clouded Yellow, there were 4 today

 

also a painted lady, Green-veined White (3), 

and a Comma.

Photos SRW

6th September 2026

 Weather: SE force 3/4 at first with rain,  SSE 4 in the afternoon.

 

 Just as we thought the day was over, we noticed 9 Pale-bellied Brent drifting up the gutter on the evening tide. The first of the autumn/winter!  Together with Dunlin and Ringed Plover a juvenile Little Stint was seen near to Little Eye following one on the north shore recently. Picture of that bird from Meols (below).

 A Snipe was another sign of the autumn and a Chiffchaff was present,

 ...  also a Wheatear, and a few Robins appeared between the showers. Apart from the Little Stint waders included 2 Whimbrel, 220 Curlew, 850 Dunlin, 20 Knot, 350 Ringed Plover, 100 Redshank, and 132 Sanderling.

  Little Egrets have been numerous this last week or so, there were 20 today. 

 

 Only 4 Sandwich Terns seem to be remaining at the moment, 13 Swallows were about and a Raven showed up as often happens recently. About 20 Meadow Pipits seen today were an increase, 3 Pied Wagtails and 5 Rock Pipits were seen. from the moth trap this morning was a Delicate moth.

 

 Photos CJW, SRW

5th September 2026

 Weather: WNW  force 4

 A search for some more sea birds this morning found another Leach's Petrel from the island. The wind had dropped overnight so apart from 120 Common Scoter and the odd Sandwich tern in sight little else showed up. A Good amount of maintenance work was done on the Newton trap yesterday. 5 rotten posts  along with cross pieces at front of trap replaced with oak. The Catching box end repaired on south side where wood had rotted and gap along top edge. New wire at entrance on west side. Just the roof needs doing now.

 

 A Wheatear made it to the island even in this north westerly but was the sole small migrant to admire. A Grey Heron and 15 Little Egrets were a good total for the shore. There were 2 juvenile Peregrines interacting down the west side. 

 

 

Small numbers of waders were spotted even on this day without a large tide including 120 Curlew, a Whimbrel, 200 Dunlin, 45 Redshank, 30 Turnstone and 35 Bar-tailed Godwits. Two Ravens were about Little Eye as members departed. Butterflies featured 8 Painted Ladies (they have been numerous this year), and a Green-veined White, 

 

  and 2 Clouded Yellows (again several have been seen although normally rare here)

 

Photos CJW, PSW, SRW
 

4th September 2026

Weather:  W force 6/7 

 An early afternoon visit for the tide on a windy day didn't pay real dividends until just after 7pm when our first Leach's Petrel of the autumn floated west passed the island. Other seabirds reacting to the tide in strong winds were 5 Manx Shearwaters, 3 Fulmars, 8 Gannets; a summer plumage Red-throated Diver, a Guillemot and 220 Common Scoter. Sandwich Terns are still here, 320 today with 22 Common Terns. Waders gathering before the tide included 4,500 Oystercatchers, 220 Curlew, a Whimbrel, 80 Turnstone, 300 Knot, 500 Dunlin, 45 Redshank, 2 Sanderling and 84 Bar-tailed Godwit.

 also  85 Grey Plover, 250 Ringed Plover,

   Making up the numbers are 5 Little Egrets, a Grey Heron and an adult Peregrine. 

 There was little seen down on the island, just 4 Rock Pipits and 2 Pied Wagtails.  

 Photos SRW

28th August 2026

 Weather: force 5   rain at first

A brisk force 5 breeze and heavy rain greeted observers first thing but, as the weather forecast predicted, the rain soon blew through leaving a warm and humid day. Highlights were the number of waders that have suddenly arrived with two new Turnstone being added to our colour flagging project. Both juvenile birds. 

 

 Good numbers of both Redshank and Curlew were seen, also several Whimbrel.

  

The roosting waders on Middle Eye were unsettled and it soon be came apparent why when a juvenile Peregrine half heartedly swooped over them before passing close to the Obs and heading towards North Wales.

 

 Three Wheatears were present but disappeared before the high tide 

A single Willow Warbler was seen in the Obs garden. Continuing the Willow theme a pair of Willow Emerald Damselflies were found in tandem in the heli trap. We have confirmed that this is indeed the first record of this species for the island.

 

Other invertebrates included several Red Admirals  and Painted Ladies.

 Photos PSW

27th August 2026

 Weather: ENE force 1, later force 3,     rain from 10.00

 

 

It was not long before the rain started, its been a while since we have seen so much protracted rain. The most significant gathering of waders was again the Black-tailed Godwits that were off the Tanskies and south of middle. There were 3,200 counted today.

 

 

Eight hundred and fifty Black-headed Gulls was a good count, with 6 Great Black-backs and 28 Lesser Black-backs. 

 Other wader counts were 320 Curlew, 2 Whimbrel, 45 Turnstone, 28 Bar-tailed Godwits, 120 Dunlin, 110 Redshank, 62 Grey Plover, 8 Sanderling and 85 Ringed Plovers.

Despite the poor weather a Willow Warbler and 3 Wheatears arrived on the island. Twenty Five Common Terns and 420 Sandwich Terns were the main sea birds around the islands, 

 and 3 Grey Herons and 15 Little Egrets were here also with 2 male Common Scoters. Surprisingly quite a few butterflies were on the wing, 6 painted Ladies, 5 Small Whites, 3 Large Whites and 2 Red Admirals.

 Photos; SRW  

26th August 2026

 Weather: E force 3, light rain mid-morning 

 Despite a few rain showers there was no migration to speak of, the best was a Whinchat on Middle after the rain, but it only stayed 10 minutes or so. Three Wheatears however hung about the island all morning. The Hilbre rarities however were found on the shore with 2 Green Sandpipers seen, a very scarce bird here. More normal waders were 40 Knot, 80 Redshank, a Whimbrel and 4 Bar-tailed Godwit. Sandwich Terns are still massing on the shore with 650 present. Twenty one Teal were early visitors and later 2 Shoveler were sighted, still a fairly scarce bird. Another Marsh Harrier (immature) for the year flew west at 11.45. The Kestrel was present this morning. Flying insects included a Lesser Yellow Underwing moth, 2 Small White butterflies, 5 Red Admirals and 16 Painted Ladies, they have been numerous this year. 

 Ringed: 2 Robins, 2 Wrens. 

25th August 2026

 Weather: SE force 2,  E 2 in the afternoon

A touch of autumn this morning when a Common Snipe sat at the north end, a nice surprise.

 

 

There were no Willow Warblers first thing although one did show up after the tide. Three Wheatears were the best of the small migrants,

 ... although a White Wagtail and 3 Pied Wagtails were also present. A small passage of Swallows (19) took place, some as usual used the Motus aerial as a perch.

 

  

 Sea watching was productive however, with the first dark phase Arctic Skua before the tide, also 2 Manx Shearwaters, 20 Gannets, 500 Sandwich Terns, 176 Common Scoter, 15 Common Terns, a Little Tern, a Guillemot and 4 Great Crested Grebes. Around the islands were 9 Shelduck, 9 Little Egrets, 15 Teal, an adult Mediterranean Gull and 2 Shags.

 Good numbers of waders were present, including 3,000 Oystercatchers, 60 Ringed Plover, 15 Grey Plover, 30 dunlin, 20 Turnstone, 21 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Whimbrel and 140 Curlew.

 

 Fifteen Rock Pipits were estimated here, one of which caught a Poplar Hawkmoth at the north end.

 As part of our regular census of the Grey Seals 280 were counted.

 

Two dragonflies which were noted were a Southern Hawker and a Black-tailed Skimmer while lepidoptera included the Brimstone moth and the confusingly similar scarce Clouded Yellow butterfly.

 Several other butterflies were recorded like 8 Large White, 12 Small White, a Common Blue, 20 Red Admiral,

 

...... and 12 Painted Lady

Photos AEH