4th August 2026

 Weather: SE force 3 with showers initially, followed by SSW 5 by mid morning

The south easterly early flattered to deceive with the wind turning south westerly much too early. A little bit of ringing took place however with a Goldcrest and a Sedge Warbler being the best of the day.

 Most of the other small birds were the regulars that have been here some time, even a Willow Warbler failed to appear. A few Swallows flew about and a Sand Martin showed up but little else. Two Whimbrel and 3 Bar-tailed Godwit were the best wader sightings before the approach of the tide. Regulars to the island included 2 Little Egrets, 3 Grey Herons and the Kestrel. A single Common Scoter was the sole 'sea bird', but Black-headed Gulls showed up in numbers (about 2,000). Butterflies were scarcer today, 30 Small Whites and 15 Red Admirals, while moths seen were 2 Large Yellow underwings and a single Small.

 Ringed: 1 Goldcrest, 1 Sedge Warbler, 3 Linnets, 1 Robin, 1 Wren. 

Photo:  B T  

3rd August 2026

 Weather: SE force 3    hot and sunny

A lovely early autumn day with a little migration, the single Willow Warbler arrival was trapped for ringing, A small passage of Swallows enabled 2 to be ringed, an event that is not too regular in most years.

 

Three Linnets and 3 Wrens completed the ringing for the day. A single House Martin was a visitor, also 8 Swifts. At this afternoons high tide good counts of waders were made. There were 2,800 Dunlin, 650 Ringed Plover, 2,600 Oystercatchers, 40 Knot, 120 Redshank, 14 Curlew, 3 Whimbrel, 14 Sanderling, 24 Turnstone, a Bar-tailed Godwit and scarcer visitor of a Lapwing. Lots of gulls were about also 260 Sandwich Terns and a single Common Tern. Various other scarce but regular arrivals were a Merlin (chasing Meadow Pipits at the north end), also a Raven and a Goosander. A Great White Egret came in off the sea and became bird of the day despite its recent increase in the lower estuary. The remains of a Bottlenose Dolphin lay on the shore and was reported to the cetacean strandings investigation programme. 

 

With the warm weather came several insects of note including 60 Red Admirals, 140 Small Whites, a Painted Lady, a Peacock, 3 Common Blues, a Silver Y moth and an Emperor dragonfly. 

 

Photos BT 

2nd August 2026

 Weather: ESE force 2,  warm and sunny 

 Nice morning with reasonable movement of swallows, as well as a couple of swifts.  Garden warbler was a nice surprise, but not unknown to turn up here in August.

 

 About 10 Willow Warblers were down on the island with a small number of Meadow Pipits and a passage of 66 Swallows. Tern numbers continued to build with at least 250 Sandwich a few Little but no Common recorded. Dunlin and Ringed Plover were present on the flooding tide as well as a few Bar-tailed Godwits, 10 Whimbrel and about 50 Curlew.  One of 2 Little Egrets was seen to be colour ringed. Two Ravens came by as they now do regularly. A Wall Brown butterfly was noted in the paddock, fairly scarce here. 

 

 ............as well as 8 Painted Ladies, a Red Admiral, some Small Whites, 2 Common Blues  and the first short-tailed field vole noticed in ages!

Ringed: 2 Willow Warblers, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Linnet. 

Photos CJW 

22nd July 2026

Weather: SW force 3    NW 2 by afternoon,  cloudy and quite humid

No real migration but a juvenile Black Guillemot was a good find in the east gutter (record shot). It drifted off the north end as the tide ebbed.

 

 Noted on the island this morning were 8 Rock Pipits, 3 alba wagtails, 2 Blackbirds, 3 Swallows and 14 Linnets. Numbers of Sandwich Terns are building up (240), also gulls, 300 Black-headed and 600 Herring, 18 Lesser and 22 Greater Black backed. Waders around included 38 Ringed Plover, 62 Curlew, 8 Knot, 14 Dunlin. Little Egrets numbered 13 and the Kestrel was still about. Small Copper was the best butterfly of the day.

Not quite so scarce were 14 Small Whites, 3 Gatekeepers, 4 Red Admirals, 5 Painted Ladies and 4 Common Blues.

  

Ringed: 1 Wren, 1 Linnet, both birds will have been Hilbre born.

Photos BT  
 

18th July 2026

 Weather: ESE force 3,  S 2 by late morning

 A cool and cloudy start for a change, different enough to bring the first autumn Willow Warbler to the island.

No other small migrants were about, only the regulars, most interesting of which were the mixed pair of a female Pied Wagtail and a male White Wagtail feeding young at the north end.

 A pair of Swallows amongst the half dozen or so on the island seemed also to be engaged in nesting activity.

 

 

 At least one juvenile Blackbird was also locally bred.

 Its many years since Kestrels bred on the island, but they are frequently here to feed.

 

 

 

Amongst the 70 Curlew present it was great to see returning Curlew BB-OBB which was ringed at Nordhorn Zoo (close to the Dutch border), Germany, on 12/06/2024. This was one of 30 juvenile Curlews released at Nordhorn Zoo in 2024

 Thirteen Redshank and a Whimbrel arrived from the North calling as they flew in .

 

 Three Turnstone fed at the north end.

 

 A single Red Admiral was the sole butterfly showing in the morning.

Ringed: 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Rock Pipit. 

Photos AEH 

16th July 2026

 Weather: E force 1/2   later N 2/3   hot and sunny

Not so many butterflies as the other day, nevertheless for a summer day a good number were recorded again. As usual Red Admirals predominated with 200 seen, many were looking a bit battered from their journey.

 

 Painted Ladies appeared with up to 40 recorded and there were 30 Small Whites, 4 Common Blues, 2 Gatekeepers, 2 Meadow Browns and a Cinnabar. The most surprising find was a Box Tree moth, a species originally from Asia that has spread to Britain over the last couple of decades and caused some damage to plants.

 

 Just 3 dragonflies were seen today, 2 Emperors and a Migrant Hawker. Only 2 Swifts were recorded today but 64 Sand Martins were exceptional in addition to 29 Swallows. A pair of White Wagtails and 2 immature Pied Wagtails were on the island. Rock Pipits numbered 14 following a good breeding season. The sea was very quiet (just 120 Sandwich Terns) and waders seen included 4 Ringed Plover and a Whimbrel. Three Little Egrets and 2 Grey Herons were on the shore.

Photos BT 

14th July 2026

 Weather: ESE force 2/3  Hot and sunny

 Another nice morning, still the odd Swift coming through, a Chiffchaff and a couple of Pied Wagtails still here. Terns including 4 Little and 20 Sandwich are around. Six Little Egrets and 4 Grey Herons are about the shore with the waders. Chief interest in the morning was the contents of the overnight moth trap which included a long list.

 Massive highlight for the day however was a Lesser Emperor dragonfly which landed on the mesh of one of the traps.

 We are used to seeing a few Emperors in mid-summer but never before has there been a Lesser Emperor at Hilbre! A few pictures of some of the moths.

 

Rustic

 

Smoky Wainscot

 

Shaded Broad-Bar

 

True Lovers Knot

White Line Dart

Even with the parched landscape at least a Common Frog has survived.

Photos CJW

13th July 2026

 Weather: E force 3/4    sunny and very warm

 The easterly breeze drifted in a few migrants to the islands also a great many insects. Among those present were (left to right) the Hilbre obs chairman and secretary plus John Horton warden of the Cape Clear observatory in Ireland. They had represented the Bird Observatories Council at the bird fair over the weekend.

A Ruff, very scarce at Hilbre, was found while passing over Middle and seen again to the west of Middle in the evening. Also on the shore this morning were many Black-headed Gulls, several Common Gulls and a juvenile Mediterranean Gull. An adult Mediterranean Gull was also seen moving down the west side of the island this morning. A Marsh Harrier drifted south at lunch time. 

 

On the island in the morning were 2 Chiffchaffs, a Sand Martin came through and there were 9 alba wagtails. Later small parties of Swifts totalling 110 birds mostly also headed south as the evening approached.  Reasonable numbers of terns were around the island including 14 Common, 5 Little and 55 Sandwich.

 

Other sea sightings were few, although 16 Gannets and a Red-breasted Merganser made the list. Many waders (including 4 Whimbrel) were about but insects provided the main interest of the day. Five species of dragonfly were one of the highlights, an Emporer was the largest as usual. 

 There were both male Ruddy Darter,

 

 .. and female Ruddy Darter

 

 

  A Migrant hawker and a scarcer Black-tailed Skimmer were also on the list.

 

 Butterflies arrived in massive numbers, 500 Red Admirals, 

 also 200 Small Whites, 10 Peacocks, 3 Green-veined Whites, 2 Gatekeepers, 2 Meadow Browns, a Common Blue, A Wall butterfly, a Ringlet. Photographed were a Large White and a Painted lady. 

 

 Our guest (JH) made a great list of insects including over 200 7-spot Ladybirds !

 

 also a Burnet moth 

 Further information on the Bird Observatories Council is here in their newsletter.

Photos: CJW, SRW