30th July 2023

 Weather:  W force 7/8, decreasing 5 by noon.

A blustery day, and needing to to transport some maintenance equipment over to the island an early visit to be there at the high tide gave the opportunity to scan for sea birds blown in on these unusually strong late July winds. Six Arctic Skuas were noted, also 20 Manx Shearwaters, 280 Gannets feeding in Liverpool Bay, where 50 Common Scoter could be seen.  Five Great Crested Grebes made up the numbers with 3 Guillemots and and best of all a Black Guillemot; recalling events in the spring when many sightings were logged. A Willow Warbler was battling the gale in the obs garden, another was found a little later plus a surprise juvenile Whitethroat was in the 'heli' trap

On the flood tide there were lots of waders around including 11 Turnstone and 18 Sanderling.

 

also 3 Whimbrel, 12 Curlew, 800 Dunlin, a Bar-tailed Godwit and 4 Ringed Plover.

Terns showed nicely with 250 Sandwich, 50 Common and 3 Little. Apart from the 3 warblers on the island the sole other 'migrant' was a Swift. A female Eider was present and 7 Little Egrets were around the shore.

A Shag was amongst the 600 Cormorants today. Flying insects were a migrant Hawker Dragonfly, 4 Small White and a Gatekeeper Butterfly.

Photos CJW