The twenty eighth was once a high-quality, sunny day, however sturdy winds have persevered this week. They have got most commonly been southerly which means that even Millcombe Valley, generally sheltered from the present winds, was once blustery with restricted process a lot of the time. The island was once cloaked in a clingy mist for everything of 1st October. Come the 2d, the mist lifted, revealing an eerily nonetheless morning the place after all ringing in Millcombe may resume ahead of the mist returned past due afternoon.
60 Blackcaps, 20 Goldcrests and a relatively past due Pied Flycatcher have been all ringed at the 2d. The flycatcher was once scored low on fats and muscle, which is in all probability telling of it is past due arrival. Stipulations listed here are nonetheless very gentle with a large number of bugs nonetheless very lively so there will have to be quite a lot of meals to permit this fowl to feed up and toughen it is situation for the onwards adventure.
Right through this week two Water Rail proceed to name in Millcombe and a Gray Heron is noticed day-to-day shifting between waterbodies. A Golden Plover was once heard across the airfield at the Twenty ninth-Thirtieth. At the Twenty ninth a unmarried Ringed Plover was once at the floor on the north finish, along side a Dunlin. Every other Ringed Plover was once heard flying over Millcombe on each the Twenty ninth and Thirtieth.
3 Cormorants have been noticed out to sea at the twenty eighth, and some other 3 flew south over the airfield at the Twenty ninth – may those be the similar folks? Curiously previous within the month 12 Cormorants have been noticed flying south off of Rat Island, while 4 days later some other 12 have been picked up. It is tricky to grasp if those are once more repeat sightings of this quite scarce Lundy customer, or simply coincidences! A seawatch at the nonetheless morning of the 2d produced high quality if no longer amount, with two Arctic Skua heading north in addition to Nice Northern Diver.
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| 3 Cormorant heading south, noticed from the Airfield. © Angus Croudace |
A top rely of 40 Rock Pipit was once recorded at the twenty eighth, with a couple of across the village however maximum picked up at the west coast at the plateau above Brazen Ward. This is usually a mix of migrant birds losing onto the plateau, or in all probability a extra native motion of our native breeders in the hunt for extra safe haven for the iciness. We had top counts of 566 Meadow Pipit and 39 Skylark at the Twenty ninth on this length. A night dazzling at the Twenty ninth stuck 11 Skylark, along side one of the vital 21 Wheatear recorded at the identical date.
4 buntings had been added to the Lundy 12 months checklist in simply over per week, with an Ortolan Bunting picked up on census close to the Stonecrusher on Thirtieth. A lot alike the Little and Yellow-breasted Buntings from previous within the week, in spite of concerted efforts it was once no longer refound later within the day. Reed Bunting singles have been recorded each in Millcombe and at Pondsbury at the 2d.
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| Reed Bunting, Pondsbury © Angus Croudace |
The Twenty ninth noticed some other push of hirundines together with 594 Swallow and 132 Area Martin. Amongst them Chris Baillie picked up a juvenile American Cliff Swallow, a vagrant customer that, if permitted, would be the first file of this species for Lundy. This file is a part of a big inflow to the Western Palaearctic this fall once they have been first of all displaced via sturdy winds at the North American continent in past due August.
We have now had some other two waves of Blackcaps this week after simply seven being left at the twenty eighth; 78 at the Thirtieth and 100 at the 2d. A 2d younger Barred Warbler of the fall was once noticed across the most sensible of Millcombe at the Twenty ninth. Luke additionally controlled to catch and ring our long-staying Whinchat, which by no means strays a long way from Barton’s Fields. At the 2d two Not unusual Crossbills have been seen getting into Millcombe and feeding within the pines for ten mins ahead of departing as temporarily as they arrived.
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| Not unusual Crossbill, Millcombe Pines © Angus Croudace |
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| First iciness feminine Whinchat © Nicola Dunkin |
The primary Lesser Whitethroat of Autumn was once picked up within the willows at the Terrace at the twenty eighth and refound at Quarter Wall at the Twenty ninth. A Sedge Warbler was once provide at Pondsbury at the twenty eighth and a Reed Warbler at the 2d. A few Noticed Flycatchers had been placing on in Millcombe, with a top rely of 3 at the Twenty ninth. Two Tree Pipit have been noticed at the Twenty ninth, one at the floor in SW box, and the opposite calling round Millcombe. At the Thirtieth six Siskin have been bombing round Millcombe very first thing, with some other two singles picked up later within the day. Every other unmarried Tune Thrush was once noticed in Millcombe at the Twenty ninth and a Firecrest was once in Pungent Gully at the 1st, the primary for the reason that twenty second.
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| Lesser Whitethroat, Quarter Wall © Joe Parker |
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| Wheatear, Stonecrusher © Joe Parker |