After what seems like weeks of unsettled weather conditions, we’ve at last been able to enjoy a few days of calmer winds and the odd warm ray of sunshine. The mixture of southerly and easterly airflows has also enabled a slow but assured movement of spring migrants to pass through the island, although numbers are still far below the norm for this time of year.
Movements of classic spring migrants have been dominated by warblers: Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and Goldcrests are present in the double figures most days at the moment; the first Grasshopper Warblers of the year have made their presence known with their superb reeling song; and the odd Firecrest has added a splash of colour to the more muted tones of Phylloscopus warblers like Chiffchaffs (‘though you can’t diss their song!).
The first House Martin of the year was seen on the 9th, although both Swallows and Sand Martins have barely crept into the double or triple figure counts expected for mid-April; chats are on the move, with Wheatear numbers slowly building around the coast, and a few migrant Stonechats noticeable alongside the island’s breeders. Two Black Redstarts arrived in the Lighthouse compound on the 8th, and the first Common Redstarts of the year should find their way to us in the coming days. Just today (12th) we’ve also had our fist Pied Flycatcher and ‘flava’ Yellow Wagtail. It’s all kicking off!
Otherwise, we’ve enjoyed some real island rarities in the absence of spring overshoots like Hoopoes and Woodchat Shrikes: who can beat the single Greylag Goose and pair of Canada Geese touring the island yesterday? or the gripping male House Sparrow chirping away in the lowlands? The quirks of island birding…
The moth traps have been stationed in the observatory garden and amongst the wind-battered shrubbery in our garden over the last week. Despite the perfect conditions (calm, cloudy and moonless nights), there has been a distinct lack of diversity…a handful of Dark Sword-grass, Early Thorns, Hebrew Characters, Common Quakers and a Common Plume (Emmelina monodactyla) is the about the extent of the fare currently on offer. Hopefully this will change as temperatures are set to rise next week.
The plantlife of the island is – like everything else – progressing rather slowly. That said, there is still plenty to look at. Even without the bright and charismatic wildflowers that tend to draw attention from the casual eye, a closer look at the ground and rock crevices might reveal some of the amazing mosses and lichens inhabiting their distinct niches. We’re lucky to have some rather scarce species here on Bardsey, including the dazzling Golden Hair Lichen (Teloschistes flavicans) and Ciliate Strap Lichen (Heterodermia leucomelos). Amongst the mosses, the most prominent species at the moment are Rhitidiadelphus squarrosus and Polytrichum juniperinum/piliferum.
Thrift is sprouting into life here and there, with some flowers tentatively flowering in the more sheltered areas. Otherwise this highly salt-tolerant species is displaying fresh growth in its colourful basal leaves, looking almost like coral polyps when viewed closely!
With a couple of brilliantly still, clear nights, it’s been fun to get out with the camera and do some astro imaging. I’m always blown away by the amount of light pollution from the mainland, even in this relatively un-populous part of the country…
Lastly, I’ve been enjoying testing out a new sound-recording setup purchased second hand off ebay recently. This consists of a Sennheiser ME-66 shotgun mic, a ‘deadcat’ to muffle out wind noise, and the app ‘TwistedWave’ on my iPhone (thanks to the advice of one of my lectures, Richard Ffrench-constant). I’ll be posting up recording on my soundcloud account whenever I can, but here are some from the last few days…
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