The twenty eighth was a superb, sunny day, however sturdy winds have continued this week. They’ve principally been southerly which means that even Millcombe Valley, sometimes sheltered from the prevailing winds, was blustery with restricted exercise a lot of the time. The island was cloaked in a clingy mist for everything of 1st October. Come the 2nd, the mist lifted, revealing an eerily nonetheless morning the place lastly ringing in Millcombe may resume earlier than the mist returned late afternoon. 

60 Blackcaps, 20 Goldcrests and a reasonably late Pied Flycatcher have been all ringed on the 2nd. The flycatcher was scored low on fats and muscle, which is maybe telling of it is late arrival. Circumstances listed below are nonetheless very delicate with a whole lot of bugs nonetheless very lively so there needs to be loads of meals to permit this fowl to feed up and enhance it is situation for the onwards journey.

All through this week two Water Rail proceed to name in Millcombe and a Gray Heron is seen day by day transferring between waterbodies. A Golden Plover was heard across the airfield on the Twenty ninth-Thirtieth. On the Twenty ninth a single Ringed Plover was on the bottom on the north finish, together with a Dunlin. One other Ringed Plover was heard flying over Millcombe on each the Twenty ninth and Thirtieth. 

Three Cormorants have been seen out to sea on the twenty eighth, and one other three flew south over the airfield on the Twenty ninth – may these be the identical people? Curiously earlier within the month 12 Cormorants have been seen flying south off of Rat Island, while 4 days later one other 12 have been picked up. It is troublesome to know if these are once more repeat sightings of this pretty scarce Lundy customer, or simply coincidences! A seawatch on the nonetheless morning of the 2nd produced high quality if not amount, with two Arctic Skua heading north in addition to Nice Northern Diver.

Three Cormorant heading south, seen from the Airfield. © Angus Croudace

A excessive rely of 40 Rock Pipit was recorded on the twenty eighth, with just a few across the village however most picked up on the west coast on the plateau above Brazen Ward. This may very well be a mix of migrant birds dropping onto the plateau, or maybe a extra native motion of our native breeders in search of extra shelter for the winter. We had excessive counts of 566 Meadow Pipit and 39 Skylark on the Twenty ninth on this interval. A night dazzling on the Twenty ninth caught 11 Skylark, together with one of many 21 Wheatear recorded on the identical date.

4 buntings have been added to the Lundy 12 months checklist in simply over every 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 earlier within the week, regardless of concerted efforts it was not refound later within the day. Reed Bunting singles have been recorded each in Millcombe and at Pondsbury on the 2nd.

Reed Bunting, Pondsbury © Angus Croudace

The Twenty ninth noticed one other push of hirundines together with 594 Swallow and 132 Home Martin. Amongst them Chris Baillie picked up a juvenile American Cliff Swallow, a vagrant customer that, if accepted, would be the first report of this species for Lundy. This report is a part of a significant inflow to the Western Palaearctic this autumn after they have been initially displaced by sturdy winds on the North American continent in late August.

We have had one other two waves of Blackcaps this week after simply seven being left on the twenty eighth; 78 on the Thirtieth and 100 on the 2nd. A second younger Barred Warbler of the autumn was seen across the high of Millcombe on the Twenty ninth. Luke additionally managed to catch and ring our long-staying Whinchat, which by no means strays removed from Barton’s Fields. On the 2nd two Frequent Crossbills have been noticed coming into Millcombe and feeding within the pines for ten minutes earlier than departing as rapidly as they arrived.

Frequent Crossbill, Millcombe Pines © Angus Croudace

First winter feminine Whinchat © Nicola Dunkin

The primary Lesser Whitethroat of Autumn was picked up within the willows on the Terrace on the twenty eighth and refound at Quarter Wall on the Twenty ninth. A Sedge Warbler was current at Pondsbury on the twenty eighth and a Reed Warbler on the 2nd. A few Noticed Flycatchers have been hanging on in Millcombe, with a excessive rely of three on the Twenty ninth. Two Tree Pipit have been seen on the Twenty ninth, one on the bottom in SW area, and the opposite calling round Millcombe. On the Thirtieth six Siskin have been bombing round Millcombe very first thing, with one other two singles picked up later within the day. One other single Music Thrush was seen in Millcombe on the Twenty ninth and a Firecrest was in Smelly Gully on the first, the primary because the twenty second.

Lesser Whitethroat, Quarter Wall © Joe Parker

Wheatear, Stonecrusher © Joe Parker