SKOMER ISLAND - 12th - 19th July

I went down south to have a week on Skomer Island, with the main purpose to help reach the target of ringing 300 Lesser Black-backed Gull chicks which involved crawling round through Bracken in the extremely warm conditions.   My Skomer list ended up as follows:

Canada Goose – A regular flock around North Pond.

Wigeon – A single drake was on North Pond on 13^th.

Mallard – A couple were usually on North Pond.

Common Scoter – A flock of 22 did a big circuit around the bay in front of North Haven on 18^th.

Fulmar

Manx Shearwater

Gannet

Cormorant

Shag

Heron – Singles were over the island on 13^th and 19^th.

Buzzard – A single pair breeds and both adults were seen occasionally.

Peregrine – A single pair bred which fledged two chicks which were seen regularly over North Haven.

Moorhen

Oystercatcher

Curlew – A flock of nine flew north over the island on 18^th when there was also a single in North Haven.

Common Sandpiper – One was at the base of High Cliff on 17^th and another was in Martin’s Haven when I left.

Great Black-backed Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Herring Gull

Black-headed Gull – A juvenile flew through on 13^th with two more on 17^th and a final five in North Haven on 18^th.

Mediterranean Gull – Two adults flew south between Skomer and Skokholm on 17^th.

Kittiwake

Guillemot

Razorbill

Puffin

Woodpigeon – I found my first ground nesting pair under the Bracken.

Sand Martin – One over the CES site on 13^th.

Swallow

Swift – One over the island on 16^th.

Cuckoo – A juvenile was seen sporadically throughout.

Short-eared Owl – Six pairs bred but most had already dispersed off the island with only a couple seen.

Magpie

Jackdaw

Carrion Crow

Raven

Chough – A poor breeding year due to the very dry, hard ground but a pair with two fledglings were seen regularly.

Starling

Blue Tit – A dispersing juvenile was caught at the CES site on 13^th.

Meadow Pipit

Rock Pipit

Pied Wagtail

Blackcap – A male was caught at the CES site on 13^th.

Whitethroat

Sedge Warbler

Blackbird

Wren

Dunnock

Stonechat – A single pair had fledglings

Wheatear

Linnet

Goldfinch

Lesser Redpoll – One flew over the CES site on 13^th.

Lesser Black-backed Gull chicks of various sizes

and the Woodpigeon nest under the Bracken