Enlli am byth ..

Enchanting Enlli continued
Tuesday: The weather was good enough at 0600 for the nets to be opened at Nant Plantation. I went to see if there were any birds passing off the North West corner and to see if there were any more spikes of Autumn Lady's tresses. Sadly there were very few shearwaters and gulls and no more spikes of my favourite orchid. I walked to Nant to see how the ringers were doing. They had ringed a Robin, a Scouple of Spotted Flycatchers and a Wren. Some birds get expert at avoiding the nets, which meant we saw but didn't catch Tree Pipit and Pied Flycatcher. Managed a photo of the Flycatcher There were also some chough feeding not too far away. I saw one on the roof of one of the buildings 

                                         

Back to Cristin for 9.00 am and toast and then checking the moth trap. This year I seem to be developing a knack of seeing moths away from the trap. The first one seen below is another Orange Swift I noted in the small shop. The second one is what I thought was a piece of white stone in the banking. It was right next to Lady's Bedstraw, so no surprise that it was Galium Carpet.

                                     

  

Walked round to the south end where I passed a Silver Y moth which would not keep still, so no photo. Fortunately many of the seals did not move around so energetically.

 

On Tuesday evening the Whale and Dolphin Conservation used a power point to inform us of their research about Risso's Dolphins in the waters around Bardsey.

Wednesday - After breakfast I walked through the fields to Solvach to look for more waders. I had decent views of Manx Shearwaters and Gannets as well as the Turnstones, a Dunlin and this Ringed Plover.

 

I then had a little doze on the beach listening to Sandwich Terns, Redshank and the inevitable Chough. Back to Cristin for tea and at long last seeing a couple of wheatears, as well as a Small Copper butterfly

                    

Thursday was my day to walk up the mountain. I went via the farm so I could get a view of the large number of Autumn Lady's Tresses. One of the other reasons for making the climb is from this point I can get a signal on my phone to let my family know I am stll around

 

It's also close to a rare lichen that is found on Bardsey, the Golden Hair Lichen. teloschistes flavicans.

 

I also went on a search for one of the slow worms that live here. I always think it is wrongly named. Not only is it not a worm, In my experience it's not slow either. It's actually a legless lizard.

 

Not my best photo, but I didn't want to disturb him too much. After tea, many of us gathered in the schoolroom for a time of music. We had guitars, a banjo, a saxophone, a drum solo,  some lovely singing from some of the young folk on the island, a solo dance, a reading of " The Battle of Hastings" written by Marriot Edgar, an Irish song performed by the Island Chaplain and a rendition by all present of " Ilkley Moor ".  

Friday started off windy again so off to the North West corner for some sea watching. We did see a teal on Nant pond which is the first time I've seen this duck on Bardsey.

We don't just watch the sea, but note the birds that are hugging the coast as they fly past. Lots of Gannets, Kittywakes, Manx Shearwaters, Arctic and Sandwich Terns, the occasional Guillemot and a close view of a Great Skua. It was however much easier to photograph this linnet on nearby vegetation. I do include a photo of a bonxie with kind permission of Ben Porter

                              

On my return to Cristin, I noted that the single spike of Autumn Lady's Tresses had been grazed by sheep. Moth trap checked again with this good example of a Flame Shoulder moth. 

 

By afternoon the wind had subsided and the sun was out. Time for more lazing around on the beach. On my walk back to Cristin I had a final check on any flowers I had not recorded for this visit. The ones I always look for, apart from the orchids and samphire are Heath Groundsel and Scarlet Pimpernel. The latter, picture below, often as elusive as Sir Percy. After tea, Kevin, another of the Observatory volunteers showed me a creature I hadn't seen ever. It was a psuedo scorpion neobisium maritimum which had not been recorded on Bardsey before.

 Some people ask me what I do on Bardsey. As you have seen, with birds, butterlies, moths, marine mammals, lichens, flowers and fantastic sunsets, it is my island paradise. 

   

 

Enchanting Enlli - August 2018

My visits to Bardsey always start at Aberdaron on the Friday, smelling the salt from the sea, hearing gulls and chough and meeting friends with whom I'll be spending the week. We gathered at the fish and chip shop for a hearty tea ( not dinner) to find out what time the boat will be the following morning. Colin the boatman has said 0700 at Cwrt, the farm where we leave our vehicles. The early start meant we had to collect the groceries from the Spar shop that evening. On our way we had the usual heron nearby. This is a juvenile, so probably an offspring of the one that often sits on the Spar roof.

 

Once loaded I went off to the campsite for an early night. I asked the next family if they wouldn't mind my pitching there. There response was " We aren't using one of our tents so if you wanted, you could save time and energy and use that one!" That meant at least a half hour earlier to bed and sleep.

Saturday: Up and breakfasted by 6.30, at the boat by 0700 and on the island by 0800. There was also a group from Whale and Dolphin Conservation who were there to see if the could photograph Risso's dolphins for identification purposes. I went straight to the Nort West corner for a short seawatch. Gannets, Manx Shearwaters, a few Kittiwakes and some of the larger gulls were very close to the shore. On my walk back for picnic at Cristin ( the Observatory) I noted choughs and a raven. The afternoon was spent visiting the beach at Solvach.

 Watching Ringed Plover, Sanderling, Turnstones in breeding plumage and this Dunlin made for a pleasant afternoon. 

                                                                              

 

 On my return to Cristin for the evening meal I had a quick look for Autumn Lady's Tresses without success. This view of Rock Samphire was good but I needed more searching if I wanted to locate the orchids.

Sunday: Strong breeze means North West corner. New sightings included Balearic shearwater, Whimbrel and Arctic Skua. Some of us had arranged to go to the chapel for a Sunday service and on the way from the NW corner I looked down at my feet and saw a single spike of Autumn Lady's Tresses.

                                                  

 

 When we arrived at Chapel, the chaplain had not managed to get to Bardsey so we ended up with several of us contributing. Best of all, prayers were conducted by Emma Hughes, a lovely little five year old. Picnic on Solvach followed the service, especially as the wind had subsided. Sandwich, Arctic and Common Terns flew past. A young family who were staying in another cottage on the island, caught some crabs and limpets whilst rock pooling.

 Back to Cristin for evening meal and a good view of Risso's while waiting for the chicken to roast. It was also a good time noting lepidoptera. Painted Lady, Peacock, Meadow Brown and Small tortoiseshell seen in the garden but I was excited to spot an Orange Swift moth on the wall in the Gent's loo. The assistants working with the Observatory caught and ringed this handsome Common Whitethroat.

Monday: Misty morning at sea made sea watching impossible so some of the bird ringers amongst us went to Nant Plantation to see what they could catch. Not being a ringer, I wanted to check the moth trap so was a little later joining the group. The delay meant not only did I see more butterflies, but I was able to photograph a handsome Wood Warbler caught at Cristin and ringed by Steve Stansfield the Warden of Bardsey Observatory.

 

The team at Nant had a fruitful morning being able to ring Willow Warbler, Spotted Fly Catcher, Wrens and a Robin. The photos are of Spotted Flycatcher and Willow Warbler.

                 

                                  

Lunch again was a picnic as I walked down the west coast to Solvach. Activity at sea was quiet but I still enjoyed Sandwich Terns, Rock Pipits, Meadow Pipits, Manx Shearwaters and the diving Gannets. Solvach again was busy with waders on the tide line and seals howling and snorting in the bay. There was a black- headed gull that seemed to be there all week and a Turnstone. It was exhibiting good camouflage, so see if you can spot the bird.

The first half of the week had been superb and I looked forward to the second being just as good.

                                                              

                                                             

Mammals, Moths and Minibeasts

St John's Church in Hurst Green was the location for a Bioblitz held at the start of Cherishing Churchyards' Week which ran from June 9 to June 17. With help from staff and volunteers from Lancashire Wildlife Trust, members of the congegation and A Rocha UK, we started on the Friday evening in lovely late spring weather. The first task was setting humane mammal traps in the grassland then moth traps around the church itself.

 At sunset we held a bat walk with several church members there, using bat detectors. John Hyde, a member of the congregation led us round part of the village. It was an exciting evening with at least three species, Common Pipistrelle, Soprano Pipistrelle and Noctule easily noticed. David from A Rocha UK helped with the identification. We also heard a male Tawny Owl.

Saturday morning starting early with bacon butties at eight as Rob Yates and Bob Pyefinch checked the moth traps and Joan Hunter opened the small mammal traps. There were only two mammals caught, a Wood Mouse and this Bank Vole

Several species of moth were identified even before opening the traps.

 Some on the outside of the trap, and in one case on the wall of the church. It is the moth pictured on the left, a Peach Blossom. We walked past it twice before spotting it. Camouflage is a wonderful adaptation as demonstrated by the Buff Tip in the photograph on the right. The other moth pictured is a Beautiful Golden Y 

           

Surveying had a slight break when Joe Wilson, a reporter from Radio Lancashire turned up to interview some of the organisers. Activities for younger folk were available including checking owl pellets, finding minibeasts and making the life cycle of a moth from pasta
.

 As the morning progressed, Phil and Elspeth came to record flies and hoverflies, but botany we left to the County recorder, David Earle. Phil is in the foreground and David to the right of the group surveying the plants. Some of the flowers included Common Dog Violet, Greater Stitchwort and Eyebright. John Wright, ably assisted by his son surveyed hoverflies.

 Refreshments were in constant supply which helped us keep going all morning. As usual for this time of year, birds were difficult to spot. The one exception being a Barn Owl that had perched in a tree in the other part of the church grounds across the road.

Thanking all those mentioned above involved in the two days especially Julia Simonds from The Wildlife Trust, Clare Hyde from St John's, and David Beattie from A Rocha UK. At the end of the day, all the records were sent via iRecord to the various County Recorders.

More Hats than a Milliner - Starting Again

The title was stolen from Stephen Lowe's introduction of me on the BBC Radio Lancashire " Great Outdoors" show. I will be writing several times during the year, but not always with the same organisation each time. Like too many people this winter, I have had a very bad cough and needed to get out in the open air. My first opportunity came on a Winter Bird Walk for the Friends of Cuerden Valley Park. We travelled past our bird feeders where we noted coal tits, nuthatch, robins and chaffinches. Next stop was over the wooden bridge looking and listening for a kingfisher without success. On arrival at the lake it was good to see a great crested grebe in winter plumage alongside some goosanders, mallards, a coot, moorhen and a grey heron. On the return journey a song thrush was belting out his song, a charm of goldfinches added their contribution, a nuthatch's call sounding like the woodwinds and rounded off from a woodpecker drumming away with percussion.

 



A couple of weeks later, I joined the North Lancashire Bat Group on a survey of hibernating bats. Most of the other members were licensed bat workers and I was there to observe and learn. The damp day had been preceded by a couple of very rainy ones, so extreme caution over the muddy ground was the order of the day. We investigated two caves and a tunnel. The second cave had a very narrow entrance. I did attempt to enter, but my lack of activity over the winter had a negative effect on my flexibility. I therefore chose caution over valour and came out early. I did enter the tunnel and as before took great care to look out for any animals clinging on to the walls. We were rewarded by noting a brown long-eared bat trying to hide behind a snail shell in a cranny in the roof. On our way back for a warming cup of tea, I noted some King Alfred's Cake fungus and Dog Mercury flowering .