Bardsey pt 2 Monday Saxon king, Tuesday seal of approval

I hope I am remembering these in the right order. Monday I was on breakfast duty so was unable to make the early morning trip to the beach at Solvach. I did get lots of compliments about the porridge though.

Our morning expedition was to the north west hide via the two cottages Hendy and Nant. The first bird we saw was a slight puzzle but we eventually decided it was a knot. Once squeezed into the hide we saw several manxies, gannets,  and a few fulmars. I saw a single kittiwake, then a sooty shearwater and a small group of guillemots. We had already decided to walk south down the west coast to Solvach for our lunch. On our way we caught a glimpse of two or three Sandwich terns battling their way against the wind and occasionally diving to catch a snack. During lunch we saw sanderling, turnstone, rock pipit and wheatear. Our afternoons were usually free for us to do as we wished ( as were the mornings) so I decided to go arty and try my hand at pottery. On my walk to the northern part of the island I saw a sparrowhawk and three common blue butterflies.

I started making a whistle type instrument in the shape of a bird. I do know what it is called but I cannot spell it. Monday evening Steve the Observatory warden gave us a talk on observatories in Britain and then Bardsey in particular.
Tuesday early walk was north where from the hide I saw little gull, peregrine, some shags, another sooty shearwater and several manxies. The walk back for breakfast revealed 103 linnet, a raven and another common blue butterfly. We walked south after breakfast noting a dunlin on the beach at Solvach with the expected pipits and wagtails. We also had more manxies and gannets, though two seal pups gave some of our party greater pleasure. A number of wheatears also kept jumping into view as though they wanted to be sure we had seen them. Just before lunch we paused for fifteen minutes or so for reflection on how God had been revealing himself in all the wonderful things we had already seen ( Romans chap 1 v 20). Further sea watching from the north west hide enabled us to see bonxies and common scoter. Late afternoon in the Schoolhouse, Christine Evans gave us a fascinating talk on the history of Bardsey In the evening we had a talk from the WDCS who were also on the island trying to monitor Risso's dolphin.