Skomer Island. Bird Report Page 1

Transcription

1 Skomer Island Bird Report 2017 Page 1

2 Published by: The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales The Nature Centre Fountain Road Tondu Bridgend CF32 0EH For any enquiries please contact: Skomer Island c/o Lockley Lodge Martins Haven Marloes Haverfordwest Pembrokeshire SA62 3BJ Skomer Island National Nature Reserve is owned by Natural Resources Wales and managed by The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales. More details on visiting Skomer are available at Seabird monitoring on Skomer Island NNR is supported by JNCC.

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4 Table of Contents Skomer Island Bird Report Island rarities summary Skomer Island seabird population summary Skomer Island breeding landbirds population summary Systematic list of birds... 9 Rarity Report Systematic checklist of the birds of Skomer Island Page 4

5 Skomer Island Bird Report 2017 The island was manned between 6 th March and 24 th November. During this time, a total of 172 bird species were recorded, the highest year total of the last ten years at least, improving on the 165 seen in Island rarities summary 2017 Species Island status Last recorded Eastern Subalpine Warbler 1 st and 2 nd records n/a Dark-eyed Junco 1 st island record n/a Common Rosefinch 15 th island records 2015 Melodious Warbler 16 th island records 2016 Bonelli s Warbler sp. 1 st island record n/a Red-necked Phalarope 1 st island record n/a Radde s Warbler 2 nd island record 2007 Red-breasted Flycatcher 20 th island records 2015 Siberian Stonechat 1 st island record n/a Common Crane 1 st island record n/a Sabine s Gull 5 th and 6 th records 2016 Long-tailed Skua 9 th island record 2015 Grey Phalarope 8 th island record 2008 Leach s Petrel 3 rd and 4 th records 2008 Hawfinch 5 th island record 2005 In addition to these island rarities, a host of scarce species were recorded, including Whooper Swan (8) Greater White-fronted Goose (17), Barnacle Goose (2), Red-breasted Merganser, Pomarine Skua, Spoonbill, Wryneck, Kingfisher (2) Sooty Shearwater, Osprey (2), Yellow-browed Warbler, Siberian Chiffchaff (2) Bullfinch, Snow Bunting and Lapland Bunting. Page 5

6 Skomer Island seabird population summary 2017 Fulmars and Razorbills were not counted (whole island) in All other species were counted and the table below summarises the whole island population counts and makes comparison with the previous count as well as giving a five-year percentage change. All the Gulls, except Great Black-backed Gulls, continue to decline but the auks are increasing. Species and count units Totals for 2017 Totals for 2016 % change from previous count Fulmar (AOS) n/a Comparison with mean of previous 5 years Cormorant (AON) Shag (AON) Lesser Black-backed Gull (AON) Herring Gull (AON) Great Black-backed Gull (AON) Black-legged Kittiwake (AON) Guillemot (IND)* n/a Razorbill (IND) n/a Puffin (IND) Data on the seabirds breeding season has been compiled from the Skomer Seabird Report Notes: 1. Not censused in 2017 (see 2.1 Whole island counts) 2. Not censused in 2016 (see 2.1 Whole island counts) 3. % change between 2017 and % change between 2016 and % change between 2017 and 2016 Count units used in this report: AOS-Apparently Occupied Site AON-Apparently Occupied Nest AOT-Apparently Occupied Territory IND-Individual Page 6

7 Skomer Island breeding landbirds population summary 2017 The below data was collected by island staff during the breeding season, mostly through the annual Breeding Bird Survey, mapping territories along set transects across all parts of the island at least three times between mid-april and mid-june. In addition, many breeding territories are noted during the daily patrol and wardening of the nature reserve. A total of 34 species of landbird bred on Skomer this year. Goldfinch bred on the island for the second time and Common Chiffchaff bred once again after no breeding records in Species Total for 2017 Total for year % change Canada Goose (AON) Shelduck (AOT) Mallard (AOT) Shoveler (AOT) Pheasant (AOT/IND) Common Buzzard (AON) Peregrine (AOT) Common Moorhen (AOT) Oystercatcher (AOT) Eurasian Curlew (AOT) Wood Pigeon (AON) Short-eared Owl (AON) Little Owl (AON) Skylark (AOT) Barn Swallow (AON) Meadow Pipit (AOT) Rock Pipit (AOT) Pied Wagtail (AON) Dunnock (AOT) European Stonechat (AOT) Northern Wheatear (AOT) Blackbird (AOT) Song Thrush (AON) Common Whitethroat (AOT) Sedge Warbler (AOT) Page 7

8 Common Chiffchaff (AOT) Wren (AOT) Magpie (AOT) Red-billed Chough (AOT) Western Jackdaw (AOT/IND) Carrion Crow (AON) Common Raven (AON) Common Linnet (AOT) European Goldfinch (AOT) Reed Bunting (AOT) Page 8

9 Systematic list of birds Sarah-Kay Purdon, Edward Stubbings and Leighton Newman Status categories Vagrant one to 10 records Rare 11 to 40 records Scarce one to five records per year Uncommon six to 50 records per year Fairly common 51 to 250 records per year Common 251 to 1000 records per year Abundant 1001 to 2500 records per year Very abundant more than 2500 records per year Note: Status are given in an island context, not a national context. Breeding categories Very rare breeder one to 10 breeding records Rare breeder 11 to 40 breeding records Scarce breeder one to five breeding records per year Uncommon breeder six to 50 breeding records per year Fairly common breeder 51 to 250 breeding records per year Common breeder 251 to 1000 breeding records per year Abundant breeder 1001 to 2500 breeding records per year Very abundant breeder more than 2500 breeding records per year Count units and terminology used in this report AOS Apparently Occupied Site AON Apparently Occupied Nest AOT Apparently Occupied Territory IND Individual BBRC British Birds Rarities Committee WRP Welsh Records Panel NRW Natural Resources Wales List of contributors mentioned within the report Name Initials Name Initials Name Initials Eddie Stubbings EMS Birgitta Bueche BB David Astins DA Jason Moss JWM Ted Wallen TW Leighton Newman LN Elisa Miquel Riera EMR Mike Wallen MW Sarah-Kay Purdon SKP Ollie Padget OP Pia Reufsteck PR Steve Woolfenden SW Jamie Boulter JB Notes The species order for this systematic list is taken from The British List published by the BOU in Jan Cover photo Razorbill by Edward Stubbings Page 9

10 Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus Vagrant, six previous records involving 24 birds. Last noted Five were reported flying over Wooltack Point towards Skomer on the 5 th of October. In addition eight were seen flying North on the evening of the 29 th of October. Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons Rare. Twenty-five previous records, involving at least 176 individuals. Of those identified to race, all bar one have been Greenland White-fronted Geese A. a. flavirostris. One European White-fronted Goose A. a. albifrons was recoded in May A good year for this species with at least three flocks passing over in late October and early November. Two additional flocks of geese were seen which could have been of this species. None were seen well enough to assign to subspecies. Four flew north over North Valley on the 27 th of October. On the 29 th of October a flock of twelve were seen and there were further flocks of 15 and nine seen towards dusk that were not identified with 100% certainty but probably belonged to this species. Finally a flock of 13 were seen on the 2 nd of November. The final count was an impressive 29 but could have been as high as 53. Greylag Goose Anser anser Vagrant. Ten previous records, involving ten birds. Last recorded 2016 There were four records in October (on the 13 th, 16 th, 27 th and 30 th ), probably all relating to the same individual. Canada Goose Branta canadensis Uncommon breeder. First bred 1993 Present throughout. A total of 22 pairs nested on the island in 2017, a minor increase on the 21 pairs in The five-year trend for this species is one of slight decline (-6%), though the population trend over the past ten years is still an increase of 22.2%. Birds were noted as being paired up and on territory by 25 th March at least. The first eggs were found on 1 st April at North Pond and the first goslings on 3 rd May. No chicks were thought to have fledged. Numbers dwindled in August as birds departed the island to moult, between zero and eleven birds were noted on 30 days between 31 st July and 28 th August, with the sole exception of 25 individuals on the 13 th August. Numbers increased into the autumn with birds roosting on the island and commuting between the island and the mainland, and the ten highest counts of the year all occurring in September and October. The highest number of the year occurred on the 27 th October with 100 birds counted. Table 1. Monthly maxima of Canada Goose Month Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Max count Page 10

11 Figure 1. Population trend of Canada Goose on Skomer Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis Rare, nineteen previous records. Last recorded 2011 Two Barnacle Geese were present amongst the Canada Geese on North Pond on and off between the 10 th and the 27 th of October. Brent Goose Branta bernicla Rare, although there is a locally wintering population. Last recorded 2016 There was just a single record of a lone bird flying south towards Jack Sound on the 5 th of October. The sole record was of a pale-bellied bird of the race hrota from Svalbard and Greenland. This is the predominant subspecies recorded in the area with a small flock usually wintering on The Gann on the nearby mainland. Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna Scarce breeder (maximum three pairs). First bred Scarce migrant Two pairs of Shelduck are thought to have bred in 2017, however only one brood was spotted, with a brood of six seen with a pair of adults on west pond on the 24 th of May. They were not seen again and their fate is unknown. The first sighting of the year was a single bird on the 7 th March, followed by a pair the next day. The sightings for the rest of the month varied between none and three, however early in April the sightings became more reliable and numbers rose waveringly up to eight individuals. By June however numbers had once again gradually started to fall and sightings became less regular with the last birds seen on the 23 rd June. There were no autumn sightings. Page 11

12 Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope Uncommon migrant Up to three were present in March until the 22 nd with one remaining on the 23 rd. The next record was on the 24 th of September when nine were logged. Six on the 26 th were the last record of the year. Eurasian Teal Anas crecca Rare and sporadic breeder (maximum two pairs). First bred Fairly common, sometimes common migrant The maximum in spring was a count of 17 on the 8 th of April. There were no further records until the 30 th of June when a single male was seen. There were two on the 1 st of July and one on the 2 nd. Immigration then began again in August when a maximum of four were seen. It was not until September, however, that larger numbers were seen. The maximum count in September was 20 on the 4 th. In October there was a maximum of 20 on the 9 th. In November there were 17 on the 12 th and 23 rd. Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Uncommon breeder (maximum 18 pairs 1978 and 2000). Fairly common migrant Five pairs are thought to have bred this year, an increase on the last few years with a five year average of four pairs, however the overall picture, as shown in figure 2, shows that long term this is an average level. The first brood seen was of 12 ducklings on the 8 th April at the gap in the wall, halfway between The Farm and North Haven, moving across the island. Presumably from the same brood, 11 ducklings were seen the next day and only three the day after. A single duckling was then seen on the 6 th of May, shortly followed by nine ducklings with a female on the 8 th May. At least three were seen on the 15 th. On the 18 th May seven chicks were spotted in North Haven and on the 23 rd a female was seen with 10 chicks on North Pond, of which only 3 were seen the next day, and one the day after. A nest was found with 9 eggs at Moorey Mere in early June. Six ducklings were seen on Green Pond on the 7 th of June, and three were seen again on the 15 th. The first record of the year was on the 6 th March with two seen. This was followed with near-daily sightings of between one and ten birds through the month. Breeding activity then dominated with irregular sightings of up to ten adult birds through till July and August when numbers seen were very low. Numbers sporadically increased with two counts of 19 birds on 28 th August and 3 rd September followed by an autumn high count of 40 birds on the 23 rd October. The final count of the year was of twelve on the 23 rd November. Page 12

13 Figure 2. Population trend of Mallard on Skomer Northern Pintail Anas acuta Rare breeder (first bred 1988 first Welsh record). Last bred Scarce to uncommon migrant. Less than annual in recent years At least one was present on the 28 th of September when a female was present, next to a Red-necked Phalarope, on Moorey Mere. One was seen again the following day. Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata Scarce breeder (maximum six pairs). Uncommon migrant Four pairs are thought to have bred this year which is an increase on the last few years of two pairs each year. The last year in which four pairs are thought to have bred was in The first sign of breeding activity was on the 15 th April when mating was observed. A brood of ten ducklings was then seen on Moorey Mere on the 14 th May, a few days later four were with a female on Green pond however these ducklings were only hours old and one died during the morning. On the 23 rd of May nine ducklings were seen on North Pond, the next day, five of presumably the same brood were seen again, and another seven were seen at North Valley Crossing. These seven were seen again the following day. The first record of the year was of two males and a female on the 15 th March. This kicked off near daily sightings of between one and seven birds though March and April. The highest count of the spring was nine birds on 26 th April. By early June most birds had departed and sightings became fewer and less regular until the end of august when low numbers were more regularly seen once again. Autumn records, in September and October, were almost daily with a maximum of seven seen on four dates in September. Page 13

14 Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula Rare and sporadic breeder. Last proven breeding Scarce to uncommon migrant A Pair was on North Pond on the 31 st of March but were only present for one day. The next record was of a female present on North Pond between the 15 th and 17 th of May. There was a single record in September with one on the 16 th October brought two records of two birds on the 11 th and 17 th and these were the final records of the year. Common Scoter Melanitta nigra Common migrant There were few days of passage in spring but the 21 st of April saw an impressive movement of at least 447 (the highest count of the year). Other spring records include, five on the 13 th and 28 on the 29 th of May. Birds began passing again in July with 160 on the 4 th and further records of up to 80 (22 nd ) during the rest of the month. Further high counts include: 93 on the 23 rd of August, 92 on the 26 th of September, 61 on the 23 rd of October and 25 on the 8 th of November. Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator Rare, ten previous records, involving 20 birds. Most recently 1996 A red head was seen briefly in South Haven on the 16 th of September. Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus Uncommon breeding resident. Released for shooting during 19 th century with population surviving today Present throughout the season, at least 6 pairs are thought to have bred on the island this year however territories were not systematically mapped. A nest was found with young chicks near west pond during the gull counts, and some young birds were noted in late June. Pheasants were present across the island throughout the year. Autumn counts didn t exceed 15 birds but this is likely an underestimate of the true population across the island. Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata Scarce visitor, though uncommon in some years. Most sightings during early and late season. Probably more frequent during the winter The only record of the year was of one on the 23 rd of October. Great Northern Diver Gavia immer Scarce visitor, though uncommon in some years. Most sightings during early and late season March saw a single record on the 6 th. The next record was of an adult in North Haven on the 23 rd of October. November saw an increase in records with two on the 3 rd and singles on the 8 th, 15 th and 16 th. Page 14

15 Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis Common breeder. First confirmed breeding 1960 There was no whole island count of Fulmars in Last years count was 675 AOS which brought the population nearly back up to the historical highs of the 90s and early 2000s. The number of AOS within the standard study plots was up from 106 in 2016 to 111. Productivity in 2017 was 0.41 chicks per AOS which is close to the average of the previous five years (0.40). Present on the island from the start of the recording year until late September. There was then a gap between the 19 th September and the start of November with only the odd bird being seen from seawatches in between. Figure 3. Population trend of Northern Fulmar on Skomer Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus Rare visitor. Most recent recorded in 2016 After a record year in 2016, when eight were recorded, 2017 saw only one record on the 27 th of August. This was on a trip to Grassholm and, being a mile or two north of Skomer, can only just be included within the recording area. Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus Very abundant breeder, largest colony in the world The first Manx Shearwater was seen on the 8 th of March and the last were heard on the 22 nd of November. Within the shearwater census plots the number of responses was slightly down on 2016 (although this was similar to the mean of the previous five years), as were the total number of burrows. Breeding success in Page 15

16 No. of Responses 2017 was 0.58, this being 0.05 lower than in Adult survival over the winter was 77% which is below the study average ( : 0.89) Figure 4. Population trend within Manx Shearwater plots on Skomer Year European Storm Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus Fairly common breeder. Full census conducted 2016 The estimated total number of breeding Storm Petrels on Skomer is 220 Apparently Occupied Sites. This figure is taken from the last whole island census conducted in The population is thought to have remained stable since the previous census 2003/4 (Brown 2006). Leach's Storm Petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa Vagrant, two previous records. September 1974 and October 2008 One was seen on a seawatch from the Garland Stone on the 21 st of October. The bird was seen only briefly before a Peregrine plucked the bird out of the air and carried it away. Another was seen the next day during a good spell for the species. Northern Gannet Morus bassanus Very abundant visitor. Abundant breeder on nearby Grassholm With the large breeding colony on Grassholm only six miles to the north west small numbers of Gannets are recorded from Skomer on an almost daily basis. Birds seen from Skomer probably reflect the number of birds feeding around the island and large movements of birds are very rare. Monthly maxima are reported below in table 2. A clear reduction in sighting frequency was apparent through October and November, presumably reflecting the departure of the Grassholm population. Page 16

17 Table 2. Monthly maxima of Northern Gannet. Month Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Max count Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo Uncommon breeder. Fairly common migrant In 2017, after last year s shift from the southern face of the Mew Stone to its western corner, the Great Cormorant (hereafter Cormorant) colony on Skomer moved completely, from the Mew Stone, to Middleholm (where there were seven nests in 2017). Therefore, there were no breeding Cormorants on Skomer in Figure 5. Population trend of Great Cormorant on Skomer European Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis Uncommon breeder, with majority breeding on nearby Middleholm Several visits were made by boat to the colony near Double Cliff in June and July and four AONs were identified. This may be an underestimate as nests are well hidden and difficult to observe. With the single nest on the Mew Stone, five nests in total were found in 2017 which is 16.67% less than last year. The four nests identified at the base of Double Cliff fledged at least three chicks but it is not known whether the nest on the Mew Stone produced any fledged young. This gives a minimum likely productivity figure for Skomer of 0.75 chicks fledged per AON. Page 17

18 Figure 6. Population trend of European Shag on Skomer Little Egret Egretta garzetta Rare visitor. First recorded Last recorded 2016 One flew west past North Haven at 08:30 on the 17 th of April. There were then an incredible six records in August, with three on the 1 st, two on the 15 th and one on the 20 th. One followed in September, on the 16 th, and the final record of the year was of one that flew over North Haven and then North Valley on the morning of the 6 th of November. Nine records constitutes an extremely good year for this species and one would assume that this upward trend in the number of records is likely to continue. Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Fairly common migrant There was a surge in records in June with two on the 13 th, singles on the 14 th, 16 th and 18 th, two on the 19 th and one west at dusk on the 27 th. Records of birds aged as juveniles began in August with one on the 28 th (not aged) and one on the 31 st (aged as a juvenile). There was another surge of records in September with two on the 2 nd and the 17 th, one on the 19 th, four on the 22 nd, one on the 23 rd and two on the 24 th and 27 th. October saw two records with a juvenile on the 8 th and one on the 18 th these were the last records in a good year for this species. Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia Vagrant. Nine previous records, involving 11 birds. Last recorded 2014 A bird was found on North Pond on the 14 th of June but flew off at dusk. Probably the same bird was back the next day and was seen on and off on North Pond throughout the day. Page 18

19 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis Scarce visitor One was present on North Pond on the 19 th of November. Little Grebe, North Pond Sarah-Kay Purdon Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus Vagrant, four previous records, last recorded in September 2000 One was seen flying over North Haven, east past Protheroe s Dock and then out to sea, towards the mainland, at midday on the 27 th of June. This constitutes the first record for at least 15 years. Red Kite Milvus milvus Scarce migrant. First record 1995, annual since 2010 Records of this species are now received almost throughout the year, normally with a peak in spring and autumn but sometimes in summer. The first was recorded on the 24 th of March. There were then three records in April with two on the 22 nd and one on the 26 th, seen hunting in North Valley and being mobbed by gulls. One flew west over North Haven on the 19 th of May and there were two, aged as 1 st summer (2 nd calendar year) birds on the 25th. There was then a break in sightings until the 17 th of September when one was seen. October saw eight records with singles on the 6 th and 9 th, four (the highest count of the year) on the 27 th and two on the 30 th. Table 3. Number of records and individuals of Red Kite noted on Skomer since the first in Year Records Individuals Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus Scarce migrant After a record year in 2016 there was just a single record in 2017 with a female type seen on the 11 th of May. Page 19

20 Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus Uncommon migrant Wintering birds were seen from the 6 th of March and then throughout the rest of March and April. Two were confirmed on the 6 th and 12 th of March but, with difficulties separating individuals, there could have been two present throughout the period. The last record of the spring was on the 23 rd of April. As would be expected, the next record was not until the 8 th of September (an adult female). Probably the same bird was joined by a juvenile on the 14 th of October and both were then seen, on and off, until just before the wardens departure on the 24 th of November. Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus Uncommon migrant, though can be fairly common in some years The first record was on the 9 th of March, not long after recording effort began. There were further records throughout the month with two noted on the 23 rd. These constituted the sum of spring records and there were no further records until autumn. The first autumn record was on the 7 th of August and there were then records throughout the month with two on the 30 th and 31 st. Numbers of birds present, and passing through, are difficult to quantify but between one and two birds were regularly seen between August and November. Numbers did however dwindle in November and the last bird of the year was seen on the 8 th of that month. Common Buzzard Buteo buteo Scarce breeder, though uncommon in some years (maximum eight pairs 1954). Fairly common migrant, particularly in the autumn Five pairs nested on the island this year, a fairly standard number. Pairs nested at Bull Hole, the Table, South Plateau, Robert s Wick and near Waybench on the north coast. The Bull Hole pair were the first to exhibit breeding behaviour, with displaying seen on the 8 th March. The same pair were seen passing food on the 22 nd May and a medium sized chick was seen on the nest on the 12 th June. Two large chicks were spotted on the nest at the Table on the 2 nd June and again on the 18 th June. There was a nest on South Plateau with chicks seen on the 19 th of May, and three medium sized chicks present on the 12 th June. The nest at Roberts Wick was noted with two eggs on the 2 nd May (probably before the full clutch was laid) and chicks were seen on the 19 th May. Three chicks were seen on the 16 th of June and two Juveniles were noted still in the area on the 17 th July. The Waybench nest had two chicks on the 28 th May, and two chicks were again noted on the 18 th June. Common Buzzards were present on arrival of staff to the island with almost daily records and regularly up to nine birds. The peak spring count was 20 birds on the 22 nd March. Numbers remained consistent across the island through the summer until mid-september when numbers increased with 21 birds seen on the 17 th September. Numbers fluctuated through the rest of the year but featured four counts of 20 or more birds, with the highest count of the year being 25 on the 27 th October. November featured over ten birds on half of the days the island was staffed. Page 20

21 Figure 7. Population trend of Common Buzzard on Skomer Osprey Pandion haliaetus Rare migrant. Twenty-three previous records One went north over Shearing Hayes at dusk on the 18 th of April and one was seen flying west over North Haven on the 26 th of August. This is the second year in a row with multiple records and hopefully this graceful raptor will be seen more often in the future. Water Rail Rallus aquaticus Very rare breeding species, one record Fairly common migrant Wintering birds were present on arrival to the island in March. Three were recorded on the 8 th and 9 th, otherwise between one and two birds was typical. There were only three records in total in April with singles on the 1 st, 21 st and 25 th. The first autumn records were of adults on the 22 nd and 24 th of July. The only August record was a single recorded on the 30 th. Sightings increased in September with between one and two recorded until the last week of the month when up to eight were recorded (25 th and 29 th ). Numbers remained relatively high throughout October with high counts of seven on the 17 th and eight on the 20 th. There was possibly another wave of migrants in November as the number of sightings increased once again. There were ten on the 14 th, eleven on the 15 th, ten on the 19 th and twelve (highest count of the year) on the 21 st. Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Uncommon breeder, though scarce in some years Present throughout the season, with four pairs nesting, this being the same as 2011, 2013 and 2014, and one fewer than 2015 and The first chicks were seen on 5 th May with four seen on Moorey Mere. Autumn counts, bolstered by fledged juveniles peaked on the 21 st August with 57. Other high counts included 42 on the 13 th, 43 on the 22 nd, 45 on the 23 rd, 42 on the 25 th and 43 on the 26 th. These counts are all higher than the peak count of 38 in Page 21

22 Figure 8. Population trend of Moorhen on Skomer Eurasian Coot Fulica atra Very rare breeder. Three previous breeding records, between 1996 and Scarce migrant Probably the same individual was present on North Pond between the 30 th of May and 23 rd of August. Records were, however, intriguingly sporadic. In June records came on the 4 th, 28 th and 30 th. In July records came almost daily until the 22 nd and there were was a lone record on the 23 rd of August. Common Crane Grus grus Vagrant Three were seen flying over the Neck on the 25 th of March and were the first record for the island. Oystercatcher Haematopus ostrelagus Fairly common breeder Present throughout the season, with 46 breeding pairs confirmed. This is down again on last year, however, this is most likely due to observer effort, as a full island territory count was not conducted, so this is based only on pairs picked up on breeding bird surveys. Mating was observed on the 10 th April and the first egg seen was an (unconfirmed) sighting of an egg predated by a gull on the 6 th May. The first chick was seen at Moorey Mere on the 20 th May and there were chicks seen through the rest of the month and throughout June. Peak Spring counts were 135 on the 20 th March (of which 121 were at the South Stream roost), 152 on the 28 th March, and 175 (highest count of year) on the 10 th April. The spring counts were far higher than those in 2016, with counts of over 100 birds on twelve days in March and April (2016 only featured counts of over 100 on two days). Roosts began to form again in autumn but were much smaller than spring roosts. Peak counts include 58 on the 5 th of September, 49 on the 6 th of September and 36 on the 4 th of October. A pair of birds with a chick were observed feeding on a Manx Shearwater carcass on the 26 th June this year. Page 22

23 Figure 9. Population trend of Oystercatcher on Skomer European Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria Uncommon migrant The first records of the year came in the autumn period, on the 12 th of September, when six were seen. There were five records in October with one heard on the 6 th and two on the 27 th and 30 th, these were the last records of the year. Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus Uncommon migrant. Bred annually on the island until the late 20 th century There were records on the 19 th and 20 th of April, these being the only spring records. In October there were 14 on the 27 th, three on the 28 th and four on the 29 th. In November a large flock of 60 came over on the 23 rd. There have been no recorded breeding attempts by Lapwing since 1997 when two pairs bred. Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula Uncommon migrant, though scarce in some years There were four spring records, with at least one in a flock of Dunlin which passed over on the 10 th of April and three over on the 22 nd of April. Autumn passage began with one over on the 22 nd of August. All subsequent autumn records fell within that month with two on the 27 th, 29 th and 31 st. Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus Common spring and autumn migrant. Rare in winter There were 86 records in April with a maximum count of 31 on the 21 st. May, coincidently, produced the same number of records as April with a maximum of 15 on the 13 th. The final records of the spring involved singles on the 1 st, 4 th and 6 th of June. Autumn passage began on the 1 st of August and there was a flock of 26 Page 23

24 at the Wick on the 27 th. There were then single records of birds on the 8 th, 9 th and 17 th of September, these being the last records of the year. Eurasian Curlew, Young Ground Sarah-Kay Purdon Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata Scarce breeder. Common migrant First noted on the island on the 7 th March shortly after staff arrival on the island and were noted to be already paired up on the 8 th. Spring peak counts peaked with 20 birds on the 15 th April (mostly consisting of a flock of 12 on North Pond). There were counts of over ten birds on eleven days in March and April. Autumn was a similar picture with slightly higher numbers. Counts in September, October and November of over ten birds on 29 days, seven of these counts involved over 20 birds with the highest count being 33 birds on the 31 st October. Almost every count in November was over ten birds, this supports the hypothesis that some birds may be coming to the island to over-winter. The population decline of curlew is very concerning with Skomer holding the last breeding curlew in Pembrokeshire. It is thought that this year s three pairs attempted to breed, as in Productivity was poor again, with no confirmed fledglings. They were observed displaying on the 21 st April, and the first chicks were seen on the 25 th May. Chicks were seen periodically around the farm and Gorse Hill until early June. It is therefore thought that these chicks were all from one nest, and as we are unable to confirm any successful fledging s as they were last noted as large chicks on the 4 th June. Tantalisingly a juvenile was seen in South Haven on the 17 th of July but it is not known whether this was fledged from the island or not. The population for the last ten years has been lower than ever recorded before (Figure 10), and while we can hold some hope from the population not declining any further in the past four years, it is still low enough that it is very possible that Curlew may soon disappear from our list of breeding birds, just as Lapwing have. This decline has been hypothesised as possibly being related to the increase in Canada Geese presence on the island, as shown in Figure 11. Canada Geese are highly defensive and dominant in wetland areas; however, correlation does not imply causation and this decline could also be related to the changing vegetation on the island as the island is now further along a post-agriculture road and there are less areas of Page 24

25 bare ground. Either way, Curlew are declining throughout Wales and we can only hope our population falls no further. Figure 10. Population trend of Eurasian Curlew on Skomer Figure 11. Population trend comparison between Canada Goose and Eurasian Curlew and Lapwing on Skomer Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa Scarce migrant A bird was present on North Pond on the 18 th of March and one was heard flying over at night on the 22 nd. In May, one was on North Pond on the 18 th and six flew over North Haven on the 28 th. A flock of eleven flew over on the 2 nd of June. In August, eight were present on the 1 st and a bird was present on North Pond from the 27 th. The same bird was present on the 1 st and 2 nd of September. Page 25

26 Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica Scarce migrant The first of the year concerned a bird in full breeding plumage on the 23 rd of April. In May there were a mixture of breeding plumaged and non-breeding plumaged birds. A juvenile type bird was discovered walking along paths around the Amos on the 5 th. The next day there was a bird in almost full breeding plumage on North Pond. There was a further bird on the 8 th and another in breeding plumage in North Valley on the 9 th. There were no autumn records. Turnstone Arenaria interpres Common migrant A common bird on the beach at North Haven between about September and May. During the recording year they are usually recorded between occupation of the island in spring (6 th of March in this case) and some point at the end of April or beginning of May. The first returning birds are often seen in August with the bulk of records coming from September onwards. The first record of the year was of six on the 7 th of March. There was a monthly peak in records between the 19 th and 21 st when eleven were present on the beach. In April there was a monthly peak of 15 on the 8 th and the last record of the month concerned two on the 27 th. There were a few records in May with six on the 4 th and eight (including the extremely unusual occurrence of one on North pond) on the 16 th. The last record in May came with one in North Haven on the 29 th. The first returning birds (four) came rather early on the 28 th of July. Records increased throughout August with ten on the 1 st and 18 on the 24 th and 25 th (highest count of the month). Another upsurge in records was evident in September with high counts of 27 (highest count of the year) on the 9 th, including three away from North Haven on the Neck, 23 on the 13 th and 25 on the 24th. Peak counts in October include 25 plus on the 11 th and 21 on the 20 th. Numbers dropped slightly in November. However, there were still relatively high counts of twelve on the 12 th and 21 st, 14 on the 20 th and 18 on the 23 rd. Knot Calidris canutus Rare migrant. Nineteen previous records, most recently 2015 The only records of the year were of single birds (possibly all relating to the same bird) on the 4 th, 6 th and 7 th. No locations or other details were recorded in the log. Ruff Calidris pugnax Scarce migrant. Absent in some years An adult male was on North Pond on the 26 th of July. There was a single bird on the 25 th of September and four on the 26 th. Dunlin Calidris alpina Uncommon migrant The first record of the year concerned a flock of small waders over the Farm on the 10 th of April which contained a mix of Dunlin and Ringed Plovers. One was seen on the 12 th being chased by a Peregrine but Page 26

27 appeared to get away, there were two on the 18 th and one at Moorey Mere on the 22 nd. During May there were single records on four dates, two on the 10 th and a flock of seven flew over on the 27 th. The next record concerned one on the 28 th of July. There were nine records in August with three on the 7 th. In September there were single records on the 1 st, 3 rd and 4 th and there were two on the 2 nd. The last record of the year was of two on the 12 th of November. Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima Uncommon spring and autumn visitor. Scarce in some years In March there were four on the 9 th, six on the 22 nd and three on the 24 th. Two on the 9 th of May were the last of the spring. The first bird of the Autumn was seen on the 5 th of September. There were four further records in September with singles on the 7 th, 8 th and 10 th and two on the 9 th. One was logged on the 21 st of October and there were six on the Mew Stone on the 29 th of that month. The last records of the year were of singles on the 12 th and 23 rd of November. Grey Phalarope Phaloropus fulicarius Vagrant. Seven previous records, involving nine birds. Most recent record October 2008 An adult in winter plumage was found bobbing around in North Haven on the 16 th of September after some North westerly winds. Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus Vagrant There was a lovely juvenile bird found by Pia Reufsteck on Moorey Mere on the 28 th of September. The same bird was seen later the same day on North Pond. Red-necked Phalarope. Pia Reufsteck Page 27

28 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos Uncommon migrant The first of the year came on the 16 th of April, just one day later than 2016, with three further records in April. There were five records in May with three on the 5 th. Summer records involved two in South Haven on the 20 th of June, three on the 4 th of July and one at South Stream on the 14 th of July. There were four records of singles in August. The final record of the year was one on the 10 th of September. Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus Scarce migrant There were no birds in spring and autumn migration began on the 5 th of August when one was recorded. There were then two on North Pond on the 25 th and 27 th. There was one on the 10 th of September which was the final record of the year. Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus Rare migrant. Seventeen previous records, most recently April 2009 One on North Pond on the 3 rd of September was the first in eight years. Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia Scarce migrant The first record of the year was of one on North Pond on the 25 th of August. This was the only record in a poor year for this species. Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola Rare migrant There was one spring record of a bird seen eating tadpoles on Moorey Mere between the 5 th and 8 th of May. The only autumn record was one on North Pond on the 4 th of August. Common Redshank Tringa totanus Scarce migrant, though uncommon in some years Records began in July with a juvenile on Moorey Mere on the 18 th and 19 th, one on North Pond on the 22 nd and one on the 24 th. August brought a glut of records with a flock of eight on North pond on the 20 th, two over on the 21 st, two on North Pond on the 25 th and one on the 31 st. Yet more records came in September with one on the 2 nd and a flock of five on North Pond on the 14 th. One final record came in November with one in North Haven on the 14 th. Page 28

29 Jack Snipe Lymnocryptes minimus Scarce migrant The only record of the year was of one near North Pond on the 12 th of October. Woodcock Scolopax rusticola Uncommon spring and autumn migrant, scarce in some years The first record concerned a pile of feathers found at South Stream (thought to have been a raptor kill) on the 6 th of November which fortunately became the precursor of some further, live, records. There were single records on the 8 th, 9 th, 11 th and 12 th, two on the 10 th and 15 th and further single records on the 17 th and 19 th. Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago Common migrant There were 60 records in March with a maximum count of eleven on the 10 th. April brought 38 records with a maximum of six on the 2 nd. There were just three records in May with singles on the 3 rd, 5 th and 7 th. Autumn migration began in August (17 records in total) with four in North Valley on the 16 th and nine on the 22 nd. There were 24 records in September with maximum day counts of four on the 3 rd and 25 th. October brought 48 records with twelve on the 27 th. There were 55 records in November with twelve on the 15 th. Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus Scarce migrant, though uncommon in some years. Sighting frequency heavily affected by observer coverage and effort A light morph bird was seen off Skomer Head on the 29 th of May. July produced records on the 22 nd (off Skomer Head), 26 th (a dark morph off Skomer Head) and 30 th (off the Garland Stone). August brought five records with two on the 23 rd. September saw an impressive nine records with five on the 16 th. The final records of the year were on the 21 st (two) and 22 nd (one) of October in a decent year. Long-tailed Skua Stercorarius longicaudus Vagrant Two on the 21 st of October completed a full hand of skuas in a single day. All were seen during a morning seawatch from the Garland Stone. Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus Vagrant There were four seen on a seawatch from the Garland Stone on the 21 st of October. These were the only records of the year. Page 29

30 Great Skua Stercorarius skua Scarce migrant One was seen off Skomer Head on the 29 th of May. The next records came in October with one on the 17 th, seven on the 21 st and five on the 22 nd. Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica Very abundant breeder There was another large increase in the total number of individual Puffins counted in spring 2017 with 25,227 being counted on the 14 th of April. This represents an incredible 11.93% increase on the previous year and is the highest total since current records began in Productivity at the study plot on the Neck was 0.77 chicks per occupied burrow. Survival of breeding adults ( ) was Figure 12. Population trend of Atlantic Puffin on Skomer Razorbill Alca torda Very abundant breeder There was no whole island count of Razorbills in 2017 in rotation with counts of Guillemots. Data on whole island counts up to 2016 is shown for completeness. Within the study plots there was a decline of 3.8% in the total number of Razorbills counted across all the plots from last year, and a decline of less than one percent from the five-year mean ( ); although these changes were not significant. The High Cliff and South Stream study plots had a significant decline in the number of Razorbills, while Bull Hole had a significant increase. The Wick showed an increase of 1.1% but this change was not significant. Page 30

31 Figure 13. Population trend of Razorbill on Skomer Guillemot Uria aalge Very abundant breeder A mean of 24,788 IND were counted in This represents a 4.39% increase since the last whole island count in Productivity was 0.69 chicks per active breeding site, which is 10.22% higher than last year s figure (0.63) and 7.81% higher than the mean of the previous five years (0.64). This remains lower than the breeding success (0.82) at the Amos colony. Figure 14. Population trend of Guillemot on Skomer Page 31

32 Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis Scarce migrant, though uncommon in some years A rather early bird was seen fishing in North Haven on the morning of the 20 th of March. The next record came in July with one through Jack Sound on the 8th. August saw a further record of a single bird off the Garland Stone on the 4 th. There were then a glut of records in September with an amazing 43 birds recorded including 17 on the 16 th, eight off Skomer Head on the 19 th and 14 on the 24 th. A final bird was seen on the 22 nd of October. Common Tern Sterna hirundo Scarce migrant. Possibly under-recorded, with many records of 'commic' tern in the logs likely to have mostly involved this species One was seen from a boat trip to Grassholm on the 27 th of August, just north of Skomer. Sabine's Gull Xema sabini Vagrant. four previous records. Last recorded in September 2016 A juvenile (assuming both records were of the same bird) was seen on the 15 th and 16 th of September. Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla Abundant breeder This year s whole island count fell once again. In ,336 AON were counted, a drop of 9.48%. Productivity was also very poor at just 0.33 chicks per AON, a drop of 49.23% and the lowest since Survival was up slightly on the previous year s estimate (0.80) at Once the breeding birds had left, movements of birds out at sea include: 1,705 on the 16 th of September, 249 on the 17 th of October and 94 on the 23 rd of November. Page 32

33 Figure 15. Population trend of Kittiwake on Skomer Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus Bred at North Pond between 1965 and 1970, maximum 25 pairs. Abundant migrant, particularly in the autumn The first record of the year concerned seven passing the Mew Stone on the 6 th of April. May saw only one record with two on the 26 th. July saw 34 records with 17 on the 6 th. Records then increased considerably month by month. There were 57 in August, 234 in September, 443 in October and 901 in November. The highest count of the year was 357 in Broad Sound on the 29 th of October. Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus Uncommon visitor. This species has undergone a remarkable change in status, being considered a vagrant on the island (less than 10 records) as recently as 2007 One flew through Jack Sound on the 8 th of July, this being the first record of the year. There were two on the 18 th and one on the 24 th of September. Records increased in October (69 records) with 42 on the 29 th. There were 52 records in November with 21 on the 3 rd. The final record of the year involved two on the 24 th. Common Gull Larus canus Uncommon visitor There were no spring records in The first record was typically quite late in the Autumn with one on the 29 th of October. There were 17 on the 31 st of October, 15 on the 1 st and 25 on the 3 rd of November. The final record of the year involved four on the 15 th of November. Page 33

34 Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus Very abundant (but declining) breeder The population estimate for 2017 was 4,935 AON. This is a large (28.85%) drop on the previous year and 37.96% lower than the mean of the previous five years. Productivity, at 0.59 chicks per breeding pair, was 63.89% higher than 2016 (0.36). Adult survival at 0.85 was also slightly above the previous years (0.81). Figure 16. Population trend of Lesser Black-backed Gull on Skomer European Herring Gull Larus argentatus Common (but declining) breeder Numbers remain at an all-time low with 297 AON counted in This represents a 7.48% decline on the previous year. Productivity was up on the previous year at Survival of breeding adults remains low at 77%. Page 34

35 Figure 17. Population trend of European Herring Gull on Skomer Herring Gull on the island boat with visitor Officer, Leighton Newman. E. Stubbings Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus Fairly common breeder. Numbers of AON were slightly up on 2016 at 120 but productivity was slightly down at 1.32 chicks per AON (8.33% down on 2016). Page 35

36 Figure 18. Population trend of great Black-backed Gull on Skomer Rock Dove/Feral Pigeon Columba livia Fairly common visitor The first was recorded on the 24 th of March. Fifty five on the 20 th of May was the only significant count of the year and the last was recorded on the 22 nd of October. Stock Dove Columba oenas Previously an uncommon breeder (up to 50 territories in 1970s). Last breeding record Now a Scarce migrant There was one in North Haven on the 31 st of March, one at Skomer Head on the 9 th of April and one in South Haven on the 13 th of April. The next, and final, record concerned two at the Farm on the 30 th of October. Stock Dove haven t bred on the island since Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus Scarce breeder, though uncommon in some years. Common migrant, particularly in late autumn Present throughout the season, with three pairs suspected to have bred, however activity in many areas wasn t proven. First noted singing on 5 th April, and chicks were suspected to have hatched near the farm on the 8 th June. In October there were many sightings of at least one juvenile (squab), often in North Valley Crossing. Spring peak count was 15 birds on the 20 th March and featured four more counts of over ten birds in March and April. Autumn migration over the island in October and November was on a much higher level, and much higher than last year (last year s peak count was 725 birds) with three days of between 300 and 500 birds and the four highest counts being 1420 on the 30 th October, 1610 on the 2 nd November, 1182 on the 8 th Page 36

37 November, and the highest count of at least 2000 birds on the 6 th of November, which consisted of just a few large flocks in the morning. Figure 19. Population trend of Wood Pigeon on Skomer Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto Uncommon migrant Occurring with increasing regularity. The vast majority of records are from the Farm. The first record of the year was of one on the 13 th and 14 th of April. May saw ten records with two on the 20 th and 26 th and a single bird at the Amos on the 28 th. There were five records of single birds in June with one singing at the Farm on the 9 th. There was another record of a singing bird at the Farm on the 5 th of July and one on the 25 th. There were five records in August with three on the 16 th. There were no further records in Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur Scarce migrant After a blank year in 2016 there were two records, involving one bird, at the Farm on the 1 st and 2 nd of June. Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus Rare and sporadic breeder. Last confirmed breeding record 1991 (possibly 2002). Scarce migrant The first Cuckoo of the year was heard calling on the 18 th of April. There were further records on the 25 th of April, the 12 th, 21 st and 23 rd of May. The only record in June concerned a bird heard calling on the morning of the 4 th of June. There was an increase in records in July (nine records), some of which were noted as being juvenile birds. The last record of the year was at the Farm on the 26 th of July. Page 37

38 Barn Owl Tyto alba Scarce and sporadic breeder. Last breeding record 2007 The first record came in August with one in North Valley on the 27 th. There was a record in an odd location (North Wick Ridge) on the 25 th of September and one in North Valley willows on the 27 th. There was one in the Blackthorn bush near North Valley Crossing on the 8 th of October. On the 2 nd of November one was seen in North Haven at 00:20 and there was one at the Farm at 16:00. Whether this record refers to the same or different birds is hard to say. The last records of the year, and perhaps evidence of over wintering, were on the 17 th, 18 th and 19 th of November. Little Owl Athene noctua Scarce breeder. Typically, between one and two pairs, maximum six pairs 1985 The first sighting of the year was on the 13 th March when two birds were seen (including one ringed individual). Sightings through the rest of the month were sporadic, becoming more regular. At least one bird was seen on most days in April and May, and into the first half of June. After the 17 th June however, there were no sightings until the autumn, with one bird seen on the 17 th September. There were six more individual sightings through to the end of the season. No breeding activity was confirmed. This is the first time since 1976 that they are though not to have bred on the island. It is not known what the cause of this might have been. Figure 20. Population trend of Little Owl on Skomer Page 38

39 Little Owl, Young Ground Sarah-Kay Purdon Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus Scarce breeder, though uncommon in some years. Maximum 14 territories Uncommon migrant First recorded on the 6 th March, with near daily sightings of between one and 5 birds through the beginning of the season. The first record of the year was of one bird on the 6 th March, shortly followed by the highest count of the beginning of the year with five birds recorded on the 8 th. Four pairs are thought to have bred however just three of the nests were confirmed with chicks found and some ringed. There were two nests in North Valley, one just on the north of the blackthorns at the research path towards green pond, and one between the Farm and North Pond. A nest was also confirmed at Gorse Hill. There was activity around the Harold stone and it is thought that they attempted to breed but failed as there was no food seen being carried to the site. Three chicks were found and ringed at the North Valley (blackthorns) nest and three also found at the other North Valley nest, however only two were ringed as the third chick had a damaged wing and wouldn t have been able to fledge. Two chicks were also found and ringed at the Gorse Hill nest, giving a minimum of 8 chicks (of which 7 are thought to have fledged) from the 4 pairs this year. Figure 21. Population trend of Short-eared Owl on Skomer Page 39

40 Common Swift Apus apus Common migrant The year kicked off with a flood of Swifts. The first two of the year passed through on the 4 th of May. The next day however, a huge number of Swifts moved east with 363 seen throughout the day. This represents the second highest count of Swifts. Smaller numbers were then recorded throughout the rest of the month except 32 on the 24 th. There were 87 records in June with 23 on the 19 th and 20 on the 18 th. July saw a similar number of records (83) with a maximum count of 32 on the 17 th. The last record of the year was of one on the 27 th of July and there were no late autumn records. Kingfisher Alcedo atthis Vagrant. Six previous records, most recently 2014 One was seen on July 17th in South Haven, It was thought, but not confirmed to be a male. Two were then seen, again in South Haven on the 8th August. Wryneck Jynx torquilla Scarce migrant, though uncommon in some years No spring records again. The only bird of the autumn arrived at the Farm on the 29 th of August and stayed (presuming only one bird was involved) until the 9 th of September. Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major Rare migrant A species where the majority of records have come since 2007 (only five previous to that) was no exception to this trend with a mid-summer bird and plenty of autumn records First seen on the 25 th of July in North Valley and recorded twice more that month. The next record was in September with records on the 25 th and 27 th. October saw ten records with possibly two on the 25 th (one in East Bog and one east over North Haven) and a female on the 26 th. In most cases the sex was not determined so more than one individual is hard to prove. Six more records came in November with one on the 18 th seen flying in from the sea and landing on the Harold Stone. Kestrel Falco tinnunculus Scarce and sporadic breeder. Last breeding attempt Uncommon migrant, though fairly common in some years A female was seen on most days from the 8 th of March with possibly two on the 28 th. Sightings of more than one may have increased in April but still only involved female birds. The first bird identified as a male was seen on the 8 th of May and again there was the possibility of two birds on the 29 th. Records decreased in June with singles on five dates. July brought birds over from the mainland on the 16 th, 17 th and 24 th. There was a gap in records until the 26 th of August when one was seen at the Farm. There were further records until the end of the month with two on the 29 th and 30 th. Records then increased significantly in September with 87 recorded. There were four on many dates and five on the 18 th and 28 th. There were 75 records in October with four on the first six days of the month, decreasing to no more than three for the rest of the month. Page 40

41 There were three on the 8 th of November and the last record of the year was of two on the 23 rd of that month. Merlin Falco columbarius Uncommon migrant A male was seen on the 21 st and 22 nd of March and with further records on the 23 rd and 26 th. There were 13 records in April with two on one to three dates. One was seen on the 15 th of April chasing a Snipe over Moorey Mere and was followed all the way to Marloes Mere before giving up on its target. There were ten records in May with the last, a female, being seen on the 20 th. Autumn records began on the 23 rd of August with four further records that month. There were five definite sightings in September. There was an increase in records during October with two on several dates towards the end of the month. Two were present in November and the last sighting of the year was of a female type on the 23 rd, this being the last record of the year. Hobby Falco subbuteo Rare migrant. Twenty-seven previous records, most recently two in 2014 There were possible sightings on the 7 th of May and 25 th of August. The only definite record of the year was of one over the Farm on the morning of the 27 th of May. Peregrine Falco peregrinus Scarce breeder. Maximum four pairs 1998 and Uncommon migrant There were three pairs holding territory at Protheroe s Dock, Double Cliff and Pigstone Bay. Breeding success on Skomer is usually low, with one possible reason being immature birds interfering with the breeding attempts of adults. In this respect it may be useful to note the presence of immature birds, and their locations, in spring and summer. This can have the double effect of letting us know where adults are holding territories as well as the amount of time spent chasing immature birds away. The first immature bird was noted in North Haven on the 16 th of April. On the 26 th of April an immature female was chased away by the resident pair in North Haven (Protheroe s Dock pair). During May, a pair were seen on the 20th chasing Pigeons at the Garland Stone (Double Cliff pair), a male was seen on the 29th carrying a Puffin (probably to Protheroe s Dock) and, after being chased by a Great Black-backed Gull, was defended by the adult female. There were two interesting sightings on the 31 st of May with an adult delivering food to the Protheroe s Dock site and an adult seen taking a Skomer Vole from a Short-eared Owl over North Valley (possibly from the Double Cliff site). The former sighting suggested that the Protheroe s Dock pair had chicks, however, there was no further breeding evidence from this site and it is thought that they failed at the chick stage. In June, an immature bird was seen on the 1st flying over South Haven which is close to the Protheroe s Dock site and may have added to the problems of this pair. On the 15 th of June agitated behaviour by the adults at Pigstone Bay may have indicated young leaving the nest. Alarming at Pigstone Bay continued through June until a juvenile bird was finally seen there on the 2 nd of July. On the 8 th of July, two juveniles were seen at Pigstone Bay. Four birds were reported at Pigstone Bay on the 26 th of July which may have been the two adults still attending the two juveniles. By the time four birds were again seen at Pigstone Bay on the 26 th of September the chicks would have been well grown. In summary, two chicks are thought to have fledged from the Pigstone Bay site; the Protheroe s Dock site are thought to have failed at the chick stage and the Double Cliff site (being very difficult to see from land) are also assumed to have failed. Page 41

42 Additional interesting sightings include a bird seen eating a Puffin at the Wick on the 19th of July, a bird seen chasing a Raven over the Mew Stone on the 29 th of July and bird seen carrying what was thought to be a Common Snipe over North Valley outfall on the 5 th of November. The highest counts of individuals include seven on the 18 th of April and eight on the 26 th of September. Figure 22. Population trend of Peregrine on Skomer Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax Scarce breeder. Fairly common visitor from the mainland Three pairs are thought to have bred this year with only one known to have been successful. Birds appeared paired up on the 9 th March but with little breeding behaviour was noted until 20 th March when a pair were seen carrying nesting material into South Castle Beach Cave (from now on SCBC). Nesting material was still being carried into SCBC on the 10 th April, and a pair was seen soliciting feeding on the north coast on the same day. A pair which were presumably the birds which later bred at Paynes Ledge and were seen showing agitated behaviour in early March. The Paynes Ledge pair were then seen entering the nest hole on the 14 th April. Classic incubation behaviour (one bird in, two out) was seen at SCBC on the 17 th April, and similar (two in, one out) on the 24 th May. Two chicks were seen in the Paynes Ledge nest hole on the 13 th June, and on the 18 th and 19 th at least one was still visible. Two juveniles were then seen fledged from the Paynes Ledge nest on the 23 rd June and seen around the Garland Stone on the 1 st July. On the 3 rd July however 2 juveniles were seen at Skomer Head and these are assumed to be the same family. The family was seen again on the north coast on the 13 th July with the juveniles still being fed by the parents. The family group was again seen on the 4 th, 13 th and 14 th of July. The third territory was at the Lantern, where nest building may have taken place towards the end of the first week of April, but it is thought that this pair was unsuccessful. Intriguingly, and additionally to that reported in Hodges 2017, a possible nest site was identified at Wick beach cave in the autumn. No young were seen from SCBC or the Lantern. Higher counts from the spring and autumn are shown below, these are notable as they are much higher than last year s peak counts with more frequent large groups seen around the island. Especially during the main summer period, with last years peak counts being much earlier and later in the year than this years. Page 42

43 Table 4. Peak counts of Chough Date 5 th May 6 th May 7 th May 19 th May 25 th May 30 th May 1 St Aug 13 th Aug 2 nd Sept 7 th Sept Max count Figure 23. Population trend of Chough on Skomer Magpie Pica pica Uncommon breeder Present throughout the season, with six pairs breeding once again, as in 2015 and The five year percentage change is -6.3% caused by the bumper year of 13 in The first chicks of the year were seen at North Pond on the 13 th June, with more seen in North Haven on the 18 th and 23 rd. Peak counts were all in autumn with 18 seen on the 9 th September, 17 on the 6 th October and 15 on the 18 th September. Jackdaw Corvus monedula Fairly common breeder, though not censused every year. Fairly common to common migrant Page 43

44 Present on arrival, and throughout the season with 26 territories mapped. This is no doubt an underestimate of the true breeding figures as the survey method has its limitations for an adaptable bird like the jackdaw. Figure 24. Number of breeding pairs of Jackdaw on Skomer, showing huge range in numbers. The numbers nesting in boulder screes, on cliff edges and in burrows is undoubtedly far higher, and thus we should be hesitant to read too much into the breeding numbers, which have varied enormously as shown in figure 24. Noting peak counts of flocks over the season is most likely the most reliable method of monitoring numbers on Skomer. Figure 25 shows the monthly peak counts over the last few years, showing the peak counts in October each year. This year the first birds carrying nesting material were seen on the 16 th April, and carrying food on the 19 th. The first chicks were noted on the 16 th June. One was seen being predated by a peregrine on the 23 rd April. Figure 25. Monthly maxima of Jackdaw Page 44

45 Of further note was a bird sporting a pale collar, a plumage characteristic of one of the non-british races ( Nordic C. m. monedula, Russian C. c. Soemmerringii, or an integrade) on 12 th March. Rook Corvus frugilegus Uncommon migrant This sometimes-scarce spring migrant/wanderer was seen in small numbers, mostly on typical dates, in The first of the year was seen on the 9 th of April. Further singles were seen on the 10 th and 18 th. Four were seen on the 8 th of May and there was one on the 11 th. Odd autumn birds were seen on the 25 th of September (one) and 30 th of October (three). Carrion Crow Corvus corone Uncommon breeder Present throughout the season, with twelve pairs breeding. This is an increase of one pair on last years total. This is a fairly standard number as shown in figure 26, though the previous five year average is 8.8 pairs gives this year a percentage five year change of 36.4%, caused by the low number of five pairs in First noted carrying nesting material past the farm on the 1 st April, with eggs found in a nest at Skomer Head on the 22 nd April, and chicks in the nest by the 5 th May. The first fledged chicks were seen near north valley outfall on the 6 th June. On the 16 th May one was noted taking a guillemot egg at the Garland Stone. Peak count of the year was of 30 birds on the 27 th October. Figure 26. Population trend of Carrion Crow on Skomer Hooded Crow Corvus cornix Rare migrant. The only record of the year concerns two which were seen on the 17 th April on the west coast and flew off west. Page 45

46 Raven Corvus corax Scarce breeder. Fairly common autumn visitor Nest building was seen on arrival to the island at the end of the first week of March and the first eggs were found in a nest in South Haven on the 9 th. There were nine nests in total in These were located at the Lantern, Amy s Reach, South Haven, High Cliff, Mew Stone, the Wick, the Basin, Pigstone Bay and Paynes Ledge. The first chicks were seen on the 31 st March in the South Haven nest. The next nests to hatch were at the Wick, with adults carrying food back to the nest on the 12 th of April, and High Cliff, again with adults carrying food, on the 14 th of April. Fledglings were first seen at the Amos (from the nest in the Basin) on the 12 th of May (two weeks later than 2016). Nine pairs (the highest number of breeding pairs since modern records began in the 1960s) equates to 3.1 pairs per km 2. This is potentially one of the highest known breeding densities for the species anywhere in the world (Nogales, Manuel. 1994) and, as a predator of the islands seabirds, has the potential to impact on their populations; less likely with the locally very abundant Manx Shearwaters but more likely with the declining Kittiwake. However, the much more abundant Great Black-backed Gull, with 120 breeding pairs, must have a far greater impact on the islands seabirds. In 2017 breeding Ravens were seen predating Manx Shearwaters (adult birds and eggs in spring and summer as well as juveniles in autumn), Guillemots (eggs), Razorbills (eggs) and Puffins (adults and probably eggs). The South Haven pair were seen killing adult Manx Shearwaters on the Neck on the 12 th and 13 th of April. The pair from the Basin were seen teaching their young how to kill Manx Shearwaters at Tom s House on the 21 st of May. Autumn flocks began to build in August with the first high count being 35 on the 4 th. There were 80 on the 29 th and 50 plus the next day. High counts in September include 82 on the 8 th and 85 (highest count of the year) on the 14 th. Numbers began to drop again in October, as the number of fledgling Manx Shearwaters dwindled. Numbers at the start of the month reached a maximum of 55 on the 4 th before the population settled back down to what are probably breeding birds settling back into winter territories. Figure 27. Population trend of Raven on Skomer Page 46

47 Goldcrest Regulus regulus Fairly common migrant First recorded on the 9 th of March when three were seen. A total of 80 were recorded in March (between the 6 th and 31 st ) with eleven on the 24 th. Only seven were seen in April, four of which occurred on the 1 st. May produced a single record in North Valley on the 1 st. The species reoccurred again in August with singles on the 13 th, 24 th and 26 th and seven on the 30 th and 31 st. September produced larger numbers with 32 on the 10 th and 16 th, 35 on the 17 th and 33 on the 25 th. Higher counts in October include counts of 30 on the 1 st and 8 th and 45 (highest count of the year) on the 12 th. Thereafter only small numbers (up to three) were seen in November with the last (two) being recorded on the 23 rd. Firecrest Regulus ignicapilla Scarce autumn migrant, though uncommon in some years. Rare spring migrant There were no spring records, however it was a rather good autumn for the species and two on the 27 th and 28 th of September were the first records of the year. October was a great month for sightings with 22 records in total. There were two on six dates and three on the 27 th. The final record of the year involved two on the 3 rd of November. Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus Fairly common autumn migrant The first record of the year was on the 20 th of September when two were seen. This was the start of a larger autumn movement with twelve on the 26 th of September. October brought even larger numbers with 17 on the 6 th, 32 on the 25 th and 19 on the 27 th. Numbers dropped again slightly in November and between one and four were seen on 17 dates with one on the 23 rd being the last of the year. Great Tit Parus major Uncommon migrant. Scarce in some years, and occasionally absent Six Great Tits turned up on the 26 th of September, there were single birds on the 27 th, 28 th and 29 th and two on the 30 th. Birds were then present throughout October with peak counts of eight (highest count of the year) on the 6 th and five on the 15 th. November produced nine records with a maximum day count of two on the 3 rd, the last record being on the 23 rd. Coal Tit Periparus ater Uncommon autumn migrant, though rather sporadic. Rare in spring and summer The first record of the year involved three on the 8 th of October. There were then two on the 20 th and 25 th of October and a single bird on the 27 th. Page 47

48 Skylark Alauda arvensis Scarce breeder. Previously an uncommon breeder, but is currently undergoing a drastic decline. Common migrant Six pairs are thought to have bred on the island this year, this is similar to the past few years but still represents a marked decline as shown in Figure 28. First recorded on the island on 7 th March (just after the wardens arrival) and first noted singing on March 20 th on the West of the island. Food was seen being carried on the 17 th June at the gap in the wall. Around mid-july they were seen and heard less regularly with only one record in the end of July and no records in August. There were a few records building in number in September and peak counts from October and November are shown in Table 5. Table 5. Peak counts of Skylark. Date 6 th Oct 8 th Oct 9 th Oct 12 th Oct 25 th Oct 27 th Oct 6 th Nov 13 th Nov 15 th Nov Max count Figure 28. Population trend of Skylark on Skomer Sand Martin Riparia riparia Common migrant The first record of the year involved six on the 12 th of March. Further March records include 16 on the 22 nd, two on the 27 th and 28 th, six on the 30 th and 15 on the 31 st. April saw 747 records, typically between one and 50 but with peak counts of 254 (highest count of the year) on the 9 th and 89 on the 10 th. Smaller numbers (106 records) were recorded in May with 30 on the 6 th and 20 on the 7 th. There were eight records in June with one on the 12 th, five on the 13 th and two on the 16 th. There was a passage of birds (33) to the east on the 18 th of July with a few other records in the month of between one and two birds. During August between one and two birds were seen on seven dates with four on the 26 th. September produced 47 records with eleven on the 1 st and ten on the 2 nd and 19 th. There were two on the 1 st of October, one on the 6 th and the last bird of the year was recorded on the 8 th. Page 48

49 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Uncommon breeder. Very abundant migrant We are aware of 13 breeding attempts on the island this year, with seven being successful, five failing, and one false start. As many failed at the chick stage early in the year it is hard to work out exactly how many pairs were present through the season. Assuming that four of the pairs that failed early re-laid, and one of the early fledging pairs also relayed, we can say there were a minimum of seven pairs breeding on Skomer this year, though this could have been slightly higher. Of the five that failed, four failed at the chick stage with another young chick being found dead on the floor each day. One nest failed at the egg stage when the nest fell from the wall it was built on in the old ruin. The first chicks were seen on the 6 th June, with the first fledging in early July. The second broods this year were notably more successful (in contrast to last year, when it was noted that the second broods had lower success). First noted on the 22 nd March with two birds seen, followed by three on the 26 th, one on the 28 th, 27 on the 30 th and 16 on the 31 st. Migration continued into April with sporadic records of what are assumed to be migrants through the middle of the season. The first autumn migrants were noted on the 17 th July with twelve seen flying west, far from breeding territories. Peak counts are shown in the tables below (with the numbers from 2 nd, 19 th and 25 th September being estimates for distinct movements extrapolated from fiveminute counts). Table 6. Peak Spring counts of Barn Swallow. Date 9 th Apr 16 th Apr 17 th Apr 21 st Apr 23 rd Apr 5 th May 6 th May 8 th May 10 th May 24 th May Max count Table 7. Peak Autumn counts of Barn Swallow. Date 1 st Sep 2 nd Sep 14 th Sep 15 th Sep 17 th Sep 18 th Sep 19 th Sep 24 th Sep 25 th Sep 6 th Oct Max count * * * 131 Of further note was a pure white Swallow seen during the two hours of movement on the 19 th September. Record shots were taken but it was impossible to tell if this was an extremely leucistic bird or possibly an albino bird. Page 49

50 Figure 29. Population trend of Barn Swallow on Skomer House Martin Delichon urbicum Bred during the late 1960's/early 1970's. Common migrant The first birds (two) were seen on the 22 nd of March. April produced 119 records with peak counts of 28 on the 21 st and 35 on the 23 rd. Numbers increased slightly in May with 490 records and peak counts of 82 on the 11 th and 57 on the 24 th. There were 13 on the 2 nd of June with smaller numbers on five other dates. The only July records involved singles on the 1 st and 2 nd and two on the 5 th. Ten records in August involved one on the 21 st, five on the 22 nd, two on the 23 rd and singles on the 24 th and 26 th. There were a few large movements of hyrundines in September involving at least 80 House Martins on the 19 th and an estimated 500 on the 25 th. There were two on the 6 th of October and 16 on the 8 th. Seven on the 10 th of October were the last of the year. Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus Scarce migrant, though not recorded annually A large influx was recorded in October with 35 on the 25 th, four on the 26th, 44 (highest count of year) on the 27 th, one on the 28 th and 15 on the 30 th. This continued into November with ten on the 1 st, 38 on the 2 nd and 19 on the 3 rd being the end of the influx and the last record of the year. Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus Scarce autumn migrant There were eight records concerning six birds this year. The first of the year was found in North Haven on 8 th October which compared to the previous few years is a relatively late date for this scarce migrant. This bird was still present the next day. There were two present on 18 th October, one on 26 th and one on 29 th. There were two records probably concerning one bird in November. A bird was found on 14 th at the Blackthorn and was re-located at Green Pond the next day. Radde's Warbler Phylloscopus schwarzi Vagrant. One previous record, October 2007 One of these cracking warblers was found at the Garland Stone in the afternoon on October 20 th (LN). It was first seen flitting around in the dead bracken next to the path and showing extremely well. Unfortunately, a search later that day by all the staff on the island could not re-find the bird, although the weather had deteriorated. Page 50

51 Radde s Warbler, Garland Stone L. Newman Bonelli s Warbler Phyloscopus bonelli Vagrant A presumed Western Bonelli s Warbler was found on the morning of 30 th August (SKP, EMS) in North Valley Crossing. It produced brief but decent views in the western side of the willows and was present the next day but frustratingly was not heard to call. If accepted by the BBRC this will be the first record for Skomer. Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix Scarce migrant. Most recently April 2010 One was found this year on the Isthmus late in the afternoon on 5 th May (EMS) on what had been a classic day for spring migration. It was still present the next day on the 6 th. Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita Very rare and sporadic breeder, noted 2009, 2011, 2012 and Abundant migrant The first birds were noted on 9 th March this year. Birds were then noted most days through spring with peak spring counts being 25 on 16 th March and 28 on 23 rd March. Birds were also noted singing in North Valley Crossing and at North Haven in June and in July a bird was caught in the Constant Effort Ringing site and was found to be breeding in North Valley. This being the first breeding record since Autumn passage started again in mid-august with peak numbers passing through in September. Peak counts for the autumn were 35 on 16 th September and 22 on 26 th October. Birds were noted from mid-august through September, October and on a less frequent basis in November with the last of the year being seen on 21 st November. Siberian Chiffchaff P. c. tristis Rare migrant. Eighteen previous records, with further records of 'eastern' birds possibly relating to this subspecies. However, owing to confusion regarding the identification of this sub-species in the past, this may represent a false status There were four records this year, concerning two birds. Both were found on 17 th November, one at East Bog and one at the Farm. The Farm bird was not heard to call but the East Bog bird was heard to give a classic tristis call. The bird at East Bog was present the next day and there was a bird at the Farm on the 19 th presumed to be the Farm bird from two days before. Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus Abundant migrant The first bird of the year was seen on 23 rd March, a whole five days earlier than There was at least one logged most days from the 23 rd March through April and early May. Sightings then became more sporadic and the last of the spring passage was one singing in North Valley on 4 th June. High counts in spring were 17 on 27 th March, 140 on 19 th April, th April and 69 on 5 th May. The first bird of the autumn arrived on 12 th July in the form of a Juvenile at the Farm. Birds were again seen most days from mid-july until September. The last two birds of the autumn were seen on 27 th October, a rather late date for this sub-saharan migrant. Page 51

52 'Northern' Willow Warbler P. t. acredula Vagrant. Eight previous individuals, 2000, 2006, 2014 (five), 2015 and 2016 There were three records this year with one on 13 th April and two on 14 th April although this could have concerned only two birds. Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla Fairly common migrant Present from the 26 th of March when four were recorded. They were then present throughout April and most of May with the last bird of the spring being one on the 26 th of May. High counts from the spring include 17 on the 16 th of April, 26 (highest count of the year) on the 19 th of April and 13 on the 5 th of May. Autumn passage (probably of locally bred birds) began on the 17 th of July when a juvenile male was trapped and ringed at the Constant Effort Site in North Valley. There were a further five on the 25 th of July. August saw a small number of records with a maximum of four on the 31 st. Autumn passage peaked in September with 113 records and a maximum day count of 19 on the 16 th. There were 89 records in October with a maximum day count of 18 on the 1 st. November saw just three records, one on the 1 st and two on the 3 rd. Garden Warbler Sylvia borin Uncommon migrant The first of the year was seen at the Wick on the 20 th of April and there were further records that month on the 29 th and 30 th. May was a great month for records with a peak of eight on the 5 th and singles on eight other dates. Spring was obviously the exception to the rule as there were no autumn sightings. Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca Scarce migrant The first arrived on the 2 nd of May. The next came on the 4 th of May and there were four on the 7 th, one on the 9 th and four more on the 10 th. Autumn brought a single record on the 29 th of August. Common Whitethroat Sylvia communis Uncommon breeder, though scarce in some years. First recorded on the island on the 6 th April at the farm, this was followed by five on the 19 th, and singles on the 21 st and 22 nd. Numbers recorded then sporadically increased through the end of April and early May. Nesting material was first seen being carried at the farm on the 6 th May, and feeding chicks on 17 th. 14 pairs are thought to have bred on the island this year, the same as last year, but still showing a 30% decline over the last five years after a bumper year of 26 in The highest count of the year was 89 on the 6 th May with autumn counts peaking with 16 recorded on the 23 rd August, however 13 of these were in South Valley and it is likely that this bird was overlooked in autumn counts. By September they were no longer seen daily, and the last record of the year was on the 1 st October. Page 52

53 Figure 30. Population trend of Common Whitethroat on Skomer Eastern Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans cantillans / albistriata Vagrant There were two records of this sub-species this year. The first involved a male photographed at Moorey Mere in the evening of the 20 th April (Elizabeth Seakins, weekly volunteer). The second, also a male, was found sitting in the Blackthorn in North Valley on the evening of the 8 th May (JB, EMS). This second bird showed very well and afforded views for everyone on the island at the time. Neither of the birds stayed for a second day however. If accepted by the BBRC these will become the first and second records for Skomer. Grasshopper Warbler Locustella naevia Very rare, cryptic breeder, last record Uncommon migrant April 2017 saw a larger than normal arrival of this normally secretive Locustella. The first record was of a bird singing in North Valley east on the 9 th. The next was recorded on the 16 th. There were then two on the 18 th, one on the 19 th, two on the 20 th and 21 st, four on the 23 rd, two on the 24 th and one on the 29 th. Autumn brought records of one on the 16 th of September and two on the 25 th. *Melodious Warbler Hippolais polyglottal Vagrant. Fifteen previous records, involving 17 individuals, most recently one in One bird was noted this year on the 17 th and 18 th August. The bird was caught and ringed in North Valley during a ringing session on the 17th and was seen briefly at the Farm again the next day. Page 53

54 Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus Uncommon breeder. Uncommon migrant First recorded on the 8 th April with two birds recorded two days in a row, and singing on the 9 th, there was then a pause before another two were recorded on the 18 th April, after which migration sightings became more regular and with higher numbers seen, with the spring peak count being 33 on the 4 th May. They were first seen carrying food on the 17 th May. This year the number of Sedge Warblers recorded breeding on the island matched the previous highest number of 53 pairs being mapped. This represents a 32.5% increase over the past five years. Numbers were noted dropping in late August with September records being sporadic and not exceeding four, the last record of the year was of two birds on the 19 th September. Figure 31. Population trend of Sedge Warbler on Skomer Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus Uncommon migrant The first of the year, and the only April record, involved a single bird recorded in South Stream on the 24 th. There were six records in May with single birds on the 5 th, 7 th and 9 th and three on the 10 th. Late spring migrants were recorded on the 4 th and 13 th of June. The first birds of the autumn arrived on the 8 th of August when two were recorded. There were then four on the 23 rd, 26 th and 29 th of August and single birds on the 25 th and 27 th. September brought a single record on the 10 th and this was the final record of the year. Wren Troglodytes troglodytes Fairly common breeder Present on the wardens arrival, with 71 breeding territories mapped, exactly the same as last year, representing an increase of 6.3% on the previous five year average. They are sufficiently abundant and omnipresent that they are possibly under recorded, with nest building being noted on the 20 th April, and chicks only being noted on the 29 th June and 2 nd and 4 th July. Page 54

55 Figure 32. Population trend of Wren on Skomer Starling Sturnus vulgaris Very abundant migrant The first (five) were noted on the 9 th of March and a flock of 30 was seen the next day. Between one and eight birds were recorded on nine other dates in March. April saw records on just two dates with one at Gorse Hill on the 8 th and one on the 21 st. There were no records in May. Summer records began on the 4 th when one was noted. A bird was heard singing at the farm on the 9 th. A flock then formed and peaked at 35 on the 24 th. Birds were recorded on an almost daily basis throughout July and August with peak counts of 44 on the 16 th of July and 71 on the 1 st of August. After a record of 72 birds on the 1 st there was a drop in numbers during September with very few after the 7 th. There was a second autumn peak during late October and November with some much larger numbers moving through. There were 600 on the 25 th and 526 on the 31 st of September and six counts of over a thousand on six dates in November (1,615 on the 2 nd, 1,115 on the 8 th, 2,100 on the 9 th, 4,100 (highest count of year) on the 15 th, 3,260 on the 17 th and 1,650 on the 19 th ). The last record of the year was of 97 on the 23 rd of November. Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus Uncommon migrant There were a couple of March records with a male in North Valley on the 23 rd and a male at Bread Rock, near the Harold Stone, the next day. In April there were a male and female on South Plateau on the 7 th and a male the next day. The only other April record was of a further male on the 19 th. There were two records in May (5 th and 9 th ) which rounded off a good spring for the species. In contrast there were no autumn records. Blackbird Turdus merula Scarce breeder, previously uncommon. Common migrant Present on the warden s arrival to the island. Five pairs bred this year, a recovery of a few years of only two pairs breeding, giving a 31.6% increase on the five year average. First noted nest building at the farm on the 31 st March, carrying food on the 18 th April. On the 9 th June they were noted nest building at the farm next to Page 55

56 an active nest with chicks in, and it is thought their second brood was successful with 3 fledged chicks seen on the 19 th July. Low level migration was noted with 14 birds recorded on March 8 th, and eleven on the 10 th. Autumn migration was again fairly late with numbers not exceeding a dozen until the 26 th October when 40 birds were recorded. This continued with 90 on the 27 th October, 42 on the 2 nd November, 37 on the 13 th. There were still some birds present on the wardens departure and are assumed to overwinter in low numbers. Figure 33. Population trend of Blackbird on Skomer Fieldfare Turdus pilaris Fairly common, occasionally common migrant. There were only two spring records of singles on the 19 th and 23 rd of April. Autumn passage began on the 27 th of October when five arrived. There were further October records of singles on the 28 th, 29 th and 31 st. There was a small arrival on the 30 th of October when 21 (highest count of the year) were recorded. There were small numbers in November with twelve on the 2 nd and nine on the 17 th. Song Thrush Turdus philomelos Scarce and very sporadic breeder. Common migrant Wintering birds were present in March on arrival to the island with some possibly moving back north (eleven on the 8 th of March). Late spring birds were seen on the 19 th of April (two) and 22 nd of April (one). A big surprise was the appearance of breeding birds in June and July. Single (adult) birds were seen on the 11 th and 13 th of June and the 5 th of July. A recently fledged chick was then seen on the 11 th of July. Unfortunately, a recently fledged chick flew into a hostel window and died on the 21 st of July. This was followed by another, live, fledged chick at the Farm on the 23 rd. The adults, who had been extremely secretive during their first breeding attempt, began a second brood in August. Birds were seen carrying food into a bush in the corner of the garden at the Farm from the 13 th. It is not known whether this second breeding attempt was successful or not, although two were seen on the 23 rd (with no details of age). Page 56

57 Autumn migrants started passing through in October with counts of 58 on the 25 th, 75 on the 26 th, 86 on the 27 th. Peak counts in November were 35 on the 8 th, 49 on the 13 th and 38 on the 15 th. Two on the 24 th of November were the last records of the year. Redwing Turdus iliacus Common migrant First recorded on the 8 th of March with seven further records on five dates including two on the 28 th and 31 st. There were then two on the 6 th of April and one in North Valley on the 29 th. A few arrived on the 14 th of October marking the start of autumn passage. There were some larger arrivals from the 25 th of October (26) with 310 (highest count of the year) on the 26 th, 28 on the 27 th, 45 on the 28 th and 17 on the 30 th. There were almost daily records in November with 27 on the 2 nd, 24 the next day and 19 on the 14 th and 15 th. The last record of the year was of two on the 24 th, which was the final day of occupation on the island. Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus Uncommon migrant The first record of the year was of one on the 6 th of October and there were four on both the 27 th and 30 th. There were two on the 3 rd of November and four on the 13 th. Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata One breeding record Common migrant The first of the year came in April with one on the 29 th. The bulk of records came in May with 87 records in total. There were twelve on the 5 th (with one in East Bog seen eating an Emperor Moth), twelve on the 12 th and eleven on the 13 th with smaller numbers after this. There were four records in June with singles on the 4 th, 10 th, 11 th and 12 th. Autumn passage began on the 4 th of August (two). There were then small numbers recorded until the 29 th, when nine arrived, and there were four the next day. September saw 22 records with between one and three on twelve dates. October also saw 22 records with between one and four on ten dates. The final record was of one on the 10 th of October. Robin Erithacus rubecula Last confirmed breeding record Very abundant migrant Relatively small numbers appeared to have over wintered and there was no major spring passage as no more than eight birds were seen during March and April and there were only three records in May. There was a mid-summer sighting on the 31 st of July which signalled the start of more regular sightings throughout August. This involved just single birds until the 10 th when four birds were seen. There were four again the next day then six on the 13 th, seven on the 20 th, 17 on the 23 rd, 15 on the 26 th and 27 th, 16 on the 29 th and 15 on the 31 st. Daily sightings of between six and 17 were made between the 1 st and 11 th of September. Autumn passage then began in earnest from the 12 th of September when 20 were seen. From then on sightings of up to 30 were regular with 50 (the highest count of the year) recorded on the 25 th. October again saw sightings of up to 45 (recorded on the 8 th ) on a regular basis. There were 44 on the 2 nd of November after which numbers dropped somewhat, probably representing the end of autumn passage and the settling of an overwintering population. Between 20 and 30 birds were then until departure from the island on the 24 th. Page 57

58 Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca Uncommon migrant Male Pied Flycatchers were first seen on the 10 th and 19 th of April. There were then nine records on four dates in May with five on the 5 th, a female in South Stream on the 8 th and finally two on the 9 th. Autumn passage began with two on the 24 th of September and there was one on the 26 th. The final record of the year was of one in the Ivy at North Haven on the 26 th of October. Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva Rare migrant 19 previous records, most recently 2015 A first winter bird was seen in North Valley willows on the 27 th of October. Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros Uncommon migrant March brought the usual early records with one on the 10 th, singles on the 16 th and 17 th, two on the 28 th (including a male), a male at the Farm on the 29 th plus a female and a male on the 30 th. In April there were birds (or perhaps just a single long staying bird) present at the Farm between the 8 th and the 20 th which were joined by two other birds (a female at the Harold Stone and a male at North Haven) on the 9 th. A male was present in North Haven on the 8 th of May and this was the final bird of the spring. Autumn migration began on the 20 th of October. There were two female types on the 22 nd with four further records of female types that month. The lone November record came on the 4 th and was the last of the year. Common Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus Uncommon migrant The first record of the year concerned a female at the Wick on the 15 th of April. A male and a female were recorded on the 19 th and a female was at the Farm the next day. On the 30 th of April a male and a female were recorded. There were 13 records in May with six on the 5 th, three on the 6 th and females on the 7 th, 8 th, 9 th and 11 th, all in different locations. There were no records in autumn. Whinchat Saxicola rubetra Uncommon migrant The first of the year were two on the 30 th of April. There were two on the 5 th of May, one on the 7 th, two on the 9 th, one on the 11 th and finally one on the 13 th. The only Autumn record was of two on the 23 rd of September. Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus Vagrant. No previous records A female type bird was found in East Bog by Leighton Newman (LN) on the 2 nd of November. It was then seen by LN and EMS at the Farm It was incredibly mobile and showed just well enough to get some record shots before disappearing. Page 58

59 European Stonechat Saxicola rubicola Scarce breeder. Uncommon migrant First noted on the 9 th March, with peak spring counts of 12 on the 16 th March, 8 on the 22 nd, 7 on the 26 th. Nest building was recorded on the 9 th May near North Pond Public Hide (NPPH from now on), and carrying food in North Valley on the 16 th May. Two fledged youngsters were seen, again in North Valley on the 22 nd May. These two youngsters were seen regularly though May but more than two were never confirmed. Feeding was seen at NPPH on 12 th June. As juveniles became more active it became harder to match up juveniles to broods, with juveniles seen in South Stream on the 21 st June and a second brood was confirmed in North Valley with a pair seen with three recently fledged youngsters at North Valley Crossing on the 7 th July. It is thought that four pairs bred on the island. This is again the highest population since 1984 as shown in Figure 34. Autumn passage featured high counts of 14 on the 20 th August, 13 on the 22 nd and 23 rd, 17 on the 17 th September and 16 on the 2 nd November. They were still present on the island when the wardens left. Figure 34. Population trend of European Stonechat on Skomer Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe Common migrant. Uncommon breeder A total of 24 pairs are thought to have bred on Skomer this year. This is a slight decrease on the 27 pairs last year, (which was the highest number since 1999 when numbers crashed from 38 to just 11 in 2000) but still represents a 20% increase over the last five years as shown in Figure 35. The first of the year was a male seen on the 10 th March, with another male then seen on the 12 th, with more regular sightings through the second half of the month. Singing males were first recorded on the 22 nd March, with the first females arriving the next day. Peak spring counts are shown in Table 8. Table 8. Peak Spring counts of Northern Wheatear. Date 18 th Apr 19 th Apr 20 th Apr 22 nd Apr 23 rd Apr 27 th Apr 29 th Apr 4 th May 5 th May 6 th May Max count Page 59

60 First breeding activity was noted on 21 st April with nesting material being carried. Adults carrying food was then seen on the 17 th May and the first fledgling on the 24 th. The last of the year was seen on the 31 st October. Of note, was a bird with a white head seen at toms house on the 25 th August. Figure 35. Population trend of Northern Wheatear on Skomer Greenland' Wheatear O. o. leucorhoa Uncommon migrant April brought the first records of this distinctive race with at least one on the 13 th, two on the 16 th and almost daily records thereafter. The highest count in April was seven on the 23 rd. Small numbers were recorded in May up to the 14 th. There were no definite records in Autumn. Dunnock Prunella modularis Uncommon breeder. Fairly common autumn migrant Present throughout the season with 17 pairs mapped. As Figure 36 shows, this is a fairly average number. First noted carrying nesting material on 16 th April, and carrying food on the 13 th May. On the 22 nd May chicks could be heard from the chicken sheds and were suspected to have fledged, these were confirmed as the first fledglings of the year on the 25 th. Autumn counts did not exceed 20 recorded on the 12 th October. Page 60

61 Figure 36. Population trend of Dunnock on Skomer Dunnock, Farm. Sarah-Kay Purdon House Sparrow Passer domesticus Bred sporadically between 1965 and Uncommon migrant There was an unconfirmed record of six on the 17 th of May. The next record was of a female type bird at the Farm on the 18 th of July. The majority of records, however, were in October with four on the 6 th, two on the 8 th, one on the 25 th, a staggering 33 on the 27 th and four on the 30 th. Tree Sparrow Passer montanus Bred in Scarce migrant One was present at the Farm between the 3 rd and 5 th of May (SW). This represents the first record since the 12 th of May Page 61

62 Tree Sparrow, Farm, 3 rd of May E. Stubbings Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava flavissima Uncommon migrant There were two records in May with a male on the 5 th and a female on the 13 th. September saw three records with one on the 18 th and two over on the 19 th. Sightings of this declining bird are becoming ever rarer and it does seem that this trend will continue into the future. Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea Uncommon migrant As would be expected there were no spring records. The first of the year was recorded in North Valley on the 2 nd of July. There were further records on the 9 th of July and 25 th, 26 th, 27 th (five), 28 th and 30 th of August. Autumn passage then increased in September when there were 92 records. This typically involved between one and four birds but there were 13 on the 12 th and 19 th and 17 (highest count of year) on the 16 th. There were between one and two birds on seven dates in October. There was one on the 1 st of November and the last record of the year was of one on the 13 th of November. Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba yarrellii Scarce breeder. Fairly common migrant Four pairs once again bred this year, equalling 2013, as shown in Figure 37. Present on the island on the wardens arrival, the highest counts in March being 11 on both 26 th and 28 th March. First noted mating at the farm on April 4 th, they were then seen nest building in the ivy on the 20 th. A second nest at the farm was noted on the 8 th May and one of these pairs chicks had hatched and were being fed on the 23 rd May. Fledglings were first seen on 4 th June. Spring migration was not high level with numbers recorded only exceeding 8 on seven occasions in March and April, and peaking with 12 seen on the 10 th April. Autumn numbers were similarly reasonable again not exceeding 12. Last seen on the 19 th November. Page 62

63 Figure 37. Population trend of Pied Wagtail on Skomer White Wagtail M. a. alba Uncommon migrant The first of the year was one on Moorey Mere on the 8 th of April with probably the same bird present the next day. There were further records of singles on the 18 th, 19 th, 20 and 21 st. The next record came with a single on the 25 th of August. There were then two at Skomer Head on the 27 th and a single on the 29 th was the last record of the year. Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis Uncommon migrant The first record of the year was of one south of the Farm on the 20 th of April. May produced one on the 5 th and one at North Valley Crossing on the 7 th. August then produced four on the 27 th, three on the 30 th and one on the 31 st. Early September brought three on the 1 st and one on the 2 nd, these being the last records of the year. Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis Fairly common breeder. Abundant migrant Present on wardens arrival, peak spring counts included 85 on the 12 th March, 57 on the 20 th and 24 th, 95 on the 26 th and 57 on the 21 st April. 114 pairs were mapped out as breeding on the island this year, almost identical to last year. The species has shown a 22.3% increase over the past 5 years as shown in figure 38. First noted with nesting material on the 8 th April, and with food on the 25 th. No juveniles were noted, but food was again being carried on the 11 th July, assumed to be second broods. A possibly leucistic bird was seen at Skomer head on the 4 th September, and through the month autumn passage gradually picked up. Peak autumn passage is summaries in Table 9 Page 63

64 Table 9. Peak Autumn counts of Meadow Pipit. Date 12 th Sep 15 th Sep 15 th Sep 16 th Sep 18 th Sep 19 th Sep 25 th Sep 15 th Oct 18 th Oct 25 th Oct Max count Figure 38. Population trend of Meadow and Rock Pipits on Skomer Rock Pipit Anthus petrosus Uncommon breeder. Fairly common migrant Present throughout the season but one of the top contenders as the most under recorded species on the island. 27 pairs were mapped this year, a repeat of 2012, and resulting in a 23.9% increase over the past five years as shown in Figure 38. First recording nest building on the 31 st March, and feeding young on the 18 th May and a fledged youngster on the 10 th June. The highest count of the year was of 64 on the 23 rd November with autumn producing six other counts of 25 or more (the next highest being 37 on the 1 st October). Brambling Fringilla montifringilla Uncommon migrant Typically, the first record was not until late October with one on the 26 th. There were then eight on the 27 th, two on the 28 th, five on the 30 th and four on the 31 st. November brought regular sightings with between one and 15 (highest count of the year on the 2 nd ) on ten dates up to the 19 th. Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs Common migrant Noted regularly, in small numbers (up to three), in spring. The first record was on the 8 th of March and the last of the spring was on the 8 th of May. The first record of the autumn was of three on the 17 th of September. They were then regular until the Wardens departure from the island on the 24 th of November. There was a Page 64

65 proper arrival of birds at the end of October with 100 plus on the 25 th, 253 (highest count of year) on the 26 th and 110 on the 31 st. The highest count in November was 216 on the 3 rd. Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes Vagrant. Fifth record for the island, previous record in A single bird was seen in North Valley on the 14 th October. This was the fifth island record with the last in the spring of 2012 and previous to that autumn Common Rosefinch Erythrina erythrina Rare migrant. Nineteen previous records. Most recently A first year male was first found singing in North Valley Crossing on the 22 nd June. It was present for the next three days. Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula Rare migrant. Twenty-three previous records. Most recently Amazingly there were three on the 3 rd of November. There was also a single female recorded near the Farm on the 27 th of October. Greenfinch Chloris chloris Uncommon migrant, though fairly common in some years. There was a slight influx, at about the same time as an influx of Chaffinches, at the end of October with ten on the 25 th, five on the 26 th, four on the 27 th and one on the 30 th. There were six records on four dates in November with three on the 15 th, this being the last record of the year. Linnet Linaria cannabina Scarce and sporadic breeder, with breeding occurring most recently 2009 and Very abundant migrant Five pairs bred in Nests were being built by the beginning of April and the first chicks were seen around the 25 th of May. Second broods began in mid-june. Birds were present on arrival to the island. Spring counts reached a peak of 55 on the 21 st of April. Autumn passage peaked in September with 177 on the 25 th. (see table 10). The final record of the year was one on the 19 th of November. Table 10. Peak counts of Linnet. Date 27 th Mar 9 th Apr 21 st Apr 23 rd May 4 th June 23 rd July 22 nd Aug 19 th Sep 25 th Sep 6 th Oct Max count Page 65

66 Figure 39. Population trend of Linnet on Skomer Lesser Redpoll Acanthis cabaret Uncommon migrant The first well seen, and therefore identified with any certainty, was on the 2 nd of May. There were further records on the 26 th (one) and 29 th (two). The first record of the autumn was of two on the 15 th of October. There were further records on the 25 th (one), 27 th (four) and 28 th (one). There were single records on the 2 nd and 4 th of November and these were the last of the year. Flyovers, where the species could not be confirmed with certainty, are listed below: There was one on the 9 th and one west of the Farm on the 29 th of April. A single was recorded on the 14 th of May. There was one on the 3 rd of October, two on the 9 th and one on the 30 th. There were two on the 2nd of November and singles on the 6 th, 13 th and 19 th. Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis Rare breeder. Abundant migrant After the first breeding record of Goldfinches in 2016, 2017 saw two pairs breed at the Farm and North Valley Crossing. The first juveniles were seen on the 4 th of June but may have come from the mainland. Chicks finally fledged from the nest at the Farm on the 15 th of July. The year began with 20 on the 9 th of March after which numbers remained low until April, when some slightly larger flocks came through again. The largest number recorded in April was 26 on the 21 st. May and June saw between one and 14 (but typically between two and four birds) recorded on most days. Peak counts in July and August were 20 and 30 respectively. Migrants really began to bolster the local population in September with 56 being counted on the 19 th. Numbers remained high through October and at least the first half of November with peak counts of 41 and 20 respectively. Page 66

67 Siskin Spinus spinus Uncommon migrant The only bird of the spring was noted on the 27 th of April. The first autumn record was of one on the 5 th of October. October eventually produced 100 records, typically just a few birds but with high counts of twelve on the 15 th and 26 th, 31 on the 27 th and nine on the 30 th. November produced 27 records with seven on the 1 st and eight on the 14 th. The last of the year was recorded on the 24 th of November. Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis Scarce autumn migrant, though absent in some years The only record of the year concerned a first winter male which was seen at Captain Kites on the 3 rd of November. Lapland Bunting Calcarius lapponicus Uncommon autumn migrant, though scarce in some years There was just a single record this year with one recorded on the 6 th of November. Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis Vagrant, first island record A male was found at the Farm on the 8 th of May. It stayed for the rest of the day and was seen by many observers. The same bird may have been present the day before at the Pigstone. Dark-eyed Junco. E. Stubbings Page 67