Two weeks ago today we were still exploring Lanzarote, this the last leg of some very pleasant winter island hopping. We have since visited Northumberland and North Yorkshire, short-listed, interviewed and selected our 2022 Long-term Volunteers, attended a first aid course and written and submitted an application to replace the Crab Bay Puffin hide, before shopping and packing for this, our tenth year as Wardens of Dream Island. We’ve been staying with Anna and Steve Sutcliffe who are always amazingly generous and a huge amount of fun. We have of course had one eye (and occasionally two) on the weather, the swell yesterday regularly reaching over five metres. However the forecast for today had been looking good for a while and so it turned out to be. We made a couple of early trips to Neyland to deposit two car loads of supplies to the boat before being joined by Gail and Rob Smith, Peter P, the crew Karl and Mark and the Skomer team for the journey down a calm Milford Haven and out to Skokholm. The landing was uneventful (although we did briefly lose a couple of jetty scrubbing brushes to the sea before a successful rescue). We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who made proceedings so easy. A 1st March landfall is three days earlier than our 2013-2021 average, indeed we have only been earlier in 2016, 2019 and 2021.

We were greeted by a flock of 46 Oystercatcher around the Anticline, a smattering of gulls (including several colour ringed birds occupying their breeding territories) and six Chough. The buildings are in the most part looking pretty good, although the run of February storms has made a bit of a mess in places; we can see sky through the roof of the Wheelhouse, the timber cladding around the Wheelhouse solar panels had in places been ripped off (although the power system is still working) and there is a bit of guttering off. Things could have been much worse. The vehicles both started first time, we got everything indoors before this evening’s rain, the Lighthouse is warm and dry and we even managed to free the lock on the Lighthouse door. The few other birds logged on a brief walk included four Wigeon, 14 Mallard, 15 Teal, singles of Curlew and Snipe, four Raven, 18 Starling, 14 Redwing and six each of Song Thrush and Robin.

In an ideal world our first full day back on Dream Island would be gloriously sunny and calm, the perfect conditions for exploring, finding early migrants and opening everything up to see how it has overwintered. However the reality was a continuation of overnight rain into a day of regular lashing drizzle, stiff winds and dankness. Notebooks had to be kept in pockets during the wet morning census, although we were happy in the knowledge that numbers stored in our heads could be disseminated each time we reached a hide. This would have worked well, however it soon transpired that instead of putting a rock against each hide door last autumn, we had instead put a screw above each latch. We love Howard and everything he has done for us and Skokholm, however, given that we were not carrying screwdrivers this morning, we were rather wishing that we had stuck with the rocks rather than following his (seemingly) very sensible advice on locking up for the winter. The few birds logged included four Wigeon, ten frisky Mallard, seven Teal, 47 Oystercatcher (plus the remains of 1A, a bird which bred at Winter Pond in each year between 2016 and 2021), five Curlew (it’s always magical to hear them singing), a Dunlin, four Snipe, a Redshank, 326 Lesser Black-backed Gull (the vast majority are yet to return), a fine adult Shag on the Anticline, a wet Buzzard and six soggy Chough, 70 Jackdaw, three Skylark, 20 Starling, six Redwing, four Song Thrush and just four Robin. Despite the weather, we still managed to reattach the catch boxes to our three Heligoland Traps, unblock an overflowing culvert at the South Pond Lower Drain and rebuild the housing around the Wheelhouse Block solar panels. We left an exploration of the building interiors for a drier day, turning instead to paperwork and unpacking.

Although a lazy northwester demanded a woolly hat and an extra fleece, it was a brighter and dry day, allowing us to get all of the bedrooms unlocked and checked for winter damage. The good news is that the rooms have overwintered exceptionally well, with very little mould and virtually no sign of water ingress. We also cleaned out and repopulated the ringing hut, although the only birds out of the Heligolands today were two Robin which have survived their first Dream Island winter. Following an almost complete absence yesterday, today saw the mass return of thousands of auks to the cliffs and, particularly in the more exposed areas where the cliffs were perhaps less inviting, to the waters just offshore. There were also more gulls around, allowing us to begin the process of looking for colour rings to see which individuals have survived the winter. Birds logged included six Wigeon, 19 Mallard, 16 Teal, 81 Oystercatcher (including three of our colour ringed birds in the South Haven roost), five Snipe, 837 Lesser Black-backed Gull (a high count this early in the season), 3636 Guillemot and 2866 Razorbill, 95 Fulmar, two Shag, a Cormorant, a lone Peregrine, eight Chough, 63 Jackdaw, seven Skylark (including three singing), 21 Starling, seven Redwing, ten Song Thrush, eight Robin, a pair of Stonechat (hopefully the pair which fledged three broods last year, the first Skokholm young since 1932), the first Pied Wagtail of the month (which arrived to South Haven from the mainland) and ten Meadow Pipit.

Although the breeze could only be described as bitter, an ever brighter day was really rather glorious if you found somewhere tucked in out of the wind. It was the perfect opportunity for us to open up all of the bedrooms for an airing and start work on cleaning and patching up in the Central Block. Today our attentions focussed on the Bullhouse, one of the rooms tiled last autumn (but which is yet to be touched up around the edges). Regular Skokholmites and very attentive blog readers will remember that over the last few years we have, from time to time, concentrated our efforts on stripping white gloss beams and painting them black (so we don’t have to spend time getting annoyed when white gloss all too quickly turns to an odd yellow colour). Today we started by cleaning the ceiling and black beams. Although it undoubtedly makes us sound quite boring, we can’t tell you how pleasing it was to see a couple of hours of de-cobwebbing and mould removal leave the ceiling looking as if it had just been painted. We also spent some time sanding down and priming the wardrobe and started on tidying up the edges following the tiling project. Away from the cleaning, it was an uneventful day on the bird front (although a pair of Shelduck on North Pond, a Water Rail calling at South Pond, a Turnstone on the Anticline and a Chaffinch over the Lighthouse Track were all additions to the yearlist). Other birds logged included seven Wigeon, nine Mallard, five Teal, 106 Oystercatcher, 3206 Guillemot (including 629 in the North Gully plot, the highest ever count recorded for this site), 1447 Razorbill, 86 Fulmar, a Cormorant, 40 Jackdaw, four Skylark, 24 Starling, two Redwing, two Song Thrush and six Robin (including the fourth different overwintering individual to be retrapped in the Heligolands).

It was another gloriously sunny day, brisk in the breeze but pleasingly warm out of it. It was an ideal day for continuing to air out the buildings and for continuing with decorating the rooms tiled last autumn. The cliffs were a cacophony of noise, with thousands of auks again back on the ledges. Although the North Gully plot Guillemot count dropped to 601, this was still the second highest tally from this site and mirrored many of the other subcolonies where there were seemingly more birds than we have seen before. Indeed, without leaving the paths or visiting the Neck, we managed to count 4306 Guillemot, this almost 600 more than ever counted in March (despite the fact that the Hog Bay birds were entirely absent). There was more song in the air today, with 18 Skylark including 11 singing males, 35 Meadow Pipit including several singing birds and a male Stonechat at South Pond serenading a female (raising hopes that the latter might breed for a second consecutive year but for just the fourth time since recording began in 1927). Other birds logged included two Shelduck, seven Wigeon, six Mallard, ten Teal, 89 Oystercatcher, a lone Snipe, far fewer gulls (for example numbers at the Top Tank Lesser Black-backed Gull colony had dropped to 43 this morning and to only one lonely looking individual this afternoon), 1182 Razorbill, just 58 Fulmar, a Cormorant, 43 Jackdaw, 22 Starling, singles of Redwing and Song Thrush, six Robin and a male Pied Wagtail.

It was a cold but gloriously sunny morning, however creeping fingers of cloud extending from the east soon shaded us for the remainder of the day. The conditions early on were not massively different to those seen during the last couple of mornings, however the auks and Fulmars were seemingly experiencing instincts different to those of late, with all of them abandoning the Island for the sea. Our attentions again focussed on the Bullhouse, which is now looking the best we have ever seen it. We also started cleaning and a spot of decorating in the Obs Kitchen and in Crow’s Nest, the latter another of the rooms tiled last autumn but which is yet to have its edges tidied up. Birds logged today included a lone Canada Goose, the lingering Shelduck pair, six each of Wigeon and Mallard, the first Moorhen of the year on North Pond, 70 Oystercatcher, two Snipe, ten Kittiwake, just 233 Lesser Black-backed Gull, three Guillemot and 11 Razorbill off the Lighthouse, five offshore Fulmar, three Gannet, a Cormorant, three Buzzard together over Wreck Cove (where there was surprisingly little aggression, perhaps suggesting that the additional bird was one of last year’s offspring), 134 Jackdaw (the fifth highest March daycount ever, after four counts of between 136 and 149 logged last year), 16 Skylark, 23 Starling, singles of Redwing and Song Thrush, eight Robin (including a sixth different first-winter retrapped after a winter on the Island), a ringed Stonechat pair feeding together at South Pond (almost certainly last year’s pair), two Pied Wagtail and 14 Meadow Pipit.

Although the wind had veered to the southeast, it was still a rather brisk morning census which was again almost entirely bereft of seabirds; a lone Razorbill off the Lighthouse was the only auk logged, neither of us saw a Fulmar and gull numbers plummeted to just 66 Great Black-backed, 32 Herring and 72 Lesser Black-backed. However a couple of Manx Shearwater heard from our Lighthouse bedroom window last night reminded us that the seabird season is fast approaching. The Oystercatcher count rose to 135, this split between high tide roosts at the Anticline and Oystercatcher Rock; although down on the 138 of last year and the 148 of 2019, this otherwise matched the peak of 2013 as the highest in March since 140 in 1996 (the March high is the 300 logged in 1932 and 1933, although 160 in 1951 is the next highest tally). Other birds seen today included the two Shelduck and six Wigeon, four Mallard touring traditional nest sites, a Snipe, six Kittiwake, 68 Jackdaw, just three Skylark, 18 Starling, five Robin and an extra male Stonechat. The non-birding portion of the day was spent cleaning and filling in Crow’s Nest in preparation for some new floor edge painting tomorrow.

It was a rough night, with the southeasterly wind topping 50mph and the sea whipping up to a mess of white topped waves. It was perhaps little surprise that the vast majority of birds again eschewed Dream Island, the auks and Fulmars all way out at sea and the majority of gulls away in more sheltered coves. The morning census was quiet, with the totals including the two Shelduck and six Wigeon, five Mallard, 119 Oystercatcher (including 12 colour ringed birds, one of which was new for this year), 86 Great Black-backed, 41 Herring and 154 Lesser Black-backed Gull, eight Gannet, two Shag, at least 70 Jackdaw, two each of Skylark and Starling, six Robin, four Stonechat (two males were together on Home Meadow whilst our (presumed) 2021 breeding pair were at South Pond) and a Pied Wagtail. The non-birding portion of the day was spent painting the edges around the new floor in Crow’s Nest, making a new coat rack and improving the curtain rail positioning in Gunners, paperworking and putting the finishing touches to Bullhouse (which becomes the first of our 12 bedrooms ready for the 2022 visitor season).

Winds in excess of 40mph made for a difficult morning census and brought an afternoon of lashing drizzle. The cliff nesting auks were away for a fourth day and there was again no sign of a Puffin; we had seen Puffins by this date both last year (236 birds from the 7th) and in 2019 (28 birds from the 1st), although these are the earliest Puffins ever recorded on Skokholm (four on the 12th in 1982 and singles on the 13th in 1974 and 2016 are the next earliest records). The few birds logged included the two Shelduck and six Wigeon, three Teal, 134 Oystercatcher (131 of which were on the Anticline), just eight Kittiwake, 98 Great Black-backed Gull, 370 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 31 Razorbill, 49 Fulmar, nine Gannet, a Shag, six Chough together along the Lighthouse Track, 32 Jackdaw, seven Skylark, four Robin, two male Stonechat and three Pied Wagtail. It was a little damp to be decorating, so the day was spent paperworking and tending to a spectacular roast dinner.

A switch to gentle southwesterlies brought with it our first proper spring migrants of 2022. A smart adult male Wheatear at North Gully was six days later than the first of last year, but one day earlier than the 2013-2021 mean first bird (indeed there have only been earlier birds in 14 years since 1928, the early birds invariably being males). Three Chiffchaff were eight days later than the first of last year, but also one day earlier than the 2013-2021 mean; there have been 42 earlier Chiffchaff bird-days, including ten last year and 21 since 2013. One of the Chiffchaffs was trapped in the Wheelhouse Heligoland, a wing length of 65mm suggesting that this was also a male. A lone Puffin sat on the sea off North Haven was also the first of the year; the 28 logged from the 1st in 2019 and the 236 logged from the 7th last year are the only earlier bird-days to be recorded on Skokholm. The final addition to the yearlist was a female Sparrowhawk (although the remains of a Redwing a couple of days ago suggests she might have been going undetected). Other birds logged on another day of cleaning and decorating included the two Shelduck and six Wigeon, ten Teal, 153 Oystercatcher (there have only been higher March daycounts in four years, with 155 in 1988 the most recent), singles of Turnstone, Snipe and Redshank, 14 Kittiwake, 969 Lesser Black-backed Gull (2016 was the last year in which a higher daycount had been recorded this early in March), 304 Guillemot and 1065 Razorbill at sea (bar nine Razorbill on the Anticline, the presence of the Oystercatchers perhaps enough to give them the confidence to make a landfall), 158 Fulmar, the remains of a Manx Shearwater (the earliest to be eaten in the last decade), five Gannet, a Shag, four Cormorant, a male Peregrine tearing through 93 Jackdaw, 19 Skylark, 23 Starling, two Song Thrush, ten Robin (the highest March daycount since 15 in 2016, indeed there have only been higher March counts in four years), five Stonechat (the South Pond male accompanying two females, whilst two males were again on Home Meadow), two Pied Wagtail and 28 Meadow Pipit.

The big avian news on a day of cleaning and scrubbing excess grout off new floors was the arrival of two of our colour ringed Wheatear. Both A33 at the Dip and B52 on North Plain hatched in 2018 and were today back on their territories having crossed the Sahel of North Africa eight times. It is hard to imagine what must be going on in their heads as they return to a familiar set of burrows on a Welsh island following a 3000 mile journey. Other birds logged included four nest prospecting Canada Goose, the two Shelduck and six Wigeon, the first Woodpigeon of the year, a Water Rail, 139 Oystercatcher, singles of Curlew, Snipe and Redshank, just 245 Lesser Black-backed Gull (over 700 fewer than yesterday), two Guillemot off the Lighthouse, 93 Fulmar, more streaks of Manx Shearwater guano at burrow entrances, two each of Gannet and Shag, the eight Chough, 74 Jackdaw, 15 Skylark, a Chiffchaff, two Starling, a Song Thrush, six Robin (including the first to be ringed this year) and two Pied Wagtail.

It was a glorious, but ever more draughty morning, conditions which brought more cloud as the day progressed and eventually lashing rain as the wind picked up to over 60mph. A morning return of auks saw over 6000 Guillemot and Razorbill in the waters around the Island, whilst Puffin numbers increased as the day went on, the South Haven count increasing from 11 to 190. We have seen more Puffins by 12th March than in any previous year bar 2021, although whether this is due to the expanding Puffin population or global climate change is open to debate (likely a bit of both). Two Raven heading high and south from the Lighthouse until lost from view added to our confusion as to what they are up to this year; whereas it is usually immediately apparent how many territorial pairs are present (two or three have fledged between five and ten young in each of our previous nine years), we have yet to encounter an obviously territorial bird this year, with a couple of mobile singles seen most days but no alarming around traditional nest sites and no obvious guard birds (perhaps the run of storms prior to our return destroyed any nest attempts and seemingly either killed off a couple of birds or encouraged a visit to the mainland). Other birds logged included nine Canada Goose, the two Shelduck, a lone female Wigeon, four Mallard, 129 Oystercatcher, 761 Lesser Black-backed Gull (up from 245 yesterday), 102 Fulmar, the second Manx Shearwater to be found eaten this year, singles of Shag and Cormorant, 120 Jackdaw, 16 Skylark, a lone unringed Chiffchaff, a Starling, three each of Robin and Stonechat, two male Wheatear (probably yesterday’s birds, with A33 still at the Dip and a male singing on North Plain), three Pied Wagtail and 34 Meadow Pipit. The non-birding day was spent in the Cottage where the last two new floors were scrubbed of excess grout.

Last night’s lashing rain gave way this morning to regular lashing showers, but by this afternoon the wind dropped, the cloud cleared and we were treated to a period of glorious low sun. The avian highlight was undoubtedly the arrival of Wheatear A31 to the Thrift beds above Purple Cove. A31 was ringed as a juvenile on 22nd July 2015 and was today back for a seventh breeding season (having almost certainly crossed North Africa 14 times!)! Other birds logged included four Canada Goose, two each of Shelduck and Wigeon, five Mallard, 152 Oystercatcher on the Anticline (matching the Anticline count of three days ago as the highest this century), a Snipe, 442 Lesser Black-backed Gull, no auks, 157 Fulmar, two eaten Manx Shearwater, six Gannet, a Cormorant, two Peregrine, five Robin, the South Pond Stonechat pair, three Wheatear (including colour ringed birds singing at the Dip and North Plain North), two Pied Wagtail and 26 Meadow Pipit. The non-birding portion of the day was spent paperworking and decorating in Carpenter’s Mate and Gunner.

We’ve been looking forward to today for a while, although we should perhaps know better than to place much faith in the long-term weather forecast. Or perhaps we should trust it, as the predicted glorious day came to pass, a warm and cloudless day ideal for replacing all of the rotten Puffin burrow marker posts in Crab Bay (with recycled plastic posts). We would like to say a huge thank you to the Friends of Skokholm and Skomer for purchasing the posts and to Phil Blatcher for taking the time to research and source them. Despite a lingering swell, we also had a brief visit from the MCZ team who dropped off a replacement seawater temperature logger and a bit of post. The avian highlight was, perhaps surprisingly, a Siskin which arrived in off to the Quarry; a male on the 19th in 1994 is the only other March record! A count of 241 Puffin this evening took the cumulative 2022 tally to 439, the highest total to have ever been recorded this early in March. Other birds logged included four Canada Goose, two Shelduck, seven Mallard, a Water Rail, 87 Oystercatcher, singles of Curlew and Dunlin, four Snipe, 566 Guillemot and 1593 Razorbill (the vast majority of which were on the sea), 122 Fulmar, 12 Gannet, a Shag, two Cormorant, seven Chough, 66 Jackdaw, four Raven (including at least one apparent visitor), 15 Skylark, a Chiffchaff, 57 Wren (the highest daycount so far this year), two Starling, 12 Blackbird, a Song Thrush, four Robin, eight male Wheatear, five Pied Wagtail (also the highest daycount this year), 43 Meadow Pipit and the first Linnet of the year.

An overcast day with a relatively gentle breeze was spent (almost) entirely outside for the second day on the bounce (we’ll be back in the Cottage for some cleaning and decorating tomorrow). Today we were preparing the trapping area and net rides for the season ahead and erecting the mist nets which will remain out until the end of November. The big avian news of the day was all Puffin related, with 1741 birds maintaining the cumulative year total at a point above anything seen by this time of year previously and a handful of birds making landfall above Hog Bay and South Haven, these the earliest to ever do so on Skokholm. Other birds logged included two each of Canada Goose and Shelduck, seven Mallard, 83 Oystercatcher, a Curlew, 11 Kittiwake, at least 3999 Guillemot and 1928 Razorbill, 93 Fulmar, five Gannet, singles of Shag and Cormorant, the first Merlin of the year, 105 Jackdaw (along with one killed by two other Jackdaw), four Raven (including at least one visitor), 12 Skylark, a Starling, no Robin (for the first time this month), the Stonechat pair, just three male Wheatear, four Pied Wagtail, 49 Meadow Pipit and the first Goldfinch of the year. The first moth trapping session of the year produced two Red Chestnut. 

With the spring Work Party and Lighthouse window replacement fast approaching, this evening we’ve sat down to figure out a work schedule to make sure that everything is ready for their arrival; it looks hectic! The two staff will be joined by two Long-term Volunteers, ten Work Party volunteers and a team of five at the Lighthouse, which means that all but two of our 15 bedrooms need to be ready (along with the Kitchens, Wheelhouse, Toilets and Jetty). Everywhere we look at the moment we see jobs, but it is amazing how a good list can make everything feel achievable. Following a couple of days working outside, today we were back cleaning and painting in the last two Cottage bedrooms to be tiled but not tidied up last autumn. Birds logged on census and regular walks around the trapping area included the four Canada Goose and two Shelduck, five Mallard, 97 Oystercatcher, a dead first-winter Curlew (eaten, but we are not sure by what as the sternum didn’t look like a classic Peregrine kill), most of the Guillemot (including another 600 plus count at the North Gully plot), 2096 Razorbill, 951 Puffin (including three ashore), four Gannet, two Cormorant, the adult male Peregrine, six Chough, 73 Jackdaw, a Raven in each traditional territory, 11 Skylark, six Chiffchaff, the first two Goldcrest of the year (five days later than the 2013-2021 first bird mean and 14 days later than the first of last year which was our earliest spring Goldcrest ever), three each of Stonechat and Wheatear, four Pied Wagtail and 65 Meadow Pipit.

As predicted yesterday, it was a day of intense cleaning and decorating in the Cottage. The morning census provided little in the way of migrants, so we didn’t feel too bad about being busy indoors (and regular walks of the trapping area added little to the day list, although they did deliver a sensational encounter as the male Peregrine took out one of our resident Crows). The first female Wheatear of the year was cavorting with a singing male, both of which were colour ringed (it was perhaps the pair which bred at Wallsend last year, although neither ring was conclusively read); this was the earliest female since one on the 14th in 2017. Other birds logged included two Canada Goose, seven Mallard, 102 Oystercatcher, a Snipe, just 889 Guillemot, 961 Razorbill and six Puffin, 76 Fulmar, a Shag, eight Chough, 121 Jackdaw, 16 Crow (and later 15), nine Skylark, a lone Chiffchaff (above the Quarry, with no birds around the trapping area), four Starling, the Stonechat pair at South Pond (the male again singing from near the stand of Bracken occupied last year), seven Wheatear, five Pied Wagtail and 39 Meadow Pipit.

A bright early morning was accompanied by a gentle southeasterly which brought the noise of the St Ann’s foghorn to our shores, a sure sign that visibility was about to go downhill. It wasn’t long before we were enveloped by a rolling bank of fret thick enough to almost hide the Lighthouse as viewed from above the Quarry (see below). Conditions brightened as the day progressed and by this afternoon we were basking under a cloudless sky. Birds logged included a lone Shelduck, five Mallard, three Teal, 80 Oystercatcher, 138 Guillemot, 764 Razorbill, 580 Puffin (following a typical afternoon arrival, with only 30 seen this morning), three each of Gannet and Buzzard, the male Peregrine trying to catch a South Haven Oystercatcher, 90 Jackdaw, just seven Skylark, a lone Goldcrest, four Starling, the Stonechat pair, seven Wheatear (including a second female), the first White Wagtail of the year (our earliest since another male on the 16th in 2016), 47 Meadow Pipit and, during a morning of very sparse but diverse finch passage, singles of Chaffinch, Linnet and Goldfinch. The day was spent clay painting and glossing in the Cottage.

A day of strong easterlies (with morning gusts briefly topping 50mph) saw three additions to the yearlist but an exodus of gulls, auks and Fulmars. Two of the additions were waders, with a Ruff and a Ringed Plover loitering at North Pond; we don’t expect either in March, with the former the first since 1998 (and just the 26th March bird-day) and the latter the first since 2020 (and just the 59th March bird-day). We will encounter plenty more Ringed Plover this season (there were 108 bird-days last year and a record 193 in 2016), however this might be the only Ruff (the only bird last year lingered for three days in April, the only 2020 bird lingered for five days in April and there were no sightings at all in 2018 and 2019, although there have now been at least 31 individuals this decade). The third yearlist addition was a Collared Dove singing at the Obs, this matching a bird in 1999 as the third earliest spring record (there were singles on 15th March in 1971 and 9th March in 1993). Other birds logged included nine Canada Goose, a Shelduck, six Mallard, a Moorhen, 101 Oystercatcher, six Turnstone, just 57 Herring and 200 Lesser Black-backed Gull, no auks, 15 Fulmar, a Sparrowhawk, 82 Jackdaw, nine Skylark, a Chiffchaff ringed elsewhere in Britain, the four Starling, the Stonechat pair, five Wheatear (including male A89 back at Wallsend), four Pied Wagtail and 41 Meadow Pipit. The non-birding portion of the day was spent in the Cottage where the four single bedrooms are nearly finished (and are looking fantastic with their new floors).

It was another day of blustery easterlies. As was the case yesterday, a lack of breeding seabirds was made up for by a few interesting avian arrivals, most notably the eighth Glaucous Gull for Skokholm (hot on the heels of birds in November 2020 and December last year). A Hooded Crow on North Plain was the 24th to be seen on the Island, 11 of which have been in the last eight years. A Black Redstart around the Obs was the first of the spring, one day earlier than the first of last spring but three days later than the 2013-2021 first bird mean (the earliest during this period was logged on the 9th in 2013 and the latest on the 25th in 2020). Other birds logged on a day of cleaning in the Office and Common Room included two each of Canada Goose and Shelduck, 92 Oystercatcher, two Turnstone, 47 Kittiwake, just eight Razorbill and 46 Puffin, eight Fulmar, 11 Gannet, eight Skylark, three Chiffchaff, two Starling, a Song Thrush, six Wheatear, eight Pied Wagtail and 46 Meadow Pipit.

The easterlies, the trickle of migrants and the additions to the yearlist continued for another day. A Stock Dove above the Quarry was a species we don’t encounter every year (although up to 62 pairs bred in burrows between 1967 and 1983), indeed there have only been records in eight years since 2003 (now in five years on the bounce). A female Brambling at South Pond was on the late side; there have only been 25 later spring bird-days (including 14 in April, the most recent of which was on the 13th in 2018). A Jack Snipe flushed at South Pond was another scarce spring sighting, making this the seventh of the last ten springs with a record. A spectacular sunset was well and truly over by the time a vocal Grey Heron circled the Lighthouse (before being chased eastwards by angry Herring Gulls still vigilant in the gloom); there have only been ten previous March bird-days, the most recent of which was in 2014. The final addition was a Dunnock; it would appear that our breeding pair did not survive the winter, today’s unringed bird most likely a migrant. Further highlights included a surprise reappearance of the Ruff at South Pond (watched as it emerged from the golden Bracken, fed and then returned to its hidden location), two Black Redstart (one at the Obs and one at the Lighthouse) and four White Wagtail (the highest count of the year so far). Other birds logged on a day otherwise spent cleaning and decorating in the Cottage included four Canada Goose, the Shelduck pair, a Water Rail calling in the Well Stream (along with another found eaten at South Pond), 140 Oystercatcher, a Curlew, six Snipe, 1399 Puffin from the South Haven hide this afternoon (there was one there this morning), 50 Fulmar, eight Gannet, three Cormorant, singles of Sparrowhawk, Merlin and Peregrine, seven Chough, 72 Jackdaw, 32 Crow, just seven Skylark, two Chiffchaff, a Robin (the first for a week), seven Wheatear, six Pied Wagtail and 59 Meadow Pipit.

It was our first day for a good while without any additions to the avian yearlist, although there were still a few treats to be enjoyed on yet another day of brisk easterlies. The first Black Redstart to be ringed this year was at the Obs, as were a mini influx of three Robins (with two new birds, one very skinny and one rather portly, joining the skinny bird which arrived yesterday). The Ruff was again a cryptic bystander on the edge of the South Pond Bracken, with another wader highlight being two roosts totalling 155 Oystercatcher, this the highest daycount since 156 were logged in April 1997. A good trudge around the coast located a dead Kestrel and a dead Short-eared Owl, both seemingly over a month old and perhaps casualties of the February storms. Why were we trudging around the coast? To count Puffins of course. A sizable South Haven raft inspired a whole Island count which came to 3339 around the Neck (a post-1946 record, up on the 3206 of last year), 4914 between South Haven and the Lighthouse (240 down on last year’s post-1946 record) and 1532 along the North Coast (1353 down on last year). So 9785 Puffin, our second highest post-1953 total (down on the 11,245 of last year). It certainly feels like a count on the right night is going to rival that of 2021. Although numbers are still well down on Lockley’s spring estimates of approximately 40,000, we are right up there with the 10,000 logged on nine occasions between 6th April 1950 and 22nd April 1953. Other birds present on a day in which we completed the five Cottage bedrooms and moved in to the Officer’s Mess included the four Canada Goose and two Shelduck, a Woodpigeon, two Curlew together in the Bog (they have never bred on Skokholm), six Snipe, two Shag, a Cormorant, a neatly lined but empty Buzzard nest on the usual ledge, eight Chough, confirmation that the North Haven Ravens have a nest (although we do seem to be down to one pair for the first time since 2006), nine Skylark, just two Chiffchaff, the Stonechat pair, 13 Wheatear, eight Pied and three White Wagtail, 86 Meadow Pipit and a Linnet.

Another glorious and less draughty day was unseasonably warm out of the breeze. The biggest avian surprise was the arrival of at least seven Robin which took the daycount to ten; although not unprecedented, there have only been later higher spring daycounts in 1987 (12) and 2015 (17). There were also a few more Wheatear around, with a daycount of 16 being the highest of the year so far; the count included D16, the first of our 2021 youngsters to return, this 13 days later than our first returning adult. A flock of 16 Raven took the daycount to 18, this the second highest spring daycount ever (behind the 21 logged on 18th March last year). A pair of Reed Bunting at South Pond (the male singing) were the first of the year and raised our hopes that they might hold on as a breeding species following a recent drop in numbers. However it was the evening Puffin count which will steal the headlines; there were 3432 around the Neck (a post-1946 record, up on the 3339 of yesterday), 4843 between South Haven and the Lighthouse (311 down on last year’s post-1946 record) and 2336 along the North Coast (549 down on last year). A total of 10,611 was 634 down on the 11,245 of last year but otherwise the highest spring daycount since 40,000 in 1934. Other birds logged on a day again spent sorting bedrooms in preparation for the fast approaching Spring Work Party included a Water Rail at the Well, 150 Oystercatcher, two Turnstone, the Ruff, over 5000 larger auks along the census route, four Shag, three Cormorant, an extra Buzzard (perhaps the bird which was later surrounded and then pinned to the ground by our Raven pair! (it managed to escape)), the four Chough pairs including the Quarry pair watched nest building, 126 Jackdaw, 14 Skylark, four Chiffchaff, four Starling, the lingering Black Redstart, six Pied and one White Wagtail, 108 Meadow Pipit, three Linnet and a Siskin.