Readjusting to civilisation after saying farewell to @calfofmanbirdobs.bsky.social last week! A brilliant season with a lovely team, learning so many skills and making great memories 🐦💚🛠️ Now onto the next adventure, back to my Dorset roots!

Last weekend we closed down the observatory and said goodbye to the Calf for the winter. It's been a great season - thanks to all who have helped to make this year a success! 📸 @birdingfox.bsky.social @manxheritage.bsky.social @manxwildlifetrust.bsky.social

It’s always exciting getting a first for the Calf in the moth trap… but even more special when they are as stunning as this OLEANDER HAWKMOTH! 🤩 @calfofmanbirdobs.bsky.social @manxwildlifetrust.bsky.social @mothiduk.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

A great bird boat around Poole Harbour yesterday morning with @harbourbirds.bsky.social, highlighted with great views of WT Eagle, 7 Curlew Sand (12 species of wader), Honey Buzzard, Bearded Tit, 62 Spoonbills, Kingfisher etc with great views of more WT Eagles over Carey today #ukbirding

A young COMMON ROSEFINCH ringed at the Observatory today! A nice addition to the arrival of migrants, with a notable increase in Robins and Swallow passage, a family of 4 Pink-Footed Geese, 13 Golden Plover and 13 Redshank also. www.trektellen.org/count/view/2... 📸 Matt Livsey #ukbirding

Second autumn vagrant in a week: RED-BREASTED FLYCATCHER above Gibdale this morning, the first August record and 1st since 2020! Also a more showy Pied Flycatcher present (pictured) for a handy comparison. 📸 Matthew Livsey #ukbirding @manxwildlifetrust.bsky.social

Birders check yer bramble bushes… immature BARRED WARBLER ringed at the Observatory this morning! Autumn migration is well underway with birds continuing to trickle through the Calf, and this beauty was an exciting addition to the net round. 📸 @birdingfox.bsky.social #ukbirding

Highlight of the morning, a bird I’ve always wanted to see up close. What a chonker! 🤩 With autumn migration picking up, hopefully a sign of more good things to come 🤞 @birdguides.bsky.social

🗺️🐦 Our Wheatears are on the move! One of this year’s Wheatear chicks colour-ringed on the Calf was seen at the Lower Otter Restoration Project in Budleigh Salterton, Devon! One of over 100 pulli we ringed this year, with over 30 nests monitored. @manxwildlifetrust.bsky.social #ukbirding

Early career researcher who'd love a mentor? Or mid-career (onwards) looking to give back AS a mentor? Sign up below for the new round of Guillemates 🥰🐧 Mentees👉 forms.gle/cdktNREkhUDb... Mentors👉 forms.gle/uwA9X9giUPnA... Such a great learning (or supporting!) opportunity 👩‍👩‍👦‍👦 Pls share! #seabirds

3/3 The majority of chicks were colour ringed, allowing them to be identified in the field. We also had success catching adults in the breeding colonies, so we’re excited to see where they spend their winters. Keep an eye out for the Calf Class of 2025! @manxwildlifetrust.bsky.social #seabirds

2/ Herring Gulls did well with 277 chicks ringed (2x the highest total from the last 3 years and highest since 2019). LBB Gulls did poorly, with only 3 chicks ringed and stronghold colonies devoid of chicks. GBB Gull chick numbers were on par with the last 5/6 years, with 39 ringed. #seabirds

🐣 With the breeding season coming to an end, let’s look back at how our seabird colonies have done this year! The Bird Team have been busy counting nests, monitoring productivity and ringing chicks and adults to help us understand how they’re doing. 1/ @manxwildlifetrust.bsky.social #seabirds

Coming to the end of my first week working in Dorset. Not a bad start with over 350 birds ringed including 71 Groppers! And last night got lucky with great flight views of the Purple Heron! #ukbirding @birdingfox.bsky.social @harbourbirds.bsky.social

At the end of July our next free Young Birders event for 13-18s is an exciting Raptor and Osprey Watch with bird book giveaway 🦅 Find out more and sign up below ⬇️ www.birdsofpooleharbourbookings.co.uk/young-birders 📸Osprey CJ7 by Mark Wright

🌌 Always special seeing Storm Petrels up close ✨ A session at @calfofmanbirdobs.bsky.social on Wednesday night under a bright moon produced 7 new birds plus a retrap from last year. One bird had some funky leucism on its foot, giving the Manxie look a go! @manxwildlifetrust.bsky.social

LAUGHING GULL found by @edjbetteridge.bsky.social this afternoon! Smart summer-plumage adult, very vocal circling with other gulls for 15mins before heading towards the Isle of Man. @manxwildlifetrust.bsky.social @britishbirds.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social

4/4 After the females have left the nest, we return to check if they were successful. If so, we can estimate the number of chicks from the fragments of hatched shells around left the nest 🐣 This feeds into the @btobirds.bsky.social Nest Record Scheme, informing about Eider productivity!

3/4 Once their chicks hatch, they walk them down to the sea and work their way round to the north of the island. There they wait for the tide to be just right so that they can paddle their family across the Sound to the Isle of Man to raise them!

2/4 Catching the females informs us about our breeding population and their habits. One female retrapped this year was ringed on the Calf in 2009, a new Calf longevity record! We also find some females consistently nesting earlier or later, and many returning to the same areas year on year

🦆 Eider Update! 🐣 The Bird Team have been busy over the past 2 months monitoring our breeding Eiders. They’ve been mapping nests, recording clutch size and catching the females as part of a long-term project. So far this season they’ve found 76 nests, predominantly in bracken and heather… 1/4

🦆🔭 Join our Team! We’re looking for a passionate ringer & birder to join our friendly team as Assistant Bird Warden! The role will involve monitoring autumn migration through daily census and bird ringing. To find out more 👇 www.mwt.im/jobs/calf-ma... 🗓️ Applications close Friday 18th July

A bit of excitement this afternoon when Ed found TWO Quails! The seventh Calf record and first since 1990. It’s also the first involving more than one individual! @manxwildlifetrust.bsky.social #calfbirdobs #ukbirding #ManxNature

🚨 Peak Swift season is here! Thousands of swifts blast past Spurn at breakneck speed 🐦💨 Stay at the Obs & catch the action from your doorstep! 🌱 Green travel discounts available 📍 Check rates: spurnbirdobservatory.co.uk/accommodation/

3/3 …but why the plastic Puffins? We have placed decoys and speakers playing Puffin call as part of a project to bring them back as a breeding species on the Calf, following the successful eradication of longtails (🐀). To find out more 👇 www.mwt.im/puffin-project @manxwildlifetrust.bsky.social

2/ PUFFIN ASHORE! 🥳 Very promising signs, and one of several we’ve seen show an interest in landing near our decoy colonies we’ve planted around the coast. They’ve also been seen regularly offshore lately! @manxwildlifetrust.bsky.social @visitisleofman.bsky.social 🎥 @birdingfox.bsky.social

1/ 🐧🧐 Can you spot the real Puffin? The team had a very exciting encounter yesterday during seabird productivity checks on Burroo Neck… As we walked back, a Puffin circled close by and landed right next to our decoy Puffin colony! 🤩 @manxwildlifetrust.bsky.social #calfbirdobs #ManxNature

A great opportunity to join the Calf Crew this autumn for some quality birding and island antics during peak migration! More details below… #ukbirding #volunteering #conservationcareers @birdobscouncil.bsky.social

It’s been a joy to watch spring migration unfold on our little island, and embrace the changing seasons as the breeding season progresses and the island comes to life! #ukbirding

📣 NEW BLOG POST! 🦆 We had some great birding highlights throughout May, and the Ornithology Team have been busy following the progress of our breeding birds. Head over to our new blog to find out more... 👇 www.mwt.im/blog/calf-ma... @manxwildlifetrust.bsky.social #calfofman #ManxNature

📣 NEW BLOG POST! 🪏🌸🦈 Wondering what the Calf Team got up to in May? Check out our latest blog for an update on the Estate work, special visitors and some wildlife highlights from the past month… www.mwt.im/blog/calf-ma... @manxwildlifetrust.bsky.social #calfbirdobs #ManxNature

📣Our latest blog post is up! Check it out to find out what the Calf Team got up to in the latter-half of April, including the wildlife highlights, bird monitoring and estate work... www.mwt.im/blog/calf-ma... @manxwildlifetrust.bsky.social #calfbirdobs #ManxNature

With migration slowing recently on the Calf of Man, I’ve been putting effort into nest finding especially Wheatears with the 100th pulli ringed today!!! #ukbirding

Yesterday the Calf of Man was visited by this stunning white Hen Harrier!!!! The bird spent a short while hunting before gaining a lot of height a disappearing north. What a bird!!!! #ukbirding

Red-rumped Swallow over the Calf this morning! Showed well for around 10 mins circling the Obs, amazingly the 1st Calf and Isle of Man record!! Also Yellow Wag, c20 Spot Fly, Whinchat, Sib Chiff and Swift #ukbirding

WESTERN SUBALPINE WARBLER trapped on the Calf of Man this morning!! #ukbirding @calfofmanbirdobs.bsky.social

A brilliant spot by Ed this morning, with the Calf and Isle of Man’s 1st Red-rumped Swallow! A good arrival of other migrants too. Full day counts 🐦⬇️ www.trektellen.org/count/view/2... @manxwildlifetrust.bsky.social #ukbirding #ManxNature

Breeding Eiders are starting to pick up on the Calf of Man now with females starting to lay across the island. Slowly getting my eye in to this rather cryptic species #ukbirding

Ringing highlights today included 2 Reed Warblers, a male House Sparrow, and two foreign controls (a Belgian Sedge Warbler 🇧🇪 and French Chiffchaff 🇫🇷). Other migrants included Dunlin, Collared Dove, Grey Heron, 4 Spot Flys. www.trektellen.org/count/view/2... #ukbirding #ManxNature

This charismatic species favours Lesser Sandeel as their main food source; however, will also forage for sprat, herring and juvenile gadoid fish 🐟 #Seabirds #Puffin #birds #dinner

Did you know: #Puffins nest in burrows, either made by themselves or acquired from Rabbits or Manx Shearwaters? ⏬

#SMPSpotlight ⏬ 🌊Spending the winter at sea over the eastern Atlantic, south to north-west Africa and into the Mediterranean Sea, late April to mid-May is the prime time to survey Puffins, having returned onshore to breed🔭 #Seabirds #Birds @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social

Our Water Rails have hatched! 🥳🐣 Last year they returned as a breeding species on the Calf for the first since 1994, with a single pair. This year we are pleased to report we have two pairs, and both now have fluffy black chicks (broods of 4+ and 7+)! @manxwildlifetrust.bsky.social

One bird. 399 pieces of plastic. 55 g. This is not our record.

Two 🇫🇷 control Sedge Warblers today continuing our foreign-control streak this week! Other highlights included the season’s first Garden Warbler, 2 Swift, a Common Gull, five Whimbrels and the female Ring Ouzel still present. www.trektellen.org/count/view/2... #ukbirding #ManxNature

The third Whinchat of the season was ringed with today, a beautiful female. Other highlights included a Skylark and four Spotted Flycatchers, and the female Ring Ouzel and Magpie pair were still present. Full list ⬇️ www.trektellen.org/count/view/2... #ukbirding #ManxWildlife

Today’s highlights: 6 Spot Fly (3 trapped), 2 Whinchat, f Ring Ouzel, 17 Sedge Warbler (incl a Spanish control), 74 Wheatears (lots of Greenland type), Grey Heron, 2 White Wags, 79 Swallows, 10 House & 3 Sand Martins, 5 Whimbrels & a Common Sandpiper www.trektellen.org/count/view/2... #ukbirding

Also trapped this morning was a Pied Fly, Redstart, Whinchat, Blue Tit, Siskin, 28 Sedge Warblers and 20 Whitethroat amongst c75 birds.