We are recruiting. If you want to find rare birds and witness spectacular falls & live among 30,000 Manx Shearwaters get your application in for the Bardsey Island Assistant job (Mar-Oct 2026) before 10 Dec. Apply here: tinyurl.com/2026-Assista... #RareBirdAlert #BardseyIsland #ConservationJob

Adult Sabine’s Gull Cattle Egret Male Common Rosefinch Great Northern Diver this am Also 600ish Swallows. @rarebirder.bsky.social

One Grey Phalarope still on Solfach today and an immature Pom Skua off the north end. @rarebirder.bsky.social

Sea passage this morning. 0700-1015 3 Sooty Shearwaters, 4 Grey Phalaropes, 34 Gannets, 94 Razorbills, 3 Common Scoters, 9 Fulmars, 14 Sandwich Terns, 10 Arctic Terns, 1 Great Black-backed Gull, 2 Arctic Skuas, 4 Whimbrels, 149 Manx Shearwaters, and 100 Kittiwakes. @rarebirder.bsky.social

Two Black Terns, Sooty Shearwater passing at sea and a Wryneck in the South Gorse this morning. @rarebirder.bsky.social

Another day on Bardsey and another Blyth’s Reed Warbler - the third of the year! This one found by Greg in Cristin Withy this morning.

Good sea passage 0700-1200 2 Great Shearwaters 2 Balearic Shearwaters 1 Sooty Shearwater 1200 Manx Shearwaters 2 Grey Phalaropes 19 Arctic Skuas 1 Great Skua 1 ad Long-tailed Skua Small number of Arctic and Sandwich Terns. @rarebirder.bsky.social

Sea watching today was slow but productive. Three Roseate Terns were the highlight. Also three Arctic Skuas and a small number of both Sandwiches and Arctic Terns. @rarebirder.bsky.social

Accepted Red-backed Shrike, Bardsey, Caernarfon, 4 - 5 June, finder C. Teal.

Accepted, Common Rosefinch, Bardsey, Caernarfon 4 - 5 June, finder E. Turner.

Accepted, Melodious Warbler, Bardsey, Caernarfon 6 June, finder E. Turner.

Accepted, Black Kite, Bardsey, Caernarfon, 12 May, G. Lee, E. Turner, SD Stansfield et al, photo E. Stansfield.

Well it’s been a fantastic week for our University students over the past seven days. We’ve been so busy with them we have hardly had time to post updates so here goes. First and foremost thanks to our sponsors. @westmidbirdclub.bsky.social @britishbirds.bsky.social @birdsinwales.bsky.social

Ringing at the Obs this morning produced a few local breeders including this Magpie.

Our first Storm Petrel ringing session of the year tonight saw about 25 birds flying around close inshore (as seen through the Thermal Imaging Scope). However, catching the first one of the year is always a delight.

And this singing immature male Common Rosefinch was found by @ewanturner.bsky.social at Nant today.

This superb male Red-backed Shrike was found by Colin (our volunteer) yesterday morning. It was still present today. Occasionally singing today and becoming more wide ranging, even visiting the Obs at one point.

Rather nice male Red-backed Shrike found by Colin our volunteer yesterday morning.

We still have three places left. Book now before it’s too late!

We are pleased to announce the we will be running another Student week for 18-24 year olds from 9th to 16th August this year. The week is funded by West Midland Bird Club, British Birds and West Midlands Bird Club. See tinyurl.com/Bardsey-stud...

Manxies are the best!

Seabirds!

Seabird monitoring is now in full swing

We are pleased to announce the we will be running another Student week for 18-24 year olds from 9th to 16th August this year. The week is funded by West Midland Bird Club, British Birds and West Midlands Bird Club. See tinyurl.com/Bardsey-stud...

Assisted the bird observatory wardens with a seabird count (from boat) at Ynys Enlli yesterday. Main purpose was to count shag nests but some nice photo opportunities too, including this beautiful Puffin. @birdsinwales #birdingWales @bardseybirdobs

Didn’t expect to find a hoopoe in the net @bardseybirdobs.bsky.social today!!

Fabulous views of #Turnstones on Ynys Enlli this morning, including this immaculate-looking male. @bardseybirdobs.bsky.social @birdsinwales.bsky.social #birdingWales

One of a dozen or so Whimbrel on Bardsey this morning. @bardseybirdobs.bsky.social

Dunlin on Bardsey Island yesterday. My first ever visit to this beautiful island & off to a great start. Staying with @bardseybirdobs.bsky.social

BLACK STORK north 1455 New for the island! Photo credit @ewanturner.bsky.social

Accepted, Nightingale, trapped + ringed Bardsey, Caernarfon 29 April. Photo SD Stansfield @bardseybirdobs.bsky.social

Yesterday’s Woodchat

Truly memorable day, began with a Nightingale singing in the Obs garden which was later trapped. Then a Woodchat Shrike was found. At least 49 Whimbrels were seen, and a Hooded Crow on the South End. Next came a Hoopoe that gave folk a run around followed by A Red-rumped Swallow that flew north

A rather nice end to April, with a Nightingale in full song early morning before being trapped and then a smart Woodchat Shrike near the farm mid-morning.

Rather splendid Hornemann’s Redpoll this evening. A real bruiser of a bird. 6th Arctic Redpoll for Wales, all previous records have been Exilipes.

Three Hoopoes on the island today. One at the obs, two at Tŷ Pellaf/Pen Cristin @rarebirder.bsky.social

A Great White Egret has just flown north this morning. @rarebirder.bsky.social

A Hoopoe was singing in the Obs garden on Friday. Archive pic.

See what we have been up to in the fort weeks since getting back to the island. bbfo.blogspot.com

In this week's Daily Post BirdNotes, alongside sightings from #NorthWales, a study by @rspb.bsky.social tracks the lives of the secretive Hawfinch and @bardseybirdobs.bsky.social appeals for a new seawatching hide. 📷 @mikepnature.bsky.social. #BirdingWales www.birdnotes.wales/blog/black-r...

Help us to rebuild our seawarching hide gofund.me/7a28b393

New paper in @currentbiology.bsky.social on seabird wind use and foraging decisions! doi.org/10.1016/j.cu... We estimated wind selectivity in Manx shearwaters and explored how birds handle the trade-off between being wind efficient and targeting known foraging areas @sosbangor.bsky.social

The ring-reading jackpot… how awesome is this?! It’s followed him all the way home from @bardseybirdobs.bsky.social 😂 #ukbirding

A 4 Darvic Day on the #Blyth Estuary today. White SLI Shag from Isle of May Red BBVE Shag from @bardseybirdobs.bsky.social Yellow F /Red X Shelduck from @ldvnnr.bsky.social and Lime TS Shelduck from #MartinMere #NEBirding Shelduck photos from previous years

This LBBG was photographed by John Jarju / Kartong Bird Observatory in the Gambia on 4/2/25. It was ringed on Bardsey on 8/7/24. Distance between the two sites was 4534Km.

We are pleased to welcome @ewan_turner23 and @GJLee122 who will be our Assistants for 2025. Ewan was our intern in 2024, he first visited on one of our University weeks where he was sponsored by @birdsinwales. Greg has been Assistant @Sandwichbirdobs for the past 3 years.

We are currently seeking staff for 2025. If you are interested, you must possess exceptional birding skills, strong interpersonal abilities, and preferably a BTO ringing license, although latter is not essential.

We finally have our first Yellow-browed Warbler of the autumn. A little late to the party but at least we have arrived!!!