Red Kite at Kelling today.

The long overdue 2024 BOC News is now published online at tinyurl.com/BOC-News-2024 Some amazing images and stories from around the Observatory network and a memoriam for the late Steve Wing.

Today’s sea passage. 0700-1100 Long-tailed Skua: 1 imm Sabine’s Gull: 4 (1ad) Leach’s Storm-petrel: 2 Grey Phalarope: 2 Little Gull: 1 Great Skua : 3 Arctic Skua: 9 Great Northern Diver: 2 Pale-bellied Brent Goose: 1 Yellow-legged Gull: 1

Yelkouan Shearwater last night past the north end of Bardsey c600m offshore. Seen well by @ewanturner.bsky.social and me as it passed with a Manxy.

sea passage today 0700-1200 Razor 150 Gannet 123 Fulmar 22 Manxie 345 Balearic 1 Leach’s Petrel 2 Arctic Skua 15 Pom Skua 2 Grt Skua1 L T Skua 1 ad Sabine’s Gull 6 (4ad) Kitt 1031 Sandwich Tern 82 Arctic Tern 16 LBBG 6 GBBG 3 Grey Phal 12 Dunlin 23 Ringed Plov 5 Scoter 38 @rarebirder.bsky.social

Wryneck this evening Seawatch highlights Sooty Shear this morning. 1730-1900 Arctic Skua 12 Bonxie 6 Long-tailed Skua 1 ad full tail Sabines Gull juv Grey Phalarope 7(2 solfach plus five south) Balearic Shearwater 3 @rarebirder.bsky.social Photo Bob Normand.

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.

Nightingale and pied fly from this morning. Also Balearic, Sabine’s Gull, Pom Skua, Grey Phal and Black Tern.

Out catching Stormies last night. Forgot to photograph Stormies but the Milky Way was awesome!

So proud of Connor coming away from his Computer Science course with a 1st from @uniofeastanglia.bsky.social Well done Connor!

This morning I was woken by Emma asking what was singing outside our bedroom window. I removed my AirPods from my ears and heard a few notes of an Acro - it’s a Blyth’s Reed I said. I got up and was just on my way out of the door when Colin, our volunteer, was heading to the door. The bird sang

BLACK STORK north 1455ish. Maybe seen again over mainland heading towards Rhiw Mountain. @rarebirder.bsky.social

And a few flowers

And a few underwater images.

I’ve been taking a few night-time images.

Another tough day in the office!!

BEE 🐝 EATER!!! Flying around Obs garden briefly then bombed to Ty Pellaf/Pen Cristin then shot off south. Great find by @ewanturner.bsky.social

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

Darling little Jack Snipe and a chunky chicken of a Woodcock trapped and ringed last night by @ewanturner.bsky.social

I had a Hoopoe calling and singing briefly at the Obs this morning on Bardsey but it flew north and no sign since! @rarebirder.bsky.social

Getting Owlwood packed up for the summer and ready to move back to Bardsey. Glorious day with Brimstone Butterfly in the garden.

Weybourne windmill on our way home this evening

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

Take note #UKbirding #Ornithology

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...

Please consider following @birdobscouncil.bsky.social on their new BlueSky account and look out for #BirdObservatory. I’ve just been to the 55th AGM of the @birdobscouncil.bsky.social held at @btobirds.bsky.social. An excellent weekend with lots of chat and enthusiasm about Obs Work.

Our first post here. A great weekend for the BOC AGM hosted by @btobirds.bsky.social Superb turnout with 16 Obs represented from Fair Isle in the north to @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social in the south. Thanks to the BTO Staff, the Theford Bell Inn & the Thetford Raj. Excellent service all round

A bit of a long day yesterday leaving Southport to travel to Kent overnight and join c500 folk to see England’s second American Yellow Warbler. Nice to catch up with folk from all over the country - some people I’ve not seen for years. And also great to see the bird too!

Had a nice walk from Weybourne to Sheringham along the coast path yesterday. This nice adult male Kestrel was in the woods from the master bedroom at Owlwood Cottage.

A bit of a stripey day, with at least seven Yellow-browed Warblers and a smart but shockingly quick Pallas’s Warbler. @ewanturner.bsky.social got some nicer images bey here are a few of mine.

Whether you are an F1 enthusiast at not, you must admit this is a fine piece of music. youtu.be/8AYy-BcjRXg?...

This week's sightings in the #NorthWales Daily Post BirdNotes include a scatter of late summer migrants, seabirds in the wake of Storm Ashley and a GPS-tracked Barnacle Goose. Plus, book now for next month's Welsh Ornithological Society conference. #UKBirding www.birdnotes.wales/blog/greenla...

Dear @bsky.app why is your algorithm suggesting I like cats? All my feed is about fluffy felines!!!

September and October (so far) have been scarily lacking birds here on Bardsey, even when other places nearby are getting stuff. Three Great White Egrets found by @edjbetteridge.bsky.social today, and two earlier in September, have made 2024 the best every year for this species on Bardsey.

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

Still in absolute shock at learning our friend Steve Wing died suddenly yesterday whilst in the Obs at Cape Clear. Steve had been Obs Warden there since 1998. He was a great bloke and a real ambassador for bird observatory work. Rest well my friend. Together with Mary again now Steve. 💔

Hello BlueSky!! We will be slowly moving Bardsey Obs news away from Twitter/X over the coming months. So let’s begin with a nice serene night-time post from a few nights ago.

Not the best night with a light onshore breeze, but not a wash out. #ukbirding

A bit of an Aurora showing over the Llŷn right now. Waiting to catch Storm Petrels. #ukbirding

Two images taken last night. One of the Milky Way and one for the North Star and the Milky Way on a long Exposure.

When you see over 100 Wilson’s Petrels in a day, all at pretty close range, you can’t but help take pictures! #UKBirding #RareBirdsUK 4th August off St. Mary’s, Isles of Scilly onboard the MV Sapphire.

Just one of Many Hundreds of Cory’s Shearwaters seen from the Scilly Pelagic in early August

Another master of the waves - the Cory’s Shearwater.

Great Shearwater detail. Simply stunning birds!

Wilson’s Petrel, Great Shearwater and Cory’s Shearwater from Scilly on 6/8