Bardsey Birds List

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This is a (far from complete) list of birds I’ve observed during my stay on Bardsey Island from the 18th to the 25th of May 2019 (red buttons on map), to which have been added sightings during a second visit between 13 and 20 May 2023 (green buttons on map). Others may have witnessed other types of bird, but if I haven’t seen them in person, they don’t make it in my list. A summary of birds observed during both visits can be found on the page “Birds Observed On Bardsey Island“.

Barn Swallow (B) Blackbird (B) Blackcap (B) Buzzard (B) Canada Goose (B) Carrion Crow (B) Chiffchaff Chough (B) Collared Dove (B) Common Redpoll (B) Cormorant (B) Dunlin (B) Dunnock (NB) Fulmar Gannet (B) Goldfinch (B) Great Black-backed Gull (B) Grey Heron (NB)

Guillemot (B) Herring Gull (B) House Martin (B) Lesser Black-backed Gull (B) Linnet (B) Little Owl Magpie (B) Mallard (NB) Manx Shearwater (B) Meadow Pipit (B) Moorhen (NB) Oystercatcher (B) Peregrine Pied Wagtail (B) Puffin (NB) Raven (B) Razorbill (B) Ringed Plover (B)

Robin (B) Rock Pipit (B) Sedge Warbler (B) Shag (B) Shelduck (B) Siskin (B) Sparrowhawk (B) Spotted Flycatcher (B) Stonechat (B) Turnstone (B) Western Orphean Warbler (B) Wheatear (B) Whimbrel (B) Whitethroat (B) Willow Warbler (B) Woodpigeon (NB) Wren (B)

Note: (B) part of an existing blog – (NB) not part of an existing blog

 

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Barn Swallow^B

	Blog of 16 February 2020
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Ubiquitous, flying over all fields and south part of the island. Seen sitting on the roof of Tŷ Bach and Tŷ Pellaf.

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Blackbird^B

	Blog of 13 November 2021
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Near fields and houses. Seen on path near chapel, and on post opposite Lloft Plas Bach.

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Blackcap^B

	Blog of 23 April 2020
	Visit of May 2019
Caught in mist nets near Bird Observatory.

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Buzzard^B

	Blog of 13 March 2024
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Often observed over the mountain and drifting over the farm and wetlands. Frequently chased by carrion crows and magpies.

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Canada Goose^B

	Blog of 12 June 2020
	Visit of May 2019
Observed as a pair of birds on Pwll Cain, single bird on Henllwyn.

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Carrion Crow^B

	Blog of 6 April 2023
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Ubiquitous, seen on post near chapel, also in fields near farm.

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Chiffchaff

	No blog entries
	Visit of May 2019
Nant plantation.

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Chough^B

	Blog of 18 April 2020
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Observed on the cliffs mid-mountain, on the east side of Southend, the west side of main island, and the lighthouse. Often seen flying over most parts of the island.

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Collared Dove^B

	Blog of 5 February 2021
	Visit of May 2019
Seen in the trees of Nant Withy.

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Common Redpoll^B

	Blogs of 13 July 2019 20 July 2020
	Visit of May 2019
Caught in mist nets near Bird Observatory. Also seen near the cafe.

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Cormorant^B

	Blog of 14 April 2020
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Seen on an outcrop in Henllwyn.

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Dunlin^B

	Blog of 11 April 2020
	Visit of May 2019
Seen patrolling the coastline of Porth Solfach and Henllwyn.

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Dunnock^NB

	No blog entries
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Seen near the Bird Observatory, Juvenile also caught in mist nets near Bird Observatory.

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Fulmar

	No blog entries
	Visit of May 2019
Seen flying offshore from Pen Cristin.

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Gannet^B

	Blog of 22 May 2022
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Seen flying past north of Pen Cristin, also offshore from north-east corner of island.

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Goldfinch^B

	Blog of 24 October 2019
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Seen near Tŷ Nesaf and Nant plantation. Also feeders and gardens near Bird Observatory, one of which being caught in the mist nets, and another one being ringed.

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Great Black-backed Gull^B

	Blogs of 9 December 2019 26 April 2024
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Seen patrolling the coast near Pen Cristin.

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Grey Heron^NB

	No blog entries
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Single individual seen near Porth Solfach, Henllwyn and on Pwll Cain.

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Guillemot^B

	Blog of 11 February 2024
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Seen offshore from north-eastern tip of island, and offshore from Pen Cristin.

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Herring Gull^B

	Blog of 14 March 2023
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Single individuals seen on the west coast and near the Narrows, nesting at the north-east corner of the island and near Pen Cristin.

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House Martin^B

	Blog of 16 April 2021
	Visit of May 2019
Ubiquitous. Observed near the Bird Observatory, farm and mountain. Nesting in a lighthouse outbuilding.

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Lesser Black-backed Gull^B

	Blog of 13 February 2024
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
North-east corner of island, southern tip of Southend.

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Linnet^B

	Blog of 27 November 2020
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Road between school and farm, puddle near turnoff for Farm, Nant.

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Little Owl

	No blog entries
	Visit of May 2019
One sighting, sitting on a post near Carreg Bach.

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Magpie^B

	Blogs of 1 April 2020 1 June 2023
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Ubiquitous, but mostly fields near habitation.

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Mallard^NB

	No blog entries
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Observed in the sea near Traeth Ffennon and Porth Solfach, also freshwater in Pwll Cain.

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Manx Shearwater^B

	Blogs of 22 July 2019 12 July 2020 3 November 2023
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Nightly observation near low walls, remains found in the northern part of the mountain.

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Meadow Pipit^B

	Blogs of 5 December 2019 24 April 2024
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Ubiquitous. Observed in the Narrows, on the approach to the lighthouse, and in the north and west of the island.

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Moorhen^NB

	No blog entries
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Observed near the Bird Observatory and at Pwll Cain.

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Oystercatcher^B

	Blog of 12 May 2020
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Ubiquitous, but avoiding the mountain and the east coast cliffs. Observed all along the western coast, some in the fields, nesting in the gorse in Southend.

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Peregrine

	No blog entries
	Visit of May 2019
Seen flying past the east coast, as observed from the mountain top.

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Pied Wagtail^B

	Blog of 2 March 2020
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Observed in field near Nant ponds. Also near Carreg Bach, at Porth Solfach and in the fields south of the farm near the water edge.

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Puffin^NB

	No blog entries
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Offshore from Pen Cristin.

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Raven^B

	Blog of 14 February 2021
	Visit of May 2019
Observed looking south from mid-mountain towards Pen Cristin.

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Razorbill^B

	Blog of 15 March 2020
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Pen Cristin.

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Ringed Plover^B

	Blog of 30 August 2020
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Porth Solfach.

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Robin^B

	Blog of 8 April 2024
	Visit of May 2023
Seen on trees and building of Observatory.

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Rock Pipit^B

	Blogs of 1 June 2021 28 May 2024
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Observed on rocky parts of the coast, mid west coast, southern tip of the island, north-west tip of island.

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Sedge Warbler^NB

	Blogs of 11 July 2021 24 July 2023
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Seen near Tŷ Pellaf Withy. Also observed beng ringed at the Bird Observatory.

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Shag^B

	Blog of 4 March 2024
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Offshore off Southend west coast, at Pen Cristin on rocks and on water.

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Shelduck^B

	Blogs of 6 December 2019 22 September 2023
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Mostly Porth Solfach and Henllwyn. Also flying over other part of the coast, and at times washing themselves at Pwll Cain.

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Siskin^B

	Blog of 13 September 2020
	Visit of May 2019
Caught in mist nets near Bird Observatory.

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Sparrowhawk^B

	Blog of 14 April 2021
	Visit of May 2019
Seen flying over the Bird Observatory, with small bird (house martin?) in pursuit.

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Spotted Flycatcher^B

	Blogs of 3 March 2020 9 November 2023
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Observed near Bird Observatory observatory, Nant plantation and Cristin Withy.

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Stonechat^B

	Blogs of 26 July 2020 29 January 2024
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Seen in spruce behind observatory. Also caught in mist nets near Bird Observatory.

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Turnstone^B

	Blog of 14 October 2021
	Visit of May 2019
Observed mostly at Henllwyn, also smaller numbers at Porth Solfach.

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Western Orphean Warbler^B

	Blog of 22 December 2019
	Visit of May 2019
Caught in mist nets near Bird Observatory.

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Wheatear^B

	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
	Blog of 9 May 2023
Ubiquitous. The Narrows, Southend, north and west of the island.

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Whimbrel^B

	Blog of 8 July 2019
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Henllwyn.

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Whitethroat^B

	Blog of 19 August 2020
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Seen near the Nant plantation.

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Willow Warbler^B

	Blog of 14 July 2019
	Visit of May 2019
Seen in tree up slope behind Bird Observatory, also caught in mist nets near Bird Observatory. Also Capel Withy and Nant plantation.

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Woodpigeon^NB

	No blog entries
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Observed in north-east side of island, south of chapel, near Tŷ Pellaf, as well as the western slopes of the mountain.

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Wren^B

	Blog of 12 March 2021
	Visits of May 2019 and May 2023
Seen near the chapel, on the style opposite Plas Bach, and near the Bird Observatory.

Note: (B) part of an existing blog – (NB) not part of an existing blog