Tomorrow sees the arrival of our first guests of 2024. The rooms are looking great and the Island is awash with seabirds and migrants. We still have a couple of rooms vacant for this Puffin season:
welshwildlife.org/visit/skokholm…

A Myotis Bat skokholm.blogspot.com/?m=1

Grassholm from Skokholm's north pond this evening, the Small Lighthouse beyond the tanker...

David Steel Morning. For #SuperSeabirdSunday it’s another island, another lighthouse and another super sea bird. Today it’s the fabulous Skokholm Island in Wales and the equally wonderful Shearwater. Thanks Manx. xx

Wheatear pair male C54 & female D74 are on territory at North Plain Skokholm Island (which he is conscientiously defending). He was in the plot next door in 2023 and typically has hardly moved whilst she has moved a few hundred metres from the top of Western Plain.

Farmland birds are coming into breeding condition and winter flocks have begun to disperse across the landscape with noticeably more males now singing and setting up territories. This made for a quiet morning with 51 birds caught, including 45 Yellowhammers.

Today was a busy but extremely rewarding day, first meeting with farmers to discuss creation of new species-rich floodplain meadows. We then distributed 200kg of supplementary bird seed across five farms, before finishing with a talk on farmland birds to a local village group.

There are a great many rabbits Skokholm Island which is good news for its Wheatears. Rabbits keep the vegetation short which is exactly what wheatears need for feeding. Old or collapsed burrows also make ideal nesting sites and are the preferred nest locations on the island.

We are now almost ready for the 2024 Storm Petrel season. Alan and Chris have wired up the Petrel Station to record this year's nesting birds, whilst Howard has almost finished Petrel Station II.

The Skokholm Island Wheatears revelled in the early day sun whilst defending their territories - a task made harder by migrant birds passing through. Male D82 was vigorously displaying at Little Bay Point. He was ringed as a youngster in 2022 and bred on The Neck last year.

A misty, cool start to the day on the Teifi Marshes. Sedge, Reed and Grasshopper Warblers in increasing numbers adding variety to the dawn chorus. Amongst the Sedge Warblers caught, one had a French ring BTO #migrationmonitoring

There have been more Redwing this April than in any other in the last 97 years. One yesterday tipped the scales at a massive 96.8g (anything over 90 is unusual) and another ringed on 7th April weighing 64.8g yesterday weighed in at 86.2g (a 33% increase in nine days).

There have been developments in the life of male wheatear F22 Skokholm Island. He has been in the company of an unringed female. She may be just a passing migrant or something more permanent. Watch this space over the coming days.

Wheatears are slow to return Skokholm Island this year. On The Neck, which usually holds 4 pairs, there is only one pair and a solo male. The female, F98, was ringed as a youngster at Winter Pond in 2023 and has returned as an adult to breed in a different part of the island.

Wheatear displays Skokholm Island came to an abrupt wind enforced halt. Against a backdrop of foaming seas F22 continued his search for a mate or rather his wait. Having decided his territory he must attract a female. It’s not happening for him - and he’s been here a month!

A westerly wind gusting at up to 50 knots has encouraged the Squacco Heron into the relatively sheltered Crab Bay Puffin colony. It is still wild enough to give it a plume comb over. BirdGuides

The Squacco Heron showing its black fringed white plumes. A fourth for Pembrokeshire.

Wheatears are now arriving Skokholm Island in decent numbers. The North Plain area is getting quite congested. Several pairs were involved in territorial disputes from the Obs to Little Bay Point. This included several standoffs and confrontations at the disputed boundaries.

A Squacco Heron just flew from the Well to South Pond. The first for Skokholm and a cracking find by Emmanuel Jatta 🇬🇲, ably assisted by Richard Dobbins (they promise they didn't bring it over from Gambia).

Ringing Manx Shearwaters under the stars before a thick fret descended, classic fall conditions and over 500 warblers grounded. A male Pied Flycatcher on a lichen covered rock in thick mist. Thrilling.