Here come the girls

Meet the girls; our constant companions and source of much fun. I don’t know their names, maybe they don’t have any, but they live in the pigsty in Cristin yard and emerge mid morning to wait by the gate to come up into the garden. Once there they spend the rest of the day scrounging as much food as possible. They know Jim is a good source if he is filling up the wild bird feeders and follow him around ever hopeful. They also recognise the kitchen door and appear, as if by magic, to see if any goodies have been left for them on the lawn. On windier days they stay in the yard and sunbathe in a cosy corner. At the end of the day they wait, by the gate, to be let back into the yard to mull over the day’s highlights and dream of what tomorrow may bring.

Elaine

Christmas island

(c) Self-timer

Well what a day and it ain’t over yet. We awoke to one of the calmest days of our 10 week stay, so far, on the island. The keen, fresh weather on the mainland had brought in more Redwing, Fieldfare and Linnet (Ben, no doubt, will give the fuller bird picture on http://bbfo.blogspot.com/ in due course). Meanwhile Jim did some ringing in the Cristin garden for an hour or so. Only nine birds, but at least he ringed some new birds on Xmas day on the island (2 Chaffinch & a Song Thrush).

Amidst all this we had a full Cristin cooked breakfast and opened our pressies. We were over-whelmed by the kindness of friends and family, and really appreciate all the survival kit, like socks, coffee, & chocolate.

We then travelled north to Nant to make phone calls to our nearest & dearest. Contact with those you care about becomes more special at this time and in this place.

We had a splendid lunch made by Elaine (I peeled the sprouts!) of beef Wellington and roast veg, washed down with an elderly Rioja & French desert wine aka 1982. Food suppliers, in no order of importance, were: Makro, Morrisons, Ty Pellaf kitchen garden, Guto (Rhiw), Laithwaites and Spar (Aberdaron); makes you think about food miles? I have to say, without exception, well barring the alcohol, the best food was the food from the Llyn.

All our family and friends are in our thoughts at what for us is a very special Christmas. However, we’d just like to send out these messages:

• Jenny, Mike &Ewan – Missing you terribly, but glad you’re having a great time in Aberdeen.
• Blackburn family – You’re in our thoughts all the time.
• Pete & Andy Leonard – Congrats on Penelope, we’re sure she’ll cope with you very well.
• Barrie. Lou, Charlie & Hannah – Wow!
• Jill – You’re a star!
• Staceys – Get yourselves over here next week!

As we’ve been writing this the weather has changed and the fog horn, at the light, is blowing.

Love to everyone.

Jim & Elaine

Westward Ho!

Today brought exceptional views of the land of my fathers. The snow capped peaks of the Wicklow mountains were clearly visible and the Porters, at the farm, commented that it was the best views of Ireland they'd had since they came to Bardsey two years ago. Similarly, there were good views of the Welsh mainland.

Jim

Chough update

On a previous post, I explained that we had caught two ringed Chough on the beach at Solvach. Today, we had the exciting news of their life histories from BTO ringer, Adrienne Stratford, who coordinates the colour ringing of Chough in north Wales.

She said: “The birds you caught are a seasoned breeding pair from the nearest bit of the mainland. He was ringed as a chick in 1996 at a nest on the north Lleyn coast, near Tudweiliog. Apart from a brief visit into the mountains in his first autumn - sightings at Llanberis + Aber Valley, he's been an Aberdaron resident ever since, first breeding at the current site in 1999. His last recorded holiday on Bardsey was in 2003, but they probably make occasional winter visits most years. She was ringed as a chick in 1997 at a nest near Aberdaron. She was also recorded in the Aber Valley area in her first winter, but since then has been an Aberdaron resident, first breeding at the current site in 2001 with the current male - after a couple of previous transient relationships.”

According to the BTO, the oldest ringed Chough in Britain & Ireland, at 16 yrs, 8 months & 26 days was from Bardsey. Hopefully, this successful pair of birds might surpass this record.

Jim

No snow here . . .

Well only a smattering of dusty snow today, but the puddles have a skin of ice on them and the birds are busy on the feeders in the Cristin garden. While still enjoying the daily presence of birds like Chough & Raven, it's odd to be excited that two Great Tits have taken up residence in the garden together with a Firecrest that Ben Porter spotted. They have probably moved down from Nant at the north of the island with the onset of colder weather.

The sunsets are like buses here, they all seem to come at once and we've had some stunning ones over the last few days.

JIM

Poppy

You may have been wondering how Poppy, the Welsh Black calf born just over a fortnight ago, has been getting on. The first two weeks were quite crucial both for Poppy and her mum; the major surgery that Serin underwent during the caesarean meant that she was on antibiotics for the fortnight. Poppy, herself, had trouble suckling initially and was bottle fed some extra colostrums to ensure she was well protected.

However, both are now doing extremely well and within a day or two of Poppy’s arrival they were both out on the track enjoying the winter sunshine. At first we thought that Poppy was being kept in because we couldn’t ever see her, but Steve told us that the mother hides her calf in the gorse to keep it from harm’s way, and indeed, after the first few days Poppy was much more in evidence. The only thing that seems to get Serin anxious is when the dogs from the farm pass nearby, then she does become the protective mother and keeps Poppy close.

Elaine

Chuffed to bits!

Today was red letter day for me in that we managed to catch two Choughs on the beach with the whoosh net. This entails sitting for hours in the hide we built on Solfach waiting for some of the c30 Chough that feed on the beach every day to feed in the catching area of the whoosh net. Though they have their favoured areas on the beach where they pick and probe for insects and grubs, they are very wary of man made contraptions. Most of the Chough are colour ringed and can be identified in the field, but capturing them allows biometrics to be taken which can be used to sex them as well as unringed birds to be colour ringed. The colour ringing of the Chough is part of a long-term study in to their lives & social behaviour. The two birds we caught today were already ringed, but both metal rings were so worn that they needed replacing. Once their origins are found out I’ll post the details on the blog.

Jim

Early bird

Someone commented that there has not been much on the blog lately about birds. So here's a pic of a Water Rail I caught first thing this morning, in the heligoland, when I popped out to the loo. Interestingly, I'd heard Water Rail calling while sat on the loo a couple of weeks ago and Elaine got the chance today to see her first one in the hand while sat on the loo!

Jim

Yule log this blog

Following yesterday’s glorious sunset we woke today to the most stunning day yet on the island; warm sunshine all day, lunch outside on the terrace and Christmas to get ready for.

We are hardly missing the crowds and the piped music (haven’t heard a seasonal song yet), but some things still have to be prepared – so it was that Ben and Steve from Ty Pellaf came up to choose a Christmas tree. The conifers in Cristin garden needed a little haircut to open up the entrance into the Helgoland trap and soon both were up in the branches being directed by Jim as to what needed thinning out. Half an hour later we had a beautifully smelling pile of fresh pine to select out festive trees from.

Once we had had the obligatory mince pies (in the sunshine) the next job was to dispose of the wood not required for decoration. Jim and I spent the afternoon shredding the excess foliage, bagging it up to be used keep the loo buckets smelling sweet, and watching the next fabulous sunset.

Elaine

No freezing fog here

It makes a change to have the nicer weather. While those of you living on the east side of the UK have been experiencing freezing fog, we have had our best day for several weeks. No gales, lashing waves or hailstones hitting your hands while fencing, but rather a calm, bright clear day with a staggeringly beautiful sunset.

Jim

Clouds

Incus

Cumulus

Incus

I love looking at clouds and there really are few better places to cloud watch than Bardsey. On any given day there are so many different types of cloud to try and identify. Yesterday we set out for a walk in almost sparkling sunshine, but before too long we spotted this monster in-coming over the Irish Sea; a developing incus, Latin for anvil, which is part of a cumulonimbus cloud, and, of course, brings with it rain.

During the course of our walk several of these enormous clouds, possibly rising to heights of 45,000’, passed over us on their way to the Lleyn peninsula. We finally made the safety of the beach hide before any of them dropped their load onto the island and from there we were rewarded with a beautiful rainbow.

The birds do not always show up, but I can guarantee clouds pretty much any day. Here are some more of our beautiful fleeting aerial friends.

Elaine

Nightshift workers

I thought the new peanut feeder was being well used. But just now I found up to three Woodmice feeding on it. It seems they can jump from the tree to the suspended feeder and don't mind dropping four feet to the ground. Still, at least we ain't got squirrels.

Jim

Rubbish . . . .

As all of you who visit Bardsey are aware, anything that is brought on to the island has eventually to be taken off or burnt. For example, all food and its packaging that arrives creates a lot of potential waste. Whilst some of it can be recycled, a great deal never leaves and this then has to be disposed of here. Bardsey does not have its own recycling centre so everything that gets left behind has to be burnt. I really think that we all should be more aware of what we bring on to Bardsey, but more importantly, what we leave behind.

Jim has just spent a pungent afternoon burning lots of packaging from around the Observatory in the incinerator in the corner of Cristin yard. While he enjoyed having a tidy up, it made us both think hard about what we consume.

Elaine

A busy day

After no boat for nearly three weeks due to constant winds from the south and west, the long awaited arrival of Colin on Benlli III at 9am was very welcome. However, it was also tinged with sadness as all the Observatory staff were leaving the island for their Christmas break with family and friends.

On the boat coming to take them away were some day visitors though; a film crew with rather a lot of equipment for just a three hour stay (they kept their energy up by mainlining Jelly Babies I noticed) and the vet. One of the Welsh Black cows is in calf and the farmers were worried that she might not be able to deliver herself so the vet was called in, and an hour later Poppy arrived, safely delivered by caesarean section. Poppy had been lying in a breach position and it would have been an exhausting labour for all concerned so the break in the weather was a great relief.

Also on board was some post; it was like Christmas morning for a while with a couple of large sackfuls being delivered around the island to the remaining residents. Jim has been especially lucky as he has some new binoculars to play with (all the better to spot the birds with) - I was more than happy with some new knitting yarn and a rather splendid supply of chorizo sausage and chocolate – life’s little essentials!

The remainder of the day was spent visiting the new mother and calf and unpacking our shopping, also delivered by the boat in the morning from the local Spar in Aberdaron. With potentially such large gaps between food deliveries we have tended to order plenty of fruit, veg and fresh meat, so it takes quite a bit of squirreling away in various freezers and cupboards to keep it fresh until the boat comes again..

So, a very busy day.

Elaine

We are not alone

A scurry of tiny feet, a rustle in the cupboard, telltale signs of activity. We have some furry visitors.

The first sign was a liquorice allsort in Jim’s boot when he put it on in the morning – fine, except he doesn’t usually keep his sweets there. And the allsorts had been in a dresser in the adjacent room. Next we heard packaging being nibbled in the evening, in the mouse proofed cupboard. All was not well. As the days have got cooler and shorter the woodmice have been visiting the houses to supplement their diet; with our carbohydrates.

However, as you can see from the picture, they are very creative and indeed artistic. Little darlings!

Elaine

Solfach hide

Step 5 - Painted & ready for watching. Now about that topping out ceremony . . .

Step 4 - Carpentry completed.

Step 3 - Fitting the new skin.

Step 2 - Hide stripped & recycled floor joists in place.

Step 1 - Stripping off the old skin & seeing what can be salvaged.

One of first jobs we have undertaken has been the refurbishment of the hide on Solfach. We started a couple of weeks ago and have been working on it most days, weather permitting. Jim had calculated what materials and tools we would need on a trip we made to Bardsey in August, and quite a large amount of what arrived with us in October was lined up for this and other jobs we plan to carry out through the winter

Any of you who have visited the island recently will have seen the state of the hide; there wasn’t much left standing. So the first job was to clear what could not be re-used and get back to basics, which turned out to be roof and the posts which had been concreted in and were sturdy and reusable.

Our large sheets of 18mm and 12mm plywood were soon being man-handled down the slope, at one point I’m sure Jim and I nearly took off in the wind, and being measured and cut up on the beach with the use of a generator and lots of muscle power.

Initial progress was quite rapid and dramatic; doing the base was a tour de force with so many angles, none of them square, to be measured, marked and cut; the sides, too, made a vast difference.

Once it was all constructed the finishing off tasks seemed to take quite a while; fitting the doors and windows, the bench and the all important foot rest all required a great deal of fiddling and, in one case, beach combing to find just the right piece of driftwood.

Then painting, a couple of coats to keep the rain out, and it was open for business. Already some good bird watching & photography has taken place, and we hope that a great many people will enjoy the hide for many years to come.

Elaine

Ringing at Cristin

(c) Steve Stansfield

(c) Richard J Else

At this time of year, the opportunities to open the mist nets for ringing in the garden at Cristin, where we are staying for the winter, are limited on account of the wind rarely abating. However, today was one of those calm days you get every couple of weeks here. So, it was a case of being up before dawn and getting the nets open. This was well rewarded with 40 plus birds ringed, including thrushes, finches, the fourth Black Redstart of the autumn and a stunning Wryneck which was migrating very late in the year.

Jim

Pumpkins & bonfires

Whilst we were moving house last Sunday some of the other island residents were enjoying the chance to indulge in some beautiful creative artwork – competitive pumpkin carving. One was traditional but scary; two were island inspired; there was a three-dimensional one and finally, the winner, was an amazingly detailed lobster. The following day we all had lunch together with soup made from all the pumpkin carvings, fresh bread and butter made at the farm.

Of course it wasn’t too many days before bonfire night came round; it was a bit too windy on Thursday but by Sunday we were promised a rare calm evening and it only took an hour of hard work to construct an amazing fire from old gates, the beach hide, fencing posts and anything else we could lay our hands on. The night was clear but cold and we had fantastic views of Jupiter and various constellations. As dusk fell we gathered on the beach and enjoyed an evening of a very warming fire, sausages freshly cooked on the embers and a few glasses of wine. By morning there was little left, although Jim and Steve spent quite a while clearing up the various bits of metal and glass to make the beach safe again.

Elaine

Moving on day

(c) Elaine Lennon

After two weeks at the Lloft, during which time we began to feel quite settled, it was time to move on. The season’s visitors have left for home and we are now moving the hundred yards or so with all our stuff to take up residence at Cristin, the Bird Observatory, for the winter.

The really wet morning was not very encouraging but by the time everything was packed and loaded onto the trailer the day had cleared and it was soon being unpacked again into its new home. As you can see the shelves were groaning under the weight of all that food. But, will it last us eight months?

Elaine

Lighthouse attraction

Last night migrating birds were dazzled and caught up in the Bardsey lighthouse beam. This can happen around the new moon in spring and autumn, when birds (mainly warblers, thrushes & finches), but also the resident Manx Shearwaters, set off on nocturnal migration. However, if it becomes either overcast or rains as they travel then they can mistake the Bardsey light for the moon. In which case they get confused and mill around in light’s five beams and fatally crash in to the building. In the past, many hundreds of Redwing had been killed on these occasions.

However, the Observatory staff had a cunning plan to stop this happening. When they see birds flying in the beams of the light, they take themselves down to the lighthouse on the southern tip of the island. In order to lessen the devastation the migrating birds find themselves in, the Obs staff set up temporary lights, outside the lighthouse compound, to help the birds land safely. Some stunned birds are collected up, roosted until dawn and then ringed. Jim was out until 4:00 am and then up again by 7.30am to ring and release them on their way. This gives ringers the chance to handle birds that they would not normally ring like this handsome Woodcock, which was probably migrating to warmer climes from Scandinavia. Also ringed were c30 Blackbirds & Redwings, and three Blackcaps.

Jim

Pickles

Since we arrived on the island, we have been busy unpacking essentials and settling into Plas Lloft. Our new home is cosy, we have no electricity but the gas fire and gas light, etc. are quite adequate and once the night draws in it is very snug.
The weather has changed since we arrived, the wind is now quite strong, fortunately from the south and west, but summer has certainly moved on and autumn has announced itself with a bang.
Jim has been busy discussing the various conservation tasks we hope to undertake over the winter with the Observatory staff; we hope to make a start next week. I, on the other hand, have been focused more on the indoor preparations for winter and have been pickling onions and shallots and also making bramble jelly from the islands’ blackberries. Emma and I made a few precious jewel like jars.

Elaine

Finally a calm day . . . .

At last it was calm enough to open the mist nets and do some ringing at Nant in the withies at the north end of Bardsey. About 20 birds were caught, which was mix of the resident Wrens & Dunnocks, and some migrant thrushes. However, the star bird was a Firecrest that was retrapped from a few days previously.

Jim

Well, we finally made it to Bardsey

A long day spent doing last minute shopping and sorting, packing the land rover and trailer, meant that we finally left home in the early hours of Saturday morning and drove through the night to arrive at the beach at Porth Meudwy by midday. The tide was about to turn so it was a hasty transfer onto Benlli 3 and we were on our way. The Sound was the calmest we have ever seen and the seals popped their heads out of the sea to watch us pass.

By lunchtime we had landed and everything was transferred to the tractor and trailer and then deposited at our new home for the next couple of weeks, Plas Lloft.

Our 40+ numbered boxes and 10 barrels of food and supplies, computer stuff, ringing equipment, tools and everything else we felt we could not leave home without took up a lot of the space in our one up, one down accommodation. But, just look at the view!