week 1, let the games begin

We're back, Steve, Emma, Connor, Liz and I arrived back on the amazing bardsey island to get the observatory ready for the 2013 season.

Hummmmm a few things to unpack 

Mmmmmmmm not exactly unpacked but its tidier I guess

Cleaning to be had ......"he loves the jobs you hate"

Liz working her magic in the kitchen

Even the bird feeders need a good clean

Being a bird observatory there's got to be some bird work to be had so ben, connor and I set out to try and catch jack snipe by drag netting.

To catch these little beasts we first had to string an old mistnet between two poles, this would be used to drag along the ground and place down where the bird is to catch it. Jack snipe are notoriously secretive birds, so well camouflaged, and ballsy enough to only reveal there presence when you are practically right ontop of them! However when then do flush out of cover they generally only fly a small distance and then pitch down in the undergrowth again, you can then watch where they land, walk the net over to the area they have gone too and place the net over the top of the bird.......sounds easy right?

...........well it wasn't, on more than a few occasions we had watch the bird, seen where it landed in the long grass, carefully placed the net over where we thought it was, stood around puzzled and scratching our heads when the bird didn't show only for it to wizz up out of the grass within feet of where we had placed the net.

After having rings run around us by one particular jack snipe we eventually lost it for good and could not locate it again. Frustrated and almost ready to give up we made a snap decision to try up at the north end of the island on the off chance that another bird ben has seen days before would still be there.........it was still there.

Check this beauty out

Back to cleaning now, man this view never gets old

Back We Go

Shutting Up Shop................And A Party

 With the end of the season drawing to a close the last week of guests staying at the observatory and Steve and Emma's wedding anniversary things were falling into place a well deserved party! But for party time to ensue the gift shop needed clearing of all the stock.

Trustees form an orderly rabble to get the job done in double quick time!

Gift shop items are squirreled away into plastic containers to stop the damp and those pesky mice getting too them.

And que party decorations prep!

 Including our blue peter style mirrorball, John Noakes would be proud.

Bringing back ice-gems in a big way! And those little disk shape biscuits with icing on that I can't remember the name of, YEY!!!

With the part over (ask Steve for embarrassing pictures) and the last week of guests departed, it was time to clear out the observatory, give it a quick once over and store away all valuables.

Good old Mr Muscle

Most important job being done :)

Steve at it with the chemicals again

Creating furniture mountain.....

One big furniture hug, even the carpets joining in

 Manly tears were shed when leaving the island

Well thats it really, its been a great year for the observatory and for me in a lot of ways!! Hope you've enjoyed reading a little bit about what we get up to here at the bird observatory on Bardsey Island. Its a fantastic place to work and visit, I can't recommend it and speak highly of it enough!!

!!!!!!!!!ROLL ON 2013 SEASON!!!!!!!!

Dolphins A-hoy!!!!

Click logo to go to WDC website

Since 1999 the Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) (formerly the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS)) have had researchers staying at the obs almost every year. Up to eight researchers have been present for up to six weeks looking out for the Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises that use the waters around the island.  The main focus of the WDC project is the magnificent Risso's Dolphin, a species that we are fortunate enough to we very frequently in the waters around here, but is seldom seen elsewhere in the UK with any regularity.

These animals, along with their sometimes tiny youngsters can be seen at any time of the year, but most frequently from mid-summer to late autumn.  The main focus of WDC's project is to have a rapid response team here, so that when animals are seen and the sea is calm, the team can get onto a small boat and, under a special licence from CCW, the carefully approach the animals to take photographs of them.

Pine Eisfeld photographing Risso's Dolphin (c) Steve Stansfield

Each of the photos can be compared with hundred of others and be used to identify individual animals. Risso's Dolphins are large mid- to pale grey animals with a tall distinctive dorsal fin. The animals are all very scarred and have many parallel lines in their skin where they have been bitten by other Risso's Dolphins.  It is through these series of scars and nicks on the animals that they can be individually identified, and the markings are as unique as our finger prints, ie no two dolphins are alike.

Each year many thousands of photographs of dorsal fins are studied to see if matches from previous years can be made.

 

WDC have about 100 individual dolphins in their photo I'd catalogue now and some 
matches from previous years and other sites are being made. 

Photos WDC

The Big Twitch

A some what fruitless and dull morning on Bardsey became what was to be one of the most exciting events of this autumn. After a few broken messages, blips of static and interference on the radio the words "citrine wagtail and boathouse" rang out on the radio, prompting all the birders on the island into a frenzy of panic, breakfast was left on the table as people rushed around madly gathering their coats, radios and optics before hurtling down the track towards the narrows where the bird has been sighted.

First winter Citrine Wagtail, a first for Bardsey

The Bardsey paparazzi at work

The bird continued to show itself off throughout the day, cracking views from the beach hide

Lifes A.........Beach

We've had the pleasure of having the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society with us on Bardsey for a few weeks now as they carry out surveys of the cetacean species in the waters around Bardsey. They had arranged to do a beach clean one day so we all set off bin bags in hand to try and clean up as much as we could.

When you start to look, the amount of rubbish that gets washed up on the shores (mainly plastics) is staggering, so we did our best to get as much of it as we could. The sad fact is the equivalent of what we cleared up would probably be washed up on shore again as fresh rubbish brought in by the sea, that said its nice to do your bit and every little helps.

*Cough* *Cough* *Nudge* *Nudge* you should visit to this website  http://www.wdcs.org.uk/

Errrrrrrrrr..........what the??.......Steve.......................

Tally Ho, Damson Picking Is A-foot

Damsons around the observatory were ready to be picked and made into jam so we form a motley crew and set out foraging, check out this roll call.......

Freddy Mercuary

Albert Einstein

Hulk Holgan

Poirot

Super Mario

Charlie Chaplin

A force to be reckoned with  

All in all we totaled six carrier bags of damsons, a good haul GO TEAM