Have you heard of Bardsey Island?

What a stupid question! Now the Observatory has Satellite Broadband, the whole world is learning about Bardsey and it's birds. Not a day goes by now without I get an email from the island - it was great in the past as emails from Steve disappeared the day he returned to the island after a break on the mainland. No peace for the wicked now! His latest email sends me uptodate pictures of Cristin's courtyard - looks like he has cut the grass :-))

If you log on to the "Latest Sightings" link on the Obs. home page, you will now get daily updates on the birds our staff record on the island - yesterday it was a Red Kite - but it isn't all birds as you will see. We are, after all, a "Bird and FIELD Observatory" and we study not only birds, but Insects, plants, animals and all creatures of the sea which abound around our wonderful island.

VOLUNTEERS - our biggest asset.

Weather poor - Mike Archer and his band of budding volunteers are making good headway with checking all the ringing data. They have completed one volume of checking with 21 more to go!

Ian Wright is back with us and has been helping around the island - pruning bushes and helping fix stiles and boardwalks.

What would we do without our volunteers! I have just received a CD with loads of photos of Bev and Neil Healey and Michael working the last two weeks on the Observatory buildings. I will try and put some of them on the main website.

Prospective volunteers should contact our Warden direct on the island by email giving their phone number and Steve will phone or email you. warden at bbfo dot org dot uk

News from the island will be more uptodate shortly - thanks to Steve and his team

Steve has set up a BLOG so he can directly put uptodate records (and sometimes photos) on the web. There is a link on the home page to his Blog (Island Wildlife News). He is still having a few problems with uploading of information but within a couple of weeks this should be ironed out and he and his staff will hopefully be keeping you "and the world" uptodate on the birds that breed and visit our island.

My Town Criers BLOG will therefore not be containing bird news shortly, but will continue with an "off the island" view of Bardsey and stories of the people and other happenings on the island which sometimes make for more interesting reading than even the birds, dare I say!

If Steve, Dave and Dave don't keep us informed, then you will see sparks flying from my BLOG and igniting his. So look out Steve - it could be war. (Note: Steve and I were both born in Rotherham, Yorkshire - although a few years separate us - and I don't think it is likely that two Yorkshiremen will get to blows - well, not physical anyway - cos I think he would win).

Ay up Steve, I don't see any Pom Skuas on your Blog yet - but with 10 off Criccieth today I would have thought some must have passed Bardsey.

Yorkshire Bev

Ben demonstrates new invention for "Elderly" Bardsey Criers visiting the Observatory

This latest picture taken by Liz James is of our neighbour Ben Porter demonstrating the latest gadget installed by Colin Evans on his boat. I understand it has already been named the "Bardsey Crier's Ladder" but will be available for use by other elderly visitors to our wonderful island. A big thank you to Colin for these six steps to heaven!

BARDSEY HAS ARRIVED IN THE 21st CENTURY

The first of no doubt many thousands of emails has just arrived from Bardsey - thanks to a young man who has just installed Satellite Broadband at Cristin.

As I write this, Steve, or his Assistant Richard, is probably sitting in the Library at Cristin surfing the web when he should be in the sitting room next door conducting the log for the last day of the week before our visitors leave the island.

This is certainly a day to remember as it now means communication to the island has improved a hundredfold and information from and to the island will improve, hopefully making life just that much more easy. "That's a joke, I have to say. Life will now become much busier and there will have to be "Internet Log-on times, both on the island and here in my home, otherwise I will never manage to do the washing up, or shopping, or look after the allotment or my bees, or even do any birding".

Anyway, it does mean we will get the news regularly now and photos of birds perhaps on the day they are seen.

My regards to all the visitors and I hope you all get off tomorrow.

The Bardsey Crier

This was the Week that was

Steve phoned today with news of events on the island over the last week.

Easter Sunday - an Easter Egg Hunt was organised for the youngsters on the island AND a female House Sparrow was trapped and ringed - a rare bird.

Wednesday 15th April - Connor celebrated his 7th birthday. He had 23 island people to his Pizza Party and Competition - the winner was Richard Brown with his Chocolate and Apple-topped Pudding PIZZA. The judge gave him the prize for taste and originality - absolutely delicious everyone said. Oh! and during the day they had the first TREE PIPIT of the year, about 350 Willow Warblers and 60 Greenland Wheatears. AND Trinity House has a NEW Ship which was moored close inshore that night and lit up the sky like Blackpool Tower with all its lights on. (Was that especially for Connor's benefit?)

Thursday/Friday 16/17 April night - A Lighthouse Attraction - 6 Grasshopper Warblers, 12 Wheatears, 1 Ringed Plover, 30 Manxies picked up and a Short-Eared Owl attracted.

Friday 17 April - About 30 Grasshopper Warblers, 150 Willow Warblers, 70 Wheatears.

Saturday 18 April - 1 male Sup-Alpine Warbler netted and ringed.

TODAY, Sunday 19 April - 2 Black Redstarts, Orange Tip Butterfly (10th record for island).

And the week finished with the volunteers finishing Connor's birthday present - a brand new Bedroom of his own - courtesy Mum and Dad, Bardsey Trust, BBFO, and volunteers, Bev, Neil and Michael.

Saturday 18 April

At 3pm this afternoon, a male Sub-Alpine Warbler was found on the island.

Ring Ouzel and Garden Warbler

Ring Ouzel and Garden Warbler seen today. Three volunteers arrived yesterday, Bev and his brother Neil, plus Michael - they will be carrying out several voluntary jobs during the next week and maybe beyond - improving the Warden's accommodation and some work on the Obs. building too.

Vice Pres. and Bardsey Crier Bev not able to "supervise" this time and sorry chaps - you'll have to do your own washing up. I am needed at home in Staffordshire to count Heronries, get the allotment up and running, and monitor birds and bats on a proposed windfarm site. Never a dull moment! But I will be thinking of you and waiting for those phone calls telling me of the rare birds you have seen (between sawing and hammering!).

FIRST SANDWICH TERNS OF THE YEAR

Today about 20 Chiffchaffs were seen on the island and the first Sandwich Terns of the year - the earliest ever recorded on the island.

Weekend Birding on Bardsey

SATURDAY

2 Jack Snipe (1 trapped) - 5 Black Redstarts - 20 Chiffchaffs - 12 Wheatears

SUNDAY

3 Black Redstarts - 15 Wheatears

And finally, the British Naturalists' Association (BNA) are holding a very interesting National Conference in Epping Forest on 9 May. Log on to: http://www.bna-naturalists.org for details.

Book your week on the island NOW

A glorious sunny warm day on the island today. Steve reports:

12 Sand Martins - 1 Willow Warbler (the earliest ever recorded - by one day) - 5 Black Redstarts - 1 Swallow - 1 HOOPOE - 1 first winter Iceland Gull (7th record) - 2 Coal Tits.

Oh! and 30 Bottle-nosed Dolphins on a flat sea. Don't you wish you were there?

Island Alive Again - population doubled

After a couple of delays due to strong winds, Steve, Emma, and their son Connor, plus the two Richards and Liz James arrived on the Island and walked back up to the Observatory last Sunday. In fact, these six have taken the island population to 11 which has more than doubled it. The other five are Emyr at Nant and Steve and his family at the farm.

Our gang are all working hard to get the Observatory ready for our first visitors in about 3 weeks time. Lots to do - mainly cleaning and decorating and hoping for sun and warmth to help dry everything out. It has helped enormously having Steve Porter and his family checking up on the Obs over the winter and putting the generator on occasionally to try and keep the Obs dry. But we do have one or two wet walls that need attention from our landlord which we hope is in hand.

The lads have been popping out birding and report the following today:

4 BLACK REDSTARTS - 6 WHEATEARS - THE FIRST SAND MARTIN OF THE YEAR - 1 WHITE WAGTAIL - c300 MEADOW PIPITS - 1 MISTLE THRUSH - 6 CHIFFCHAFFS.
Oh! and Steve turned his trousers into shorts on Solfach today I am told - a site for sore eyes! Next we'll hear he's donning a pair of swim trunks.

Wardens hopefully back on Island today

Weather has delayed the return of our Wardens to the island and the Observatory but the latest forecast and message from Steve is that they are hoping Ernest can take them over today. It certainly is a bright and sunny morning here in the Midlands. If you go to the home page of our website you will see I have added a new Weather LIVE from Abersoch which will give you a better idea of weather on the end of the Lleyn.

We have heard that Wheatear has returned to the island - I am sure the two Richards will be out and about as soon as they land so expect more reports in the coming days.

Reporting from Criccieth LIVE

I am sitting here in the hotel at Criccieth two and half hours into our Council Meeting. 19 Council Members have come together here today for the first of our three meetings this year. Steve Stansfield, our Warden, and his wife Emma are also present, as is our President and one of our Vice Presidents.

We have been discussing the work of the Observatory and particularly receiving reports and making decisions for the coming season so that the Observatory will run smoothly. Our work will continue, including, of course, continuing to provide accommodation for visitors who stay and help us record and study the wildlife of the island.

In case you think I am not paying intention at the meeting, I would add that it is now lunch time and I am enjoying a bowl of soup.

Finally, there was an apology from one of our Vice Presdients (no names no packdrill as they say) and I thought you would be interested in his reason for not being here today. It appears his son persuaded him to take him to the Test Match in Barbados! No comment from a fellow Vice President :-))

January BIRD news from our man on Bardsey, finishing with a good one!

Our man on Bardsey - Ben Porter - reports as follows:-

Brambling reported by Ben on his bird table at Ty Pellaf early in the month.
Wigeon in early January.
One or two Coal Tits.

Lots (up to 200 which are record numbers) Golden Plovers early in the month together with up to 40 Lapwings

AND ON THE 26TH JANUARY - 1 LITTLE EGRET
AND FINALLY, TODAY, the 30th, in Henllyn - A GREY PHALAROPE.

Bevan

George and Simon - Memories.

Don't forget to check the comments that are being submitted. Simon Hughes has reminded us that George and his family stayed on the island for the 1970 season and Sheamus has reminded us of Simon and Gwydion's (and Kim's) friendly brewing competitions and his generosity to visiting birders to the Obs. Simon also draws our attention to George's copperplate log entries. (Can our current warden, Steve, perhaps arrange for a page to be scanned for the web please).

Please keep reminding us all of any memories of either of them that you may have.

Bevan

Goodbye Simon - we won't forget you

I journeyed down to Bromyard last Saturday to attend the Funeral Service of Simon Walker in St. Peters Church. The church was full with his family, his friends and his colleagues. They came from all over the UK as during his 52 years life he had travelled far and collected many friends and colleagues on the way.

His colleagues from English Nature (now Natural England) were there, his colleagues from the old days at Severn Trent were there, his BTO ringing friends from the midlands, his friends from the Worcestershire Trust, his friends who had accompanied him on his regular trips over the years to ring the seabirds of the Treshnish Isles off Mull, and of course the Bardsey Observatory and Trust and the island were represented by myself, Dick Loxton, and Gwydion Morley and Kim Atkinson (who have remained his good friends since they both left the island some years ago).

I think all people present learned a lot more about Simon and his devotion to wildlife conservation, as they listened to his brother and his colleagues talk of his skills, committment and humour that we all knew he possessed.

Jan, his wife, appealed to us all to keep in touch and to relate to Angus, their son, any memories we have of his father so that he will have these in the future to remind him of his wonderful dad.
I am sure those of you who had the pleasure and privilige of meeting, working and just being around Simon will do that small thing for them.

Jan and the family gave Simon a private Green Funeral in the morning - he was put in the ground in a wicker coffin, decorated by Jan, as he requested - a conservationist to the end.

I certainly am proud to have known him - you are invited to please post any memories you have of Simon on this BLOG.

Bevan

Simon Walker - Funeral Arrangements

Simon's wife Jan has given me the following information.

There will be a private green burial service for Simon on the morning of Saturday, 17th January. On the same day, in the afternoon at 2pm, at St. Peters Church, Bromyard, there will be a service to celebrate and give thanks for the life of Simon, to which everyone who would like to attend is invited.

Funeral directors dealing with Simon's funeral are: Victoria Allen Funeral Services, Church View, 8 Charlton Rise, Ludlow, Shropshire, SY8 1ND - Tel: 01584 879035. No flowers please but if you are wanting to make a donation in lieu of flowers, their chosen charity would be Noah's Ark, a local Herefordshire charity which works and supports children who have been bereaved. Details from the funeral directors.

George Evans - Observatory Warden 1964-69

We have only just heard this news, but another past warden of the Observatory, George Evans, died last June. The records show that George was our warden from 1964-69. He was probably there in 1970 too as we were closed for the next three years. The systematic list shows his records but there is no mention of whether we had a warden for those next three years.

Midland birdwatchers of my era will remember George as a meticulous Bird Recorder and extremely competent ornithologist who was well respected by all his colleagues and friends. It is indeed sad to hear of his death. I was hoping to see him in September last when 6 of his friends had a 50th re-union at Cley. Unfortunately, one of the 8 had already died, but we hadn't been able to contact George - little knowing that he was then no longer with us.

Bevan

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda i bawb.

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda i bawb. A Happy New Year to you all.

Bevan
Bardsey Crier & Webmaster