The season finished with a bang – a great fall on 1st November, with over 1000 Chaffinches, 1850 Starlings, 37 Bramblings, two Siberian Chiffchaffs, and singles of Water Pipit, Richard’s Pipit, Woodlark and Hawfinch. There was a single Fieldfare on 4th November – the only one of the autumn. On Guy Fawkes Day, the Observatory was closed down and the final staff crossed safely to the mainland.

For 2022 there’s great news on the Manx Shearwater front. Bangor University, in partnership with BBFO, have been given a grant to attach up to 150 tags to Manxies over the coming two years. This should yield some really useful and enlightening data on feeding grounds and summer movements – the photo illustrating the post shows the track of a single bird, clearly demonstrating the importance of the area north-east of Anglesey for feeding. The photos below show a geolocator being attached to a Manxie and the final sunset of the season from the Observatory.