Thursday 25th May comments: The Isle of May has had a touch of the blues recently, but not because we are sad, but almost the complete opposite as we’ve entertained a few migrant Bluethroats!
In the last two weeks easterly winds have seen several scarce and rare birds drift onto the island including four different Bluethroats. On 12th May an immature female was caught and ringed and was followed by two stunning males, both caught and ringed by members of the Isle of May Bird Observatory Trust. A fourth bird, another male (pictured) has been showing well in recent days (23rd-23rd May) and even singing on occasions.
These magical birds (like Robins but with blue fronts) are migrating to Scandinavia and have drifted over the North Sea and found the first landfall (the island!) The Isle of May has a great reputation for these birds and is one of the best sites in the U.K. to see them on passage. The species has been seen in some impressive numbers over the years including a staggering 100 on 14th -15th May 1985 whilst in more recent times, we had 15 on 19th May 2019. In fact, the species is SO good, it is the on the badge of the Isle of May Bird Observatory (https://isleofmaybirdobs.org/)
The Isle of May is certainly a great migration station on the east coast as we are proving once again. As ever we’ll keep you posted of all the comings and goings on the island as spring continues so stay tuned to the blog.
Isle of May National Nature Reserve 