The end of October saw the end of our visitor season. It has been a good year overall with numbers holding up around the usual 4,000 mark despite the poor weather of July and August. The nice autumn certainly helped! Thanks to all those who came and we hope to see you and others again next year. The Gower Ranger, our passenger boat, was taken out of the water a few days ago for her winter overhaul and will be back in time for re-opening in 2010 on April 1st.
After the calm spell, November arrived with a bang! 30mm of rain on the night of 1st plus winds gusting in excess of 50mph made for a very rough Ramsey Sound and left the boat owners thankful they had acted swiftly in taking their vessels out. Such weather makes us realise how well sited our buildings are. Damage is rarely sustained (he says!) in storms and even the volunteers bungalow which is halfway through the process of having a new roof put on survived!
So it is just Lisa, myself and Dewi on the island now. Our thoughts turn to winter tasks - paperwork, report writing, livestock husbandry, getting the rams on and off, heather burning (if the weather allows), fencing and general building maintenance all ensure that we are kept busy (and warm!) through the winter months.
This morning saw the return of the fulmars to their breeding ledges for a few hours. We have just under 300 pairs nesting on Ramsey and following the breeding season they leave the cliffs (like all the other seabirds). They leave to moult their worn feathers in the relative safety of the open sea. Unlike other seabirds, they return once this process is complete and right through the winter we will see them for long spells on the cliff ledges, interspersed with days at a time spent out at sea. Fulmars spend the longest of any British seabird at their nest site.
Pembrokeshire is currently experiencing an influx of black redstarts with over 60 recorded last Saturday. Late autumn is a good time of year to see these birds on coastal sites as they move to, or arrive at, winter quarters. We have had up to 4 on Ramsey on some days this past week. Also of note here of late has been a juvenile hen harrier. These birds frequently turn up here at this time of year as small numbers head to Pembrokeshire for the winter. If you are visiting the County this winter take a look on the Pembrokeshire Bird Group Blog to see what birds are around and a list of local sites that are worth a visit.