Storms

Winter on Bardsey is usually a pretty stormy affair- last winter was rather exceptional with the near-constant bombardment of storms throughout the winter, with some bringing winds of up to 108mph. This winter has, until the last week or two, been very mild, dry and quite calm. This has encouraged migrants such as Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps to risk overwintering. In the last few weeks, however, the weather has taken a turn for the worse, with strong winds and rain storms becoming more of the norm. Some of the pluses of the stormy weather include the interesting and sometimes dramatic photographic opportunities that it brings. Backlit waves, birds skimming over the tops of large rolling crashers, and high tides forcing waders such as Purple Sandpipers into unusual places. Here are a selection of images from the last week:

Lesser Black-backed Gull above backlit wave

Herring Gulls

Shag

Black-headed Gull