.A strong breeze from the northwest on the 6th blew in 23 Manx Shearwaters, 25 Gannets and a dark phase Arctic Skua. This surprisingly was the only shearwater record for July. Three Tufted Duck flying south was an unseasonable appearance of this scarce Hilbre visitor.
An adult summer plumaged Purple Sandpiper that was flushed when feeding by the tide gauge was probably a non-breeding wandering individual as it was not seen subsequently. Also on the 8th a juvenile Stonechat was present, and two were together over the next week that seemed to be different (younger) birds. This species is more associated with early spring on Hilbre, but these particular birds are probably a result of post breeding dispersal rather than true migration. About 50 Blue-tailed Damselflies were noted, mostly in the area of the pond.
Little Egrets, although now a regular feature further up the Dee, are still a rare sight at Hilbre, so a single seen on the 11th was especially welcome.
Fourteen summer plumaged Black-tailed Godwits (13th) made an impressive sight at the north end.
An early Whimbrel on the 17th was soon eclipsed by 6 on the 21st, and similar numbers showed to the month end, peaking at 9 on the 29th.
A near gale from the northwest on the 20th produced a remarkable 23 Storm Petrels over the high tide, also 2 Great Skuas, and 3 Arctic Skuas. The next day the wind eased slightly, but a continuous 4 hour sea watch managed to log an all time day record of 30 Storm Petrels, a few of which came within yards of the lifeboat slipway.
Other seabirds were scarce, featuring just 27 Common Scoter, 4 Gannets and a Fulmar.
The 24th saw a small movement of Swallows (55) and Swifts (17), one of the few Peregrine sightings this month, (female attacking the wader flocks), and a splendid Arctic Tern pass close to the north end.
A flock of 20 Sanderling on the 25th were the first returning individuals of the autumn, and 4 more Black-tailed Godwits were seen, with 3 still present the next day.
The 26th was a big butterfly day with 60+ Small White (some seen to arrive off the sea with large numbers of ladybirds), 10 Grayling, 4 Red Admiral and a Small Skipper. Wader counts of 260 Dunlin and 130 Turnstone were both highest numbers for the month, and 60 Ringed Plovers were pleasing to see after a year when these small plovers have been scarce around the islands. More unusual were 2 Little Stints resting on the northwest ledge with the Turnstones. These tiny waders occur less than annually at Hilbre, but late summer is a typical time to find them. A Sand Martin passed through and 13 Willow Warblers were the first small fall of the return passage.
A female Eider was found on rocks south of Middle Island (27th), and was seen on several dates through to August.
Nineteen Shelduck and an estimated 300 Curlew on the 29th at Little Eye, were high counts for this time of year, and a single Northern Wheatear promised more to come over the next few weeks.
