Saturday 28th July

I left the island today for a weeks holiday. I'm glad to say the weather was much better than my last trip off the island, and I arrived at Porth Meudwy in one piece. However, when I arrived in the farm to pick up my car, it appeared my exhaust was not in the same state! I managed to tie it on with some string and cable ties. As we managed to move the car, it appeared some wayward chicken had laid three eggs under my car, obviously believing it to be a permanent fixture. A rather fraught journey followed this but I made it back to Ynys Mon. Thanks to everyone for their help, especially the good samaritan from Rhoshirwaun.

Wednesday 25th July

An interesting and enjoyable night as we had a 'ceilidh' in the schoolhouse. I am not known for my dancing skills, but it got easier as the night, and a few gin and tonics, wore on. (Apologies to any of the ladies I may have trod on!) A lot of the visitors joined in the various Scottish dances, and there was even limbo dancing, and some impressions of lighthouses to see. I somehow managed to bruise my ribs after falling over. After last year's pulled shoulder in the Sports Day this is becoming a regular event.

Monday 23rd July

Today I started the rather tedious, but necessary, task of cutting the grass and 'weeding' the trees in the new plantation at the north end of the island. I was ably assisted by our very helpful volunteer, Sian, and her family. It was certainly a case of "more hands make light work", even if it did take us till Friday to finish the job. About 95% of the trees that were planted in December are still alive, so hopefully many of them will continue to prosper as a result of our work.

Friday 20th July

Today there was a large 'attraction' of over 100 Manx Shearwaters around the lighthouse. The darkness and heavy rain meant lots of birds became disorientated. I managed to collect about 75 birds which had become grounded. After ringing them, we spent the late evening releasing them back to sea, off the clifftop. Lots of people took part, and it was interesting to see the many different methods of launching birds into the air! They all left happily, none the worse for the experience.

Tuesday 17th July

I had a great time fishing tonight, when I managed to catch some bass off the west coast of the island. These were the first I had caught in two years, and they had taken on a kind of 'mythical' quality. They were feeding quite close inshore and took a metal spinner near the bottom. I also caught a few Pollack and Mackerel at the same time. We had a good meal the following evening! You can't beat really fresh fish, and Steve did a great job in the preparation.

Saturday 14th July

Today, it was a bit of a shock to the system when 10 people arrived after three quiet weeks. It was good to have some familiar faces at the observatory, and to catch up on their news.

Thursday 5th July

Spent some of the morning in the south hide on the tip of the island. I was left wondering what has happened to the summer, it was like last November. The wind was blowing gale force and the showers were coming down. Shearwaters were clipping the waves in their thousands. Kittiwakes and Fulmars were struggling into the wind, and a tiny storm petrel was lost in a wave trough. It was spectacular but I can't remember having to wear a hat and gloves in July before!

Wednesday 4th July

On a wet afternoon I discovered an interesting book about life on Enlli in the early 20th century. It was a hard life here at the time but obviously a happy one. People seemed a lot more self-sufficient too, as contact with the mainland was often sporadic. There must have been some tough men on the island as they rowed across the sound, taking a couple of hours. With the benefit of an engine this journey takes about 20 minutes today, which made me realise how much we take for granted in our modern technological world.

Friday 29th June

This week I got to learn a lot about chickens. We had a couple of experts staying here. I learnt what they like to eat, how to treat their ailments, and how to stop them going broody. We have a few chickens here and now I'll know how to keep them happy in future. Just as long as they keep giving us plenty of eggs.

Saturday 23rd June

Today Steve the warden went away on his annual 3 week holiday. So I was left in charge for that time. The island is usually prety quiet at this time in terms of visitors and bird. We start to study butterflies and moths with more interest. There have been some very interesting records of moths over the years. We put out a moth trap every night, the moths are attracted to a flourescent bulb. The variety of colours and patterns is incredible, perhaps we rarely appreciate them as they come out night?