NORTH RONALDSAY - 17th July

Still very windy but largely dry with only a couple of drizzly spells; a walk round the Obs census route in the morning produced the Black-throated Diver still in the bay and the 5 Red-necked Phalaropes still on Gretchen with the two juvenile Garganey, 4 Shoveler and 27 Dunlin.   There were then 160 Dunlin, 6 Knot, 16 Ringed Plover, 20 Turnstone and 35 Redshank at Westness before we all went back up to Bewan to get more views of the White-winged Black Tern roosting on the rocks at Bewan with the huge flock 5,000+ Arctic Terns.

                Another look at Gretchen mid-afternoon produced a Swift flying low across the loch with 12 Sand Martins and two nice summer plumaged Knot with the Dunlin flock before the White-winged Black Tern appeared out of nowhere to try and roost with the Arctic Terns but they weren’t impressed and chased it off a few times!   It did rest for 20 minutes before heading off towards Nouster.

White-winged Black Tern at Gretchen

Black Guillemot