NORTH RONALDSAY - 21st July

A fine day but pretty breezy, I walked round the middle census route first thing where there were plenty of birds with some good wader counts but nothing really different; waders included 27 Purple Sandpipers (on Trinley), 228+ Dunlin, 6 Sanderling, 35 Turnstone, 115+ Redshank, 220+ Oystercatchers, 3 Whimbrel and 6 Bar-tailed Godwits while 195+ Common Gulls were also in the fields and 3 Herons were at Ancum.

                Cleaned up a few last Arctic Tern chicks in the afternoon (c10 have fledged – a poor year!) as well as ringing the single Arctic Skua chick on Torness while 2 Greenshank flew over Grind – my first of the autumn.

The Arctic Skua chick is now ringed

This Ringed Plover chick was on the airfield

Arctic Tern

Swallow

Sedge Warbler

Even when you're fully grown and fledged, Bonxies will still get you, as this Shelduckling found out!

Knot and Dunlin

Painted Lady