NORTH RONALDSAY - 28th August

A bright day after heavy rain first thing had moved through, with a strong and increasing SW wind, I had a little seawatch first thing with 4 Sooty Shearwaters and a Storm Petrel of note.   The Obs census route (as the rest of the island) was quiet with very brief views of yesterday’s Barred Warbler in Holland, a Reed Warbler in a small patch of Irises by the Crow Trap and 3 Willow Warblers the migrant highlights.

Kittiwake

Raven

NORTH RONALDSAY - 27th August

Overcast with a fresh southerly wind, spent a long time slogging round the northern census for very little with just 2 Willow Warblers on the land and 19 Black-tailed Godwits dotted around.

Dunlin

Kittiwake on the pier

Sanderling

Sanderling and Purple Sandpiper

NORTH RONALDSAY - 25th August

A dry day, mainly cloudy with a moderate easterly breeze; the day’s highlight was great views of a smart BLYTH’S REED WARBLER which showed well at Sandback, sometimes alongside a Reed Warbler (the first of the autumn).  Didn’t really stick to any census route through the day and birds included the Greenish Warbler still round the Obs, 2 Whinchats, 7 Willow Warblers, 2 Greenshank, 29 Black-tailed Godwits, a Whimbrel, 3 Ruff, 2 Wigeon, 22 Teal and 5 Herons – a bit of a disappointing day in a way, loads of slogging around for not much reward!

Blyth's Reed Warbler

together with a Reed Warbler

Wheatear

Ruff

NORTH RONALDSAY - 24th August

After a wild, wet and windy night it was oddly calm and dry at dawn, so I took advantage of the weather window and had about two hours at Holland where I caught a cracking GREENISH WARBLER on the first round while other birds there included 2 Tree Pipits over (the first of the autumn), 7+ Willow Warblers, a Garden Warbler and a Kestrel.

                Several hours of solid rain then moved in during which I walked round the Hooking census route where birds included another Tree Pipit at The Mill, a single Pintail on the loch, 19 Teal, a Grey Plover on The Links, 15 Black-tailed Godwits, 9 Bar-tailed Godwits, 3 Ruff and 20 Sand Martins   The afternoon was drier but there was little else in the rest of the Hooking census route but we all went up to Torness to get great views of a smart juvenile Dotterel running around (thought we’d missed out on that this year!) while a Short-eared Owl floated around Nether Linnay.

Greenish Warbler

This Garden Warbler had a hard life in the nest!

Tree Pipit

Dotterel

Short-eared Owl

NORTH RONALDSAY - 23rd August

Strong easterly wind with thick cloud and rain coming in late afternoon had expectations high but the Brides census route was still quiet in the windy conditions before the rain moved in with 3 Willow Warblers and my first Garden Warbler of the autumn the only grounded migrants; there were few other birds but they included 2 Black-tailed Godwits in amongst the usual waders.

Black-tailed Godwits

Dunlin

Curlew

Blurry Peregrine action over Gretchen

Risso's Dolphin

NORTH RONALDSAY - 21st August

A glorious day with wall to wall sunshine and a faint NW breeze which had swung round into the east by the afternoon, the northern census route was quiet for new stuff with just a Willow Warbler at Senness to mention but it was high tide so some good roosting wader counts included 317 Turnstone, 41 Purple Sandpipers, 60 Dunlin, 90 Redshank, 4 Black-tailed Godwits and 13 Bar-tailed Godwits.

NORTH RONALDSAY - 20th August

A damp start but it dried out to produce a bright day with a brisk NW wind which eased off through the day to become pretty calm by the evening; had a good slog round the middle census route with 8 Black-tailed Godwits at Westness the only birds of note until I was cycling back when there was a Willow Warbler at Burray and a Short-eared Owl high over Laird’s Park.

Black-tailed Godwit

Reed Bunting