NORTH RONALDSAY - 29th November

Still a very strong, very cold northerly wind but it was ever so slightly lighter than yesterday and an hour’s seawatch first thing produced the highlights of an adult White-billed Diver which flew north close inshore and 2 Glaucous Gulls (adult and juvenile) which flew along the shore with a trickle of Herrings and Great Black-backs.   Also in the north were 7 Pintail, 2 Goldeneye, a Merlin which appeared to come in off the sea and 35 Snow Buntings while there were still two adult Whooper Swans at Lenswick and 4 Herons at Westness.

                A walk round the Obs census route produced the Black Redstart again by the pier, 6 Great-northern Divers offshore, 3 Robins, 7 Redwings, a Chaffinch, 2 Common Redpolls and 4 more Snow Buntings.

The worst ever pictures of a White-billed Diver

Pintail

Common Redpoll

NORTH RONALDSAY - 28th November

The increasing and very cold northerly wind made things difficult so I only managed a brief walk round the top end which produced 7 Pintail, 24 Gadwall, 275 Wigeon, 70 Teal and 2 Goldeneye on Bewan along with 7 Snow Buntings.

Ravens showing off

Pintail

NORTH RONALDSAY - 27th November

The wind eased slightly and swung round into the NNE but persistent rain lingered until mid-morning with showers later; walked to The Links and back along the coast but there were no new birds really as bits of note included 90 Dunlin and 127 Sanderling on The Links, 19 Long-tailed Ducks and a Fieldfare of note.

Red-breasted Merganser

Fulmar

NORTH RONALDSAY - 26th November

Another rough, windy day with frequent showers, didn’t really do much with 2 Red-throated Divers and a Great-northern Diver off the pier and two Fieldfares round the Obs.

Red-throated Diver

Snow Bunting

Purple Sandpiper

NORTH RONALDSAY - 25th November

Strong westerly winds again but it was OK I guess between the wintery showers, it was just that the showers came very frequently!   The highlight was re-finding the dark juvenile Kumlien’s Gull which showed better on the grass around the Lighthouse; other birds included a juvenile Iceland Gull which flew past Brides and a distinctive adult female Hen Harrier with a very hooded appearance also at Brides where there were also 4 Meadow Pipits, 6 Fieldfares, 16 Redwings, a Chaffinch and 2 Snow Buntings.

                Also of note was a Woodcock at Hooking and wildfowl totals of 525 Wigeon, 23 Gadwall, 23 Tufted Duck, 10 Long-tailed Ducks and 4 Goldeneye.

Kumlien's Gull

Hen Harrier

NORTH RONALDSAY - 23rd November

Pretty much all the Gulls from yesterday had disappeared as quickly as they appeared with much lighter winds which had swung back into the west; I walked round the coast from the Obs to The Links and back through Hooking where birds of note included the Black Redstart at the pier still where there was also 3 Great-northern Divers, 4 Red-breasted Mergansers and a Little Auk, a Grey Plover, 51 Snow Buntings, 3 Goldeneye on Brides, a female Common Scoter with 21 Long-tailed Ducks off Hooking, 94 Dunlin on The Links and a Hen Harrier quartering Hooking.

Hen Harrier

Rock Pipit

Teal

NORTH RONALDSAY - 22nd November

A great day’s birding for mid-November after a spell of NE winds and rain; I walked round and up the coast to Lenswick, then cut across to The Links where birds included an adult Glaucous Gull on Gretchen before it flew north, 7 Woodcock, a Long-eared Owl flushed from The Lurn, a Black Redstart near Torness, a Chiffchaff, 6 Robins, 4 Fieldfares, the same female Hen Harrier, 3 Common Redpolls, 2 Snow Buntings and 2 Whooper Swans.   Birds in Nouster also included 3 Great-northern Divers, 2 Red-throated Divers and 16 Long-tailed Ducks.

The main feature of the day though was another huge influx of Gulls – mainly big, dark argentatus Herring Gulls, as there were 800+ on Torness which flew off north and then 1,200+ on The Links which included another 3 Glaucous Gulls (two adults and a juvenile) and potentially the rarest bird of the day with a very distinctive, very dark juvenile Kumlien’s Gull (the possibility of it being a Thayer’s Gull was discussed and not quite eliminated).   We then had a drive up to the top end where there were more Gulls including another 2 Glaucous Gulls – an adult and a juvenile.

Kumlien's (or Thayer's) Gull

NORTH RONALDSAY - 21st November

Still calm first thing but the wind quickly picked up and rain moved in by mid-morning which then lasted the rest of the day; I just had time for a two-hour seawatch before the rain which produced good totals of 2,135 Fulmars and 1,911 Auk sp. along with 10 Sooty Shearwaters, 2 Little Auks, a Bonxie and 5 Great-northern Divers.   There were 14 Pintail and 15 Gadwall on Bewan as I left.

Skylark

Snow Bunting

Black Redstart (from tomorrow!)

NORTH RONALDSAY - 20th November

A marvellously calm day with a light but cold NE wind; I walked the northern census route in the morning where birds included a single Sooty Shearwater past the Beacon, 44 Snow Buntings, 4 Robins, 2 Pintail, 3 Great-northern Divers and 2 Red-breasted Mergansers.   There was then a Chiffchaff, a Woodcock and a Water Rail at Ancum Willows with 6 Pintail on Ancum Loch.

1st year, 2nd year and adult Common Gull

Herring Gull

Cormorant