NORTH RONALDSAY - 30th April

An insane day with hardly a breath of wind, not a cloud in the sky and flat, mirror calm seas; nets at Holland first thing were predictably quiet with birds in the vicinity including a Willow Warbler, a flyover Goldfinch, 2 Common Redpolls and 4 Rooks which went north.   The northern census route was also quiet with 14 Great-northern Divers offshore, a Whimbrel, 3 Carrion Crows in off the sea from the north and a group pf 5 Barnacle Geese by the lighthouse while a single Chiffchaff was the only migrant Passerine.

                A walk round the coast by the Obs late afternoon produced another 14 Great-northern Divers, the Black-throated Diver again in Nouster and 7 Long-tailed Ducks still with 7 Black-tailed Godwits and an Arctic Tern at Gretchen.

Barnacle Geese

Black-tailed Godwits

Arctic Tern

NORTH RONALDSAY - 29th April

A stunning day with bright sunshine and light winds but it was a quiet day in the field with just a Sparrowhawk and a Blackcap the only migrants of note around the middle census route but I did find a Teal nest near Burray with 2 eggs (in the process of laying), two Snipe nests in Ancum and the first Black-headed Gull eggs at Westness.

Lapwing

Bar-tailed Godwits

Golden Plover

NORTH RONALDSAY - 28th April

A nice day, bright and warm but very quiet for birds with the two pairs of Bonxies back on territory in Gue Park and notchy back sat on Torness (the dark phase Arctic Skua with a distinctive notch in one wing that bred successfully there last year).

Bonxie

Arctic Skua

Ringed Plover

Meadow Pipit

NORTH RONALDSAY - 27th April

A gorgeous day with hardly a breath of wind throughout and plenty of sunshine; the highlights in the Hooking census area included the first Arctic Tern of the year distantly off The Links and a pair of Garganey with a drake on Hooking and a female on Cauldhame Flash.

                It was quiet otherwise with 8 Sand Martins on The Links seen entering the burrows on the cliff, the Kumlien’s Gull again, 6 Red-breasted Mergansers, 7 Great-northern Divers and 20 Wheatears.   Other birds included the Black-throated Diver again in Nouster with 12 Great-northern Divers and a Rook over Holland where there was also a Brambling, a singing Lesser Whitethroat and 2 Dunnocks.

Sand Martin

Shoveler

Teal

Wren

NORTH RONALDSAY - 26th April

Sunshine and showers again through the morning but a dry and bright afternoon with a moderate southerly wind; the Brides census route was highlighted by a cracking male Grey-headed Wagtail on the beach at Brides (not a classic through with some greeny patches in the dark grey head and some little white flecks on the lores) but island wise, the day’s real highlight came after I got back as I had to race back to Brides as a LITTLE RINGED PLOVER was found on the pools at the end of the Viggay track by someone who went looking for the Wagtail – only the second island record after one in May 1994!

                There was pretty much nothing else to mention on census with 5 Swallows and 2 Sand Martins around Brides where there were also 10+ Wheatears on the beach.   A smart Mealy Redpoll was at the Obs and the only other bird to mention.

Little Ringed Plover

Grey-headed Wagtail

Sandwich Tern

Pintail

Red-breasted Merganser

Great Black-backed Gull

NORTH RONALDSAY - 25th April

A real mixture of a day with sunshine and showers throughout including some extremely heavy ones coming through on the light southerly breeze; the day’s highlight was certainly an excellent candidate for an IBERIAN CHIFFCHAFF at Sangar.   It was initially heard singing before we got there but it showed well straight away, so we put up a net and caught it easily, everything fitted in the hand and in the field even though it had a wing length of only 60 and a not too impressive primary projection – a first for North Ronaldsay!

                The rest of the day was largely unremarkable with birds around the Obs census route including 3 Chiffchaffs, a Goldcrest, 2 Siskins, a Brambling, a flyover Redpoll sp. 2 Whimbrel, a Collared Dove and a Woodpigeon.

Iberian Chiffchaff

NORTH RONALDSAY - 23rd April

A brisk and increasing SW wind blew across the island through the day so it was pretty quiet in the middle census area as birds only included single Lesser Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Sand Martin, Swallow, Robin and Dunnock while a Water Rail was on Ancum and the lone Whooper Swan was flying around.   A Goldcrest and the long-staying Ring Ouzel were around the Obs and a darvic ringed Oystercatcher on the airstrip had been ringed at Beaumaris on Anglesey in 2012 and was the first time it had been re-sighted.

Whooper Swan

Bonxie

Darvic ringed Oystercatcher