Saturday, 14 April 2018

NORTH RONALDSAY - 14th April


The easterly wind had dropped off to more manageable levels but that inevitably led to thick fog which was pretty thick in the morning, thinned out through the afternoon and came back in very thickly in the early evening; it was a good day’s birding though with a decent arrival of migrants, I opened some nets first thing and birds around Holland and the Obs included 4 Ring Ouzels (with 3 trapped together in T4), a noticeable influx of at least 11 Dunnocks, 7 Mistle Thrushes, 2 Chiffchaffs, a Blackcap, 30 Robins, 6 Song Thrushes, 5 Chaffinches and 2 Bramblings.

                I then walked round the Brides census route but it was quiet compared to Holland with my first Bonxie of the year, a single Dunnock, 2 Wheatears, another Chiffchaff, a Goldcrest, 40+ Fieldfares, 60+ Blackbirds, 2 Chaffinches, 8 Reed Buntings, a Grey Plover and the Kumlien’s Gull still on the beach at Brides.   A few new birds later in the day around the Obs included the first 2 Tree Pipits of the year (the earliest island record by four days!), a couple more Ring Ouzels and my first Willow Warbler of the year by T5 with three Chiffchaffs.



Ring Ouzel

Brambling

Blackcap

A particularly bright Chiffchaff




Great Black-backed Gull with a Lumpsucker

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