Thursday, 31 May 2018

NORTH RONALDSAY - 30th May


A day of real quality!   The wind was in the NE so it felt pretty good and it kept the fog away; I opened the nets at Holland first thing where the Bee-eater was still cruising round the garden and managed to catch a female Red-backed Shrike, the lingering male Hawfinch, a female Pied Flycatcher, the long overdue first Redstart of the year and a Willow Warbler.   There were then 3 more Pied Flycatchers round the Obs.

                I finally got up to start the north census route but soon shot up to Bewan where we had great views of a stunning full adult ROSE-COLOURED STARLING strutting around with the sheep by Bewan House – poached!   My actual census route was quiet but with some good birds thrown in with an elusive Marsh Warbler along Rosefinch Dyke (which I initially called a Blyth’s Reed but subsequent photos proved the ID), a stunning, classic male Grey-headed Wagtail in fields by Vincoin (much nicer than that intergrade thing at Brides earlier in the spring!) and the first 2 Curlew Sandpipers of the year (Trolla and Bewan) – both summer plumaged adults with a selection of Sanderling, Knot, Dunlin etc.


Rose-coloured Starling


Grey-headed Wagtail




Curlew Sandpiper and Dunlin

Dunlin and Sanderling

Knot

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