NORTH RONALDSAY - 28th September

Largely dry through the day with just a few showers but the inevitable strong WSW winds continued; there were a few signs that some things were new in with a Common Redpoll picked up dead at the airstrip (hit the windows) and a dark coburnii Redwing around the Obs.   Birds around the Hooking census route then included a Slavonian Grebe close in off the South Links (only the second of the year), 3 Red-breasted Mergansers off there as well (the first of the autumn), 4 Pink-footed Geese in off, a flyover Snow Bunting, single Great-northern and Red-throated Divers offshore, 60 Teal and 40 Wigeon.

                A little seawatch late afternoon just produced 2 Sooty Shearwaters, a Great-northern Diver, an adult Arctic Tern and 2 Bonxies.

Slavonian Grebe

Black Guillemot

Purple Sandpiper

Redshank

Chiffchaff

NORTH RONALDSAY - 27th September

Heavy rain overnight and through the morning had more or less cleared by 11:00 but inevitably it was a blazing force 7 WSW wind making things unpleasant out in the field; I started with an hour’s seawatch late morning as the rain had moved though but 16 Sooty Shearwaters were the only birds of note.   I then walked the Brides census route in the afternoon where birds included a surprise Barred Warbler at Claypows, a Lapland Bunting at Stennabreck, 4 Snow Bunting on the beach, a Jack Snipe with 190+ Snipe at Brides, 12 Wheatears, a Siskin, 4 Swallows and a Little Grebe feeding a medium size chick on the loch (very late!) with 4 Red-throated Divers and a Great-northern Diver offshore.

Pink-footed Goose

Snow Bunting

House Sparrows and Linnets

NORTH RONALDSAY - 26th September

Still tough conditions although a slightly lighter wind than yesterday; an early morning seawatch was disappointingly quiet with just 17 Sooty Shearwaters, 2 Bonxies, a Red-throated Diver and 8 Wigeon in off.   There was basically nothing in the Obs census route apart from the American Golden Plover again with 569+ Golden Plover up by Holland.

Purple Sandpiper

Kittiwake

Oystercatchers

NORTH RONALDSAY - 25th September

The persistent, depressing strong westerlies of the past weeks turned into a strong southerly first thing which gradually increased through the day into an extremely strong southerly by the afternoon; an hour’s seawatch in the middle of the northern census route produced 38 Sooty Shearwaters, 5 Manx Shearwaters, 4 Bonxies, 838 Fulmar (including a pale Blue individual), an Arctic Tern and a few small flocks of duck coming in off comprising 9 Teal, 4 Wigeon and 3 Shoveler.   Birds around the rest of the northern census route included a little group of 2 Snow Buntings and a Lapland Bunting at Bewan, 5 Knot, 2 Rock Pipits, a Willow Warbler, a Kestrel and 2 Wheatears.

                Another hour’s seawatch in the afternoon was quieter in the increasing winds but included a probable juvenile Pomarine Skua, an Arctic Skua, 3 Bonxies, 17 Sooty Shearwaters, 5 Manx Shearwaters and another, darker Blue Fulmar.

Lapland Bunting and Snow Bunting

Wheatear

Water Rail

NORTH RONALDSAY - 21st September

A rough day with a very strong westerly wind but largely dry throughout; it was tough going around the Brides census route but birds did include my first Snow Bunting of the autumn over East Loch Park, a Siskin in Kirbest, a Blackcap at Southness, 5 Red-throated Divers, a Jack Snipe around the loch, 9 Tufted Ducks and a Grey Plover.   A few more ducks then included 154 Wigeon and 58 Teal on Gretchen in the afternoon.

Wheatear

Siskin

Golden Plover

NORTH RONALDSAY - 20th September

Still extremely windy with very nasty showers through the morning but brighter with a gradually easing wind in the afternoon; there were a few birds around the Obs census route but they were generally all long-staying individuals with 2 Barred Warblers still (Obs and Holland), a Common Rosefinch at Holland (found yesterday just before the storm hit), the Black Redstart at the Kirkyard, a Blackcap at Holland (ringed two days ago), a Siskin on the coast by T5 (the only new bird and my first of the autumn), 47 Wigeon and 25 Teal on Gretchen, a Ruff by Holland and 20+ Gannets performing brilliantly as they dived just metres from the pier.

Gannets

NORTH RONALDSAY - 19th September

Bright and breezy first thing with a full-on storm arriving around midday with force 8-9 winds and driving rain through the rest of the day!   Walked round the northern census route in the morning when the weather wasn’t too bad but it was pretty quiet with my first Lapland Bunting of the autumn in off the sea at the beacon and a couple of Sooty Shearwaters offshore before a scan of Ancum Loch produced 4 Whooper Swans and 127 Wigeon.

                The days highlight came at lunchtime, just as the weather was hitting us as a cracking adult AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER was found in fields around Waterhouse and after giving us the run-around showed well, albeit by that stage looking pretty wet and soggy as it hunkered down against the wind.

American Golden Plover record shots

Black-tailed Godwit

Wigeon

NORTH RONALDSAY - 18th September

Breezy still but not too bad once the morning showers had moved through; spent a long time walking round the middle census route but there wasn’t a great deal new to mention with a Robin at Antabreck, a Willow Warbler at the surgery and 14 Wheatears the only passerines of note while birds on Ancum included 97+ Wigeon, 65 Teal, 4 Black-tailed Godwits and 110+ Snipe.

Snipe

Another colour ringed Shag