NORTH RONALDSAY - 21st May

Super calm through the day again but the merest hint of a breeze now came from the NW which should have meant the fog disappeared but it was so light that it was still lingering nearby, sometimes encroaching on the island; there were limited new birds through the day with the highlights all being long-staying birds including the Eastern Subalpine Warbler still at the Obs and yesterday’s bright red, male Common Rosefinch trapped at Holland in the evening.

                Other totals included 20 Great-northern Divers, a drake Garganey, a Sparrowhawk, further increases in wader numbers, most notably 172 Oystercatchers, 323 Ringed Plovers, 88 Knot, 271 Sanderling, 89 Dunlin and 501 Turnstone, 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a Woodpigeon, 2 Collared Doves, a Robin, a Redstart, 4 Whinchat, 16 Sedge Warblers, 5 Lesser Whitethroats, 2 Garden Warblers, 6 Blackcap, 4 Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warblers, 4 Spotted Flycatchers, a Pied Flycatcher, 2 Tree Sparrows and a Common Redpoll.

Common Rosefinch