NORTH RONALDSAY - 5th - 6th August

A mixed couple of days with generally light winds from the east allowing us to get out and about as long as we avoided the occasional shower and the inevitable fog which was always lingering there or thereabouts, causing many flights to be cancelled; its still fairly quiet birdwise though, as bits included 4 Herons, up to 490 Golden Plover, 4 Ruff, the first returning juvenile Knot and Black-tailed Godwit, a Whimbrel, 160 Redshank, 2 Greenshank over the Obs on the 6th, the first Willow Warbler of the autumn trapped at Holland (a particularly young bird which had hardly started its post juvenile body moult – obviously hadn’t come far!) and a general build-up of Swallows and Sand Martins with dispersing Sedge Warblers appearing in odd places.

Sanderling

Big Tystie chick