NORTH RONALDSAY - 16th September

The westerly wind had eased off (slightly) in the morning, making it a bit better while out and about but it picked back up to blazing again by the afternoon; a few passerines popped out in the lighter winds (probably lingering / hiding birds rather than new arrivals!) including a Barred Warbler glimpsed in Holland, 2 Whinchats, 46 Wheatears, a Garden Warbler, 6 Willow Warblers and a Northwestern-type Redpoll at Garso – which probably was new in.   Some passage offshore was dominated by a good total of 1,700 Gannets along with 4 Red-throated Divers, a Great-northern Diver, 28 Sooty Shearwaters, 10 Manx Shearwaters, 3 Arctic Skuas, 14 Bonxies and 4 Arctic Terns.   Some good totals around the island also comprised a Heron, 346 Pink-footed Geese, a Red-breasted Merganser, a Kestrel, 126 Ringed Plover, 800 Golden Plover, 230 Sanderling, 52 Purple Sandpipers, a Ruff, 49 Dunlin, 11 Black-tailed Godwit, 20 Bar-tailed Godwits and 370 Turnstone.

Willow Warbler