NORTH RONALDSAY - 4th October

A very pleasant day to be out and about, plenty of bright sunshine and a moderate ENE breeze, perhaps not ideal for lots of grounded migrants but nice to be in the field where there was a sprinkling of new birds across the island to keep you interested.   The day’s scarcities were all long-staying birds with the Hornemann’s Arctic Redpoll seen briefly near the Obs, the male Grey-headed Wagtail again by Neven, the Shorelark reappearing in Nouster, 4 Yellow-browed Warblers new in and the 2 Red-backed Shrikes seen again at Hooking and near Holland.   Other totals comprised 11 Herons, 129 Wigeon, 2 Hen Harriers, 2 Merlin, 2 Grey Plover, 5 Jack Snipe, 67 Skylark, a Swallow, 151 Meadow Pipits, 19 Rock Pipits, a Dunnock, 11 Robins, 5 Redstarts, a Whinchat, 7 Wheatears, 4 Fieldfare, 11 Song Thrush, 195 Redwing, 3 Lesser Whitethroats (including two eastern birds trapped at Holland), a Whitethroat, a Garden Warbler, 10 Blackcap, 6 Chiffchaff, 24 Goldcrest, 5 Chaffinches, a Brambling, 6 Common Redpolls and 43 Snow Buntings.   Also of note was a late Hummingbird Hawkmoth in Holland.

and once more