10th November

After another night in Kirkwall we went down at dawn to a quarry on the south side of Lamb Holm, just south of Mainland for a Blue Rock Thrush that had been found on the 8th; there was no sign first thing and with the very cold easterly wind we headed off for breakfast after less than two hours.   We popped back down late morning for another look, it still hadn’t been seen by anyone standing around in the quarry so we went to try and find it and just as we went round the south facing shore next to the quarry we almost immediately flushed the lovely first-winter male BLUE ROCK THRUSH off the low cliffs from where it flew along the coast; it posed nicely on several spots before bombing back over into the quarry.   It reappeared after ten minutes or so it reappeared and showed brilliantly well feeding in the quarry, even calling loudly as it flitted about; two Merlins and several Snow Bunting flocks went over.   Got back to North Ronaldsay early afternoon where two Merlins caught a passerine over The Obs before I opened the nets at Holland and caught a huge (81mm wing), very white Common Redpoll which was very close to being an Arctic – it may have actually been one while a Long-eared Owl floated over the garden at dusk. 

Blue Rock Thrush

Redpoll sp.