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

NORTH RONALDSAY - 30th July

A day spent shrouded in the fog, drifted over on the light easterly breeze; the only birds of note really were an adult Black Tern on Gretchen – presumably the same one that was last seen on the 14th, now in heavy body moult, 5 Ruff also on Gretchen and more excitingly, a pristine young Garden Warbler trapped at the Obs, our first migrant warbler of the autumn!

Black Tern

Tystie

Wigeon

NORTH RONALDSAY - 25th July

A decent day, bright and sunny but with a brisk SE breeze; it was a case of ‘as you were’ with the Greenshank still, single Woodpigeon and Collared Dove, the Shorelark still and 5 Common Crossbills near the school.

Arctic Tern

Big fish still being brought into the Tystie colony

NORTH RONALDSAY - 16th and 17th July

Light south-easterlies dominated proceedings and while always appreciated, it meant that the fog drifted in and out over these couple of days – although it was more in than out!   It was quiet for migrants although a clear start to the 16th allowed the Hobby seen on the 15th to head south out to sea off The Lurn followed by a cloud of screaming Terns while a handful of waders including a Whimbrel and 3 Collared Doves also left to the south; not much else to mention really although the very unseasonal Shorelark reappeared at the Lighthouse (first seen on the 12th) and the two ringed Common Crossbills.

Shorelark

Black Guillemots

Fulmar family

NORTH RONALDSAY - 12th and 13th July

A decent day on the 12th with light westerly winds and plenty of cloud cover but thick fog covered the island on the 13th – slightly unusual on a westerly!   Birds included a Great-northern Diver, singing Quail and Corncrake still, a steady increase to 420 Golden Plover, 17 Sanderling, 2 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Little Terns still and the 2 ringed Common Crossbills still while 5 Risso’s Dolphins were off the Lighthouse on the 12th.

Snipe

Tysties

Big and small Tystie chicks

NORTH RONALDSAY - 8th July

A day with lots going on so it deserves a blog post to itself!   Glorious conditions with wall to wall sunshine and an easing westerly breeze moving round into the east by the evening; the good array of birds was highlighted by a drake Goosander over Westness (a good island scarcity!), a nice group of 4 Red-necked Phalaropes on Bewan and the Black Tern again at Trolla.   Other bits of note  comprised good late summer influxes of waders including 165 Oystercatchers, 140 Golden Plover, 183 Lapwing, the first 11 returning Purple Sandpipers of the ‘autumn’, 4 Black-tailed Godwits, a Whimbrel, 127 Redshank and 65 Turnstone, an adult Common Tern at Bewan, the 2 Little Terns still, a Collared Dove, 7 Swifts and a little influx of butterflies with 30 Painted Ladies, 12 Red Admirals and 7 Large Whites.

Red-necked Phalaropes

1st summer Black Guillemot

Juvenile Black-headed Gull

Juvenile Shoveler

Arctic Tern

NORTH RONALDSAY - 19th June

A nice, bright day with plenty of sunshine and a variable but light breeze dropping off to virtually nothing by the evening; the day’s bird highlights were 2 Quail, one flushed from underneath the bar window at the Obs and another which randomly flew along the beach at Brides as we had just finished tracking down the Great Black-backed Gull chicks around the loch – we were getting worried that we wouldn’t get it on our year list!  

                Other birds included the Whooper Swan still, the Corncrake still, a Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Whimbrel, a Woodpigeon, 2 Collared Doves, 2 singing Lesser Whitethroats – at Ancum Willows and Sangar and a Common Redpoll at Holland.

Swallow

Wren

Black Guillemot

NORTH RONALDSAY - 9th June

A decent day with a moderate W / NW breeze but almost complete cloud cover; 5 Common Scoter and 28 Manx Shearwaters (the first double figure count of the year) passed the seawatch hide first thing.   Other birds included the Whooper Swan, 2 Little Terns back in Nouster – last seen on 26^th May, a Woodpigeon and a Lesser Whitethroat.

Arctic Skua v Arctic Tern

Little Tern

More Tysties