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.

TAIWAN - 20th February

A dull, cold, windy morning but I spent a few hours back around the river mouth and rice paddies near Luodong; there were still 200+ Black-tailed Gulls loafing around while Black-headed Gull, Great White Egret, JAPANESE CORMORANT and Osprey were added to my Taiwan list.   The Bull-headed Shrike was still in the same place (with attendant twitchers!) while a BROWNISH-FLANKED BUSH WARBLER was in the bushes before I drove back over the bridge and along the southern bank of the river where there was a few different bits including a drake FALCATED DUCK with some Wigeon and Teal, single SWAN GOOSE and GREATER FLAMINGO (also with attendant twitchers!) and a Richard’s Pipit.

                A drive round some more rice paddies for a while produced a pair of Garganey with some more Teal and more waders including good numbers of Long-toed Stints with more Little Ringed Plovers, Kentish Plovers, Wood Sandpipers, Greenshank and Green-headed Yellow Wagtails.

 

Green-headed Yellow Wagtails

Long-tailed Shrike

Bull-headed Shrike

Funky leucistic Little Ringed Plover

Wood Sandpiper

Cattle Egret

Eastern Spot-billed Duck

Long-toed Stint

philippensis Blue Rock Thrush