NORTH RONALDSAY - 1st March

More of the same on the first day of spring with the remaining Golden Plover, Lapwing, Snipe, Curlew, Dunlin and Redshank along with the Wigeon, Teal and Mallard all relocating from the fields and lochs (which are still frozen solid) to the coast creating a pattern in miniature which I’m sure is being recreated across the rest of the UK at the moment.

                With some good effort put in today and the remaining birds concentrated around the coast in sheltered bays and the few tiny patches of unfrozen water (where streams enters the lochs) we managed some accurate counts of wildfowl and waders which have chosen to wait out the cold weather; totals up the west coast comprised Herons, 60 Wigeon, 40 Teal, the Green-winged Teal (bobbing around forlornly on the sea opposite Gretchen as if waiting for it to thaw!), 12 Mallard, 200 Eiders, 5 Red-breasted Mergansers, 45 Oystercatchers, 2 Knot, 30 Snipe and 30 Redshank.

                Landbirds were still present but struggling in the hard conditions with 92 Skylarks the only decent count as they concentrated around cattle feeders and sheltered beaches while the wintering Thrushes roamed around looking for food and other counts included 24 Rock Pipits, 14 Twite, 11 Snow Buntings and a ringtail Hen Harrier.

This Grey Seal was loving the conditions as she caught a huge Conger Eel!

SPURN - 8th July

Several hours of continuous, heavy rain at dawn delayed matters and the increasing wind which gradually moved round to the WNW affected the numbers of birds heading south but apart from that, a pretty similar day with 2,500+ Swifts and an increased 1,300+ Sand Martins went through; waders were also a feature with increased numbers of Whimbrel coming in and forming flocks on the Humber along with Dunlin, Redshank and Curlew while a few Turnstone, Sanderling, Grey Plover and really smart summer plumaged Black-tailed Godwit were also around.

Its probably not safe to put a race to this Dunlin but it stood out among the duller coloured C. a. schinzii birds surrounding it

One of the first juvenile Dunlin of the year

Grey Plover

Two Sanderling with two Dunlin

More Sanderling

Tried to string this into an Otter but no, its just a manky Seal!