SWEDEN - 23rd September

 Nice and calm for the session at Ason with the sun not coming out until mid-morning meant the nets were very busy throughout the morning with good numbers of Reed Buntings, Siskins, Redpolls and Tits along with a Snipe, 4 Blackcaps, 2 Willow Warblers, 9 Chiffchaffs and 4 Goldcrests.   

Although I didn’t have too much time to have my eyes to the sky there was a trickle of birds heading south (but no big numbers of anything) as bits of note included 7 Taiga Bean Geese, 2 Hen Harriers (two ringtails which came across the lake together), 3 Marsh Harriers, a Sparrowhawk, a Grey Plover, a Peregrine, 7 Jays, 200+ Blue Tits, 6 Bearded Tits, 12 Fieldfares, 3 Grey Wagtails, 4 Hawfinches, a single Parrot Crossbill, 30 Redpolls, 250+ Siskins and 35+ Reed Buntings.   

A walk in the late afternoon along the ‘Moose Road’ was pretty quiet with the exception of my first Great Grey Shrike of the autumn.   

Snipe

Migrating Bearded Tits and Blue Tits

Great Grey Shrike

Yellowhammer

NORTH RONALDSAY - 26th October

A nicer day, bright with much lighter winds but after the annual Harvest Home dinner and dance, observations were again limited (excuses, excuses!); birds included a Merlin, 16 Robins, 10 Song Thrush, 225 Redwing, 20 Brambling, 4 Siskin, 100 Linnets, 40 Twite, 5 Common Redpolls, the male Hawfinch still around the Obs and 3 Snow Buntings.

Shoveler

Snipe

NORTH RONALDSAY - 21st October

Still windy, although from the SSW this time; there were limited new arrivals as totals included 3 Hen Harriers, 2 Merlin, 51 Dunlin, a Jack Snipe, a Woodcock, a single Little Auk past the Lighthouse, 51 Robins, a Ring Ouzel, 108 Song Thrush, 641 Redwing, 4 Mistle Thrush, 5 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff, the Siberian Chiffchaff still at Holland, 3 Goldcrest, 14 Brambling, a further increase to 22 Common Redpolls, 2 Hawfinches still roaming between Holland and the Obs, 35 Snow Buntings and a Yellowhammer still.

Snipe and Jack Snipe

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 - 9th May

Beautifully calm and sunny again with the variable light wind still bringing a chilly edge to being out and about; there was a handful of migrants scattered around but you had to put effort in to find them which included a Woodpigeon, 2 Robins, a Whitethroat, 2 Blackcaps, 2 Chiffchaffs, 4 Willow Warblers, a Rook and 2 Brambling.

                Other little bits included 2 Manx Shearwater past the Lighthouse, a Heron, a drake Garganey, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, a Black-tailed Godwit, a Whimbrel and 5 Arctic Skuas.

Snipe

NORTH RONALDSAY - 10th April

Nice and calm through the day becoming almost still by the evening but overcast; migrant totals across the island included 5 Woodpigeons, 4 Dunnocks, 35 Robins, 19 Wheatears, 7 Song Thrush, 6 Redwing, a Mistle Thrush, 10 Chiffchaffs, 5 Goldcrest, a Jackdaw, 3 Chaffinches, a Siskin, a Common Redpoll and 14 Snow Buntings.

                Other bits of note comprised 18 Great-northern Divers, 2 Barnacle Geese, a Grey Plover, 176 Purple Sandpipers, 17 Bar-tailed Godwits, 63 Curlew including several flocks heading north and 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

Barnacle Geese

Linnet

Drumming Snipe

NORTH RONALDSAY - 24th November

Another fine day with light easterly winds and only a couple of showers; there was little new across the island but it was still pleasant to get out in the field and of note were a Hen Harrier, a Long-eared Owl seen at first light at Holland, 12 Meadow Pipits, 17 Rock Pipits, 9 Robins, 23 Fieldfare, 4 Song Thrush, 35 Redwing, 9 Chaffinches, 76 Twite, 49 Snow Buntings and 7 Reed Buntings.

                Also of note were 5 Red-throated Divers, 8 Herons, the Green-winged Teal, 7 Long-tailed Ducks, 3 Red-breasted Mergansers, 56 Oystercatchers, 111 Purple Sandpipers, 28 Bar-tailed Godwits and a Little Auk off Westness.

Snipe

NORTH RONALDSAY - 18th September

Breezy still but not too bad once the morning showers had moved through; spent a long time walking round the middle census route but there wasn’t a great deal new to mention with a Robin at Antabreck, a Willow Warbler at the surgery and 14 Wheatears the only passerines of note while birds on Ancum included 97+ Wigeon, 65 Teal, 4 Black-tailed Godwits and 110+ Snipe.

Snipe

Another colour ringed Shag

NORTH RONALDSAY - 26th May

Not too much to report so here's some pictures.

Lapwing

Gannets diving off the pier

Gannet

Snipe

NORTH RONALDSAY - 23rd May

A stunning day with extremely light winds and wall to wall sunshine; there was a new Garden Warbler and a Cuckoo around Holland first thing before the only migrants in the middle census area were 3 Chiffchaffs and 3 Sedge Warblers.

Snipe chick

Arctic Tern