NORTH RONALDSAY - 19th August

After a wet and windy night it was still cloudy and damp first thing but it brightened up by late morning into a sunny afternoon with a moderate NW breeze; there were some increases up the west coast census route as counts included 46 Wheatears, 60 alba Wagtails and 125 Ringed Plover along with a Knot, 2 juvenile Sanderling, 80 Turnstone and the ringed juvenile Arctic Skua still.

Our juvenile Arctic Skua

Dunlin

NORTH RONALDSAY - 18th August

A nice calm day with a light easterly breeze, sunny in the morning becoming overcast and threatening by the evening; the nets at Holland first thing yielded pretty much nothing before the Hooking census route produced the Buff-breasted Sandpiper still on The Links, 21 Black-tailed Godwits, 7 Bar-tailed Godwits, 1,150 Golden Plover and a Greenshank while a bit of a wildfowl influx included 40 Mallard, 16 Teal and 8 Shoveler on the loch.

Juvenile Great Black-backed Gull

This orange ringed Great Black-backed Gull was originally ringed as a chick on Sanday, then re-trapped at Pitsea in London, where the darvic ring was added, it then came back up here in 2013 where I saw it and then again this year.

Grey Plover

Golden Plover

NORTH RONALDSAY - 17th August

A pleasant day with plenty of sunshine and a moderate southerly breeze, walked the Brides census route in the morning where birds included a Short-eared Owl (over by Hooking), a Greenshank on the beach at Brides, a moulting adult Grey Plover in Nouster, 100+ Turnstone with Sanderling, Dunlin and Redshank, 7 Black-tailed Godwits near Holland, the pair of Little Grebes still feeding their two chicks, 7 Tufted Ducks including some juveniles and 3 Ravens which flew south out towards Sanday.

                Not much else through the afternoon although a flock of 55 Redshank came in off the sea while I was repairing T5 near Gretchen.

Little Grebe feeding chicks

Dunlin

Sedge Warbler

NORTH RONALDSAY - 16th August

A nice day with an increasing southerly wind becoming strong by the evening; birds around the Obs census route included 13 Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Ruff (an adult and two juveniles), 23 Dunlin on Gretchen, 850+ Golden Plover and 110 Lapwings in the fields and 2 Purple Sandpipers.

Kittiwakes are lingering around the coast after a tough breeding season

Black Guillemots are starting to moult into winter plumage

Golden Plover

NORTH RONALDSAY - 15th August

Heavy and persistent rain lingered right through until late morning but despite the rain and poor visibility an hour’s seawatch first thing produced 13 Manx Shearwaters and 2 Storm Petrels.   Walked the northern census route in the afternoon where birds just included the usual selection of waders including 108 Curlew, 35 Knot and a Norwegian colour flagged Ringed Plover – which had been ringed as a juvenile in September last year, halfway up the Norwegian coast before being seen here shortly afterwards, a nice illustration of a returning passage bird.

Still a handful of Arctic Terns around, some of which have juveniles in tow so are still aggressive!

NORTH RONALDSAY - 14th August

A nice start to the day with the wind in the east, so I walked the middle census route first thing where birds included at least 73 Black-tailed Godwits (38 around Ancum, 8 near the airstrip and 27 on Gretchen later), 22 Bar-tailed Godwits, 2 Ruff, 1,175 Golden Plover, 5 Gadwall, 10 Teal, 4 Shoveler, 3 Herons and at least 3 Water Rails very aggressively calling near the Ancum hide in defence of their chicks while the Buff-breasted Sandpiper was still strutting around on The Links, as seen from a little peek over the wall at Gravity.

                Rain moved in at lunchtime which combined with a rapidly increasing wind to pretty much end the day’s activities but the wind remined in the east so it might produce something?

Water Rail

Black-tailed Godwit

Bonxie

NORTH RONALDSAY - 13th August

A decent day with lightish winds and a bit of sunshine poking through, spent the morning doing more Fulmar chick ringing during which there were 7 Black-tailed Godwits and a Ruff on the excellent Cauldhame pool.   A random look around the centre of the island in the afternoon produced 2 Wigeon, 3 Black-tailed Godwits and 6 Bar-tailed Godwits around Ancum before a look across The Links had me find a cracking adult BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER wandering around with a flock of Ringed Plovers and later a flock of 16 Bar-tailed Godwits.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper