NORTH RONALDSAY - 8th June

Still calm with a light NE breeze but completely overcast throughout the day which seemingly dropped a few bits into Holland first thing including single Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Whitethroat and Willow Warbler along with two new Chiffchaffs and now 7 Collared Doves.   I then had good views of a Marsh Warbler along the sheep dyke just beyond the camping field before heading out to do the Hooking census route.

                There was little on census with just 33 Bar-tailed Godwit, 5 Knot and a Golden Plover on The Links.

Marsh Warbler

NORTH RONALDSAY - 7th June

A glorious day with light NE winds and wall to wall sunshine; there was a hint of some late migrants at Holland first thing as I caught 3 new Chiffchaffs and a Blackcap while the Collared Dove flock was up to 6.   The Brides census route was then quiet with the obvious exception of a very tatty BLACK KITE which flew north up the coast past Brides, went out over Linklet Bay, was picked up by other folks at the top end before spiralling up and heading north to Fair Isle (where it landed two hours later!), it was a horrible looking bird with heavy feather abrasion to both its tail and primaries, completely changing its profile to the extent I wasn’t really sure what it was!   Its almost certainly the same bird that has been seen sporadically on Orkney Mainland since November last year and identified as a Black-eared Kite and labelled a probable escape.

                While other people were twitching the Kite they picked up an Osprey coming in from the north and I saw it as it headed south over The Links and away down the centre of the island – that was all the highlights for the day!

Black Kite record shots

Great Black-backed Gull

NORTH RONALDSAY - 4th June

The fog very slowly began to dissipate but it still grounded all the planes through the day; there was pretty much nothing new in with the only two birds of note being the Hawfinch briefly in Holland and the Red-backed Shrike in Ancum Willows.

Knot and Bar-tailed Godwit

Knot

NORTH RONALDSAY - 2nd June

A foggy start with the wind switching round into the west but it was so light it failed to make much of an impact on the fog although it did become clearer by the afternoon; a few hours in Holland in the morning produced single Whitethroat and Chiffchaff along with 2 re-trap Garden Warblers.   The Hooking census route was predictably quiet in the varying visibility although my first Whinchat of the year was near the loch and a female Pied Flycatcher was in Holland on my walk back through.

Starlings are emerging from everywhere

Plus this Fair Isle ringed bird

NORTH RONALDSAY - 31st May

Another similar day with bright, sunny and warm conditions with a light NE breeze but thick, cold fog rolled in mid-afternoon; opened the nets at Holland first thing which were pretty productive as I caught a new female Red-backed Shrike (a very different, brighter rufous individual compared to yesterday’s), a Spotted Flycatcher, a new female Redstart, 3 Garden Warblers and 2 new Chiffchaffs while the Hawfinch was still around the Kirkyard.

                The rest of the Obs census route was pretty quiet with the exception of a Little Ringed Plover which flew high over the Obs calling - it had been seen briefly on Bewan earlier (only the third for the island after the second last month) just a selection of stuff on Gretchen to mention where there were 59 Bar-tailed Godwits, a Black-tailed Godwit and a drake Garganey but it was the insects that were perhaps the most impressive feature of the day with literally thousands of Silver Y’s and Diamond Back Moths carpeting every field along with small numbers of Red Admirals and Painted Ladies.

Red-backed Shrike

NORTH RONALDSAY - 30th May

A day of real quality!   The wind was in the NE so it felt pretty good and it kept the fog away; I opened the nets at Holland first thing where the Bee-eater was still cruising round the garden and managed to catch a female Red-backed Shrike, the lingering male Hawfinch, a female Pied Flycatcher, the long overdue first Redstart of the year and a Willow Warbler.   There were then 3 more Pied Flycatchers round the Obs.

                I finally got up to start the north census route but soon shot up to Bewan where we had great views of a stunning full adult ROSE-COLOURED STARLING strutting around with the sheep by Bewan House – poached!   My actual census route was quiet but with some good birds thrown in with an elusive Marsh Warbler along Rosefinch Dyke (which I initially called a Blyth’s Reed but subsequent photos proved the ID), a stunning, classic male Grey-headed Wagtail in fields by Vincoin (much nicer than that intergrade thing at Brides earlier in the spring!) and the first 2 Curlew Sandpipers of the year (Trolla and Bewan) – both summer plumaged adults with a selection of Sanderling, Knot, Dunlin etc.

Rose-coloured Starling

Grey-headed Wagtail

Curlew Sandpiper and Dunlin

Dunlin and Sanderling

Knot

NORTH RONALDSAY - 29th May

Thick fog through most of the day but it became patchier as the day wore on with an extended sunny spell in the afternoon; the Bee-eater was showing well most of the day round Holland but resisted any attempts to catch it!   The middle census route was then quiet in the afternoon with pretty much the only migrant being a Garden Warbler in Ancum Willows but the highlight was catching a Moorhen by hand at Westness!

Lapwing chicks

Yesterday's Reed Warbler (not a straightforward one!)