The freezing cold weather
really took hold with the ground and most of the lochs frozen over, sheets of
ice across the sand in Nouster Bay, a bitterly cold force 6 easterly wind and
frequent, heavy spells of snow sweeping across the island; the main feature of
the day was the absence of birds across the island with all the Golden Plover,
most of the Lapwings and Dunlin and a lot of ducks disappearing off the island overnight
as the freezing conditions took hold.
Birds that were present around the coast from the Obs
to Brides included a Ruff on the beach
opposite the gate at Brides feeding with Redshank and Turnstone (the first ever
record on the island between December and March!) which had probably been
pushed off some fields somewhere by the freezing weather and the long-staying
second winter Glaucous Gull feeding with 200+ mixed Gulls in the surf. Other counts of note comprised 43 Mallards
on the sea, a Jack Snipe (my first of the year!) by T1 and single
Shelduck and Goldeneye.
Glaucous Gull
Ruff
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