NORTH RONALDSAY - 3rd March

Still very cold with lying snow and frozen ground / lochs but the easterly wind had dropped off with some good spells of sunshine; walked along the coast from the Obs to Hooking but there was little change apart from a Black-throated Diver in Nouster.   Other birds included the Kumlien’s Gull again at Brides, the single Whooper Swan trapped in the tiny bit of open water on the loch along with 5 Little Grebes, 5 Pintail and 5 Gadwall, 8 Snow Buntings, 22 Skylarks, 20 Long-tailed Ducks, 165 Teal (mainly on Hooking) and the ringtail Hen Harrier again.

                Also of note was a dead White-billed Diver picked up along the coast just north of Stennabreck.

White-billed Diver

Black-throated Diver record shot

Whooper Swan

Little Grebes

Turnstone

Purple Sandpipers

Wigeon