NORTH RONALDSAY - 11th December

The wind switched round into the SSE while remaining brisk and cold; a little seawatch produced a Great Skua past the Lighthouse (the first one since October and somewhat surprisingly the first December record I could find) along with 130 Auk sp. in twenty minutes.   Other birds seen around the lochs included 3 Mute Swans, 8 Gadwall, 5 Pintail, 10 Shoveler, 4 Goldeneye, a Hen Harrier, a Merlin, 4 Ruff still, 135 Common Gulls, a Robin, 3 Fieldfare, 9 Redwing and 19 Snow Buntings on the beach at Brides.

Ruff

Fulmar

Grubby argentatus Herring Gull