NORTH RONALDSAY - 28th September

Another brilliant day in the field with light NNE winds and varying cloud cover plus a few drizzly spells to make things feel exciting, there were perhaps fewer birds than yesterday (a clear night with a good Northern Lights display accounted for that) but with a notable influx of birders and ringers, the totals sometimes didn’t reflect that!   Today’s highlights included a male Grey-headed Wagtail which came into roost at Ancum, a Rustic Bunting (which I didn’t bother going to see!), 7 Yellow-browed Warblers, the Holland Red-breasted Flycatcher and the mobile Red-backed Shrike back on the west coast.   Other totals included 11 Red-throated Divers, 12 Herons, 104 Pink-footed Geese, 2 Hen Harriers, 2 Kestrels, a Merlin, 3 Quail still present at Kirbest (from the breeding efforts this year), 3 Ruff, 4 Jack Snipe, a Woodpigeon, 4 Short-eared Owls, another late Swift, 46 Skylarks, 10 Swallows, 5 Tree Pipits, 10 Rock Pipits, a Dunnock, 42 Robins, 18 Redstarts, 5 Whinchat, 70 Wheatears, 112 Song Thrushes, 56 Redwing, 6 Lesser Whitethroat, a Whitethroat, 2 Garden Warblers, 11 Blackcap, 11 Chiffchaff, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, 2 Pied Flycatchers, 14 Chaffinches, 10 Lapland Buntings, 16 Snow Buntings and 13 Reed Buntings.

Quail

Yellow-browed Warbler

Adult Pied Flycatcher