28th March

A White-billed Diver, the first real rarity of the year, was found on the sea off Tor Ness during the morning. It was considered to be a young bird, but it soon drifted further out to sea.

This species has been about annual at North Ronaldsay in recent years, with most records occuring in April.

Nine Great Northern Divers and 8 Red-throated Divers were also seen off the west coast, while a Great Skua and a Sandwich Tern also passed by. A Jackdaw was another new species for the year, a flock of 15 Ravens flew south over the island and a couple of Common Redpolls and a Siskin also arrived. Meadow Pipits further increased to 29, and Pied Wagtails to 19; and the Peregrine and Rook remained.

Unfortunately, the White-billed Diver didn't linger long enough for photos to be taken, but a picture of a Rook is almost as interesting. No?