29th August

A nice calm day with some overnight rain produced a good variety of birds across the island; our sixth Pectoral Sandpiper of the year turned up on Gretchen Loch - this time a juvenile, a female/immature Velvet Scoter was also new in Nouster Bay - a good island scarcity, the Red-backed Shrike from a few days ago reappeared at Dennishill and the Greenish Warbler, last seen in the hand on 26th also reappeared, again in a mist net at Holland House which, over the last three days had increased in weight from 6.7 to 9.1g - a massive 35.8% gain!  
   Other migrants included a Collared Dove, three Whinchats, a Lapland Bunting, single Lesser Whitethroat and Whitethroat and a good total of 555 Meadow Pipits which included visible migration and grounded birds.   A morning seawatch produced the highlight of an adult Pomarine Skua along with 48 Sooty Shearwaters and 8 Manx Shearwaters.

Lapland Bunting

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