3rd - 5th August

Beautiful and calm on the 3^rd with some extensive cloud cover producing a good day to be out in the field; somewhat predictably most of the action was again around the cut fields where the highlight was again two juvenile Mediterranean Gulls near Holland House.   Other counts included 1,419 Golden Plover, 146 Lapwings, 165 Sanderling, 152 Dunlin, 5 Black-tailed Godwits (including the first juveniles), 2 Whimbrel, 121 Redshank and some increasing Gull counts with 468 Common Gulls and 31 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

                Other highlights comprised a single Roseate Tern again at the top of The Links and excellent news of three juvenile Garganey at last breaking cover on Hooking Loch, finally giving evidence of successful breeding – they haven’t been seen since small ducklings were noted in June.   Also, of note was the juvenile Cuckoo again, a Pied Flycatcher caught in Holland, a single Willow Warbler, 2 Herons and a Great-northern Diver offshore.

                Another pleasant day on the 4^th with now 3 Mediterranean Gulls in fields near Ancum, 2 Roseate Terns again on the rocks of Bridesness Point and 9 Swifts of note.   The 5^th was pretty much a write-off in terms of birding with some persistent rain combined with an Obs / visitor’s v islanders football match on The Links (which we won on penalties!) leading to hardly any birding getting done, although two Swifts flew over just before kick-off.

Mediterranean Gull

Roseate Tern

Black-tailed Godwit