6th - 8th August

A drizzly morning on the 6^th gave way to a fine afternoon with the highlights again limited to two juvenile Mediterranean Gulls and an adult Roseate Tern.   Many wader totals continue to rise as counts today included 77 Ringed Plover, 145 Oystercatchers, 1,023 Golden Plover, 313 Sanderling (a big influx), 220 Dunlin, 23 Black-tailed Godwits (an influx largely consisting of juveniles), a Green Sandpiper and 165 Turnstone.   Also of note were 2 Great-northern Divers, a Kestrel, the first juvenile Kittiwake of the year offshore, the juvenile Cuckoo still, 6 Swifts and 2 Willow Warblers.

                Nice and calm conditions on the 7^th produced the first 3 Garden Warblers of the autumn along with 3 Willow Warblers and a steady southbound passage of 26+ Swifts.   A Mediterranean Gull was seen again while other bits of note included 2 Herons, 3 Ruff, 3 Whimbrel and a Greenshank.

                Flat calm again in the morning of the 8^th with a moderate SW breeze developing through the day; 2 Mediterranean Gulls were again in fields near Senness and at least 2 Roseate Terns were flying around (timings of sightings suggested there may have been another individual but we just can’t prove it!).   Other sightings included the Kestrel again, juvenile Little Grebes on Garso and Brides (finally proof of successful breeding this year!), a Swift, 2 Black Redstarts, a Garden Warbler, a Willow Warbler, a flock of 9 juvenile Twite at the Lighthouse (the first juveniles we’ve seen this year), 2 juvenile Ravens at the top end (unfortunately not from here!) and yet another Hummingbird Hawkmoth.

Its been a record breaking year for breeding Ringed Plover with lots still scurrying around