15th - 25th June

June 25, 2026

15th - 25th June

The highlight bird on 15th was a Greenish Warbler in Holland garden, seen briefly feeding out in the sun on the south edge of the garden it soon disappeared into the dense Sycamores and fuchsia. A productive 90 minute sea watch produced 124 Manx Shearwater, 78 Gannet and 40 Puffin.

The only birds reported on the WhatsApp on 16th were two Swift over Breckan.

A flyover Cuckoo at Lurand in the morning on 17th should have been an indicator of a good day to come, but the rest of the day only saw three Woodpigeons, two Collared Doves, a Quail and the Holland Marsh Warbler reported.

Birds of note on 18th were a Kestrel over the obs, a Red-necked Phalarope on Ancum, and a Quail at Brides.

Presumably the same Cuckoo as on 17th was seen again in Holland briefly on 19th where a Spotted Flycatcher was also present.

The north end of the island was the place to be on 20th with a Spotted Flycatcher at Lochend, a Quail at Senness, and a Grey-headed Wagtail at Trolla.

A Quail at Milldam on 21st was the only bird of note that day.

The 22nd started strong with what most would have assumed would be bird of the day when an Osprey flew north over Brides before heading out to sea over Bewan. However, things soon got much more exciting when reports of a Turtle Dove at Trinley from Gavin soon had everyone racing up to Westness to see the island's second record of Oriental Turtle Dove. The super smart bird gave great views to the small crowd that gathered, and only slightly de-railed plans to ring Black-headed Gull chicks that afternoon. A top find from Gavin and everyone involved in getting to the right ID.

On 23rd the Oriental Turtle Dove could not be refound, but elsewhere a Song Thrush at Holland, a Ruff on Gretchen, and a male Red-backed Shrike at Ancum kept things interesting. The day also saw our highest day count of Swift this year, with 16 seen across the island.

A Short-eared Owl at North Gravity and a Quail at Cursitter were the only avian highlights on 24th, but a Hummingbird Hawkmoth was new for the year on the moth list.

A slightly unseasonal Little Stint on Trolla on 25th was the highlight of the day, and the Short-eared Owl was seen again at Milldam.