22nd - 30th October
The constant throughout the whole of the past week has been the Black-faced Bunting, gracing the obs and trap areas to be enjoyed in the field by all the staff and just the one twitcher! The Long-billed Dowitcher has also remained at the north end of the island, as well as the Booted Warbler up until 28th. Otherwise, birding has been pretty typical of westerlies at the end of October, quiet with the odd nice bird thrown into the mix. Common migrant numbers remain low with just the last few Blackcaps, Yellow-browed Warblers, and Chiffchaffs clinging on. White-fronted Goose passage was up, with four seen on 23rd, and seven seen on 25th. The Firecrest at North Ness relocated to Newbiggin and was last seen on 23rd, before being replaced by a new individual at Trinley on 29th. Whooper Swan numbers peaked on 23rd when 51 were on Gretchen, before they all departed in the early morning of 24th. Waxwing was added to the year list on 25th when one flew east over the obs. 26th was a big thrush
