19th January

A few more birds were recorded today with 4 Iceland Gulls seen (adult, 3rd winter and 2 2nd winters), plus an adult was picked up freshly dead at Garso. There were also 2 Glaucous Gulls with a 1st winter near the Lighthouse and a 2nd winter at Bridesness. The 5 Whooper Swans remained on Garso Loch and 37 European White-fronted Geese were between the school and Hooking. Other wildfowl of note were a single Shelduck, 2 Pintails, 15 Shovelers, 33 Tufted Ducks and the Scaup. The first significant count of Sanderling this year saw 74 on the Golf course, the wintering Grey Plover was also there and a Woodcock was flushed from Stromness Point. The Chaffinch was seen again, 16 Twite were in the Observatory crop and 32 Snow Buntings were at the north end.

Whooper Swans winter annually on North Ronaldsay, however Bewick's Swan has amazingly yet to be recorded so with 2 birds on mainland Orkney last week we'll be checking the Lochs fairly regularly over the winter months.