17th April

Easterly gales and rain are often the ideal conditions to produce a fall of migrants on North Ronaldsay, although they are far from the ideal conditions for actually finding whatever birds are present and sheltering from the elements. On this particularly blustery and wet occasion, only a small number of new birds had arrived, the most notable of which were the year's first Tree Pipit and Blackcap. A Dunnock, 4 Robins, 13 Wheatears, 4 Chiffchaffs, a Goldcrest, a Chaffinch and a Brambling made up the rest of the passerine migrants; 2 Sparrowhawks, a Merlin and a Peregrine were the day's raptors.