17th - 19th July

There was little migration to talk about from three more days of typical midsummer intermission. The flock of Golden Plovers swelled to 629 birds on the 17th, including one highly distinctive leucistic individual. A Short-eared Owl on the 18th was the first for a few weeks, and the highlights of the 19th were a couple of Whimbrels and a flock of 120 Kittiwakes on the west coast.

 Ringing activity in the summer usually focusses on Storm Petrels and the island's breeding birds. A small number of Arctic Terns have now fledged, but a search for Black Guillemot chicks among the boulders at Twingness drew a worrying blank, indicating another terrible breeding season for the species. The Ringed Plovers seem to be having better success, and a few of their endearingly cryptic chicks (pictured) have been ringed so far.