23rd - 24th May

A seawatch from Westness from 0700 - 1030 produced more Long-tailed Skuas, with a single followed soon afterwards by a flock of 4. Also during the watch were 6 Arctic, 14 Great and one Skua sp. , 110 Puffins and 350 Auk sp. After many feeding flocks at sea the previous day large numbers of Arctic Terns settled along the coast with a minimum of 2655 seen with 686 Kittiwakes mixed amongst them and a Little Gull was on Gretchen Loch. Three Woodpigeons, Whitethroat, 5 Chiffchaffs and 5 Willow Warblers were seen on both dates and Cuckoo, Sand Martin Blackcap and 2 Spotted Flycatchers were on 24th. The latter species increased to 3 on 25th, Garden Warblers to 2 and a Lesser Whitethroat trapped and ringed at the Observatory. Birds ringed at Holland House included both Lesser and Mealy Redpoll as well 4 Redpoll sp. seen. Single Redwing, Tree Pipit and Common Sandpiper were logged as was our first Swift, and other migrants consisted 10 House Martins, 246 Ringed Plovers, 13 Black-tailed Godwits, and heading north; 4 Curlew and 5 Whimbrels.