18th September

A cool grey day, with a light north-westerly wind. The sight of 4 Whooper Swans (with 3 adults having joined the bird which summered here) on Gretchen Loch from dawn may prove to be an sign of things to come as October draws nearer but they weren't the only arrivals of the day. In the afternoon, 3 Yellow-browed Warblers were found in the south-east of the island where there was also the first Sand Martin for a long time and other passerines of note spread about included 4 Whinchats, 3 Song Thrushes, 2 Garden Warblers, 2 Blackcaps, 2 Pied Flycatchers and 77 Snow Buntings. A Wryneck in the dunes at the back of Nouster beach was likely the bird seen irregularly through the week and most of the 6 Kestrels and 2 Sparrowhawks would also have been lingering birds. Some new waders included at least 3 Little Stints - with a new bird at Bridesness, another out south with Ringed Plovers and at least one lingering near the Lighthouse. There were also 10 Black-tailed Godwits, an Arctic Skua off Bridesness and a Woodpigeon new in.

There was also a distant sighting of 1+ Killer Whales off the Links golf course in the morning, though they quickly became distant and weren't seen again.

Kestrel (photo Mark Warren)