31st August

After all the excitement of yesterday, the final day of the month passed by at a less hectic pace although there were still a lot of birds to admire. The Red Kite was seen up to 9am (and seems likely to have been the bird subsequently seen over South Ronaldsay) with the re-appearance of the juvenile Red-backed Shrike near Greenwall the day's other highlight. In a breezy south-westerly wind, birds on the move included 220 Wheatears, 26 White Wagtails and 430 Meadow Pipits. A Tree Sparrow was at Kirbest, just 6 Swifts were seen as were a handful of lingering warblers while details on a Norwegian ringed Pied Flycatcher will be eagerly awaited. The sea-watchers logged 9 Sooty and 8 Manx Shearwaters, 509 Gannets, 489 Fulmars and 16 Great Skua's from a 5 hour stint, 131 Wigeon represented the most notable of many moving wildfowl species, 4 Kestrels remained as did 121 Ruff, 3 Common and 86 Arctic Terns.

Dunlin and Sanderlings (both photos Stephen Rutt)