6th October

In strong easterlies and what seemed like relentless driving rain the best description for today was 'character building'. It was tough going out there (for birds as well as birders) and by the afternoon most had retreated to the sanctuary of the Obs - frustrating as there were clearly a lot of birds on the island. The Northern Harrier remained the main attraction and other non-passerines included 9 Grey Herons, 41 Barnacle Geese, 13 Pink-footed Geese, a Hen Harrier, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, 2 Grey Plovers, 3 Jack Snipes, 3 Woodcocks, 3 Woodpigeons and a Short-eared Owl. The smaller passerines were trickier, and those we managed to identify (there were a lot we didn't through rain soaked bins) were a Grey Wagtail, 11 Robins, a Dunnock, Redstart, Whinchat, 4 Ring Ouzels, 57 Blackbirds, 3 Fieldfares, 94 Song Thrushes, 297 Redwings, 6 Blackcaps, 8 Yellow-browed Warblers, 2 Chiffchaffs, 46 Goldcrests, 2 Chaffinch, 8 Bramblings, a Northern Bullfinch (first since 2013), 3 Lapland Buntings and 643 Snow Buntings.