20th and 21st June
Again, still pretty quiet as befits the season with few
new migrants to mention, the 20th was nice and warm with a
decreasing westerly breeze; a Quail
was again around the Obs while offshore 15 Manx Shearwaters, a few Storm
Petrels and good numbers of Auks (high proportion of Puffins) passed the
seawatch hide. Overnight, the first
Storm Petrel ringing session (slightly ambitious as it didn’t really ever get
dark!) produced just two birds in the nets but the first Leach’s Petrel of the year was flying around, calling back to the
tape but avoided the nets.
Three Dunlin have been displaying over the summer but there's been no evidence that its progressed further than that...we're still looking though!
The
weather changed the following day as it was overcast with a brisk SE wind; 2
Swifts and a Spotted Flycatcher were new in along with 3 Collared Doves while
32 Knot, 26 Dunlin and 2 Golden Plover were at Westness. Breeding birds are of course taking our
focus at the moment with Arctic Terns, Black Guillemots starting to hatch, Redshank,
Oystercatchers and Lapwings taking their first flights and at least 90
Black-headed Gulls are fledging from two sites.
Shoveler chick
Eight Great Black-backed Gull chicks from three nests have now been ringed, photos Simon Davies
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