24th and 25th June
The 24th was a really difficult day to be out
in the field with a blazing westerly wind sweeping across the island slowly
increasing up to a gale force 8 by the afternoon bringing with it some vicious
showers; a Great-northern Diver in Nouster and a handful of Manx Shearwaters
and Storm Petrels offshore in the morning were the only birds of note through
the day.
The
wind was still brisk through the morning of the 25th but it
gradually eased down through the day and there was slightly more to look at,
especially in the afternoon; 2 Quail
flushed together from the side of the road near Rue were the highlight while
returning birds were more in evidence with 3 beautiful summer plumaged
Black-tailed Godwits, 10 Golden Plover and 96 Turnstone on The Links and 14
Wigeon and 10 Gadwall on Hooking.
Other
birds of note included a Woodpigeon and 14 Sand Martins still (lingering around
the sandbanks along The Links looking a bit suspicious!) while there were at
least 157 Black-headed Gull fledglings around Hooking Loch – the best total of
fledged birds for many years!
The Oystercatchers were given a hard time by everything as they were trying to collect food!
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