7th and 8th August

Rain overnight and through the first few hours of the morning soon departed, leaving a fine, bright and sunny day on the 7th; the day’s highlight was a brief adult Pectoral Sandpiper on Torness with a Golden Plover flock but it soon flew off to the north, not to be seen again.   Also up the west coast, a Grey Plover was with the same Goldie flock while 8 Purple Sandpipers were on the rocks and 9 Arctic Skuas patrolled up and down.

                The only other birds of note were offshore during an early morning seawatch and included a single Sooty Shearwater, 9 Manx Shearwaters, 150 Puffins and 170 Fulmars with 2 Risso’s Dolphins also of note.

Fledgling Pied Wagtail, Simon Davies

                Another stunning summer’s day on the 8th however, most of the focus was directed at rounding up sheep and building dykes but with many eyes working long hours along the islands coastline and a very calm sea it was a recipe for some cetacean success and we were rewarded with 2 Orcas seen in the morning off the north end, followed by two pods of Risso’s Dolphins with c10 seen of The Lurn at lunchtime and then another 5 seen heading past the Obs in the evening.

                Birds of note were few and far between but 3 Ruff and a Greenshank were on the excellent looking Brides Loch while 19 Knot and 11 Purple Sandpipers were also noted.

Dunlin and Ruff, Simon Davies

Ruff, George Gay