22nd and 23rd September

There was a hint of some east in the southerly wind on the 22^nd but the weather maps showed it was coming directly up from Fraserburgh and not any further!!   Landbird wise it was still a slog in the field especially with the wind steadily increasing through the day and totals included 19 Rock Pipits, a Robin, 3 Lesser Whitethroats, a Blackcap, a new Yellow-browed Warbler, a Chiffchaff, 3 Willow Warblers, a Mealy Redpoll, 7 Lapland Buntings and a Snow Bunting.

                Offshore, birds of note comprised 6 Red-throated Divers, 3 Great-northern Divers, 6 Sooty Shearwaters and 8 Manx Shearwaters while some decent, noteworthy totals for commoner species included 134 Cormorants, 11 Herons, 182 Wigeon, 164 Eider, 176 Lapwings, 308 Snipe, 150 Curlew, 134 Redshank and 334 Turnstone with 2 young female Peregrines terrorising the flocks.

                The wind stayed in the SSE throughout the 23^rd but it had increased up to force 7, making it a real slog in out in the field especially as the rewards were few and far between, with a build-up of 130 Great Black-backed Gulls on The Links sheltering from the rough weather, 2 Jack Snipe, a Merlin and a Water Rail caught in one of the Obs Heligoland traps different from yesterday.

Wigeon

Great Black-backed Gulls

photos Simon Davies