2nd and 3rd April
Nice again on the 2nd
with bright sunshine but a cold NE breeze giving the day an edge; there was
little new found through the day with the highlight on the land being a very
smart looking littoralis Rock Pipit which appeared in front of the window as we
were sitting down to eat at Lurand and
at sea, the first Great Skua of the year off Seal Skerry.
Migrant totals included 4 Woodcock, a Woodpigeon, 109 Skylark, 36 Meadow
Pipits, 19 Rock Pipits, 37 Pied Wagtails, 2 Grey Wagtails, 2 Dunnock, 87
Robins, a female Stonechat at Brides, the wintering Black Redstart, 170
Blackbirds, 106 Fieldfare, 4 Mistle Thrush, a Chiffchaff, 3 Chaffinches and 3
Snow Buntings.
Wildfowl totals comprised 9 Great-northern Divers, 5
Red-throated Divers, 132 Wigeon, 7 Gadwall, 66 Teal, 10 Pintail, 6 Shoveler, 27
Tufted Duck, 19 Long-tailed Ducks and 7 Red-breasted Mergansers while 168
Golden Plover, a Grey Plover, 2 Ruff, 30 Bar-tailed Godwits, 4 Black-tailed
Godwits and the Kumlien’s Gull were counted.
A step backwards towards winter on the 3rd
with a biting NE wind bringing frequent and heavy snow and hail showers across
the island; a Woodlark
seen briefly at Sandar was a bit of a surprise but it couldn’t be re-found
after the initial couple of sightings (following one last month, the ninth for
the island!).
Perhaps unsurprisingly there weren’t really any new
birds unearthed in the unpleasant conditions – a big female Peregrine flew over
Ancum and a Jack Snipe was flushed from the centre of the island while 5
Woodcock, a Grey Wagtail, yesterday’s Stonechat, 2 Mistle Thrushes, a Brambling
and a Carrion Crow were also of note.
Black Redstart
Drumming snipe are beginning to echo across the island
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