20th and 21st May

Bright and sunny again but a bit breezy on the 20^th, the days highlights comprised the Great White Egret still on Ancum, now 2 Dotterel on Torness, a 1^st summer Little Gull on Bewan and the first Common Rosefinch of the year – a brown individual at Brigg.   Other migrants continued to trickle through on the land as totals comprised a Sparrowhawk, 4 Woodpigeons, 7 Collared Doves, 4 House Martins, a Black Redstart in the Kirkyard, 60 Wheatears, a Fieldfare, 9 Sedge Warblers, a Blackcap, 4 Chiffchaffs, a good flock of 9 Tree Sparrows at Holland, 2 Goldfinches and 5 Carrion Crows.

                A very different day on the 21^st with constant heavy drizzle and low cloud almost throughout with a marginally drier spell in the middle of the day; this produced a couple of new birds with our first Pied Flycatcher of the year – a male at the lighthouse and a Cuckoo at Westness the highlights while presumably yesterday’s Common Rosefinch revealed itself to be a male by singing at Holland and the Great White Egret remained on Ancum.

                Other birds on the land included 36 Sand Martins, 5 House Martins, a White Wagtail, a Whitethroat, 3 Chiffchaff and 2 Common Redpolls.   The Whooper Swan, Pink-footed Goose and Barnacle Goose remained along with a drake Garganey while wader totals included 197 Ringed Plover, 3 Golden Plover, a Grey Plover, 108 Knot, 317 Sanderling, 138 Dunlin, a Common Sandpiper, 105 Bar-tailed Godwits, 3 Whimbrel and 532 Turnstone.

Great White Egret, Little Gull and Pied Flycatcher                George Gay