24th January

Another lovely day with light winds and plenty of sunshine but clear skies overnight produced a very cold morning with a thick frost and frozen lochs; totals seen during a walk round the middle of the island including Torness and Westness  comprised 3 Whooper Swans in from the south, the Eurasian White-fronted Goose again, a Hen Harrier, 83 Oystercatchers, a good 564 Golden Plover, a single Knot, 60 Snipe, 84 Curlews, a Black-headed Gull, 19 Skylarks, 3 Meadow Pipit, 12 Rock Pipits, a Robin, an increase in Thrushes (or maybe they were just enjoying the fine weather) with a Song Thrush at Holland, 44 Blackbirds, 18 Fieldfares and 34 Redwing and a flock of 60 Snow Buntings at Nether Linnay.

The flock of Snow Buntings at Nether Linnay contained this colour-ringed bird (which wasn't noticed until the pictures were seen on the computer)