18th May

Calm and overcast first thing with light rain moving in at lunchtime which persisted through until late afternoon; it felt really promising, that you could bump into anything out in the field, the pick of the new birds were (in keeping with the rest of east coast today) 2 Bluethroats – both males at Viggay and Rue while the Eastern Subalpine Warbler was still around the Obs and the 5 Dotterel were still at Burray.

                Other migrant totals included a Sparrowhawk, 4 Golden Plover, a Little Stint on the beach at Nouster (the first of the year), 5 Whimbrel, a Cuckoo, a Rock Pipit, 3 Robins, 6 Sedge Warblers, 3 Lesser Whitethroats, 4 Garden Warblers, 3 Blackcaps, 4 Chiffchaff, 5 Willow Warblers, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, a Pied Flycatcher, the 3 Tree Sparrows still, 2 Bramblings including a pristine, full black-headed male and a Common Redpoll.

Bluethroat                                       Simon Davies