29th May

A very wet and windy morning but the cold NW wind dropped off significantly in the afternoon and the rain diminished to just the odd light shower; there were though, signs that there were a few new landbirds across the island as migrants included single Sparrowhawk, Merlin (the only one of the month) and Kestrel, a Collared Dove, a Short-eared Owl at Brides, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, a Garden Warbler, 2 Blackcaps, a Chiffchaff, a flock of 6 Jackdaws, a Redwing trapped at Holland, a Carrion Crow and the 2 Tree Sparrows.

                Other birds included the first 4 Storm Petrels of the year feeding off the north end, a Heron, the lost looking single Whooper Swan and Barnacle Goose still, 50 Knot, a Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Whimbrel, a Greenshank, 3 Common Sandpipers along the shore from Lenswick to Westness and 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.   The dead Sperm Whale was still present and showing well.

Short-eared Owl