27th August

A stunning day, very calm, bright, warm sunshine, a light easterly breeze and amazingly…no fog!   Perhaps unsurprisingly, there were fewer grounded migrants than yesterday in the fine conditions but still a decent spread across the island as highlights included the Greenish Warbler still at Senness, the Wood Warbler still in Holland, a Corncrake flushed from Senness (presumably a migrant, not one of the breeding birds) and more excitingly, a little covey of 5 Quail flushed together from near Kirbest Farm – surely a family party and the first confirmed successful breeding on the island (a male was singing in this area in the spring).   Other birds comprised 2 Sooty Shearwaters off the Lighthouse, the Hen Harrier, single Merlin and Peregrine, 3 Ruff, a Short-eared Owl, 2 Swifts, 170+ Swallows, 2 Whinchats, 124+ Wheatears, a Lesser Whitethroat (first of the autumn), a Whitethroat, 6 Willow Warblers, a Goldcrest and a Pied Flycatcher.

Short-eared Owl