27th-29th March
The 27th started as we'd hoped it would go on weather wise, unfortunately the Southerly air flow that had bought us a few early Spring migrants would switch into a rather bitter North-Westerly bringing in very little apart from a few snow flurries!
Bird-wise the 27th wasn't a bad day, the warmer less windy weather allowed us to open the nets at Holland for the first time this decade and it wasn't all that bad. The previous days Dunnock found its way into a mist net as did a Pied Wagtail. Finally the Otter made another cameo between Brides and Stromness point.
In the field things weren't bad either, a Whooper Swan on Hooking was the first since the early parts of the year and Sparrowhawk at Holland was an addition to the year list. A colour ringed Bar-tailed Godwit on the Links proved to be JJJ3, a bird that has returned to North Ronaldsay since at least 2010 when it was ringed.
The 28th was just horrible. A driving cold northerly wind backed with occasional showers wasn't what we had in mind with April on the horizon! The Green-winged Teal was about the only bird of note for the day!
A similar scenario the following day but with slightly less wind meant coverage was a bit more palatable, but it was still rather wet and windy! A ringtail Hen Harrier near Brides and our first Great Skua of 2020 were the stand out birds for the day.
Bird-wise the 27th wasn't a bad day, the warmer less windy weather allowed us to open the nets at Holland for the first time this decade and it wasn't all that bad. The previous days Dunnock found its way into a mist net as did a Pied Wagtail. Finally the Otter made another cameo between Brides and Stromness point.
In the field things weren't bad either, a Whooper Swan on Hooking was the first since the early parts of the year and Sparrowhawk at Holland was an addition to the year list. A colour ringed Bar-tailed Godwit on the Links proved to be JJJ3, a bird that has returned to North Ronaldsay since at least 2010 when it was ringed.
The 28th was just horrible. A driving cold northerly wind backed with occasional showers wasn't what we had in mind with April on the horizon! The Green-winged Teal was about the only bird of note for the day!
A similar scenario the following day but with slightly less wind meant coverage was a bit more palatable, but it was still rather wet and windy! A ringtail Hen Harrier near Brides and our first Great Skua of 2020 were the stand out birds for the day.
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| Purple Sandpipers George Gay |
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