20th - 22nd March

The weather on 20th was decidedly spring-like, and allowed obs staff to make good headway clearing net rides and paths in Holland garden ready for the season. Lots of damage to the fuchsia and sycamore over the winter meant there was lots of pruning to be done, but the afternoon saw most of the work completed. In terms of birds, the highlight of the day was our first Sandwich Tern of the year seen feeding around the point at Howar. Otherwise, the Long-billed Dowitcher remained on Ancum and a Goldfinch was heard going over Holland at nets in the evening.

The weather on 21st was a very different story, with strong westerly winds and heavy rain dominating the day. Limited birding got done due to the weather, but the Long-billed Dowitcher was seen again on Ancum and the second Chiffchaff of the year was at Scottigar.

The weather got even worse on 22nd and meant it was very much a day for doing inside jobs! A brief foray out into the wind produced only our second Reed Bunting of the year.

With the weather set to be slightly calmer over the weekend, we can only hope for some more migrants to show up to really kick off the spring!

Godwits - Craig Forsyth