8th-9th May
Following the previous days birds I don't think we expected too much in ornithological offerings, we were thankfully wrong and the 8th offered a treat for those with eyes to the skies. I feel like I've said this a lot recently but the started rather innocuously with very little to get excited about, there was even murmurings of us getting a bit of rest after what had been hectic start to May, but it wasn't to be! The first notable bird of the day was a White-tailed Eagle seen sneaking out south over the Old Kirk. It was followed by the first Common Tern of the year that whizzed round the point at Bridesness with 23 Arctic Terns. The day quickly exploded into life as the islands 4th record of Magpie was discovered around the Beacon before it tracked south over the course of several hours eventually ending the day around the bird observatory. The Magpie was very quickly followed by a Common Crane that did a tour of the island before departing to the south, its our first record of Crane since 2020 so it caused a reasonable stir even among seasoned island listers. It had turned into quite the day!
A day of thick mist and poor visibility followed and the likelihood of a repeat performance was very unlikely, the Magpie remained around the observatory often hiding out of sight in the rosa. A flyover Yellow Wagtail a Bewan was the only year-list addition but at least five Short-eared Owls spent the day floating around the island as did a good number of Sparrowhawks. A notable increase in Arctic Tern and Sand Martins as the breeding season approaches is nothing but a good sign!
The weather goes back into the east over the weekend so it'll be no rest for the wicked and those who wish to find good birds!
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