18th-22nd September
It's been a good few days here with a variety of migrants arriving and hanging around the island and not just of the avian persuasion as the obs moth trap has provided plenty of goodies!
The 18th saw the Red-breasted Flycatcher remain, now roaming between the Surgery and Milldam. A lone Whinchat also remained in the Phisligar area and a second one was near the school. A Barred Warbler appeared in the roadside hedges near Ancum while a Rosefinch was at Senness. The Long-billed Dowitcher also continued its stay and was seen until 21st. The birds of the day were a third Bluethroat of the autumn at Gue Park and our first Woodlark of the year as it bounded north over the school.
The following day saw the first Yellow-browed Warbler of the autumn and yet another Rosefinch, both at Lurand. The Woodlark was seen briefly at Milldam and a Barred Warbler was trapped at Holland, otherwise it was fairly similar to the previous day. The moth gets its first mention as the islands firsts record of Bulrush Wainscot was caught overnight.
The 20th started with the moth trap possibly providing one of the moments of the year as a pristine Death's-head Hawkmoth was sat atop an eggbox, its another first for the island but it caused a bit more of a stir than the previous days Wainscot! Three Yellow-browed Warblers, the first Siskins and Goldcrest were the other avian highlights with a once again similar supporting cast of Whinchats, Lesser Whitethroats, Willow Warblers and Blackcaps.
The next morning we were greeted with an ever thickening bank of haar that crept in and engulfed the island by 10am. It made birding a bit of slog but six Yellow-browed Warblers were a modest day total and didn't really indicate what would happen the following day! Elsewhere it much of the same once again, with the second Jack Snipe of the autumn, a Tree Pipit in Loch Park and the Barred Warbler still in Holland. A wader heard flying over the obs in the evening would be later identified as a Pectoral Sandpiper in what was a frustrating episode of hearing a bird and not really seeing it!
The 22nd was the highlight of the week, an overnight drop of Yellow-browed Warblers saw the previous days total smashed as a conservative 21 birds were logged throughout the day, but with it being impossible to accurately calculate how many were in Holland and 'E' the free census area we are bound to have missed some! The day had other highlights however, the first Little Bunting of the autumn was found near the irises at Kirbest before an Arctic Warbler was discovered in Holland just before lunchtime and later trapped and ringed in the evening. Just after 1500 the Black Kite that had tracked south from Shetland was chaperoned off towards Sanday by an escort of angry Lapwing. Elsewhere on the island common migrants were more abundant than in previous days with fresh Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers, Lesser Whitethroats and Tree Pipits filling the gaps between YBW's.
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