20th December 2024

 Weather: SW force 4

Even though the Barn Owl has been here for some time it is still the headline bird on the island. Just 215 Brent seen on this visit with 12 Shelduck swimming in the gutter as the tide reached Little Eye while an adult male Eider joined the immature male and 3 females, and male with 2 female Goosander fed at the north end.

 

Eleven Purple Sandpiper were below the obs garden and 75 Ringed Plover on the north end. The east hoyle after the tide held 60 Grey Plover, 110 Curlew, 8000 Knot and 4500 Dunlin. A Song Thrush was one of several birds that seem to be wintering here. Only one each was seen of Little Egret and Grey Heron also the Kestrel was about.

Photo AS

16th December 2024

 Weather: WSW force 4

A very average winters day apart from the fact that our Barn Owl is still here which is an amazing thing for the island. The Brent are still at about 330 birds and 80 Common Scoter were seen also 5 Eiders were present. Small birds spending time on the island at the moment are 5 Robins, 4 Blackbirds, 5 Wrens, a Pied Wagtail and at least 1 Rock Pipit. Waders noted were 4,500 Oystercatchers, 4,000 Dunlin, 1,500 Knot, 130 Curlew, 70 Redshank, 30 Grey Plover, 180 Turnstone, 9 Purple Sandpipers and 65 Ringed Plover roosting at the north end. 

Photo AS

13th December 2024

Weather: E force 0-1     mist

Six Eider are still about the islands, with one being an immature male. Also on the sea today 300 Common Scoter some of which were close in and could be heard calling, 14 Great-creasted Grebe and a Red-throated Diver which swam close up the west side.

 

Three Grey Heron roosted on Little Eye and a single Little Egret fed in the Gutter. After the  tide some of the waders on the East Hoyle were 68 Grey Plover, 1500Knot, 3000 Dunlin, 11 Purple Sandpiper and a Bar-tailed Godwit.The Barn Owl is still to be seen at dawn and dusk, the Weasel was active in the obs garden and there continues to be a Fox present.

Photos AS

9th December 2024

 Weather: NNE force 4    sunny

 A more pleasent day after the wind and rain saw a Shag at the north end first thing, also a couple of Common Scoters but only the female stayed to be captured on film.

 

A Barn Owl waited until 09.30 to appear this morning but at least it was in the sunlight.

It looked like there had been a wreck of razor clams which accounted for the 4000 Herring Gulls that were feeding off the north east corner of the island.

Most of the small birds on the island had probably been here for some time, there were 5 Blackbirds, 5 Wrens and 4 Robins, one of which was a juvenile and it was caught for ringing.

The sole definite 'migrant' was a Starling and on the shore were 2 Little Egrets and the reliable Kestrel was hunting the island. Some numbers among the waders were 1,100 Knot, 80 Dunlin and 30 Redshank.

Photos JE , AS

8th December 2024

 Weather: N force 6 at first, moderating to force 4 before noon

 With the exception of a Redwing, today was all about wildfowl and waders. Among the former were 240 Brent, 6 Shelduck, 4 Eider and 150 Common Scoter, while also on the sea was a Great Crested Grebe. A good list of waders included 250 Oystercatchers, 650 Knot, 250 Dunlin, 60 Redshank, 25 Turnstone,20 Curlew and 2 Grey Plover one of which was sporting an orange flag from ringing. Only a single Little Egret was feeding.

3rd December 2024

 Weather: SE force 3,  later E 3

The big surprise of the day was that two Barn Owls were present on the main island, seen together briefly over the main paddock early morning with a sighting of a single bird at the unusual time of 3pm.

A short sea watch produced 6 Eider, a single Razorbill, 23 Red-throated Diver and 36 Great-creasted Grebe. Only 8 Purple Sandpiper were logged but a large number of small waders on the East Hoyle were estimated at 4,000 Knot, 6,000 Dunlin along with 140 Curlew and 6 Bar-tailed Godwit. Around the island Turnstone and Redshank numbered 180 and 90 respectively. The Kestrel was about, the Fox left evidence of it's presence and the Weasel was sighted in the Obs garden, with the number of predators around it was surprising to see a couple of Short-tailed Field Voles about on the paths.

 
 Photos AS

1st December 2024

 Weather: SSE 3   SSW 4 later

A visit over the morning tide found it very quiet and warm for the time of year. The Common Scoters featured with over 6,000 birds out towards the windfarm and also a few lingering near the island.

 

 

 

 

   An estimate of 350 Turnstone roosting was a very large number indeed

 

 

Some were on the cliffs with the 12 Purple Sandpipers

 Oystercatchers were estimated at 8,000 roosting.

 

 There were 220 Redshank.

 and 800 Knot, at least one that had been colour flagged.

 

Good sea watching produced 37 Red-throated Divers, 25 Great Crested Grebes and a single Gannet. Six Eiders hung about the islands. There were 8 Robins on the islands and surprisingly perhaps a Goldcrest was also here. As usual the Kestrel gave a great show.

 

 

 

Photos AEH