29th September 2020

Weather: S  light air variable   light rain mid- morning then mostly sunny

A milder day than yesterday and with very little breeze made it a pleasent experience scouring the island for that elusive 'good' bird that we always feel must be here at this time in the autumn, but that must wait for another day. Nevertheless there was plenty to keep the observers interested. There were no warblers present today, but right from the off 2 Reed Buntings roamed about and both were eventually caught for ringing in the 'heli' trap (below), as were 6 Linnets as part of a flock of 65, only 1 of the catch had been previously ringed on the island.

A pair of Goldcrests seemed to arrive mid-morning and after being ringed visited just about every bush on the island for the rest of the day. Robins and Wrens were again in good numbers and other passage birds included a flock of 16 Swallows flying south, both Northern and Greenland Wheatears came through, 8 Skylarks and a Grey Wagtail called while moving over, while a few Goldfinches stopped to feed on the ragwort.

Brent had increased markedly during the night and 110 were counted this morning. The pick of the waders were a group of 7 Bar-tailed Godwits in flight and 7 Sanderling flying east off the north end. The sea was mostly flat calm and a couple of Porpoises swam off the north end, while resting quietly on the tide were 3 Red-throated Divers, 6 Guillemots and a Razorbill. A flock of 16 then 4 Sandwich Terns flew south off the west side. Raptors in the form of 2 Peregrines, a Kestrel and a Merlin entertained observers while hunting and interacting with each other.

Ringed: 5 Linnets, 2 Reed Buntings, 2 Goldcrests, 1 Wren

photos CJ & SRW