Sunday 23 September 2012

Its good, but it's Snow Magnolia

Yellow-browed Warbler present for second day (Will Scott) 

First autumn Snow Bunting arrives (David Steel) 

Sanderling feeding on shoreline (David Steel) 

Lesser Whitethroat on the rock (David Steel)


Sunday 23rd September comments: The day started off bright and sunny but gradually the wind picked up from the south and switched to the east. In birding terms, it has begun. As darkness fell, the radio brought the familiar tones of the shipping forecast;

Forth, Tyne, Dogger: East 4 or 5 increasing 7 or gale 8, perhaps severe gale 9 later.

Its time to batten down the hatches.

Today all eyes were trained on the sea as yet more good numbers of ducks and skuas moved north past the islands with a few surprises along the way including three juvenile Long-tailed Skuas and two stunning Pomarine Skuas.

Today’s totals: Red-throated Diver 10N, Black-throated Diver 1S, Great Northern Diver 1S, Shag 1,564 roosting on inner group of islands, Brent Goose 7N, Barnacle Goose 6N, Sanderling 4 on Brownsman (not common out here), Grey Plover 1, Golden Plover c500, Wigeon 882N, Teal 201N, Velvet Scoter 3N, Common Scoter 28N, Red-breasted Merganser 1N, Manx Shearwater 17N, Sooty Shearwater 7N, Arctic Skua 26N, Great Skua 12N, Pomarine Skua 2N (including adult with ‘spoons’), Long-tailed Skua 3N (all juvs), Kestrel, Peregrine, Tree Pipit, Wheatear 4, Yellow-browed Warbler 1 present for second day, Willow Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Brambling, Lesser Redpoll 5, Snow Bunting (first of autumn) and Lapland Bunting.

On a final note, our congratulations to the boys in the north, as the ex-Farne warden contingent on Fair Isle have just produced Britain’s second ever Magnolia Warbler. Nice work bonny lads, nice work.

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