1st September

September, often anticipated as the most exciting month of the birding calendar, began in absolutely pterrific style with a fantastic Fea's Petrel cruising past the seawatching hide at 0800 in the morning. This will be the third record for the island, following birds in September 2002 and October 2010.

As with most fly-by seabirds, photographs were just not possible, but the field sketches from Paul's incredibly neat notebook amply illustrate the bird's main features.

Numbers of commoner seabirds were not as high as the previous day: the totals after 4 hours came to 888 Fulmars, 34 Manx Shearwaters, 22 Sooty Shearwaters, 6 Storm Petrels, 214 Gannets and a Red-throated Diver. The day's scarce migrant landbirds were the same Barred Warbler at Holland House and 5 Common Rosefinches - a flock of 4 at Gravity and a single bird at the school. Other passerines included a Pied Flycatcher, 2 Whinchats, 2 Garden Warblers and 6 Willow Warblers. A Kestrel and a new Peregrine were seen, while the remaining Little Stint and 4 Curlew Sandpipers were the best of the waders.