28th - 29th June

A Whimbrel and 3 Swifts were the best sightings of the 28th. On the 29th, the Marsh Warbler was retrapped, a new Blackcap was ringed, a Swift and a Whimbrel were seen again and the steadily increasing flock of Golden Plovers crept into triple figures.

27th June

A Marsh Warbler trapped and ringed at Holland House in the morning was just about the only migrant in the gardens, but couldn't be found again later in the day. A singing Cuckoo and 2 Common Redpolls were seen, and a Rock Pipit on the west coast of the island was the first record of the species since mid-May.

Marsh Warbler

24th - 26th June

This was an uneventful spell, although one or two new birds each day still incentivised continuation of some daily census work during the quiet summer period. A Blackcap, 2 Common Redpolls, a Sand Martin, 2 House Martins and a Spotted Flycatcher were seen on the 24th, the latter staying on for another day. A Garden Warbler was new on the 25th; 2 Siskins, 2 Whimbrels and a Collared Dove arrived on the 26th; and a Willow Warbler and a Chiffchaff remained in the Holland House gardens the whole time.

Two big Shelduck ducklings, the only survivors from an originally much larger brood, were encountered during a search for Common Gull chicks around Gretchen Loch. Surprisingly, these are the first Shelducks ever ringed here, despite the species nesting regularly on the island.

In other ringing news, this colour-ringed Pied Wagtail has been raising a brood of chicks near the lighthouse recently. It was ringed in Weymouth, Dorset, early in 2010, and was also seen on North Ronaldsay in September 2011.

23rd June

A House Martin and a Spotted Flycatcher were the only new migrants to report from a very quiet, misty day.

An afternoon goose-chase into the depths of the Hooking Loch irises was a great success, with 8 adult Greylags and 16 goslings caught and ringed. The birds were fitted with orange neck-collars and darvic rings as part of an ongoing project into the movements of these birds.

22nd June

A Wood Sandpiper was the pick of a very small selection of migrants that also included 3 Chiffchaffs and 2 Willow Warblers. A long-staying White Wagtail was the only other bird of any note.

21st June

Late, but not too late, for the odd spring straggler, a wind switching to the east brought a small number of new birds and a glimmer of hope for upcoming days. Passerines recorded during the morning included 3 Redpolls, a Siskin, a Song Thrush, a Whitethroat, a Garden Warbler and a Chiffchaff. A migrant Heron arrived and a Glaucous Gull off Twingness was the day's most unusual sighting.

20th June

Any migrants from the previous day appeared to have left by the morning and nothing new was seen all day. A report of a singing Corncrake from an island resident was followed up at dusk (which, this being the summer solstice, was in the middle of the night) but there was no further sign. The most interesting sighting concerned some unusual bird behaviour:

For several days a pair of Oystercatchers have been apparently raising a Common Gull chick near the observatory. The Oystercatchers have no chicks of their own and have clearly adopted the gull, which follows them closely and begs to them for food. Today we watched the gull being fed by its foster parents several times.