Tuesday
4th October strong ESE Sunny, cool.
Barnacle
geese are coming over the island, flocks of them. I miss them whilst
having breakfast!
A
text, olive-backed pipit, Field Ditch.
I am there quick
enough but it is clear the bird is nowhere on view. Birders are
standing around or searching the fields. It has flown and in the
strong wind the rare Sibe pipit could be anywhere. I search the
fields, starting in those west of Chalet.
Nothing found by the
time I get to Hjukni Geo via Gilly Burn, just a few redwings and a
whinchat.
Chaffinch in the geo
and a chiff chaff that trembles it's tail every time it stays put on
the cliff. A redshank stays by a pool long enough for me to
photograph it before it does what redshank normally do, noisy buzz
off.
Lee Gregory comes
past on his census walk and points out three barnacle geese
coming our way. “Year tick!” I say. “You must have had them
before these,” he laughs. No matter, bird number 298 onto
the year list.
I decide that today
I will explore the cliffs and geos from Hjukni Geo north. Each geo
has migrants sheltering from the wind; thrushes which most are
redwings but also fieldfare, blackbirds and song thrushes. A single
male ring ouzel is at Guidicum.
A flock of
barnacles, 25 of them, fly over with 3 wigeon on their way seemingly
to North Ronaldsay.
Goldcrests number
around twenty and there are a couple of yellow-browed warblers and
chiff chaffs. A male blackcap is amazing in it's tenacity of clinging
to the rock near the base of an immense cliff of Gunnawark. Here I
have gone down the cliff to perch on a ledge far below the cliff
tops. From here I can see the beach and watch the seals in the surf.
The first of the new born seal cubs is on the beach asleep.
Two butterflies are
flying, both red admirals and the water cannon is banging away in
North Naaversgill.
The magnificence of
the cliffs is wonderful and with the sunshine making a deep contrast
of the depths of each geo to the sunlit cliffs, the views are
stupendous.
The day goes quickly
but by the time I reach ward Hill I am beat and grateful that the way
is downhill to the Bird Observatory.
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