Today's highlight came in the form of a first summer male Golden Oriole that did the rounds of the island, visiting almost every garden and withy and causing confusion as to whether there were two birds or just the one. There may indeed have been two as the bird did seem to get from A to B at a phenomenal speed without being seen.

While the oriole spent the day shrewdly dodging mist-nets around the island, the remaining Turtle Dove also contrived to avoid capture despite flying teasingly close on several occasions. Both oriole and dove were even heard singing from the withies in the morning. A male Yellow Wagtail of the British race flavissima was on the Narrows and another male Yellow Wagtail, this time of the continental form flava (Blue-headed Wagtail), was later found in the company of a herd of cows. Numbers of other migrants were generally low: ten Sedge warblers (most of them long-staying birds holding territories in the withies), four Whitethroats, two Blackcaps, a Garden Warbler, six Chiffchaffs and a couple of Spotted Flycatchers. A Sand Martin and 14 House Martins passed through, two Collared Doves were still around and a Redpoll and four Goldfinches were also seen.

Golden Oriole (c) Steve Stansfield

Blue-headed Wagtail (c) Richard Brown