It was a mixed day today, the wind had swung round to a southerly direction which had clearly hampered migration. Clearly however, some migrants preferred the headwind and braved the conditions. A little seawatching today saw four Common Scoters, one Pomarine Skua, three Great Skuas and 452 Kittiwakes pass by out to sea. One of the main talking points of today was an unusual flurry of raptors which made their way over the island in a matter of 15 minutes or so. Nine Buzzards, one Osprey, two Kestrels, two Merlins and a Hobby were all recorded, the latter of which was the first of the year.

Two Water Rails continued to occupy the Withies, a Golden Plover was on the South End, two Snipes were flushed in the Wetlands whilst the Narrows held the Bar-tailed Godwit, one Whimbrel and 18 Curlews. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was present at the Plantation, however it was unclear whether this was a new arrival or just the same individual as last week after having found the remains of one on the East Side. A little more overhead passage was also noted today, some 199 Skylarks, 591 Meadow Pipits, 53 Rock Pipits, eight Grey Wagtails, four White Wagtails and most of today’s finch counts 48 Chaffinches, one Siskin, 218 Goldfinches, 363 Linnets and four Lesser Redpolls were logged during vismig. On the land however, there was still a fair bit to be seen, 32 Robins, one Lesser Whitethroat, six Blackcaps, ten Chiffchaffs, 17 Goldcrests and perhaps today’s most unusual highlight of 15 Great Tits a good passage of this now scarce migrant to the island, the highest count since 2010 when the record of 80 was set!

Meadow Pipit passage has been evident lately, recent days have included counts of upwards of a hundred birds

Pupping continues on the island with our 31st pup of the year recorded today