The southerly gales thankfully abated overnight and today a big arrival of Barnacle Geese and new groups of Whooper Swans moving south. Single Lesser Whitethroat and Blackcap the only signs of migrant passerines and both could’ve just been sitting the winds out rather than new in. #WestrayBirding

A wee boom! 💥 for this long overdue #WestrayBirding isle tick! Little Bunting falla at last. @papaybirder.bsky.social must’ve been fed up of me whanging on about finding what must surely be a a regular bird on Westray. Just a small bird on a big isle! So majorly chuffed 😝 #PWC2026

It's been a quiet few days #WestrayBirding. A Garden Warbler was new in yday and I found this Yellow-browed Warbler today and can only wonder how long it's gone unnoticed in an isolated and hard to watch clump of willows. The last new YBW was last Saturday and none seen since Monday.

Very pleased to find this 1CY White-rumped Sandpiper at The Ouse, Westray late afternoon. The closest bird to me as I got out of the car and lifting my bins I instantly thought, aye aye. Makes a change from it being the furthest hideaway from you in fading light! #WestrayBirding #PWC2026

Most of today spent chasing Westray's first Pallas's Warbler which spent its day chasing two Yellow-broweds from a windswept group of bushes/trees. Seen well on only a handful of occasions it spent its time on the unviewable leeward side whilst I got soaked on the windy side 😒 #WestrayBirding

Fewer migrants around today with a clear out of thrushes and Wheatears but plenty of Brambling still and two new Yellow-browed Warblers in the three seen today (making five in two days). #WestrayBirding

Pretty much dawn til dusk in the field after yday’s winds and with decent reward with an all-too-brief isle first Citrine Wagtail, 3 Yellow-browed Warblers, Redstart, 40 Brambling, 5 Chaffinch, 10+ Robin, 6 Blackcap, 5 Chiffchaff plus Wheatears and thrushes. #WestrayBirding #PWC2026

Wind was still howling but rain let off some so I was out the door. A small arrival of Redwings, Song Thrushes and Blackbirds was immediately evident. A Whitethroat feeding along the lighthouse track with Meadow Pipits was novel. A Canada Goose (rare on Westray) stuck its head up! #WestrayBirding

Semipalmated Sand again at The Ouse, Westray. Somewhat distant but looks like the same bird here last Weds. A very active Merlin didn’t do for viewing with each run thru the small waders moved further out on the dropping tide. #WestrayBirding

On 23 Sep 2022 I was watching Orkney’s fourth and Westray’s first Semipalmated Sand, found by a visiting Lothian birder, Andy Thomas. Four years to the day I was watching another, in exactly the same place as 2022, also found by a visiting Lothian birder, Ed Parnell. Thanks fellas! #WestrayBirding

#WestrayBirding #PWC2026

Found yday by visiting birder Ed Parnell it had seemingly gone to ground by the time I’d got there, but still present today for NFY #WestrayBirding and #PWC2026. Jot annual for me here, averaging every other year.More wildfowl loving about inc Pink-feet and Pintail.

40mph norwesterlies meant it was worth a squint at the sea this morning. Two hours delivered
37 Sooty Shearwater, 9 Manx, 3 Bonxies, 49 Kittiwake, 590 Fulmar, 605 Gannet, 3 Puffin and 7 auk sp. Nowt special but any day with Sooty Shears in it is a good un 😉 #WestrayBirding

It’s been a slog this last week. Can count migrant passerines on one hand and with the island totally waterlogged there’s no usual loch fringes but standing water everywhere meaning waders are dispersed thinly across the whole isle. Golden Plover number over 1,000. Grey Wag NFY #WestrayBirding

Mid-Sept last year all our trees/bushes were already bare due to the spring drought which meant they dropped their leaves by the end of August. Thankfully this year we’re all good. In fact I don’t recall ever seeing them so strongly in leaf still as we hit mid-Sept. Just add birds 🤞🏼 #WestrayBirding

A long overdue up close and personal Buff-breasted Sandpiper this morning. My two previous Buffys here (2025 and last month) were at distance across the far side of Loch of Swartmill. So delighted to find this one in an area I’ve always expected to find one and all close and showy! #WestrayBirding

It’s been slow passerine-wise but seawatching at least produced Great, Sooty and Manx shearwaters all NFY. Good numbers of Golden and Ringed Plovers coming through but little else wader-wise and rains keep ensuring I have no freshwater margins 😕 First Aurora of the autumn #WestrayBirding #PWC2026