Autumn begins

Definitely the start of the autumn today with a Curlew Sandpiper on Moast Beach and 2 Ruff, a Green Sandpiper and a Little Stint on Loch of Gards.

Curlew Sandpiper

Green Sandpiper

Ruff

Grey Head

The Eastern Olivaceous Warbler was still in the garden, showing on and off for most of the day, a Curlew Sandpiper and a Grey-headed Wagtail were on the Loch.

Curlew Sandpiper

Grey-headed Wagtail

Last Day Out

Last day out birding in Georgia, catching the train to Tbilisi tomorrow, so an afternoon on the Chorokhi Delta was in order. Tried this site last week, but as the temperature was about 30 degrees it was pretty impossible birding ! Anyway it's a big place that looks a bit like Dungeness without the power station - with gravel and Sea Buckthorn everywhere and river channels cutting in every direction. Birded the most accessible areas for about four hours (wasn't in the mood for wading across the fast flowing channels). Here's a list - 1 Steppe Buzzard, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 White-winged Black Tern, 4 Curlew Sandpiper, 2 Green Sandpiper, 6 Dunlin, 5 Little Stints, 1 Purple Heron, 140+ Short-toed Larks, 2 Citrine Wagtail, 40 Yellow Wagtail, 3 Great Reed Warbler, 1 Lesser Grey Shrike, 20 Red-backed Shrike, 4 Olivaceous Warbler, 1 Barred Warbler, 4 Hoopoe, 1 Reed Warbler, 10 Whitethroats, 15 Cuckoo (inc 1 brown one), 1 Wood Sandpiper, 20 Whinchat, 4 Sand Martin and a Turtle Dove - a pretty good afternoon out.

Curlew Sandpiper

Cuckoo

Olivaceous Warbler

Purple Heron

Red-backed Shrike

Steppe Buzzard

White-winged Black Tern

Late Update

A few bits and bobs from the patch over the last fortnight

Canada Goose

Curlew Sandpipers - present for 3 days

Eider

Oystercatcher

Spotted Flycatcher in the garden

Jesus H Corbett...

....what's going on ? Out on the patch today, on a mission to find Curlew Sandpiper for the year-list. Started off on Scord and Sanblister Beaches, where there were 3 Little Stints - this would normally constitute a good count at Scatness, where Little Stint is just about annual ! Carrying on around the patch and another 7 Little Stints around the Loch, in fact as the day went on, every bit of a puddle seemed to have 1 or 2 Little Stints on it - 3 hours on the patch and 25 Little Stints !!!!
More species of wader were also seen - 5 Curlew Sands, a Greenshank, 7 Sanderling, 36 Dunlin and a Spotted Redshank.
Elsewhere around the patch - a stunning Grey-headed Wagtail, a Willow Warbler, 2 Arctic Terns and a Pied Flycatcher. All this after a weekend of northerly gales !

Little Stints

Curlew Sands

Sanderling

September 14th 2008. Little Stints.

Winds a bit lighter today, and still lots of migrants around.

6 Garden Warbler, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 5 Robin, 12 Restart, 1 Chiffchaff, 2 Chaffinch, 11 Whinchat, 13 Willow Warbler, 2 Reed Warbler, 1 Pied Flycatcher, 9 Song Thrush, 5 Tree Pipit, 1 Blackcap, 1 Wood Warbler, 4 Goldcrest, 1 Brent Goose, 1 Pintail, 12 Lapwing and 2 Grey Heron at Scatness.

190+ Dunlin, 34 Knot, 1 Ruff, 5 Little Stint, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits and 1 Sanderling on Moast and Sanblister Beaches.

1 Barred Warbler, 2 Garden Warbler, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Robin, 3 Redstart, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Kestrel, 1 Pied Flycatcher and 1 Blackcap in the garden.

Brick in the moth trap last night.


Whinchat & Song Thrush.

Redstart & Pied Flycatcher.

Garden Warbler & Turnstone.

Ruff & Common Sandpiper.

Ringed Plover.

Little Stints.

Knot.

Dunlin.

Curlew Sandpiper.