Day Six

 A fairly pleasant day today, up until mid afternoon anyway, when the wind picked up and then the rain came in.

One to make the most of, because the weather is mostly going to be challenging, one way or another, for the rest of my stay.

Headed east first thing, flushing a Snow Bunting from the road at Howar, and did another North Loch loop walk. A Great Northern Diver flew north over the dunes just after I got out of the car. Robins were at Coo Road, Salties (2), Kinloch and The Gallery, with another at the surgery later and one at the hostel giving a day total of seven.

As I approached The Gallery a Sparrowhawk dived into one of the clumps of bushes and I feared I'd be seeing nothing there, but I needed of worried as I ended up being treated to two Yellow-browed Warblers together.

I really could never tire of them and their fabulously evocative call (although most I've had on Sanday over the two trips have been silent).

The local Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over while I was here too, and I later had it further back down the road towards the car, and there was also a Chiffchaff.

North Loch had plenty of wildfowl as usual, including 6 Whooper Swans (plus two had been on Loch Rummie) and a definite increase in Pintail to 87. As I passed Galilee Twite finally made it onto the trip list (the only trip list addition today), with two calling as they flew overhead towards Tofts Ness.

The rest of the loop was pretty uneventful, although a flock of 10 Snow Buntings went over just as I was getting back to the car. Then headed down to Neuks to give the sea a look, although the walk down took longer than expected when a binocular scan revealed a raptor way out to sea heading my way. Through the scope it was revealed to be a ringtail harrier, and then as it got close enough to identify I had the unusual experience of actually being disappointed to see a Hen Harrier! Wonder whether it had set off from Fair Isle, Shetland or even possibly Norway!

Only seawatched for half an hour, because it was fairly quiet, with the highlights being a Great Skua, 7 Sooty and 3 Manx Shearwaters. Five Red-throated Divers were out in the bay, and a Merlin dashed by close in.

After lunch I checked gardens in Lady village, with a Brambling and 2 Chiffchaffs my reward, and birded along the Cleat road (49 Eider out in Otters Wick the highlight), before heading to the road on the edge of Cata Sands planning to try a wader count on the rising tide. But the wind was already picking up, and straight in my face, which made life tricky even before a dog walker along the edge of the sands flushed everything to the far side of, and soon after that the rain started and I gave up trying to add to rough estimates of 480 Bar-tailed Godwits and 320 Dunlins.

Two Hen Harriers, a male and a ringtail, were seen (seperately) north of the road, too quickly for a photo, although I did (just about) manage to snap the days's second Sparrowhawk.

I headed home early, scanning, as best I could in the conditions, Little Sea and Loch Bea. The latter provided an unlikely minor highlight in the shape of 2 Coot, which, added to the twenty on Loch Rummie earlier gives a apparently new island record count of 22.

It's the little things.