Never Mind the Buzzard

20^th April
Easter Sunday certainly proved to be another day that looked good for raptors, except this time it actually was, with Quoy Stuart picking out a Buzzard heading north over Shirva in the morning. Unfortunately, with conditions pretty much perfect for rapid progress north, it wasn’t seen by any of the FIBO team as it seemingly passed straight through. At about the same time, Richard found the year’s first Redstart (a cracking male in the Kirn o’Skroo) and it seemed like things were about to kick off, but that turned out to be the peak, with the pleasant conditions enabling a small arrival of warblers (15 Chiffchaff, 5 Willow Warbler and a Blackcap) and 8 Swallows but not a huge amount else.

A selection of corvids present include up to 8 Carrion Crow and 5 Rook, most of which are probably lingering birds.

Other migrants included two each of Lesser and Mealy Redpoll, 3 Reed Bunting, Fieldfare, an increase in Collared Dove (to two) and 30 Snow Bunting. Golden Plovers increased to an impressive 65, there were also singles of Jack Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit and Whimbrel and two Red-breasted Mergansers passed Buness.
Monday has started with thick fog, delaying the start of census and early indications are that it has prevented much new from finding us, with few migrants around the traps or nets. Hopefully things will clear later and birds will start to drop in…