Another wet and windy start to the day. From the off there were birds in our garden including a Redwing, 2 Blackcaps, a Goldcrest, a Chaffinch and a surprise Blue Tit - bearing a ring. On the way to Skaw I saw a Water Rail, a few Redwings, 2 Song Thrushes, a couple of Phylloscs flick across the road and a Wheatear so my hopes were high. It was then something of a disappointment that Skaw proved rather similar to yesterday with 14 Redwings, 2 Song Thrush, a Robin, 8 Blackcaps, 3 Chiffchaffs, 2 Goldcrests, a Chaffinch and a Reed Bunting seen. A look around Norwick added 3 Swallows, a Dunnock, 2 Stonechats, 30 Redwings, 10 Blackcaps, 5 Chiffchaffs, 2 Yellow-browed Warblers, a Goldcrest, 20 Bramblings and a Greenland Redpoll and 2 Blue Tits (one bearing a ring) at Leawart and a party of 5 at Valyie. A walk out on Lamba Ness produced a Long-tailed Duck, 10 Robins, a Dunnock, a Red-backed Shrike, a Little Bunting, 6 Lapland Buntings and a Snow Bunting. However, the highlight of the afternoon were the flocks of Barnacle Geese arriving over Lamba Ness that amounted to 670 including a leucistic individual. I met Mike at Burrafirth where we saw a Long-tailed Duck, a Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaffs, 3 Reed Buntings and the lingering Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll along the burn and 2 Blackcaps, a Chiffchaff, a Yellow-browed Warbler and 6 Bramblings at the Shore Station.
