A walk around Skaw failed to produce a single passerine migrant and there were just 3 Turnstone on the beach. Despite having spent a fair while looking for the Bonaparte's Gull on Norwick beach yesterday to satisfy myself it had departed it was the first bird I saw on Norwick beach today - who knows where it has been the past two days! Otherwise I saw just 11 Swallows and a single Willow Warbler. Brydon had failed to see a single Warbler on his circuit around Baltasound and with news from Fetlar that the Black-winged Pratincole was still present we caught the 10.25am ferry meeting Pete E and Andy G on the Geira. Pete had seen the Pratincole on Wednesday so knew its favoured field and picked it out on our arrival only for it to promptly disappear! It did return to sit in the field a couple of times but never close. Fortunately the same couldn't be said of it hawking around our heads catching Crane Fly before it flew off east. It was then good to meet Paul M who had seen the Pratincole hawking around his house, but despite his best efforts, we didn't see it again. We returned on the 2.30pm ferry and a quick check of Haroldswick on our way home failed to produce a migrant. I elected to mow the lawn and whilst doing so saw 3+ Orcas exiting Norwick hugging the coast heading south. As they headed south Robbie successfully saw them off Haroldswick and then Uyeasound.
