More Laps

After another windy sleep-interrupted night I began to think that the old Obs wasn't so noisy in a storm after all! My watch alarm failed to wake us - I'd forgotten to reset it after using it to remind me of Fire Training the previous evening - and with the lack of sleep we'd managed to sleep through the kids getting up! Consequently, it was a mad rush in the morning to get the said children ready for school. Lowri arrived, as he does most school mornings, whilst they were still eating breakfast and so rather than walking or cycling to school, I ran them there in the car! A check of Dave Wheeler's weather page saw it had reached 45 knots overnight, so nothing too severe. The wind remained strong all day from a WSW direction which meant that, despite there being more birders on the isle, birding was pretty quiet. The highlight was probably the two Sand Martins that have battled their way here and there was a Song Thrush at the Obs. Pink-feet continue to move and 265 were logged whilst the sea produced 3 Red-throated Diver, a Manx Shearwater and 6 Wigeon.

I spent a good part of the day making final (I hope) amendments/corrections to the Fair Isle chapter of the new Observatories Book that is due out (hopefully) this Christmas - which incidentally is only 94 days away!!!

I nipped out for an hour or two late afternoon and in an easing wind had reasonable views of the Richard's Pipit as it strolled around in long grass at Schoolton. Simon meanwhile has increased the Lapland Bunting ringing total to SIX - ringing ticks all round!