Every day now it keeps coming as a bit of a surprise to us that they're still here. Each day it becomes less and less likely that we'll see any, but the odd spell of dodgy weather and small numbers keep appearing as if from nowhere. Most likely they'll be in little groups on the sea, but a couple of days ago some were still on the cliffs. We're talking, of course, of Puffins. By August they've normally long gone, but not this year, so if you do come in the next couple of days and catch up with one, you will be experiencing something rarely seen!
Plenty more to look for around the reserve and on the sea. Arctic Skuas have appeared as predicted over the sea and a group of Common Scoters flew by earlier in the week. That's the problem with passage seabirds - you've got to be at the right place at the right time, because they often don't hang around for long! Not so the Grey Seal that slowly drifted by allowing everyone a chance to see it, even the CCTV camera operators.
There has been a couple of recent sighting of Marsh Harrier and two Crossbills flew north last weekend. Again right place and right time, but definitely worth keeping an eye on the sky - it's possible any bird of prey might send the finch flock or even the Gannets and Herring Gulls into a bit of a panic, so keep alert. That is, if you're not checking the bushes for warblers and flycatchers and the fields for finches and buntings. What to do? Well Willow Warblers have been moving through every day, often settling to sing for a few minutes, but more likely to be heard 'hooeeting' from one of the little woodlands. Keep an eye out for the soft lemony young birds. I keep getting tempted, too, to search through the flock of Linnets in the weedy field next to the reserve, especially as it's clear there's plenty of other birds around them. Yellow Wagtails are particularly worth searching for, always a joy to watch and they seem to delight in feeding whenever you see them. Extra special as they'll soon be heading south for the winter.
A final thing to keep an eye on now is the little pond in the bird feeding station. We've found an ingenious way of keeping it full (thanks to Alan), but never stays that way for long as everything wants a bath and after a flock of Starlings have been in, there really isn't that much water left!