A fantastic sunny Sunday afternoon walk up Marwick Head reserve.

The Choin

Red-breasted mergansers, eider ducks and oystercatchers were all gathered in The Choin, a large tidal pool. Skylarks were singing in the fields and on the walk up to the cliff I saw my first wheatears of the year - two smart looking males. 

View towards Hoy and the old man

 

The guillemots were back in their thousands on the cliff, huddled together in rows, with kittiwakes and razorbills also perched on their ledges. Fulmars were cackling to each other with the odd rock dove darting out from the cliff edge. Fingers crossed for a successful season for the seabirds.