A day on Sanday

Taking advantage of the last day of excursion fares I put the car on the Sanday ferry and with a small birding crew we set about seeing if anything was left of yesterday's Yellow-browed fall.

First to Start Point, up in the NE corner to see if, despite the clear night any new birds were in. They weren't but it was still an interesting place to wander around, taking care not to get cut off by the tide of course.

We then had a bit of a tour around the north end of the island in the process locating two Yellow-browed Warblers and failing to nail a likely Grotfinch.

However, a change of plan, a focus on waders, and we were soon searching through the vast flocks of goldies and other waders on Burness. Eventually M said, "What's this?" A group of close waders flew including an interesting smaller one with the goldies, and once we had relocated it nearby it was appropriately identified and photographed - Buff-breasted Sand, very nice.

Follows my photos, M's were considerably better.

A large cow stood in front of the bird and when it had moved Buffy was gone. We couldn't relocate her and neither could the two carloads of birders who we called up. Subsequently we searched the fields most of the way to the sea. We were needing to dash for the ferry but AL could be relied upon to locate something good, and sure enough he'd got the adult American Golden Plover. Reasonable enough views were obtained before we had to scoot south down the island for the boat and an uneventful, though occasionally bouncy trip home.