Another Yank passerine on Barra

Another great day birding on Barra as yet another Yank was found in the shape of a Swainson's thrush at Castlebay, now renamed Central Park by the locals. Unfortunately for us this was not even an island tick as we saw one here last year as well, though that was in the hand having been caught and ringed, so it was great to see one walking around in the leaf litter in the woods near the football pitch. This is the 9th North American passerine on the island in the past 5 weeks, of four different species (Philadelphia vireo x 1, Tennessee warbler x 2, red-eyed vireo x5 & Swainson's thrush x1). What else is waiting out there for us, and will we find it?

 
Also today, common rosefinch at Glen, 9 glossy ibis still, 3 drake green-winged teal, juvenile ring-necked duck, a large passage of whooper swans and barnacle geese over the island, a late swallow and our first moorhen on the island! Not seen by us today, the Arctic warbler is still around as well. Not a bad day.

 

A really nice bird!

Common rosefinch has been a bogey bird for us on Barra over the past couple of years. They keep being reported but try as we might we've not been able to connect with one until today, when we saw this bird in Glen. 

This is the area at Glen where the rosefinch was.

The glossy ibis appeared to leave at 8.45 but when we checked again at 14.30 all nine were still present. 

One of three drake green-winged teal on Eoligarry flood today. 

We must have seen at least a couple of thousand barnacle geese fly over today, in groups of varying size, from 20 to 250. All heading east/south east  these are newly arrived birds from Greenland and Barra is the first land they have seen following many hours of flight. A few alighted on Scurrival beach, but most continued on their way.

And still they came.

Around 150 barnacle geese landed on Scurrival beach.

The whooper swan passage has also started, and these birds have travelled from Iceland. 

Meanwhile, the pale-bellied brent goose flock quietly continues to grow, with 37 a new record count for us on the island.

The juvenile ring-necked duck was still present at Loch an Ail now with a tufted duck, a female wigeon and a full blown Barra tick for us, a moorhen! Following the excitement generated by last years coot on loch Tangasdail, I thought it best to inform the birders WhatsApp group but it seems that moorhen is a scarce breeder on the island.